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Central Karakorum National Park is a national park located in Skardu district of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan. It encompasses some of the world’s highest peaks and largest glaciers. Internationally renowned for mountaineering, rock climbing and trekking opportunities, it covers an area of about 10,000 sq. km and contains the greatest concentration of high mountains on earth.
It has four peaks over 8,000 m including K2 (8611 m), Gasherbrum-I (8068 m), Gasherbrum-II (8035 m) and Broad Peak (8051 m), and sixty peaks higher than 7,000 m. The park was placed on the World Heritage Site Tentative List in 2016.
CKNP is a mountainous area that encompasses four districts of Gilgit-Baltistan: Skardu, Shigar, Kharmang, and Ghanche. It is divided into two zones: the core zone, which comprises the high-altitude areas with the peaks, glaciers, and wildlife, and the buffer zone, which comprises the lower-altitude areas with the human settlements, agriculture, and mining. The park has four main features that make it unique and valuable: the peaks, the glaciers, the biodiversity, and the culture.
CKNP boasts some of the world’s highest and most challenging peaks, attracting mountaineers, rock climbers, and trekkers from around the globe. The park has four peaks over 8,000 meters: K2 (8,611 meters), the world’s second highest peak and the most difficult to climb; Gasherbrum I (8,068 meters), the world’s 11th highest peak; Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters), the world’s 13th highest peak; and Broad Peak (8,051 meters), the world’s 12th highest peak. The park also has 60 peaks over 7,000 meters, such as Masherbrum (7,821 meters), Chogolisa (7,665 meters), and Baltoro Kangri (7,312 meters). The peaks offer stunning views of the surrounding landscapes, as well as thrilling and rewarding experiences for the climbers.
CKNP contains the world’s largest glaciers outside the polar regions, covering about 30% of the park’s area. The glaciers are the source of water for millions of people downstream, as well as the habitat for many rare and endangered species. The park has four main glaciers: the Baltoro Glacier, the Panmah Glacier, the Biafo Glacier, and the Hispar Glacier. The Baltoro Glacier is the world’s third longest glacier, stretching for 63 kilometers and covering an area of 1,219 square kilometers.
It is also the most famous glacier, as it leads to the base camps of K2 and other peaks. The Panmah Glacier is the world’s longest glacier system, consisting of 12 glaciers that merge into one, covering an area of 1,085 square kilometers. The Biafo Glacier is the world’s third longest glacier system, consisting of 9 glaciers that merge into one, covering an area of 1,026 square kilometers.
The Hispar Glacier is the world’s fourth longest glacier system, consisting of 8 glaciers that merge into one, covering an area of 992 square kilometers. The glaciers are also the site of some of the world’s most spectacular natural phenomena, such as the Snow Lake, a frozen lake formed by the confluence of the Biafo and Hispar glaciers, and the Concordia, a junction of several glaciers that offers a panoramic view of four 8,000-meter peaks.
CKNP is a biodiversity hotspot, hosting a rich and diverse flora and fauna that have adapted to the extreme and variable conditions of the alpine environment. The park has over 3,500 species of plants, 127 species of mammals, 230 species of birds, 20 species of reptiles, and 8 species of amphibians. Some of the notable species include the snow leopard, the brown bear, the ibex, the markhor, the golden eagle, the Himalayan monal, the Himalayan snowcock, and the Himalayan tahr. The park also has several endemic and endangered species, such as the Deosai bear, the Baltistan wild sheep, the woolly flying squirrel, and the Astor markhor. The park is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts, researchers, and conservationists, who can observe and study the unique and rare species in their natural habitat.
CKNP is a cultural treasure, preserving the rich and diverse heritage of the local communities, who have lived in harmony with nature for centuries. The park has over 100,000 inhabitants, belonging to various ethnic groups, such as the Balti, the Shina, the Burusho, and the Wakhi. The park also has over 200 villages, each with its own history, traditions, and customs. The park showcases the local culture through various aspects, such as the architecture, the art, the music, the festivals, the cuisine, and the handicrafts. The park also has several historical and religious sites, such as the Shigar Fort, the Khaplu Palace, the Kharpocho Fort, the Amburik Mosque, and the K2 Museum. The park is a destination for cultural tourism, offering visitors an opportunity to experience and appreciate the local culture and lifestyle.
CKNP has a long and fascinating history, dating back to ancient times. The park has witnessed the rise and fall of various civilizations, empires, and kingdoms, such as the Mauryan, the Kushan, the Tibetan, the Mongol, the Mughal, the Sikh, and the Dogra. The park has also been a part of various historical events, such as the
, the Great Game, the Kashmir Conflict, and the Karakoram Highway.
The park has also been a source of inspiration and exploration for various adventurers, explorers, and scholars, such as Marco Polo, Francis Younghusband, Eric Shipton, and John Hunt. The park has also been a stage for various achievements and records in the field of mountaineering, such as the first ascent of K2 by Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli in 1954, the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum I by Maciej Berbeka and Ryszard Gajewski in 1988, and the first female ascent of K2 by Wanda Rutkiewicz in 1986.
CKNP faces various challenges and threats that endanger its natural and cultural values, as well as its potential as a World Heritage Site. Some of the main challenges and threats are:
The park has several distinct ecological zones, each with its own natural vegetation which is closely related to the climate and topography; in general, the area has low precipitation and experiences humid westerly winds. The villages are in the valley bottoms where wheat, maize and potatoes are grown, and pomegranate and apricot trees thrive. The lower slopes consist of “alpine dry steppes”. They have gravel and moraine soils and support sparse grass and scrub. The “sub-alpine scrub zone” is found beside rivers and streams, in gullies and ravines. It consists of bushes and small deciduous trees and provides browsing for livestock and wild ungulates.
Higher up there is the “alpine meadows and alpine scrub zone” which has high pasture and open coniferous forest and is only available for grazing in summer. Above this are permanent snowfields and cold desert areas which occupy the 4,200 to 5,100 m (13,780 to 16,732 ft) zone, and here there are isolated patches of stunted grass and hardy, low vegetation.
Some valleys are dominated by communities of West Himalayan spruce, Himalayan white pine and Pashtun juniper, including some pure stands of P. smithiana. Smaller shrubs and plants associated with these communities include sea wormwood, Astragalus gilgitensis, Fragaria nubicola, Geranium nepalensis, Kashmir balsam, Thymus linearis, white clover, Rubus irritans, Taraxacum karakorium and Taraxacum affinis.
On some east and south-facing slopes, common sea buckthorn is the dominant shrub, often associated with Berberis lyceum, and on some east-facing slopes at higher altitudes there are communities dominated by Rosa webbiana and Ribes orientale. Other herbaceous plants growing on the sparse grassland, especially in gullies and ravines, are Salix denticulata, Mertensia tibetica, Potentilla desertorum, Juniperus polycarpus, alpine bistort, Berberis pachyacantha and Spiraea lycioides.
Larger mammals found in this region include:
There are only a few birds described from this region some of them are:
Only two lizards and no amphibians are found:
Expeditions come each year to this area of the Karakorum to ascend the massive peaks, climb rocky crags and big sheer rock walls, and trek. Most expeditions visit the region in July and August, but some come as early as May and June, and September can be good for lower altitude climbing. One celebrated climbing area is Trango Towers, a group of some of the world tallest rock towers, situated in the park close to the route used to trek to the K2 base camp.. Every year, a number of expeditions from all parts of the world visit the area to climb these most challenging granite towers.
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