Field guides / Gilgit-Baltistan / Karambar Lake
Field guide · Nature
Karambar Lake
Karambar Lake sits at 4,275 m in the remote Ishkoman Valley of Ghizer district, one of the highest lakes in the world and among the least visited. Fed by glaciers from the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges, the lake straddles Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and is surrounded by peaks rising above 6,000 m.
Karambar Lake sits at 4,275 m in the remote Ishkoman Valley of Ghizer district, one of the highest lakes in the world and among the least visited. Fed by glaciers from the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges, the lake straddles Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and is surrounded by peaks rising above 6,000 m. The area is one of the last strongholds of the snow leopard in northern Pakistan.
Why go
- ✦4,275 m, one of world's highest lakes
- ✦Pakistan-Afghanistan border
- ✦Snow leopard habitat
- ✦Hindu Kush and Karakoram confluence
True Remoteness
Karambar is one of Pakistan's few genuinely untracked destinations, the trek approaches through meadows used by Wakhi herders and crosses glacial streams without fixed infrastructure. The reward is a cold blue lake at altitude, ringed by unnamed 6,000 m peaks, with near-zero other visitors.
Planning tip
When to go, July to September, the Ishkoman Valley road is snow-free only in summer.
Getting there, Drive from Gilgit north to Gakuch, then east through Ishkoman Valley to Imit village, a full day's drive. From Imit the trek to the lake takes 2-3 days.
Allow, Minimum 5-6 days from Gilgit for trek and return.
