Trekking in Khaltaro, Haramosh Valley

Khaltaro Map

Trip Overview & Itinerary

Day	Time	Journey	Duration
Day 0 / Day 1	10:00pm to 03:00pm (+1)	Islamabad to Sassi (via Babusar)	17 hours
Day 2	08:00am to 11:00am	Sassi to Khaltaro Village	3 hours
	11:30am to 02:00pm	Khaltaro to Khaya	2.5 hours
Day 3	10:00am to 01:00pm	Khaya to 7 Waterfalls	3 hours
Day 4	10:30am to 02:00pm	7 Waterfalls to Khun Meadows	3.5 hours
Day 5	06:30am to 09:00am	Khun to Khaltaro	2.5 hours
	09:30am to 12:30pm	Khaltaro to Sassi	3 hours
	02:00pm to 07:00am	Sassi to Islamabad (via Babusar)	17 hours

Reaching Khaltaro Valley

Khaltaro valley's location is somewhere between Gilgit and Skardu. It is accessed from a small village called Sassi which is located on the Jaglot-Skardu road.

We set-off from Islamabad around mid-night, travelled overnight and then all through the day to reach Sassi around afternoon of the next day. At Sassi we would spend the night before resuming the journey the next morning. The place we stayed in was actually called Shatoot, but since the main town in the area is Sassi and Shatoot is right next to it, it is also commonly referred to as Sassi.

This was my 2nd visit to Sassi, the previous being 5 years earlier when I went to the Kutwal side. This time around there were several hotels under construction in the area. It was evident that Haramosh valley was receiving more tourists now, mostly for the Kutwal side.

Jeep to Khaltaro Valley

The next morning jeeps were ready outside our hotel. I had heard tales of the Khaltaro's jeep journey. Now I was going to experience it first hand.

The starting point of the jeep track was the same as for Haramosh Valley, but a little while later the track split into two. Not long after the infamous bridge like structures came along with a narrow track and deep drops on either side.

As we moved higher into the mountains the sheer craziness of the jeep track became apparent. The track is so narrow that it seems impossible to give way to an oncoming jeep. Luckily no vehicle came the other way the entire time.

Many consider the Fairy Meadows jeep track to be the most dangerous. Although that track indeed has very deep drops, but to be fair the width of the track is quite decent. It is fairly 'easy' to have two-way traffic there. But in Khaltaro, the drop is just as big, if not bigger, and there is no width on offer. Khaltaro's track was by far the most nervous I have ever been on a jeep ride.

After about 3 hours of having my heart in my mouth, being driven through a rocky, colourless and barren terrain, we finally saw some greenery, which usually indicates the existence of a human settlement. Soon after the jeeps came to a halt at Khaltaro village.

Trek to Khaya

We disembarked from the jeeps, and got ready for the short trek that awaited us. Right from Khaltaro, the essence of the region became apparent. We could see the huge dark base of one of the major mountains of the region just to our left.

The first segment of our trek was to another village called Khaya. The trail to Khaya was along a water stream coming from the direction of Khaya.

The trek to Khaya was fairly short and easy. We covered just over 4km in a little over 2 hours, gaining 476m of altitude. We reached Khaya at around 2pm. It was quite early to call it a day but since the plan was to camp here, so we did.

Trek to 7 Waterfalls

The following morning came with a little challenge pertaining to attending the call of nature. Out in the open we were exposed to other houses because we were right in the middle of a village, and we didn't have access to anyone's home for privacy either. Hence we had to jump into bushes in uneven terrain to find some privacy. The good thing, however, was that running water was available in the area through a water pipe layed by the locals.

The destination for this day was the 7 waterfall viewpoint. We wrapped up the campsite and set off at around 10:30am. Since we were camped at the starting edge of Khaya, we trekked through the rest of it and then through a pine forest. We passed by a number of small settlements including Kalijut, Darshan (or Dorchan). The last settlement before our campsite was called Pamiri.

Once again the trek was fairly straightforward and easy. The distance to the 7 waterfall view point from Khaya was about 6km with 300m altitude gain, completed in around 3 hours. At the view point one could see a few very small waterfalls coming down from some glaciers on a mountain up ahead.

The locals told us that the waterfalls get bigger in peak summer months when the glaciers melt faster.

