Shimshal Pamir and Shuwerth

The Shimshal road runs from Passu up the narrow gorge of the Shimshal river, cut by hand by the villagers over eighteen years. The drive is spectacular, with walls of rock and bridges over the water, and ends at the village at 3,100 metres. You are welcomed with tea and walnuts by your host family.

Night at Shimshal, 3,100 m.

A rest day in Shimshal for acclimatisation and a walk around the village. You visit the school, the terraces and the famous mountaineering families, whose climbers have summited many of the high peaks of the Karakoram. The evening is a home cooked dinner by the fire.

Night at Shimshal, 3,100 m.

The trail follows the old Pamir route along the river gorge, with the cliffs overhead and the water rushing far below. The villagers built this path by hand over generations and it still carries the herds each summer. Zardgarbin is a camp on a grassy bench with long views down the valley.

6 hours on foot. Night at Zardgarbin, 3,700 m.

The route climbs onto a high shelf above the river, with wide views of the Shimshal peaks. Wuch Furzeen is a pasture camp where the air is thin and cool and the stars are bright. The climb is steady and the pace is easy, with your guides and porters beside you.

6 hours on foot. Night at Wuch Furzeen, 4,100 m.

You cross the pasture to the herders' huts at Shuijerab, a summer settlement of stone and turf. The yaks are grazing on the slope and the families welcome you with tea and fresh yoghurt. The scenery here has a wide, high feeling, with snow peaks on every side.

5 hours on foot. Night at Shuijerab, 4,400 m.

Today you walk into Pamir e Tang, the high summer pasture, to the settlement at Shuwerth at 4,735 metres. The herds of yaks and sheep spread across the grass, and the families live in stone huts as they have for centuries. It is a day of big skies and a warm welcome.

5 hours on foot. Night at Shuwerth, 4,735 m.

A free day at Shuwerth for day walks on the pasture and above the lakes, in the company of the herding families. You can watch the milking, help with the yaks and learn how the summer life works. The evening is a meal prepared from what the pasture provides.

Night at Shuwerth, 4,735 m.

You begin the return journey along the same high shelf, with new views looking back across the valley. Shuijerab welcomes you again with tea and the family hospitality of the herders. The walk is gentle and the light on the peaks is lovely.

5 hours on foot. Night at Shuijerab, 4,400 m.

A long descending day brings you back into the gorge, with the river growing louder and the air warmer. You follow the herders' trail down to Zardgarbin, with views along the cliff the whole way. Camp is on the same grassy bench with the sound of the water below.

7 hours on foot. Night at Zardgarbin, 3,700 m.

A final walk takes you down to the village of Shimshal, where the terraces are green and the apricots are ripening. Your host family prepares a proper meal with fresh bread, dairy and vegetables from their fields. It feels like coming home after the high pasture.

6 hours on foot. Night at Shimshal, 3,100 m.

You leave Shimshal by jeep through the gorge, then join the Karakoram Highway and drive south to Karimabad. The road passes Passu and the Cathedral Peaks, with a stop at Attabad lake on the way. A hot shower and a comfortable bed in Karimabad are a welcome treat.

Night at Hotel, 2,450 m.

After breakfast you transfer to Gilgit for onward flights or road travel, with a last look at Rakaposhi from the highway. The trip ends with a bond to the Shimshali people and their mountains.

2,450 m.