Muztagh Tower (also: Mustagh Tower; Muztagh: ice tower), is a mountain in the Baltoro Muztagh, part of the Karakoram range on the border of the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and the Xinjiang Uygur region of China. It stands between the basins of the Baltoro and Sarpo Laggo Glacier.
The Mustagh Tower was made famous by a spectacular but somewhat misleading photograph taken by Vittorio during the 1909 Italian expedition to K2. Taken from the upper Baltoro, due southeast of the mountain, the twin summits were perfectly aligned and the mountain was seen as a slender tooth, and looked impregnable. In 1941, the photograph was featured in a popular book on mountaineering with the caption “The Last Citadel”.
Nearly fifty years after Sella’s photo was taken, in 1956, his photograph inspired two expeditions to race for the first ascent. Both teams found their routes less steep than Sella’s view had suggested. The British expedition, consisting of John Hartog, Joe Brown, Tom Patey and Ian McNaught-Davis, came from the Chagaran Glacier on the west side of the peak and reached the summit via the Northwest Ridge first on July 6, five days before the French team (fr; Guido Magnone, fr; Robert Paragot, André Contamine, Paul Keller) climbed the mountain from the east. The doctor François Florence waited for the two parties at the camp IV during 42 hours without a radio, when they went, reached the summit and came back to this camp.
1 | Departure/Return Location | International Airport, Islamabad |
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2 | Departure Time | Mountain Range: Karakoram |
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3 | Elevation: 7273m | Best Time: July to Mid September |
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4 | Duration: 45 Days | Zone: Permitted |
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Day 1Arrival IslamabadArrival Islamabad and transfer to hotel.
Day 2IslamabadWelcome reception or Briefing at Ministry of Tourism.
Day 3Islamabad to SkarduFly to Skardu or drive to Chilas
Day 4SKARDU OR CHILAS – SKARDU (2500m)Day free at Skardu or drive to Skardu
Day 5SkarduPreparations (porters hiring & local purchasing)
Day 6SKARDU – ASKOLI (2850m)By jeeps drive to Askole (6-7 hrs)
Day 7ASKOLI – JULLA (3500m)Trek to Julla
Day 8JULLA – PAIYU (3666m)Trek to Paiyu
Day 9Paiju to UrdukasTrek to Urdukas
Day 10Urdukas to base campTrek to base camp
Day 11-36Base Campdays reserved for climbing Muztaq Tower Peak
Day 37BASE CAMP – URDUKASTrek back to Urdukas
Day 38URDUKAS – PAIYUtrek back to Paiyu
Day 39PAIYU – JULLATrek back to Julla
Day 40JULLA – ASKOLEtrek back to Askole
Day 41ASKOLE – SKARDUBy jeeps drive to Skardu (6-7 hrs)
Day 42SKARDU – CHILASDrive to Chilas
Day 43CHILAS – ISLAMABADDrive to Islamabad
Day 44ISLAMABADDebriefing/Farewell at Ministry of Tourism
Day 45FLY BACKEmbark your international flight
PreviousNextServices Include: Lodging at base camp (single supplement) |
Full base camp with dinning tent, bathroom, showers & solar charge |
All internal/domestic transport |
All domestic flights |
50kgs (110 lbs) personal baggage |
All meals during trek and at base camp (B,L,D) |
Group emergency equipment/satellite phone service with fixed calling charge |
Two nights stay in Islamabad hotel on arrival and two on return (bed & breakfast only) |
Staff insurance (guide, cook, kitchen staff, assistant(s) & porters etc) |
Experienced cook from Pakistan |
Kitchen staff |
Porters for all expedition supplies |
Solar power at base camp |
Electricity generator (backup for high voltage devices) |
International airfare |
Permit/royalty fee according to number of persons |
Personal climbing equipment, clothing & sleeping equipment |
Group climbing gear (rope, ice crew, snow bar, EPI gas, cooking pots and others) |
Mountain climbing rescue and evacuation insurance policy - mandatory |
Lodging and meals above base camp |
Any service above base camp |
Communication radio (walkie talkie) |
Weather reports |
Personal equipment cargo to/from Islamabad |
Pakistan visa fee |
Tips/gratuities to staff, cook, assistant(s) of US$ 250 per person in total |
Meals in Islamabad |
Extra hotel nights after the climb |
Trip cancellation insurance |
All expenses incurred in the event of early wind-up/summit (extra hotel nights, meals at hotels, evacuation) |
Charges incurred due to delays beyond the control of Apricot Tours (Force majeure) |
Personal communication (phone, fax, e-mail) between Pakistan and home country. |
Muztagh Tower on Google Maps: