All foreign visitors’ applications (for trekking) for the Peaks/Treks in Gilgit-Baltistan must be submitted to the Gilgit-Baltistan Council Secretariat (in Islamabad) through authorized tour operators registered with the Department of Tourist Services, the Pakistani government. The applications must include the four sets of documents listed below:
- Tour operator’s application on letterhead
- List of expedition participants’ names (in naming list format provided by Gilgit-Baltistan Council)
- a route map of the suggested hike or mountain in the format provided by the Gilgit-Baltistan Council.
- Copies of the expedition members’ passports; completed visa applications for overseas hikers; the trekking members’ vocations; a copy of the tour operator company’s license; and a copy of the trekkers’ paid receipts
- Waste Management Fee Receipt in Copy
Method and Technique
The Gilgit-Baltistan Council forwards completed applications from tour operators and companies to relevant government departments and agencies so they can acquire the necessary clearances.
The current Pakistani Visa Regime stipulates that 4-6 weeks are needed.
Trekking Charge
In addition to trekkers, mountaineers who hike to the mountain base camp for climbing will also be charged a trekking fee. For treks in Gilgit-Baltistan’s restricted zones, the cost of the trek is $50 USD per person for a month.
Remittance of Hiking Charges
Put trekking fees into the Gilgit-Baltistan Council account in the manner specified below:
- Account Number: 1975-7 Account Title: Gilgit-Baltistan Council Secretariat
- Financial institution: National Bank of Pakistan
- Bank address: S Block, Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad
Charge for Waste Management
In the event that the location is within Central Karakorum National Park (CKNP), each member of the trekking group will be required to pay a US$50 waste management fee.
Waste Management Fee Payments in Pakistan
The waste management fees must be deposited into CKNP’s bank account in the manner specified below:
Account Number: 6-02-86-20311-714-104814; Account Title: Central Karakoram National Park (CKNP) Habib Metropolitan Bank, Jutial Branch, Gilgit; IBAN Account Number: PK91MPBL0286027140104814
Obtaining a Trekking Permit
The Gilgit-Baltistan Council Secretariat issues trekking permits upon the fulfillment of the following codal formalities by the relevant tour operator, following the receipt of all permissions from relevant departments:
Application for the issuance of a trekking permit; payment of the required trekking fee;
Only the tour operator may inquire about the status of their application while it is being handled at the Gilgit-Baltistan Council Secretariat’s Tourism Section.