Thalle La Trek
- 12 days, Islamabad to Islamabad
- Thalle La, 4,572 m
- Moderate, on real paths
- Small groups, maximum 12
- Shigar to Khaplu
- Hotels either end, tents between
- Mid-June to early September
- 12-day itinerary
About this tour
The Thalle La is the old way between Shigar and Khaplu, and people used it as a road long before there was one. It crosses the ridge that separates the two valleys at 4,572 metres, and it does so on a real path over grass and moraine rather than on ice — which makes this the most straightforward pass crossing in Baltistan and, for a lot of people, the most enjoyable trek in the region.
What you get is Baltistan at working height: summer pastures with herders and animals on them, stone shelters, irrigation channels, and villages at both ends where the trek starts and finishes in someone's barley field rather than at a glacier snout. The peaks are big but they are not the Baltoro giants; they are the Masherbrum group and the Thalle watershed, seen from grass rather than from rubble. Nobody else is there.
It is a short trek — five walking days over the pass — and that is the appeal. There is no glacier, no rope, no crevasse and no crowd, the days are four to six hours, and the whole thing fits in twelve days from Islamabad including the drive up and back. It works as a first Karakoram trek, as a trek for a family with teenagers, and as a week of walking for anyone who has had enough of moraine.
A full camping expedition throughout: permits, licensed guide, cook and crew, porters for all group loads, all meals, and hotels in Islamabad, Chilas and Skardu either end. The pass is snow-free from mid-June to September in a normal year, and we run three departures inside that.
Trip highlights
Summer pastures in use
Herders, animals and stone shelters on both sides of the pass — a working landscape, not a wilderness.
A genuine village-to-village crossing
Start in the fields at Shigar, finish in the orchards at Khaplu. No ground walked twice.
The Masherbrum group from grass
Big Karakoram skylines seen from meadows rather than from glacier rubble.
Shigar and Khaplu at either end
Two of Baltistan's restored forts, and two of its best valleys, bookending the walk.
Route
- 1 Start
- 2 Stop in order
- 6 Finish
- Route travelled
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Dates & availability
| Departs | Returns | Length | Price | Deposit | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jun 2027Summer | 23 Jun 2027 | 12 days | US$ 2,250 | — | Available |
| 3 Jul 2027Summer | 14 Jul 2027 | 12 days | US$ 2,250 | — | Available |
| 21 Aug 2027Summer | 1 Sept 2027 | 12 days | US$ 2,250 | — | Available |
Dates not working? Every trip here also runs as a private departure — tell us your window and we will build it around you.
At a glance
- 12 days, Islamabad to IslamabadFive walking days over the pass, village to village, plus four days of driving either end.
- Thalle La, 4,572 mA grass-and-moraine pass rather than a glaciated one — the gentlest crossing in Baltistan.
- Moderate, on real pathsFour to six hour days on tracks people have used for centuries. No rope, crampons or glacier.
- Small groups, maximum 12Licensed guide, cook, kitchen crew and porters. Suitable from age fourteen.
- Shigar to KhapluA true village-to-village traverse — the old trading route between two Baltistan valleys.
- Hotels either end, tents betweenIslamabad, Chilas and Skardu in hotels; four nights in tents, all of them on grass.
- Mid-June to early SeptemberThree departures. The pass is normally snow-free through this window and the pastures are occupied.
Day by day
Day 1Arrival in Islamabad
Met at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Trek briefing and kit check in the evening, then dinner together.
Day 2Islamabad to Chilas
A full day north on the Karakoram Highway, about 460 kilometres, through the Kaghan valley or up the Indus gorge depending on the season. Night in Chilas.
Day 3Chilas to Skardu
East along the Indus past the confluence of the Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush, then up the gorge to Skardu at 2,500 metres. Night in a hotel.
Day 4Skardu to the Thalle valley
North to Shigar — the restored fort is worth an hour if the timing allows — and then by jeep up into the Thalle valley to the roadhead. A short walk to the first camp at about 3,100 metres, among fields and apricot trees. Porters engaged this evening.
Day 5Into the upper Thalle valley
Five to six hours up the valley on a good path, past hamlets, irrigation channels and willow stands, with the walls narrowing as you climb. Camp at about 3,600 metres on grass beside the river.
Day 6To Thalle Broq
Four to five hours to the summer pastures at Thalle Broq, around 4,000 metres. Herders bring animals up here through the summer and the stone shelters are usually occupied. A short day, deliberately — it is the acclimatisation step before the pass.
Day 7Over the Thalle La to the Khaplu side
The big day, and not a hard one by Karakoram standards: five to seven hours up to the pass at 4,572 metres on grass and moraine, with the Masherbrum group and the Thalle watershed opening out from the top, and then a long, steady descent into the pastures on the Ghanche side. Camp at about 3,800 metres. No rope, no crampons, no glacier at any point.
