Best Rakaposhi Climbing Guides 2025

I have just returned from a 15 day trip to Pakistan organised by Apricot Tours - the second such trip this year. Firstly i should like to say that Apricot Tours is by far the best tour company i have ever used. Ahmed, who organised my tour, is efficient, understood exactly what was required, is charming and very decent. All the team in the office in Islamabad are similarly delightful people. We travelled by SUV throughout the journey. I was accompanied by my guide - Ayaz and driver - Fida - throughout the trip. Ayaz is the most splendid guy to travel with. He is very charming, amusing, interesting to talk to, always helpful and generally good company. You could not find a nicer guy. Fida, our driver, is also a great guy - absolutely top rate driver often over very difficult terrain - he is also engaging, had a delightful dry sense of humour and i liked him enormously. My trip took me to arguably one of the most beautiful parts of the planet. We drove from Islamabad firstly to Kohat to see an area that had connections to my family and then on to Peshawar - although there briefly i always enjoy that city - full of interesting things to see and it is colourful in a rather conservative way. I dined with the most interesting local hostorian Ali Jan - he has a wealth of local knowledge and he is very engaging. We then set off to Swat, stopping at one of the greatest survivals of the ancient world - the Takht Bahi Monastery near Mardaan. It is just breathtaking and in a sublime position in the hills. We then passed over the Historic Malkand Pass - visiting the old Military Cemetery and there Ali left us. We travelled on through Lower and Upper Dir - the majestic scenery getting better with every kilometer to Swat city - situated in a valley renowned fot its natural beauty. From their we passed into Chitral firstly to visit the Kalash Valleys and meeting the intriguing, beautiful people who have a unique culture. We stayed in the guest house of a Kalash family in Bumberet. They were absolutely delightful and Jamshed, a young lad of 17, showed me around the town. I also hiked as close to the Afghan border as one can get with Ayaz. We had a long hike next day to Rambur but sadly didnt have time to visit the third village Birir. On the way and way back from these valleys we stayed in what is certainly the best hotel I know in Pakistan Ayun Villas. Run by a cousin of the former ruler in the state, it sits high up and has breathtaking views - in the mornings one gets a clear view of Tirich Mir - the highest mountain in Chitral. The hotel itself is elegantly furnished, the food is superb and the staff absolutely pleasing. Passing through Chitral City with its most interesting small fort and Museum, we travelled north Garam Chasma - known for its hot springs. It is an enchanting place and the scenery as fine as anywhere. The people are friendly and decent and extremely good looking. After a night in Booni we passed out of Chitral over the breathtaking Shandur pass - famous for its Polo matches in July, staying at Phundur and there had one of the most entertaining evenings of the trip where we met another group of Polish guys and their wonderful guide from Yasin also called Jamshed. After a night in Gahkuch we arrived in Gilgit - although i had been before, the clarity was breathtaking and the view of Rakaposhi from the 13th Century Victory tower perched high above the city took my breath away. The last part of our trip was perhaps the most dramatic and remarkable - the Astore valley - to get there one passes through a long barren uncomprimising gorge but after a lengthy drive it opens out into a verdant and extremely beautiful series of valleys dominated by Nanga Parbat. Our hotel was such a joy - the most happy charming staff and really excellent food. On the first day we trecked up to Rama lake and had a brilliant crystal clear view of Nanga Parbat from the east side. It is a wonderful fairly easy trek with great views through Pine forrests. My last day before the long drive back to Islamabad was spent climbing up the valley on the Rupal side of the mountain to well beyond base camp - up to the edge of the glacier. I was incredibly lucky with the weather and the clarity. The Mountain, called the killer mountain, is the 9th highest in the world and certainly the most beautiful i have seen anywhere on Earth. The next day haze had formed over the mountain and what i was told about my good fortune seems to be true. I owe the success of my trip to Apricot Tours - I thoroughly recommend them and a huge thanks to Ayaz and Fida. Along the way i met so many wam and decent people and the police were invariably helpful.

We went to Pakistan for 4 weeks with my husband. We were picked up from the airport by Sideeq Akbar who was waiting for us with a big smile. When preparing for our trip, Sideeq always answered all our questions very quickly and took the time to explain everything during our exchanges by email and Whatsapp. He was very attentive and very patient. Our objective was the K2 base camp but there were not enough people registered. October is already late with winter starting early at high altitudes. Apricot Tours offered us 3 different treks that met our expectations! We had our personal guide Ayaz, just for the two of us during our entire trip! Ayaz was a very kind, very smiling companion with whom we exchanged a lot on many subjects. A very good guide with very good knowledge of the mountains of the Hunza valley where he is proud to be from. We had a good acclimatization starting with the trek to the Nangat Parbat base camp. The weather was with us and the discovery of this gigantic mountain and its glacier was impressive. We really enjoyed our 2nd night in the small hamlet of Beyal. Skardu is a must-see stop with its unique geographical location. The Indus Valley is splendid. A great organization for the Machulo trek. We were surrounded by 12 people: guides + cook + porters. We were able to climb to Machulo Pass but the passages covered with a small thickness of snow were very slippery. I was helped with great kindness by Ayaz and by our cook Yacob (who knew the area where he grew up very well). Unfortunately the mountains were in fog and we could not see the summit of K2. Big disappointment for my husband. The following day the storm broke up with heavy snowfall and strong gusts of wind. Ayaz decided for safety's sake to go back down to camp 1 at the beginning of the afternoon. The next day the great weather allowed us to discover this time by car the magnificent valley up to Hushe. I highly recommend the trek to Masru Rock. It's not far from Skardu. The hike is steep but upon arrival, it's great. You climb onto a rock which overlooks the entire valley with 1000 m of emptiness below! We then left for Hunza. A gloomy weather forecast for 5 days still allowed us to discover the cultural and natural richness of the region. Several treks to the "Lady finger" and above "Attabad lake" are essential. The surroundings are also splendid with the fall colors. Last trek to Rakaposhi base camp with the sun finally found. An easy hike which offers an exceptional panorama of the Rakaposhi and Diran glaciers. The night at base camp was very very cool on October 22 but the Milky Way was magnificent! Traveling in these mountains in October is more challenging due to the temperatures but there are few walkers. We came home with hundreds of images in our heads. All the people we met were very welcoming and very curious about our life as Europeans. The smiles of the many children warm our hearts as travelers. Thank you a thousand times Ayaz for introducing us to your culture, sharing your opinions and hiking in a small part of the mountains in the north of your country. Thank you Sideeq for your listening and your professionalism. Clotilde and Paul