By Hina Haroon
There is nothing better than leaving the world behind for a few days and getting lost in the beauty of the mountains. Escaping from your daily life and disconnecting from social media allows you to appreciate the simple life without the internet. What could be better than packing your bags and gearing up for a trek?
As a female traveler, when my sister and I decided to go trekking, I needed to be accompanied by a good and reliable travel company. That’s where Guide to Adventure Pakistan comes in. Guide to Adventure Pakistan, pioneers of Baltistan Tours Pakistan, have been operating since 1982. With decades of experience and a passion for showcasing the natural beauty of Pakistan, we found them to be the best for this trekking trip.
Considering it was my first trek, after days of planning and deciding with Waris Balti, the owner of Guide to Adventure, he found the perfect trek for me—one of the easiest. He then planned out the entire tour with his team for the Masherbrum Base Camp, a total of a 4-day trek from Skardu to Masherbrum.
Masherbrum, also known as K1, stands at an elevation of 7,821 meters, making it the 22nd-highest mountain globally and the 9th-highest in Pakistan.
We started off from Skardu and headed to Hushe, the last village in the district. We reached Skardu on the 27th by air since the roads weren’t an option. From Skardu, we immediately left for Hushe.
In Hushe, there is a very old hotel named Little Karim Hushe. It’s the starting point for trekking to Dumsum. We stayed there for the night and left for Dumsum in the morning. The trek from Hushe to Dumsum wasn’t too difficult, to be honest. In terms of distance, Parbisan is about 10 km from Hushe, and it took us around 2 to 3 hours to reach it. To break it down into steps, we walked about 15,933 steps to reach Parbisan around 1 PM and had the whole day there to camp.
It was a beautiful place, and the view from my camp was breathtaking. After setting up the camps, we looked around while lunch was in preparation. We met some amazing people who were so welcoming and sweet that I can’t even explain it in words.
Did I mention that we had the best chef with us? He made us some amazing food that didn’t feel like we were eating at a campsite. The food had a homey vibe.
While we were sitting there talking about different things, sharing insights about our lives, and learning how different our lives are from each other, our tour guide Waris Balti, and his brother Musa shared some of their experiences about different trekking expeditions. It was great to be accompanied by both of them.
The next morning, we packed our stuff and headed to the first base camp, Brumbramah. The trek from Dumsum to Brumbramah was the real deal! It was manageable at first, but then came the great mountain that we had to climb. It was all barren with stones, which was pretty exhausting. Hiking up in such conditions was pretty difficult for us, but the entire time, the team kept motivating us, which was a great part. After the difficult hours of climbing, we took a break for tea and lunch, which, honestly, was very important at that point.
Having tea and lunch in the middle of nowhere was extraordinary and something I can never forget.
After 3.5 hours, we finally reached our campsite, and that sense of achievement was on another level. Once we were there, we completely forgot about the long journey. We sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the beautiful mountains in front of us. That night at Brumbramah was unforgettable. The sky was filled with stars, and the Milky Way stretched across the sky, creating a mesmerizing spectacle that left us speechless. It made us all lie down and gaze at the stars. Honestly, you just couldn’t take your eyes off it; it was simply magical.
We started off our journey back to Dumsum as we had to evacuate the campsite. The journey itself was an adventure. As someone trekking for the first time, I found it to be a tense situation. After all, when you are far away from home, you don’t always know what to do. My advice here is to just listen to your tour guide and follow what they say. In a situation where someone else’s life is in your hands, you have to make the right decisions. Waris Balti and his team mapped out the safest way to Dumsum, for which I will always be thankful. Remember I said our journey back was an adventure itself? Well, let me explain with two examples: while we were coming back, we found out that the bridge we used to cross the river was broken due to the water flow. This made us hike back, and guess what? We had to cross a glacier. Yes, you heard it right! A glacier. Now, if I think about it, the entire situation was a bit funny. We had to cross the same glacier we found so pretty while heading to the campsite, never thinking we would have to cross it to get to the other side.
Considering the water flow, we had to hike up high to be safe, which made us cross a beautiful forest. It wasn’t fun, anyway. After all the troubles we faced, we finally made it to Dumsum safe and sound, which wouldn’t have been possible without Waris Balti, Musa Balti, and Abbas. Did I mention Abbas? Well, Abbas is a 19-year-old boy born and raised in Hushe. He can climb a mountain in the blink of an eye—I’m not kidding. He helped us a lot throughout the entire journey and was a big support to all of us.
We spent our camp night at Dumsum, and what a night it was. The next morning, we said goodbye to Dumsum, hoping to visit again and meet the people who will always live in my heart.
This journey wouldn’t have been possible without Waris and Musa Balti and their entire team. Their expertise and support turned this trekking experience into an unforgettable adventure. I am deeply grateful for their guidance and the memories we’ve made together.
Trekking to Masherbrum has changed my life. I have learned a lot during this entire journey. Trekking and living in situations you never thought possible can change your perspective on life forever. Being in the mountains always brings you closer to nature and makes you a humble person. The mountains teach you that you can live without luxuries; in the end, it’s just about living your life to the fullest.
