Itinerary

1. Day 1 – From Minapin to Hakapun and visiting the Diran glacier

   • 70km from Gilgit, after a 2km detour from the Karakoram Highway, you find Minapin, a small, cosy village and the starting point for both Rakaposhi and Diran base camps
   • Hakapun is a small campsite located between Minapin and the Rakaposhi base camp, the perfect place to spend the first night and from where you can go to Diran glacier.
   • Going to Hakapun takes around 4 or 5 hours, and the trail is very easy to follow, except for the last few kilometres, as they are a bit confusing. However, you are likely to find shepherds who will tell you the way to follow.
   • Accommodation: Hotel Cherry Garden

2. Day 2 – From Hakapun to Rakaposhi base camp

   • The base camp is just 4 or 5 kilometres from Hakapun, but the trail is so steep that it might take you around 3 or 4 hours to reach it. 
   • Start walking early, as the sun’s rays are quite lethal from very early in the morning. In Pakistan, the sunrise is at 5 am, at least in spring.
   • The Rakaposhi base camp is one of the most epic camping spots. If you climb any of the surrounding hills, you will get an amazing 360º view, which will keep you busy the entire day.

3. Day 3 – Trekking to Diran base camp

   • Spend the third day trekking to Diran base camp, a 7,200-meter-high peak, whose base camp is right across the glacier, which means that, if you want to reach it, you will have to walk over it, jumping over 30m deep crevasses (deep crack in a glacier). Quite an adventure. 
   • By the way, unlike the part of the glacier next to Hakapun, here you can walk over it. The round trip to Diran base camp took me almost 5 hours.
   • Start walking at 5 am in the morning, come back to the Rakaposhi base camp around 10 am and, from there, walk straight back to Minapin. Doing it in one day is possible, but it takes 12 hours to reach Minapin with breaks included.