Pine forest on a mountainside under a clear sky

Gilgit-Baltistan · 2,600 – 3,600 m

Astore

The green side of Nanga Parbat.

2 journeys here Before you go

The place

The green side of Nanga Parbat.

Astore is the valley on the south-eastern side of Nanga Parbat, reached from the KKH near Jaglot. It is the other end of the Deosai crossing and the way to Rama and Rupal.

Rama Lake sits above the treeline in pine forest with the mountain behind it. Rupal, further up, faces the largest single mountain wall on earth — 4,600 metres of rock and ice from meadow to summit.

2,600
Metres above sea level: June – September
Best months: 2 – 4 days
Worth staying

The Raikot face of Nanga Parbat, ninth-highest mountain on earth, seen at dawn

A stream running through pine forest below the treeline

A snow-covered range with cloud moving across the summits

What people do here

Worth the detour.

01

Rama Meadow

Pine forest at 3,000 m with Nanga Parbat directly above it.

02

Rupal face

The biggest mountain wall in the world, and a two-day walk in.

Journeys

Ways to travel here.

A stream winding through the open grassland of the Deosai plateau

Editor’s pick

Deosai · Gilgit-Baltistan

Deosai Jeep Safari

3 days Moderate Max 8

Three days crossing the second-highest plateau on earth — Skardu to Sheosar, camping at Bara Pani, and out to Astore.

$340 per person

Next 24 Aug · 3 places left

Rippled sand dunes of the Skardu cold desert beneath a wall of snow peaks

Editor’s pick

Skardu · Gilgit-Baltistan

Skardu Lakes & Deosai Safari

7 days Moderate Max 10

Seven days in Baltistan — Kachura, the cold desert, Shigar, and the full Deosai crossing with two nights on the plateau.

$940 per person

Next 22 Aug · 4 places left

Before you go

The practical part.

Getting there: 3 hours from Gilgit, or across Deosai from Skardu in summer.
Permits: None.
Connectivity: Signal in Astore town, nothing at Rama or Rupal.
Seasons: Summer (June – September), Autumn (September – October)

Comparing