Fairy Meadows & Rush Lake Trek

Trekking and Sightseeing

Pakistan Highlights

An introduction to the culture and high peaks of Pakistan, this trek brings together two of the world’s highest mountain ranges, the Himalayas and the Karakoram in two accessible basecamp treks. Nanga Parbat is the western most high peak of the Himalayan range. Nanga Parbat, the 9th highest in the world, is a colossal and magnificent mountain, in mountaineering circles it is known as King of the mountains for its size and magnificent profile. The Karakoram Range, in contrast, has the greatest concentration of high peaks along with the longest glaciers outside the polar regions. Amongst these is Rakaposhi, the 27th highest peak in the world. Rakaposhi is well recognized for its beauty than its rank might suggest.

12 DAYS/13 NIGHTS

Physical Rating: 4

Best time to visit: June to September

Aerial view of a city with residential houses, a large white modern building with tall towers, surrounded by forested mountains in the background.

The morning is free to recover from your journey. In the afternoon
and we offer an optional walk to the Margalla hills surrounding the
capital. Later in the afternoon, the trek leaders will give a full trip
briefing. We will conclude our evening with a group dinner, this will
be an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other

Scenic landscape of snow-capped mountains, green forest, and a grassy plain with small ponds and a few scattered houses and horses.

We will take an early morning flight to Gilgit The flight is about an
hour and on the way you will see the foot hills of the Himalayas,
leading to Nanga Parbat. We will have lunch in Gilgit and continue to
Fairy Meadows. At Raikot bridge we take Jeeps over a 17km steep
and narrow dirt road to Tattu village, where the hiking trail to Fairy
Meadows begins. This is a well established trail and we walk through
the forest on a gentle climb for about 2-3 hours.

Snow-capped mountain range with a green valley and wooden houses at the base, surrounded by trees.

The trail to basecamp passes through pine and fir forest along a
stream, for about 5km. The vista finally opens up as we reach the
small settlement of Beyal, there are great views of the Indus Valley
and Rakaposhi. From Beyal we continue on a trail with views in all
directions. The trail leads up to the moraine where a ruble covered
track leads us to Nanga Parbat basecamp. The incredible peaks of
Nanga Parbat form a sweeping panorama. After dinner we have time
to enjoy the mountain, we turn off all lights watch the unbelievable
star filled sky.

Cow grazing on green grass in a meadow with snow-capped mountains in the background, surrounded by lush trees.

In the morning there is an option to trek to camp1 and return. The
trek to camp1 is on a steep trail above the great moraine and takes
about two hours, all along the trek the views are spectacular. Those
who decide to stay will enjoy a leisurely morning enjoying the
panoramic views, and can explore the area.
Later we retrace our steps, taking an easy descending path back to
Fairy Meadows where we will spend the night.

Snow-capped mountain range in the background with green hills and pink wildflowers in the foreground.

We retrace our steps, taking an easy descending path back to Fairy
Meadows and then on to Jhel where we continue the drive to Raikot
bridge.
We stop in Gulmet for views of our next trek Rakaposhi, have a
traditional chai and then continue on to Nagar where we spend the
night.

Snow-capped mountains under a partly cloudy sky with green and rocky slopes in the foreground.

This is a long day of hiking. We start early taking our transport to a
bridge on the snout of Minapin glacier. The trail is very steep, initially
rising 183m on switch backs and then easing but continuing the
ascent until we reach the summer settlement of Hapakun, where we
will rest for a couple hours and have lunch.
We continue through forests and pastures until we get to the
moraine which has been hidden from the view until this moment. You
are rewarded with a panoramic view of the ridge connecting Diran
and Rakaposhi peaks. We spend the night in camps.

A mountain valley with snow-capped peaks in the background, a turquoise river flowing through the rocky terrain, and a hillside village with colorful houses and autumn foliage.

We retrace our steps back to Minapin, stopping at Rakaposhi view point
along the way. The path is an easy decent, we will stop for lunch and
then continue on to Minapin where we will take the transport to
Hunza.

A lush green valley surrounded by mountains with scattered houses and trees under a partly cloudy sky.

We will visit the 1100 years old Altit fort, the original seat of the Hunza
state and the oldest monument in Gilgit-Baltistan. Our next stop is the
700 year old Baltit Fort where the Mir (title of the Hunza ruler) resided
until the 1950s. For those interested there will an option to take a
cooking class in Pakistani cuisine.There is also an opportunity to hike
behind the fort along an irrigation channel with views of Hunza Valley,
the surrounding peaks and terraced fields with views of daily life.

A winding paved mountain road with guardrails on both sides, leading towards rugged, colorful mountain peaks under a clear blue sky.

We head to “Passu Cones” also known as Cathedral Ridge a series of
pointed 6,000 m peaks that are located next to the Karakoram Highway.
We will enjoy some gentle trekking on the Batura Glacier after which
we will hike across a suspension bridge.
We then visit Attabad Lake. A massive landslide in 2010 blocked the
flow of Hunza River for 5 months, and created this 12mile long lake. The
village of Attabad is now under water and over 6000 people were
displaced. We will take a short boat ride across the lake and relax at our
lake side hotel.

A purple and red tent set up in a grassy valley surrounded by rocky mountains with snow-capped peaks under a blue sky.

We enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the lake; later where we will take our
transport and drive towards Gilgit. Here we will have the chance to visit
the famous Kargah Buddha, a 7th century carving of a large standing
Buddha. The day is free to relax

Aerial view of a city with a distinctive modern white church with tall spires, surrounded by mountains and residential neighborhoods.

We will take the early morning flight to Islamabad, if unable to fly we will
drive the Silk Road back to Islamabad
Our private bus will be waiting at the airport to transfer us to the hotel
and once we have settled in it will be time to take lunch. After lunch the
rest of the day is free for independent sightseeing, shopping or to relax
at the hotel.

The Faisal Mosque in Pakistan during sunset with a clear sky and mountains in the background, people walking around.

This is an additional day for sightseeing and our trip leader will arrange a
group tour to see some of the local sights. We will have a group dinner
with some entertainment.
This is an important contingency day; incase of flight cancellation we will
be arriving in Islamabad this afternoon so you should not be planning to
fly out on this day

A large commercial airplane flying through a partly cloudy sky.

This morning transfer to Islamabad airport where your tour ends

Is this Trip for you?

All our tours feature a physical rating to help select the right vacation. Every one of tours require the ability to walk around sights unaided, while more active tours include longer walks or multi-day treks.

Level 1: A reasonable level of fitness is required but its more about spending time on your feet than covering large distances. You will be getting on and off vehicles, walking around sites and climbing steps.

Level 2: The typical day is busier and involves more steps or multiple sites visits every day. The trip might involve day hikes of 2-3 hours.

Level 3: You should enjoy hiking and feel comfortable hiking 3–6 miles with elevation with elevation gains/losses of up to 300m(1000 ft) per day. We suggest beginning a regular exercise regimen at least 2–3 months prior to departure.

Level 4: You should be comfortable with hiking 5-8 hours each day, up to 18km (11 miles) with as much as 3,000’elevation gain and loss or high altitude.

Level 5: Challenging for fit hikers with experience in multi-day treks in high altitude. These tours are not appropriate for novice hikers or even for experienced but unfit hikers.

If you have any questions, please reach us at info@thewander.travel