After setting up camps at the view point, we trekked forward towards the waterfalls to get a better view. 5 waterfalls fall from the front and 2 more fall from the left side. The side waterfalls were not visible from our position, we would have to move far to the right to view them.

In our quest to view the 7 tiny waterfalls we stumbled upon 1 really big waterfall which was falling from the mountain to the left. The locals called it Saral Waterfall.

After the excursion to the 7 waterfalls we returned to our camps.

Trek to Khun Meadows

The next morning we were meant to head towards Khun Meadows which is the main attraction of Khaltaro.

But we woke up to the sound of heavy rain. Our original plan was to start the day early so that we can reach Khun Meadows early and have ample time to spend over there. But the rain jammed a spanner in the works.

We spent nearly 2 hours waiting in the camps for the rain to stop. The rain finally did stop by 10am. We've had our breakfast by then thanks to the organisers who had managed to get a fire going under a tarpaulin to cook breakfast for the group. By 10:30am we were on our way. We were headed back towards the way we came. A little distance before Khaya we switched to the other side of the valley and headed towards Humal. Till Humal we were descending and after that we ascended towards Khun Meadows. We had to fill up on water from Humal because beyond here there wouldn't be any water source.

The trail from Humal to Khun was mostly used by the cattle of Humal. Apparently the animals quite like to feed on the grass of Khun Meadows. I reached Khun Meadows in about 3.5 hours, covering about 9.5 km. Other than a few porters, I was the only person there since the rest of the group was quite far behind.

Khun Meadows was indeed a sight to behold. The meadows were so green as if they were edited to increase saturation. The very unique trees of Khaltaro were scattered around the meadows. The meadows weren't flat but rather wavy. I dropped my rucksack and moved on to explore further. The meadows don't look too big but once you start roaming about you realise that they are actually quite vast.

At the time I reached the place there were still clouds in the sky. A little while later when I was deeper in, the clouds had started to clear and I realised what I was surrounded with. In every direction around me were giant snow-capped mountains. Most of them were notable peaks of the Karakoram including Bilchar Dobani (6,143m), Miar Peak (6,824m), Haramosh Peak (7,409m), Malubiting (7,458m) and even the mighty Nanga Parbat (8,126m) of the Himalayas in the distance.

I carried on walking onwards as far deep into the meadows as I could go. The trees had vanished and now it was pure meadows around me. I could see an elevated place in the distance, which was probably the highest point in the meadows. Once I got to it I could see Sassi down below. I even got phone signals here.

I was there all alone, not one human being or animal in sight, surrounded by some of the biggest mountains on earth, in absolute silence. It was an unbelievably spiritual moment. I stayed there till almost sunset and then headed back to the rest of the group.

This was going to be the final night of camping. The porters put up a real good show, singing local songs and dancing by the bonfire. We stayed up late into the night.

To add to the incredible remarkableness (if that's a word) of Khaltaro, the night we were camping on Khun Meadows was moon lit with a full-moon and a clear sky. Sitting by the fire, I wondered what it would be like to stroll through the meadows in the moon light. I floated the idea to a few group members and 2 of them shared my curiosity. A few moments later we walked into the meadows yet again.

Waking through Khun Meadows under a full moon was one the most incredible experiences ever. No video or photo could depict what I could experience in those moments. The moon light was illuminating the meadows and the snow-capped mountains all around, the light was just enough that we didn't need any torch. It was silent. It was mesmerising.

I reluctantly returned to the camp, knowing that I probably would never experience anything like this ever again.

The next day we took an early start and headed down to Khaltaro via Humal. Down at Khaltaro the 2 jeeps were waiting for us, but only 1 had a driver. We waited for the other driver for a bit but eventually decided to squeeze into a single jeep. We completed the already treacherous journey on an overloaded jeep. Luckily we survived the trip and reached Sassi from where we got into our transport and headed home.

Camping

Our campsites in our Khaltaro trip were Khaya, 7-waterfall view point and Khun meadows. You need to bring all gear and food to these places.

Available Facilities at Campsite

Facilities	Availability
Tents
Water	(except Khun Meadows)
Food
Toilet
Phone Signals	(except at Khun Meadows top)

Trail Video

Equipment

Having the right equipment and gear is essential for an enjoyable hiking experience. Check out the list of recommended hiking gear.