Baltoro Glacier & K2 Base Camp

The Throne Room of the Mountain Gods. The trek to K2 Base Camp via the Baltoro Glacier is a monumental 140km journey into the heart of the Karakoram. Starting from the village of Askole, the trail winds up the massive Baltoro—one of the longest glaciers outside the poles—passing under the sheer granite cathedrals of Trango Towers and Cathedral Peak. The climax is Concordia (4,700m), the meeting point of the Baltoro and Godwin-Austen glaciers, where you are surrounded by the highest concentration of high peaks on Earth, including four 8,000m summits: K2, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum I & II.

One of the most frequented day hikes from El Chaltén, the route to Laguna Torre leads to a glacial lake at the base of the Torre massif. The 18 km out-and-back trail follows the Fitz Roy River valley, moving through sub-antarctic forests of ñire and lenga. The terrain is primarily well-maintained gravel paths and packed dirt, with a short initial ascent followed by mostly level walking through the glacial valley. The destination offers direct views of Cerro Torre (3,128m) and the Adela range, with icebergs frequently calving from the Torre Glacier into the lake.