K2 Base Camp Trek Cost 2027: Price, What's Included and Extras

By Imtiyaz Ahmed Shigri, founder of Chogori Adventure, Skardu · Updated November 2026

How much does the K2 Base Camp Trek cost?

On a fixed group departure, the 21-day K2 Base Camp Trek costs $2,300 per person, from Islamabad back to Islamabad (2027 season). The price includes domestic flights or road transport, hotels and camps, meals on the trek, guides, cooks, porters, the trekking permit, government fees and taxes, and the Central Karakoram National Park (CKNP) fee. It doesn't include international flights, your visa, insurance, tips or lunch and dinner in Islamabad.

That works out at about $110 a day for 21 days, with 14 days on the trail from Askoli to K2 Base Camp (about 5,150 m) and back. The price is the same on every 2027 departure, from 5 June to 5 October. Our prices are in US dollars (USD); you can also pay the equivalent in Pakistani rupees (PKR).

Not sure which K2 trek fits you? Compare all 7 K2 treks. For the difficulty and the best time to go, read our K2 Base Camp Trek guide.

The K2 trek cost at a glance

• Fixed departure, 21 days from Islamabad: $2,300 per person
• Private trip, your own group and dates: $2,300 to $4,500 per person, by group size
• Trek only, 15 days from Skardu: $2,000 per person
• Pakistani citizens: USD 300 less on all 7 of our K2 treks
• Single room or tent (optional): USD 200 for a room to yourself, USD 200 for a tent to yourself
• Extra baggage: USD 12 per kg above 16 kg
• Tips: about USD 100–250 per trekker, in cash, for the whole crew
• Deposit to book: 10% of the trip price

What your $2,300 pays for

About two thirds of the trip is a fully supported camping expedition, and that is where most of the money goes. After Askoli (3,000 m) there are no villages, shops, lodges or teahouses, so everything you eat, sleep in and use for 14 days is carried in by porters and run by our crew.

Here is how the 21 days break down on the classic trek:

• Days 1–3, Islamabad and Skardu: airport pick-up, 1 hotel night in Islamabad, the flight to Skardu (2,230 m) and 2 hotel nights there. Day 3 is a rest day: you walk up to Kharpocho Fort to acclimatise while our Skardu office arranges the trekking permit, which is usually done in a day but can take longer.
• Day 4, the drive to Askoli: a 5–7-hour jeep ride through the Shigar and Braldu valleys with the crew and all the supplies.
• Days 5–18, the trek: 14 days of camping, up the Braldu River to Jhola and Paiju, onto the Baltoro Glacier (about 63 km long) to Khoburtse, Urdukas, Goro II and Concordia (4,691 m), then to Broad Peak Base Camp and K2 Base Camp and back the same way, with a rest day at Paiju.
• Days 18–21, the return: the jeep back to Skardu, 1 hotel night there, the flight to Islamabad, 2 hotel nights in Islamabad (one of them a spare day for delays) and the drop at the airport.

On the trail, the price pays for a licensed guide, an assistant guide, cooks and kitchen assistants, and a porter team that carries your personal bag (up to 16 kg), the tents, the kitchen and the food. Porters collect their rations at Paiju and bake bread there for the days on the glacier. Each camp has a mess tent for meals, sleeping tents on twin sharing and a toilet tent. We carry a generator for groups of more than 5 trekkers, or solar panels for smaller groups, to charge your devices and light the camp, and the group always has a satellite phone for emergencies.

The fees are part of the price too. K2 lies in the Central Karakoram National Park, a restricted area, so every trekker needs a trekking permit, security clearance and a licensed guide. The permit, government fees and taxes, the park fee, the waste management fee, and the tolls and bridge charges on the road are all paid by us and included. The park was created in 1993 and covers more than 10,000 km² of the central Karakoram, including the Baltoro Glacier and four of Pakistan's five 8,000 m peaks.

For the day-by-day heights and kilometres, see K2 Base Camp height, distance and map.

