8000-Metre Peaks

Pakistan is home to five of the world's fourteen eight-thousanders — more than any country except Nepal — making it the pre-eminent destination for expedition mountaineering at the highest level. K2 (8,611 m), the world's second-highest mountain and widely regarded as the most technically demanding of the eight-thousanders, stands at the heart of the central Karakoram. Nanga Parbat (8,126 m), known as the “Killer Mountain” for its formidable early climbing history, anchors the western Himalaya above the Indus Gorge near Chilas. Gasherbrum I (8,080 m), Broad Peak (8,051 m), and Gasherbrum II (8,035 m) cluster around the Baltoro Glacier, accessible from Skardu.

Permits for eight-thousanders in Pakistan are issued by the Ministry of Tourism and require detailed expedition documentation, royalty payments (which vary by peak and team size), and a government-appointed liaison officer. The full expedition cycle — permit processing, equipment shipment, approach trek, acclimatisation rotations, summit attempts, and descent — typically runs eight to twelve weeks. K2 and the Gasherbrums are approached via the Baltoro Glacier from Skardu; Nanga Parbat has multiple approach routes from both the Rupal and Diamir faces. Base camp facilities for the Baltoro peaks are well-established, with experienced Pakistani high-altitude porters, cooks, and liaison officers forming the backbone of every successful eight-thousander expedition.