Day 8Down to Khaplu
Five to six hours down the valley, losing height quickly through pasture and then terraced fields, to finish at Khaplu among apricot and walnut trees. The last walking day. Settle up with the porters, and Khaplu Palace is a short walk if there is time and energy.
Day 9Khaplu to Skardu
Back west along the Shyok to Skardu, three to four hours. Hotel, hot shower and a bed. The afternoon is free for Kharpocho Fort, the Shangrila lake or the Sarfaranga cold desert.
Day 10Skardu to Chilas
Back down the Indus gorge on the Karakoram Highway. Night in Chilas.
Day 11Chilas to Islamabad
The last day on the highway, south through the gorge and out into the plains. Night in Islamabad.
Day 12Departure
Transfer to Islamabad International for your flight home.
What’s included
- Trekking permit and local valley fees
- Licensed professional trekking guide throughout
- Hotel accommodation in Islamabad, Chilas and Skardu, twin-sharing
- All camping equipment — two-person dome tents, dining tent, toilet tent, mattresses
- All meals from arrival in Islamabad to departure
- Cook, kitchen staff and trek support crew
- Porters for all group loads and personal duffels up to 15 kg each
- All road transport, including the jeep roads into the Thalle valley and out from Khaplu
- Satellite phone carried by the guide and a group first aid kit
- Porter insurance and equipment as the porters' welfare rules require
Not included
- International airfare and airport taxes
- Pakistan visa and personal travel, medical and evacuation insurance
- Helicopter evacuation, which insurance must cover
- Personal trekking equipment, boots, sleeping bag and mat
- Single tent or single room supplements
- Entry to Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace if visited
- Personal expenses — phone charges, bottled drinks, laundry and souvenirs
- Tips for drivers, porters, guide and kitchen crew
Good to know
This is the least demanding trek in our Karakoram collection, and it is genuinely good rather than a consolation. Five walking days, four to six hours each, one pass at 4,572 metres crossed on a path, four nights in tents and all of them on grass. No glacier, no rope, no crevasse, no crowd. If you want to walk in the Karakoram and the Baltoro sounds like more commitment than you are looking for, this is the trek to book.
At twelve days it has no separate contingency day. The Karakoram Highway closes for landslides occasionally and the Thalle jeep roads are rough. If your onward flight from Islamabad is tight, add a night at your own arrangement — better said now than discovered later.
Go in the pasture season. Between mid-June and early September the shelters on both sides of the pass are occupied by herders from the Thalle and Ghanche villages, and that is what makes the walk feel like a route rather than a landscape. Early June can still hold snow on the pass, and by late September the pastures are emptying.
The two lists above are what we commit to. Confirm anything that matters to your decision with us in writing when you book.
Questions about this trip
How hard is the Thalle La trek?
Moderate. Five walking days of four to six hours, one pass at 4,572 metres, and four nights camping on grass. There is no glacier, no rope work and no technical ground anywhere. Anyone who walks full hill days comfortably will manage it, and we take trekkers from fourteen.
Is the pass really that easy?
By Karakoram standards, yes. The Thalle La is a grass and moraine col on a path that people have used as a route between the two valleys for centuries — not a glaciated pass like the Gondogoro La or the Hispar La. In a normal year from mid-June to September there is no snow on it at all.
Do we see any big peaks?
Yes, but not the eight-thousanders. From the pass and the pastures you get the Masherbrum group and the peaks of the Thalle watershed. The difference from the Baltoro treks is that you see them from meadows with animals on them rather than from glacier rubble.
Where does the trek start and finish?
It is a proper traverse: in from Shigar, up the Thalle valley, over the pass, and out at Khaplu. Both ends are villages with fields and orchards, and both have a restored fort worth an hour. No ground is walked twice.
Is this a good first trek in Pakistan?
It is one of the two we recommend for that, alongside the Nangma valley. You get the drive up the Karakoram Highway, Baltistan, a camping expedition with a cook and porters, and a real pass crossing — without glacier days or serious altitude.
Is there a contingency day?
Not a separate one, because the trek is twelve days. The Karakoram Highway and the Thalle jeep roads can each cost a day. If your flight home is tight, add a night in Islamabad and tell us so we can advise on the timing.
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Enquire about this trip
Tell us who is travelling and roughly when. A trip planner — not a call centre — replies within three hours between 9am and 11pm Pakistan time with a day-by-day itinerary and the full price, per person, with nothing hidden underneath it.
- Every itinerary written from scratch around your dates.
- Licensed operator, running these routes since 2014.
- A full costing up front — no deposit to see one.
- +92 310 5344471
- info@elhamasia.com
- 9am – 11pm PKT, seven days a week
- Office No. 227, Rohtas Road, G-9/1, Islamabad, Pakistan