Trekking or Expedition: What Is the Difference?
A trek walks to a base camp, pass or lake; an expedition climbs a peak. In our programmes the difference shows in altitude, length, permits and what the itinerary calls climbing days.
Treks and expeditions side by side
| Programme | Days | Highest point | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairy Meadows Trek & Hunza Tour | 12 | 3,300 m | Open |
| Laila Base Camp & Haramosh La Trek | 14 | 4800m | Open |
| Rakaposhi/Diran BC Trek & Hunza Tour | 14 | 4,000m | Open |
| Rush Lake Trek & Hunza Tour | 15 | 4694 m | Open |
| Spantik Base camp Trek | 15 | 4300m | Open |
| Mashabrum Base camp Trek | 16 | 4200m | Permitted |
| Nanga parbat Mazeno Pass Trek | 17 | 5390 m | Open |
| K2 Base Camp & Gondogoro La Trek | 18 | 5,150 m (K2 Base Camp) and the Gondogoro La crossing | Restricted (Permit Required) |
| K2 Base Camp Trek | 18 | 5,150 m (K2 Base Camp) | Restricted (Permit Required) |
| Khusar Gang Expedition | 18 | 6400m | Open |
| Snow Lake Trek | 21 | 5,151 m (Hispar La) | Open |
| Beautiful Hushe valley Trek | 25 | 5650m | Permitted |
| Nangma Valley Rock Climbing | 29 | 5850 m | Open |
| Great Karakoram Traverse | 32 | 5500m | Permit needed |
| Gasherbrum III Expedition | 40 | 7,952 m | Permitted |
| K2 Expedition | 51 | 8611 m | Permitted |
Key differences
- The 8000 m and 7000 m expeditions list peak royalty fees among their inclusions; treks list trekking permits instead where they apply.
- Expedition itineraries include a block of climbing days at base camp (for example days 13 to 42 on the K2 expedition).
- The highest points differ: treks top out between 3,300 m and 5,650 m; expedition summits range from 6,400 m (Khusar Gang) to 8,611 m (K2).
- Climbing gear is a member expense on both.