Private trip prices (your own group and dates)

Fixed departures take at most 12 people. Private groups can be larger. You can see the 2027 dates on each trip page.

Worked examples: what a private group pays

A private trip costs more per person in small groups because the fixed costs of the trek are shared by fewer people. A guide, a cook, the kitchen team, the jeeps and the base porter loads are needed whether one person walks or eight. These are the totals from the table above:

• One person, private: $4,500. The same person can join a fixed departure for $2,300, or $2,700 with both a single room and a single tent.
• A couple, private: 2 × $3,000 = $6,000. On a fixed departure the couple pays 2 × $2,300 = $4,600, so the private trip costs $1,400 more for their own dates and pace.
• A group of 6 friends: 6 × $2,400 = $14,400.
• A club of 10: 10 × $2,300 = $23,000, the same price per person as a fixed departure, on dates you choose.

Trekking companies from abroad can ask us for partner rates. On the pages, the right group price is applied automatically when you book.

Fixed departure or private trip: which should you choose?

Choose a fixed departure if you are travelling alone or as a couple and your dates are flexible: it is the lowest price, and we bring trekkers from different countries together into one group of 4 to 12 people. Choose a private trip if you are 5 or more, need dates outside the departure list, or want a guide who speaks your language (for private groups we try to find one). The route, the camps and the inclusions are the same either way.

2027 departure dates and what each status means

The K2 Base Camp Trek has 17 fixed departures in 2027, every one at $2,300: on the 5th, 12th, 20th and 27th of June, July, August and September, plus 5 October. Each trip is 21 days, so the first ends on 25 June and the last on 25 October.

The departure table on the K2 Base Camp Trek page shows a status for each date:

• Confirmed: the departure will run.
• Limited: there are only a few places left.
• Available: fewer than 3 people have booked that date so far, but once you book it, we run that departure.

The K2 Gondogoro La Trek uses the same 17 start dates. The two trek-only versions start in Skardu 3 days later (8, 15, 23 and 30 June to September, plus 8 October), because their guests join the same groups on day 4. The K2 Base Camp Trek for Beginners has three 2027 departures: 25 June, 15 July and 15 August.

The price does not change with the month. July, August and early September usually have the most settled weather, so book those dates early. For the season in detail, read the Baltoro trekking tips and best time.

What the price includes

• All domestic transport: flight, jeep and car
• Hotels on twin sharing: 1 night in Islamabad on arrival and 2 nights on return; 2 nights in Skardu on arrival and 1 night on return
• Tents on twin sharing during the trek
• A separate room and tent for a woman travelling alone, if there is no other woman in the group
• Professional guide and support staff; cooks and assistants
• Porters for your personal bag, up to 16 kg
• All meals on the itinerary, except lunch and dinner in Islamabad
• Trekking permit, government fees and taxes, CKNP park fee, waste management fee, tolls and bridge charges
• Satellite phone for emergencies, basic first-aid kit
• Boiled water, snacks and dry fruit every trekking day
• Mess, sleeping and toilet tents

Two points are worth knowing. First, the hotel line is fixed: 5 hotel nights in all, with the second night in Islamabad on return kept as a spare day in case the Skardu flight is delayed. Second, a woman travelling alone gets a separate room and tent at no extra cost if there is no other woman in the group; anyone else who wants a room or tent to themselves pays the single supplement below.

On the trek there are toilets up to Urdukas and toilet tents at most camps on the glacier. You can wash and shower up to Urdukas; higher up it is too cold. Drinking water is boiled for you every day, so you don't need to buy bottled water on the trail.

What it doesn't include: extras to budget for

Besides the trip price, budget for your international flights, the Pakistan visa fee, travel insurance, tips of about USD 100–250 in cash, and gear rental if you need it (about USD 60–100 for climbing gear and USD 40–80 for a sleeping bag). Everything else depends on how much you want to spend.

We strongly recommend bringing your own clothing, sleeping bag and trekking boots.

