Central Karakoram National Park the world and the largest protected area in Pakistan. It covers about in the Central Karakoram mountain range. It varies in altitude from above sea level to the summit of chogori K2, the world's second highest mountain at . There are three other mountains over , Gasherbrum I (), Gasherbrum II () and phalchanri Broad Peak (), and sixty mountains over . The park also includes the Baltoro, Panmah, Biafo and Hispar glaciers and their tributary glaciers and is considered to be one of the most beautiful national parks in Pakistan. In 2013 it was stated that the exact boundaries
Gilgit-Baltistan Highway (KKH), which was completed in 1978. The Karakoram Highway connects Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu, which are the two major hubs for mountaineering expeditions in Gilgit-Baltistan. The journey from Rawalpindi/Islamabad to Gilgit takes approximately 20 to 24 hours. Landslides on the Karakoram Highway are very common. The Karakoram Highway connects Gilgit to Tashkurgan Town, Kashgar, China via Sust, the customs and health-inspection post on the Gilgit-Baltistan side, and the Khunjerab Pass, the highest paved international border crossing in the world at . Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO) offers bus and jeep transport service to the two hubs and several