Trekking & Trip Difficulty Grades

In short. What the grade on each trip means, and how to tell which one is right for you. How XPITUDE grades its treks and tours, from easy road journeys to strenuous glacier expeditions above 5,000 metres, and how to choose the right one.

Trek grades

Grade	What to expect	Who it suits
Grade I	Easy walking on good paths, three to five hours a day, at modest altitude.	Anyone who is active and enjoys a day walk.
Grade II	Four to six hours a day with some steep or rough ground, reaching up to around 4,200 metres.	Good general fitness. No previous trekking needed.
Grade III	Five to seven hours a day on moraine and rough trail, with several consecutive nights in camp.	Regular hill walkers with a multi day trek behind them.
Grade IV	Six to eight hours a day for many days in a row, on glacier and moraine, sleeping above 4,000 metres and reaching above 5,000.	Fit, experienced trekkers, ideally with previous time at altitude.
Grade V	Everything in Grade IV plus a technical section, such as a high pass with fixed ropes, crampons and an ice axe.	Strong trekkers with some mountaineering experience.

Trekkers scrambling up a steep rocky trail.

Where our treks sit

Trek	High point	Grade
Rakaposhi Base Camp	3,500 m	Grade II
Nanga Parbat Base Camp and Fairy Meadows	4,200 m	Grade II
Haramosh Base Camp and Kutwal Lake	3,900 m	Grade III
Nangma Valley Expedition	4,300 m	Grade III
Rush Lake and Rush Pari Peak	5,098 m	Grade IV
K2 Base Camp and Concordia	5,150 m	Grade IV

The optional Gondogoro La crossing on the way out from Concordia is a technical addition to the K2 Base Camp trek. Talk to us before you plan on it.

Difficulty, place by place

From our destination guides. Select a place to read the full story.

K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro La Trek: Extreme. Gondogoro La needs crampons, fixed ropes and experience
Gondogoro La, about 5,585 m. K2 Base Camp is around 5,000 m
Fairy Meadows & Nanga Parbat Base Camp: Moderate. Base camp hike is long and strenuous
Fairy Meadows about 3,300 m. Base camp area about 3,900 to 4,000 m
Skardu Travel Guide: Easy
Skardu about 2,230 m. Deosai about 4,100 m
Shogran, Siri Paye & Makra Peak: Easy sightseeing. Makra summit is challenging
Shogran about 2,360 m. Makra Peak 3,885 m
Musa ka Musalla Trek: Challenging. Long days and steep ascent
About 4,060 m
Neelum Valley Travel Guide: Easy to moderate
Ganga Choti Trek from Sudhan Gali: Moderate in summer
3,045 m
Paragliding at Khanpur Lake: Beginner friendly for eligible tandem passengers
Swaik Lake, Kallar Kahar: Easy to moderate walk
Swat & Kalam Travel Guide: Easy to moderate
Nathia Gali & Mukshpuri Hike: Easy to moderate in dry conditions
2,800 m
Ratti Gali Lake in Winter: Summer moderate; winter training challenging
Ratti Gali Lake about 3,683 m
Chilam Joshi Festival: Easy to moderate

Trekking to K2 Base Camp: trekkers and crew walking along a mountain trail — Trekkers and crew walking along a mountain trail. · A trekker with poles in the snow, a peak behind. · Trekkers walking across the moraine.

Ratti Gali in winter: a trekker with poles in the snow, a peak behind — Trekkers and crew walking along a mountain trail. · A trekker with poles in the snow, a peak behind. · Trekkers walking across the moraine.

Tour grades

Gentle. Retreat pace. Short walks, long mornings and very little time on the road.
Easy. Travel by air or road with short walks to viewpoints, forts and villages. Suitable for all ages.
Moderate. Longer days on rougher mountain roads, with simpler accommodation in the more remote valleys.

Questions trekkers ask

Can beginners do the K2 Base Camp trek?

It is not recommended for first time trekkers. You should have prior multi day trekking and high altitude experience, especially for the Gondogoro La crossing. K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro La Trek

Is the Makra Peak hike difficult?

Yes. It is steep and exposed in places and dangerous in rain, fog or snow. Go with a local guide. Shogran, Siri Paye & Makra Peak

Is Mukshpuri good for beginners?

Yes, in dry conditions it is manageable for reasonably fit beginners. Winter snow makes it harder. Nathia Gali & Mukshpuri Hike

Can you hike Ganga Choti in winter?

Yes, but snow and ice make it much more demanding. Winter attempts need proper gear and an experienced guide. Ganga Choti Trek from Sudhan Gali

A trekker dwarfed by a wall of glacier ice.

Altitude

Grade is about effort. Altitude is a separate question, and it affects fit people as readily as anyone else.

Above 3,000 metres, height should be gained gradually, with rest days built in. Our itineraries are paced for this.
Headache, poor sleep and loss of appetite are common in the first days at altitude. Tell your guide about any symptom, however small.
If symptoms get worse, the treatment is to go down. Your guide makes that call and it is final.
Speak to your doctor before booking a Grade III trek or above if you have a heart, lung or blood pressure condition.

A grade is a guide. Weather, snow and the condition of the glacier can make any route harder than its grade in a given week. If you are unsure, tell us what you have done before and we will tell you honestly where it puts you.

General guidance for planning. Rules, schedules and conditions change, so confirm the details that matter with official sources and with your XPITUDE planner before you book.