Single supplement: USD 200 for the room, USD 200 for the tent

A room to yourself costs USD 200 extra for all 5 hotel nights in Islamabad and Skardu, and a tent to yourself costs USD 200 extra for the whole trek. You can take one or both, so the most you pay is USD 400. On the trek-only versions from Skardu there are no hotel nights in the price, so only the tent supplement applies. A woman travelling alone gets a separate room and tent at no extra cost if there is no other woman in the group.

Extra baggage: a worked example

A porter carries up to 16 kg of your personal bag, and each extra kilo costs USD 12. If your bag weighs 20 kg, you pay for 4 extra kilos: 4 × USD 12 = USD 48. Your daypack, with water, snacks, a warm layer and a rain jacket, you carry yourself. Most trekkers fit their clothing, sleeping bag and personal kit into 16 kg; the weight usually comes from extra camera gear, books and too many spare clothes.

Tips: how much and when

Tipping is your choice, and most trekkers give about USD 100–250 each in total, in cash, for the whole crew. The Karakoram has a strong tipping culture, and tips are an important part of the income of the guides, cooks and porters. Our cooks and porters come from the villages of Baltistan. Bring the cash with you from Islamabad or Skardu, as there are no villages or teahouses after Askoli.

Gear for the Gondogoro La: an extra on the pass treks

The classic K2 Base Camp Trek is non-technical, so you need only normal trekking gear. The treks that cross the Gondogoro La (5,585 m) need climbing gear for the pass day: crampons, a harness, a helmet, a jumar (rope ascender), carabiners, a descender or figure-8, shoe covers (gaiters) and mittens. This gear is not included. Bring your own, or ask us to arrange it in Skardu, where a full set usually rents for about USD 60–100. Read how hard the Gondogoro La is before you choose a pass trek.

Travel insurance and the visa

For every visa type, the documents, the permits and a table of which places need which visa, see our Pakistan visa guide.

Travel insurance is required and not included. Your policy must cover helicopter rescue and emergency evacuation, and trekking up to at least 6,000 m. Mountain rescue in Pakistan uses army helicopters, and payment may be needed in advance, so check this with your insurer before you buy. A cheaper policy without helicopter cover is not enough for this trek.

The Pakistan visa fee depends on your nationality and is not included. You apply online on the official Pakistan online visa portal; we provide the invitation letter and help with the process. For other questions before you travel, read Before you trek in Pakistan.

Leaving early, delays and force majeure

If you, or your whole group, decide to return early from the trek, for any reason, the extra costs are not included and not covered by us: for example extra hotel nights, extra jeeps or other transport, changed flights, or a guide or porter to take you back. The same applies to costs caused by events such as earthquakes, landslides or floods. Our services are provided as listed in the trip plan. This is one more reason why your insurance matters.

Flights between Islamabad and Skardu depend on the weather and are sometimes cancelled. If that happens, we drive on the Karakoram Highway instead, and the spare day in Islamabad absorbs the delay. Book your flight home for day 21 or later, and choose a ticket you can change if you can.

Trek only from Skardu: $2,000, and what you arrange yourself

The two trek-only K2 treks cost $2,000 per person for 15 days from Skardu back to Skardu, $300 less than the 21-day treks, because flights and hotels are not included. The Concordia K2 Base Camp Trek follows the classic route there and back, and the K2 Base Camp and Gondogoro La Pass Trek crosses the pass to Hushe. You join the same groups, camps, guides, cooks and porters as on the 21-day treks.

The $2,000 includes the jeep from Skardu to Askoli and back to Skardu, meals and twin-sharing tents on the trek, guides, cooks, porters for your bag up to 16 kg, the trekking permit, government fees and taxes, and the park fee. Our services start on day 1 with the drive to Askoli, and meals on day 1 start with lunch.

What you arrange yourself:

• Your flights or road transport between Islamabad and Skardu.
• Your hotels in Islamabad and Skardu, including 2 nights in Skardu before the start date.
• Your meals in Skardu before day 1, and breakfast on day 1 at your hotel.

