For Adventure enthusiasts, a trip to Rakaposhi Base Camp is considered as one of the most beautiful treks you can do in Pakistan, up there with mountain climbing in Fairy Meadows.
Most people trek Base Camp of Rakapsohi with a guide in 2 – 3 days but it can also be done in a single day. This article provides guides for both.
Rakaposhi Height
Rakaposhi Base Camp Location
Mount Rakaposhi is a 7,788-meter high mountain range in the Karakoram mountain range located in the Nagar Valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The name Rakaposhi, meaning “snow-covered” comes from the fact that you can see its unique elevation on its snow-capped peaks from the Karakoram Highway along the Nagar Valley. You can even see its magnificent snow wall all the way from Hunza Valley.
At 3,500 m, mountain base camp invites all the climbers around the world to climb and see the majestic mountain near and in person.
Rakaposhi Base Camp Trek
Drive from Islamabad to Chillas
It is around 10 hours drive to reach chillas from Islamabad taking Naran & Babusar Top route. Total distance is around 390 kms.
Drive from Chillas to Minapin
Minapon is located at 2012m height. It will take around 5-6 hours to reach Minapin by road.
Minapin to Hapakun Trek
Trek from minapin to Hapakun is 5.8 kms long. It will take around 4-5 hours trekking to reach Hapakun. Hapakun is at an elevation of 2814 meters.
The trek starts from Minapin Village.
From Minapin, head south along the road until you stumble over a bridge to the hydroplant.
From there, you will have to follow the rocky path that climbs the rocky mountain. The roads winding up and down the side of the mountain and the trail is easy to navigate through the dense jungle.
You will be passing through your area when Minapin Glacier will start to appear on your left. Continue along the flat path in the forest for about an hour and you will start climbing the hill until you reach the Hapakun camp.
There is nothing wrong with camping. You will see a large white tent (empty when you are there in October) in a wide area of grassy area where you can relax and refill your water in a nearby stream if necessary.
Hapakun to Rakaposhi Base Camp Trek
Hapakun to Rakaposhi base camp trek is around 3 kms. Around 3-4 hours of hiking required to reach Rakaposhi Base Camp.
It is located at an altitude of around 3,261 meters.
From here on out, everything goes up a steep slope overlooking the alpine forest for at least an hour until you come out of the forest, and you are fully exposed. You will start to see Rakaposhi roaring in the background as you exit the forest.
Continue up and down the hill until you reach a steep slope where you will be able to see the panoramic mountain range and the snow beneath it.
The Minapin glacier is probably one of the most beautiful glaciers on Earth. The view from the edge makes the trip worthwhile.
From the Rakaposhi camp back to Minapin, everything is down so it will take you about 2.5 hours to get off.
You can hike from Minapin to the Rakaposhi camp and back in 8.5 hours including a 2-hour break up, plenty of time to get beautiful views of Rakaposhi mountain and its mental snow.
The best time to climb Rakaposhi is from May to October when the trails are full of snow and you probably have a pretty clear day.
