About Us

Dear Adventure and Culture Lovers Warmest greetings from Shipton Treks & Tours. We are pleased to introduce you ourselves as “The Host of Baltoro” is a leading Adventure destination management and tour operating company in Pakistan, offering wide range of Mountaineering ,Trekking, Rock Climbing and cultural tours in Gilgit-Baltistan the paradise of climbing and treking.

What Shipton Treks & Tours is concerned about and dedicated to:

• Giving jobs to as many Baltis as possible and paying them fair wages.
• Showing visitors not only the unique scenery, but also making them familiar with local culture and thus contributing to mutual understanding.
• Promoting a kind of tourism which is environmentally friendly.
• Showing special consideration for the interests and needs of the local people.
• Catering to the wishes of small groups and individual travellers.
• Giving mountain lovers the chance to visit secluded places and rarely visited regions.

The top climbers Alexander and Thomas Huber, who have been to Baltistan on several expeditions (e.g. first ascent of Latok II West Face, second ascent of Ogre, first free ascent of “Eternal Flame” on Nameless Tower) support Shipton Treks & Tours.

Ghulam Rasool, is himself a Balti from a mountain village in the Braldo Valley. He is one of the most experienced high altitude porters and knows the mountains areas of Baltistan better than anyone. For many years he helped climbers to reach the summits of 8000-metre-peaks, and he himself has climbed Gasherbrum II (8034 m) and the fore summit of Broad Peak (8027 m). Moreover, he has accompanied uncountable expeditions and trekking groups as a porter sardar (i.e. leader of the porters). He is married to a German with whom he has trekked all over the Karakorams. He regularly spends the winter with his wife at Schönau am Königssee in the Bavarian Alps, where – as the first and so far only Balti – he has learnt.

The Managing Director of the agency, Muhammed Iqbal, is the son of the legendary headman of Askole, Haji Mahadi, and the grandson of Hassan. In the 1950s it was Hassan who made expeditions to the Baltoro and Biafo areas possible as he provided them with porters and food and persuaded his fellow villagers to welcome the “intruders”. Haji Mahadi took over from his father in the 1960s and looked after and helped all the climbers coming through Askole until his death in 1999.

Iqbal studied at Karachi University. He has vast experience in organizing expeditions and trekking groups. There will never be any trouble with porters, as the inhabitants of the Braldo valley regard themselves as part of Shipton Treks & Tours and identify with the agency. All Baltis who work for the agency have a long experience in the field of trekking and expeditions.