You must arrive in Skardu two days before the start date with your original passport. K2 lies in a restricted area, and we need your real passport to get the security clearance and the park permit before the trek can start. If you arrive late, the permit may not be ready in time, so leave room for a cancelled flight.

The trek-only option suits travellers who are already in Pakistan, who want to choose their own hotels, or who are combining the trek with other travel in Gilgit-Baltistan. If you want everything arranged from Islamabad, the 21-day trek is simpler, and at $2,300 it also covers 5 hotel nights, both domestic flights and the spare day. For ideas on what to see before or after the trek, see the best places to visit in Skardu.

Price for Pakistani citizens

Pakistani nationals get the same trip and the same inclusions for USD 300 less on all 7 of our K2 treks. For example, a fixed departure on the K2 Base Camp Trek costs $2,000 instead of $2,300.

You can pay in Pakistani rupees (PKR) at the equivalent of the USD price.

Why do K2 trek prices differ so much?

A local operator runs the trek itself: guides, porters, permits and logistics. A foreign agency usually books a local operator and adds its own costs and margin. Prices also depend on group size and on what's included (for example, Islamabad meals, gear, or flights). When you compare, check the inclusions line by line.

A checklist for comparing K2 trek prices

Two prices are only comparable if they cover the same days and the same services. Ask these questions of any K2 trek offer, including ours:

• Where does the price start and end? Islamabad to Islamabad, or Skardu to Skardu? Are the Islamabad–Skardu flights included?
• How many hotel nights? Ours include 5: 1 + 2 in Islamabad and 2 + 1 in Skardu.
• Is there a rest day and a spare day? On our classic trek there are rest days in Skardu and at Paiju, and a spare day in Islamabad for flight delays.
• Are the permit, park fee and waste fee included? On all our K2 treks they are.
• How much luggage do porters carry, and what does an extra kilo cost? Ours: 16 kg, then USD 12 per kg.
• What is the maximum group size? Our fixed departures take at most 12 people.
• What does a single room or tent cost? Ours: USD 200 each.
• Which meals are not included? On our fixed departures, lunch and dinner in Islamabad.
• Is pass gear included on Gondogoro La treks? On ours it is not; you bring or rent it.

How does K2 compare with a Himalaya base camp trek?

We run treks only in Pakistan, so we don't quote prices for treks in Nepal. What we can explain is why K2 costs are structured as a full package. On the busiest Himalaya routes, trekkers sleep and eat in lodges and teahouses and pay for each night as they go. On the K2 trek there are none after Askoli: you camp for 14 nights, porters carry all the food, fuel and tents, and the area needs a restricted-area permit and a licensed guide. K2 Base Camp (about 5,150 m) is also a little lower than Everest Base Camp (5,364 m), but most trekkers find the K2 trek harder, because it is longer, more remote and mostly on glacier moraine.

K2 itself is in the Karakoram, not the Himalaya. If you want a Himalaya trek in Pakistan, the western end of the range is around Nanga Parbat: our Fairy Meadows Trek costs from $800 for 7 days, and Nanga Parbat from both sides costs $1,800 for 12 days.

How to book and pay

A 10% advance deposit holds your place, and the balance is paid by bank transfer two weeks before you arrive or in cash when you arrive in Islamabad. On a $2,300 fixed departure the deposit is $230 and the balance is $2,070.

• Choose a date: pick a fixed departure, or ask us for a private trip on your own dates.
• Send your details: your name, email and group size in the booking form.
• Pay the 10% deposit: deposits are generally non-refundable, but can be moved to a trip in the next two seasons (see our terms and conditions).
• We confirm your booking: once the deposit arrives, we book your hotels and arrangements, send the visa invitation letter and prepare the permit.
• Pay the balance: by bank transfer two weeks before you arrive, or in cash in Islamabad. On day 1, after you have rested, we settle the balance and hold a short briefing; if you arrive late, we do both in Skardu.

