About Karakoram Venture
A Balti team from Skardu, guiding the Karakoram since 2015
Treks, 8,000 m expeditions and tours, run by our own licensed guides and our own logistics. Nobody else's trips sold under our name.
Karakoram Venture at a glance
Karakoram Venture is a trekking, mountaineering and tour company based in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, in northern Pakistan. Zulfiqar Ali founded it in 2015.
Our guides, cooks and porters come from the Balti valleys we work in. We run our own logistics, from permits to the jeep to Askole, so the people who plan your trip are the people who lead it.
- Founded
- 2015, in Skardu
- Founder
- Zulfiqar Ali, licensed mountain guide
- Head office
- Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan
- Branch office
- Islamabad
- Guides
- Licensed by DTS Gilgit-Baltistan and Federal DTS, renewed every year
- Trips
- 76: 9 expeditions, 23 treks, 44 tours and safaris
- Registered company
- KARAKORAM VENTURE TREKS & TOURS (SMC-PRIVATE) LIMITED
- Contact
- +92 312 9921574, info@karakoramventure.com
Why we keep it local
Zulfiqar Ali started Karakoram Venture in Skardu in 2015. He is a licensed mountain guide with more than ten years in these mountains, and he still runs the company from Skardu.
A trek on the Baltoro depends on dozens of small things going right. The jeep has to reach Askole. The porters' loads have to be weighed and fair. The cook at Concordia needs fuel for the days you did not plan. Then someone has to decide whether you cross the Gondogoro La tomorrow or wait a day for the weather.
Those calls belong with people who live here and know the ground. That is why we keep them in our own hands, and why we do not resell other companies' departures.
Today we run 76 trips: 8,000 m expeditions, high passes, jeep safaris across Deosai, and cultural tours in Skardu, Shigar, Khaplu and Hunza.
Who guides you
Every guide on our team holds two licences, one from the Department of Tourist Services Gilgit-Baltistan and one from the Federal Department of Tourist Services. Both are renewed every year. A guide can only apply after at least five years of work in the region, so nobody leads your group in their first season.
Born in the valleys we work in
Most of our team were born in Skardu, Hushe and the Baltistan valleys. They grew up under the peaks you came to see, and they know which bridge washes out in July and which camp floods in a storm.
Our founder is a licensed guide too. When you message us, the person answering knows the route from walking it.
How we run a trip
- Satellite phone on expeditionsEvery expedition carries a satellite phone, so camp can reach Skardu from anywhere on the route.
- Evacuation insuranceMulti-day treks require travel insurance that covers emergency evacuation, because a helicopter is the only fast way off a glacier.
- Small groupsGroup departures take at most 10 trekkers. Larger groups get their own guides, cooks and support team.
- Permits handledWe apply for trekking permits and peak royalties and arrange the liaison officer where a route needs one.
- Visa letterTreks in Gilgit-Baltistan need a Trekking and Mountaineering visa. We issue the Letter of Invitation you apply with.
- Honest gradingEach trip page states its grade, highest point and days on foot. If a route is beyond your experience, we will tell you.
What we run
Every trip page lists its price per person in US dollars, what it includes and what it leaves out.
- 9ExpeditionsK2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and II, Nanga Parbat, Spantik, Laila Peak and Khosar Gang, with full-board or base-camp service.
- 23TreksK2 Base Camp and Concordia, the Gondogoro La, Snow Lake and Hispar La, Thalay La, and the Laila Peak and Nanga Parbat base camps.
- 44Tours and safarisSkardu, Shigar and Khaplu, Hunza and the Khunjerab, Deosai by jeep, and the Karakoram Highway by car, bicycle or motorcycle.
Where to find us
Head office, Skardu
Patowal Chowk, near Agha Hadi Chowk, Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Monday to Saturday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time
Branch office, Islamabad
7-B Royal Avenue, Meherban Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan
Arrivals, briefings and departures
Registered office, Shigar
KARAKORAM VENTURE TREKS & TOURS (SMC-PRIVATE) LIMITED, Hospital Chowk, Tissar, Tehsil and District Shigar, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan
Find us elsewhere
Questions people ask about us
Where is Karakoram Venture based?
Our head office is in Skardu, Gilgit-Baltistan, and we have a branch office in Islamabad. The registered company office is in Shigar.
Who owns Karakoram Venture?
Zulfiqar Ali, who founded the company in Skardu in 2015 and is a licensed mountain guide. It is registered as KARAKORAM VENTURE TREKS & TOURS (SMC-PRIVATE) LIMITED.
Are your guides licensed?
Yes. Every one of our guides holds a guide licence from DTS Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federal Department of Tourist Services, renewed each year. A guide can only apply after at least five years of working in the region, and about 70% of the team also hold Wilderness First Aid.
Do you run your own trips or resell other companies?
We run our own. Our guides, cooks and porters lead every trip we sell, and we handle permits, liaison officers and transport ourselves. We do not resell other companies' departures.
How do I book a trip?
Pick a trip and send the enquiry form on its page, or message us on WhatsApp at +92 312 9921574. A 10% deposit holds your place. On expeditions a further 50% is due 120 days before departure for permits and royalty, and the balance 60 days before.
Do you help with the Pakistan visa?
Yes. Treks and expeditions in Gilgit-Baltistan need a Trekking and Mountaineering visa, and we issue the Letter of Invitation you apply with.
Tell us what you want to climb, walk or see
Send us your dates and group size. The reply comes from Skardu, from people who have walked the route.