Swap Everest’s crowds for this lesser-known wilderness adventure

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. My husband, Mark, and I are on our way to Askole, the gateway to K2 base camp – and the start of one of the world’s most remote and challenging treks. Trekking to K2’s base camp gives an alternative to the more commercialised Everest route in nearby Nepal, which sees 40,000 hikers annually compared to just 1,000 visitors here. While K2’s numbers are growing, Everest base camp is still more crowded with tea houses and lodges along the way, whereas K2 offers no such comforts – only rock, ice and wilderness. Travel essentials Getting there Waljis, Pakistan’s first and longest-serving travel company, offers an 18-day K2 base camp trek from £2,295 per person including all camping, a guide, porters, mules, meals prepared by a chef and cooking staff, and transfers with a car and driver from Shigar to Askole.