Summit
Rakaposhi
Nagar district · 7,788 m
At 7,788 m, Rakaposhi rises nearly six vertical kilometres straight off the highway, one of the steepest rises from valley floor to summit in the Karakoram, and you can enjoy it from your window.
Rakaposhi stands on the south side of the Hunza river, in Nagar, and almost nothing stands between its summit and the road. Most mountains of this size sit behind days of foothills. This one does not. You can see the whole face from a hotel terrace, and from the Karakoram Highway it fills the windscreen for the better part of an hour, which makes for a lot of happy photo stops.
Kind SummitDistrict NagarElevation 7,788 mPosition 36.143° N, 74.488° E
About Rakaposhi
The mountain is part of one long ridge with Diran (7,264 m), its neighbour to the west, and an ice wall joins the two. The best view of the pair comes from the northern side of the valley. Karimabad, across the river in Hunza, is famous for it, and guesthouses there advertise rooms by whether you can watch the sunrise reach Rakaposhi from your bed. Order a cup of tea and enjoy the show.
Nobody needs mountaineering skills to get close. The trek to Rakaposhi Base Camp starts at Minapin and takes you to the meadow below the face in two walking days. The route climbs through pine and birch, crosses the old moraine of the Minapin glacier, and ends on grass with the whole wall above you. The Minapin and Hopper valleys, on either side, each give a different angle on the same massif, so both are well worth a visit.
Our Rakaposhi Base Camp itinerary is the one we love to recommend when someone has a week and not a month. It is a treat for anyone who wants to stand under a giant peak and feel how close it is.
Elsewhere in Nagar
Swipe along the district, from the valley floor to the summits.
Base camp · 3,500 m
Rakaposhi BC
A green meadow at Tagaphari, 3,500 m above Minapin, two walking days from the road and directly under Rakaposhi and Diran.
Town or village · 2,000 m
Minapin
The roadhead for Rakaposhi: the trek begins at the end of the village lane, and the mountain is above the roofs.
Town or village · 2,700 m
Nagar Khas
The old Nagar capital, facing Karimabad across the Hunza gorge, with a proud history shared with its neighbour.
Glacier · 2,800 m
Hopper Glacier
A black ice tongue below the village bowl at Hopper, and the start of the walk to Rush Lake.
Lake or water · 4,694 m
Rush Lake
At 4,694 m, Rush Lake is one of the highest alpine lakes on earth, set under the Spantik massif.
Town or village · 2,300 m
Bagrote
Seven villages under the Diran icefall, an hour off the highway and a quiet side trip away from the usual circuit.
- 3,200 m
Town or village
Hispar
The last village on the Hispar side: the fields stop and the glacier begins.
Pass · 5,151 m
Hispar La
At 5,151 m, the pass that links the Biafo and Hispar glaciers, the high point of one of the great glacier journeys in the Karakoram.