Prices are in USD, and you can pay the equivalent in PKR.

How to keep your K2 trek cost down

The simplest saving is to join a fixed departure: at $2,300 it is the lowest price per person for the full 21-day trek. Other ways to spend less, without cutting the support you need on the glacier:

• Bring your own gear. A good sleeping bag and broken-in boots of your own are better than rented ones, and you save the rental cost.
• Pack to 16 kg. Weigh your bag at home so you don't pay USD 12 for each extra kilo.
• Share a room and a tent. Twin sharing is included; the single supplement is USD 400 for both.
• Travel as 5 or more if you want a private trip: the price drops from $3,000 to $2,400 per person.
• Use the spare day in Islamabad instead of booking extra hotel nights before your flight home.
• Choose the classic trek if you don't need the pass: no climbing gear to buy or rent.

Mistakes that make the trip cost more

• Buying insurance without helicopter rescue. If you need evacuation, the cost can be far higher than the trek itself.
• Booking a fixed flight home for day 20. If the Skardu flight is cancelled, you lose the spare day and may need to change your ticket.
• Arriving late for a trek-only start. Without your original passport in Skardu two days early, the permit can't be issued on time.
• Training too little. Leaving the trek early is not covered, and the extra jeeps, porters and hotel nights are paid by you.
• Bringing no cash. There are no villages or teahouses after Askoli; bring cash for tips, drinks and laundry.

Other K2 routes and their prices

The Beginners trek costs more because its 8 extra days need more supplies and more pay for the staff and porters.

Which K2 trek gives the most for the money?

It depends on what you want to see. The K2 Gondogoro La Trek costs the same $2,300 as the classic trek and adds the crossing of the Gondogoro La (5,585 m) to the Hushe valley instead of walking back the same way, but you need pass gear and one long day on fixed ropes. The Baltoro Glacier Trek: K2 & Gasherbrum adds two days and a third base camp (Gasherbrum, 5,100 m) for $700 more per person than the classic private table. The 19-day Karakoram K2 Trek is the quickest private loop over the pass, for fit trekkers with good altitude experience. The Beginners trek is the most expensive because it walks the same distance over 29 days.

If you want a climb as well, the K2 Base Camp and Khosar Gang Expedition is 27 days and $4,000 per person: the K2 and Gondogoro La trek, then a climb of Khosar Gang (6,046 m) with climbing gear and high-altitude porters included. It is a trek-and-peak trip, not one of the 7 K2 treks.

Climbing K2 is a different trip: see the K2 Climbing Expedition and how much it costs to climb K2.

What is the total cost to climb K2?

Our K2 Climbing Expedition costs $12,000 per person for Base Camp Only services and $26,000 for Full Board, for about 50 days on the Abruzzi Spur, with the K2 peak royalty included. That is a mountaineering expedition to 8,611 m, not a trek; the full breakdown is in how much it costs to climb K2.

How long does the K2 Base Camp Trek take?

The classic K2 Base Camp Trek takes 21 days from Islamabad back to Islamabad, with 14 days on the trail. You walk about 97 km each way between Askoli and K2 Base Camp, about 195 km in all, usually for 4 to 8 hours a day. The trek-only versions take 15 days from Skardu, the private Karakoram K2 Trek 19 days, the Baltoro Glacier Trek: K2 & Gasherbrum 23 days, and the Beginners trek 29 days. The pass route is shorter on foot, about 155 km, because you cross the Gondogoro La to Hushe; see the Gondogoro La Trek daily distance and altitude.

FAQ

About the author

Imtiyaz Ahmed Shigri founded Chogori Adventure in Skardu in 2015. Our guides are local, government-licensed and English-speaking, and most of them are trained in first aid. We are licensed by the Department of Tourist Services (licence no. 2494) and the Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department (licence DTS-GB-055), and we are a member of the Pakistan Association of Tour Operators, with offices in Skardu and Islamabad.

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