To reach Nanga Parbat, we drove from Hunza back down the Karakoram Highway towards Gilgit. The road is beautiful with views to both the river and the mountains and the villages along the way.
South of Gilgit we turned off on a smaller road (which is currently getting new asphalt) towards Astore and finally, just after the village of Gorikot, there is an even smaller road going up to the village of Tarashing (the road is good, the last 5 km is a dirt road but not dangerous). In Tarashing there are a couple of basic hotels – and you are just a few hours walk from the Herrligkoffer Base Camp which sits spectacularly just beneath the Rupal face of Nanga Parbat.
Round-about in Astore
We left the hotel very early the next morning and almost ran up to the base camp in just 2 hours – so excited to see the mountain and very scared that the clouds would arrive before we did. We made it! Very hot and sweaty in front of the giant Nanga Parbat under a brilliant deep blue sky.
Nanga Parbat is the 9th highest mountain in the world and the 2nd highest in Pakistan (after K2) – 8126 m high. The local name for Nanga Parbat means “huge mountain” and it is just enormous. On the Rupal side, the mountain rises up nearly vertically for 4600 m to the peak at 8126 m. It is an unforgettable sight – and impossible to capture on a small photo.
Herr Nanga Parpat Supreme 8126 m, Rupal face, 4600 vertical meters above the viewpoint at Herligkoffer base camp: 
Also the surrounding mountains were astonishing, here with the Bazhin Glacier in front. 
iPhone panorama
It was just that everything else seemed so small compared to the giant Nanga Parbat! We stayed several hours. Slowly the clouds came in.
Going down we met a lot of donkeys going up and over the Bazhin glazier to pick up wood. They were already very tired….poooooor.
Upper Rupal village
Herr Gallo Supreme
Herr Yak Supreme
Like a very large moving carpet!
We drove back to Hunza the same evening.
Back to the first page for an overview
Go back to Necropolis of Makli and Shah Jahan Mosque
Go to the drive from Islamabad to Gilgit
Hikes to Rakaposhi Base Camp and Rakaposhi View Point
Day-trip to Khunjerab Pass & Pakistan-Chinese Border
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