The Mountain Areas of Pakistan — now officially the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan — cover the far north of the country where three of the world's great mountain ranges converge: the Karakoram, the Himalaya, and the Hindu Kush. This is some of the most dramatic high-altitude terrain on earth, containing K2 (the world's second-highest mountain at 8,611 m) and more 7,000-metre peaks than anywhere else on the planet.
The territory divides broadly into Gilgit and Baltistan. Gilgit is the regional capital, connected to the rest of Pakistan by the famous Karakoram Highway, which follows the route of the ancient Silk Road up the Indus valley and over the Khunjerab Pass into China. Baltistan, centred on Skardu, is the base for expeditions to K2, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrums. The cultures are distinct — Gilgit is largely Ismaili Muslim, Baltistan largely Shia — but both carry strong Central Asian and Tibetan influences that set them apart from lowland Pakistan.
Trekking, mountaineering, and jeep travel through remote valleys are the main reasons people come here. The season is short — roughly June to September at altitude — and infrastructure outside the main towns is basic. Foreigners need a No Objection Certificate for some restricted border zones.
