Rush Lake is one of the highest alpine lakes in the World and highest in Pakistan.
It can be reached by fairly easy, guided trek in the Karakorum Mountains close to HUNZA VALLEY in Pakistan.
HOW TO TREK RUSH LAKE ON A LOW BUDGET?
Start from Hunza/Karimabad.
You have two options.
Both options will get you to the lake. If money isn’t an issue go for first option.
We were travelling backpacker style, just after graduation on very low budget, so we chose the second option.
- First Option is to go to travel agency and choose Rush Lake package.
This way you’ll go with jeeps, have your own guide, a cook and a kitchen tent , porters, tents or even fresh chicken soup on the way…
Super cool I must say. But it can cost you even 500USD…
- Second Option for around 1/10 to 2/10th of the first option price. We paid around 80USD… See how to do it?
I don’t mind people paying 10 times the price if they can afford it. At this time this was our way of travelling, we couln’t afford to pay $500 for a trek.
Word of advice: take a guide, don’t go alone
If you want a short trek without a guide and tent go for Rakaposhi Base Camp Trek
Go for gallery if you want so see more pictures.
Logistics
Tent and sleeping bags.
On this trek a TENT is a must because you stay a few days in the mountains.
I left my sleeping bag in Amritsar with my Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle. I was fortunate to buy one from Polish oriental studies student in Karimabad, and traded it back in Nepal 😉 Sleeping bag…well always take one with you, and a warm one would be great, because at nearly 4700m is cold at night…
Food
Get some food in Karimabad like soups, chocolate, bread, cans, or whatever you’ll need to be in the mountains for 3-5 days. If you arrange trek properly your guide will provide some basic hot food like chapati and potato curry or dal.
Transport
You can go by jeep for 2000PKR or a local minibus for 200PKR.
Guide
We were told to get to Hopper village, and ask around for a local to be a guide, so we did.
We stayed in Hilton Inn and the owner asked in the village if someone wants to guide us? It was a very quiet year and very few tourists, so there was no problem.
Ibrahim came to be our guide but also a cook and a porter as well. Such a great, funny and honest guy.
RUSH LAKE TREK
Day one
Karimabad-Hopper village
We take a local minibus via Aliabad and reach Hopper village in the afternoon.
We manage to organize a guide on sight with help from Hilton Inn owner. Wonderful sunset and a cosily night in a hotel.
Day two
Hopper to Bericho Kor (3300m)
5h day
First day of the trek. We start in the morning after small breakfast.
Ibrahim guides us through more rocky Bualter Glacier.
It can be really tricky if you don’t know the way, that’s why don’t go alone!
Once you cross first glacier, there is still one more to go…
Bharpu Glacier you have to cross it and than follow it on the left hand side along the valley.
And slowly you reach Bericho Kor
Great place to set a camp, with a stream and a big rock.
3 of us (my girlfiend, me and Ibrahim) and two lovely British traveller girls Sarah and Laureen, who took Second Option met in Berich Kor and had a really good afternoon.
Can you imagine girls had 12 porters!!! For real. Normaly there would be 6 of them, but because of the few tourists this year they agreed to take half of the weight and go for half the price anyway… Very friendly and positive guys.
Day three
4h day up the hill. All the way to Rush Lake 4694m. The weather was getting more cloudy.
Once you set a tent you have a whole afternoon to walk around and cherish this wonderful place.
Some yaks were feeding on the meadows.
We had a very nice talk in the stone sheperd hut with the porters while making chapti on a stove fueled with Yak’s dried shit 🙂
Day four
Was the day we were supposed to reach Rush Peak 5098m.
In the morning thick clouds covered the sky. This is the weather in Karakorum. It changes very rapidly. We decided to skip the summit and get back to Hopper.
Ibrahim guided us along the Bharpu Glacier.
Crossing both glaciers again.
We stayed one more night in Hopper and left for Karimabad the next day. The views were magnificent.
