Nanga Parbat Rupal Face Trek


Duration: 6 Days
Distance: 37 Km
Standard: Easy
Season: June ~ October
Start / Finish: TARASHING
Zone & permit: Open
Public Transport: Yes

Summary: A Quick approach through lovely meadows leads to the base camp of NANGA PARBAT’s enormous RUPAL face.

NANGA PARBAT’s awesome south or RUPAL face rises 4572m from the floor of the RUPAL GAH, creating the greatest vertical rise from base camp to summit of any peak. The easy trails and two short no technical glacier crossings bring you directly beneath it for breathtaking close-up views, is less frequently visited than fairy meadows.

Guide & Porters
It’s prudent to hire a reputable, licensed guide who is accustomed to dealing with RUPAL porters and villagers. Porters come from TARASHING and CHORIT, which have decided that an equal number of porters for any party are to be from each village. This holds true even if you have just two porters. Porters, who transport loads on donkeys, ask for a flat rate of Rs.300 per stage, including payment for food rations and expect large parties to buy a goat at SHAIGIRI.

Stages
It’s a six stages total round trip from TARASHING:
1. HERRLIGKOFFER Base Camp
2. LATBOH
3. SHAIGIRI & (4-6) there stages to return via the same route.

Nearest Village:
TARASHING

Hotels / Rest Houses:
NANGA PARBAT TOURIST COTTAGE: owned by Mohammed Ashraf, has a large garden. The Camping fee is Rs.100 and rooms cost Rs.250 ~ 400.

HOTEL NANGA PARBAT: has a Rs.100 camping fee and rooms cost Rs.200 ~ 300.

Unless you organize a Gilgit ~ TARASHING special hire (Rs 2500/4000 one way / return), it’s necessary to change transport in Astor. The narrow jeep road to Astor leaves the KKH at Jaglot, 60Km south of Gilgit and 30Km north of Raikot Bridge, crossing a bridge over the Indus river and heading 40Km south – east up the Astor Valley skirting NANGA Parbat’s north east flank. Gilgit ~ Astor jeeps (Rs 100, three to four hours) go all day from Gilgit’s Jaglot bus stand on Domyal Link Road. Gilgit ~ Ator special hires cost Rs 1200 ~ 1500 one way. Astor ~ TARASHING Jeeps cost Rs. 50 (two hours) and special hires cost Rs 1000.

THE TREK:

Day 1: TARASHING to HERRLIGKOFFER Base Camp
5 Hours, 10 Km, 639m Ascent

From TARASHING (2911m) climbs the TARASHING Glacier’s lateral moraine, near the village’s north edge, and crosses the glacier on a trail, continues up to the gentle valley through RUPAL village.

Rising gradually through RUPAL’s lush fields, the trail follows the valley’s north side up a narrow green valley, through groves of willow, poplar and juniper then you pass a small lake and round a corner of the BAZHIN camp, a flat, green meadows between the lateral moraine of the BAZHIN Glacier and the mountain. Ahead towers the solid ice wall of the east face of NANGA PARBAT. This is a perfect campsite with clear spring water, a wood full of birds this spot is called HERRLIGKOFFER Base Camp (3550m), a beautiful, although much used meadows along the BAZHIN Glacier’s east margin. The camp site is named after Dr. Karl M HERRLIGKOFFER the leader of eight German expeditions to NANGA PARBAT, including the first successful expedition in 1953.

A side trip of several hours up this ablation valley leads to a point on the moraine directly above the BAZHIN Glacier and across from icefall coming from the summit.

Day 2: HERRLIGKOFFER Base Camp to LATBOH
4 Hours, 3 Km, 20m descent

Crosses the BAZHIN Glacier over a trail in 1½ hours along a donkey path, the local shepherds come and go frequently, so you can follow their path or them but be careful there will be a lot of hidden crevasses and you can listen to the voice of flowing of under ground water so you must walk slowly and don’t stop at the BAZHIN Glacier. From the top of the lateral moraine on the western side you look down on a huge grassy field known as LATBOH (3530m), the broad level meadows frequently by RUPAL herders. LATBOH is also known as TUPP Meadows because it’s like a TUPP which must once have been the bed of a lake. Herds of horses, sheep and goats graze in the centre. The summer villagers churn butter in goatskins and spin sheep wool while they sit and chat, offering bread and buttermilk (LASSI) to visitors.

Day 3: LATBOH to SHAIGIRI
4 Hours, 5.5Km, 125m ascent

A further two hour takes you around the end of a second moraine, with a lake on the top (Basically this Lake is less frequently visited & has no name and it exists at the foot of NANGA PARBAT so that is why I gave it a name “NANGA PARBAT Lake”) to another broad field, LATBOI (meaning stony place) also called second Base Camp, with a summer settlement on one side, from here the path climbs gently over some moraine then follows the north bank of the river through the woods to SHAIGIRI (meaning “white stone” in Shina) 30 minutes away. This is a good campsite at about 3660 meters, with fresh water, firewood and superb views of the south face of NANGA PARBAT.

Day 4 ~ 5: SHAIGIRI to TARASHING
2 days, 18.5Km, 744m descent
Retrace steps to TARASHING, Camping at base camp on day 4.

Published by

Shujaat Ali

I am from Islamic Republic of Pakistan - a country where every season is available like Sandy, Snowy etc. For those with an intrinsic love of mountains, Pakistan offers the unique pleasure of its northern mountain ranges, the Himalayas, the Hindukush and the Karakorams - a mountain wonderland unrivaled in the entire world with such formidable peaks as the K-2, the Nanga Parbat, the Rakaposhi, and the Trichmir. These ranges present an awesome challenge for those looking for trekking, mountaineering, angling, or jeep safaris. The resorts in these remote valleys make for an ideal summer get-away.

6 thoughts on “Nanga Parbat Rupal Face Trek”

  1. This one is the best travelogue i have read of Nanga Parbat Rupal Face Trek so that is why i thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

  2. Assalamu alikum Shujaat Bhai,

    Very interesting post yaar. I wish one day i go with you people InchaAllah.

    Kind Regards

  3. Waliqum Salam Brother,

    JAZA KA ALLAH for your comments.
    You always welcome to join us & INSHA ALLAH this year or next year we will make a plan 🙂

  4. Assalam-o-alaikum,

    Shujaat bhai its fantastic trek excellent briefings about it. We (4 persons) have planned a same trip with addition of Fairy Meadows.
    Here are some questions. the feed back will improve our plan.
    What is the max and min temp during day and night? or at least cold condition? or at least recommend the clothing for the trek.
    What food items you recommend for us for this trek?
    Shall we need the special sun glasses as used on glaciers?
    Can we go from Herlingkofer to Shaigiri in a single day?
    What medicines should we keep during the trek for different ailments?
    The trip is planned from 7th to 15th July. Will it be OK. Any further advice in this regard to improve our trek planning?
    With best wishes for your next trek.

  5. Waliqum Salam Brother,

    Thanks for your comments & reading my post.

    Below are answers to your questions:

    What is the max and min temp during day and night? or at least cold condition? or at least recommend the clothing for the trek.
    Before explaining, plz note down that in these mountain areas in the morning the temperature will be cold but you guys might not feel it because you will be doing walk & walk so during the walk wear cotton trouser and full sleeve t-shirts to protect from sun burn on your arm. And in the night as it will be freezing so get warm legging & warm full sleeve t-shirts, sleep in sleeping bag. It is also possible that you may have rain at night so the it will get more colder and temp may go down so be prepared for that. Also, you guys may get monsoon early & KKH might block, so it would be better to keep yourself updated about the weather and treks ahead of you. At Rupal the Temperature will be 10° ~ 12°, At HERRLIGKOFFER Base Camp the temp will be more down as you guys will go on more height and temp will go more down and rain is a must, so be prepared for rain and please get PONCHOS with you guys to protect from rain.

    What food items you recommend for us for this trek?
    For that please read my post’s section THINGS TO TAKE at http://www.naqoosh.com/rakaposhi-base-camp-trek/

    Shall we need the special sun glasses as used on glaciers?
    No need to get special sun glasses just use ordinary sun glasses.

    Can we go from Herlingkofer to Shaigiri in a single day?
    Yes you can but please note down the distance from HERRLIGKOFFER Base Camp to LATBOH is about 3 Km and from LATBOH to SHAIGIRI is about 5.5Km so it totally depends upon your team fitness and stamina 🙂

    What medicines should we keep during the trek for different ailments?
    For that please read my post’s section THINGS TO TAKE at http://www.naqoosh.com/rakaposhi-base-camp-trek/

    The trip is planned from 7th to 15th July. Will it be OK. Any further advice in this regard to improve our trek planning?
    For that please read my post’s section IMPORTANT NOTE at http://www.naqoosh.com/rakaposhi-base-camp-trek/

    Wish you a Safe & Happy journey & will be looking forward for your updates on how was your journey 🙂

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