Central Karakoram National Park facts for kids

Skardu. This lake is also known as Lower Kachura lake.

The Central Karakoram National Park is a very special place in Gilgit-Baltistan, which is a region managed by Pakistan. It's home to some of the world's tallest mountains and biggest glaciers. People from all over the world come here for exciting activities like mountaineering, rock climbing, and trekking.

This huge park covers about 10,000 square kilometers. It has the most high mountains on Earth! You'll find four peaks taller than 8,000 meters here. These include K2 (8,611 meters), Gasherbrum I (8,068 meters), Gasherbrum II (8,035 meters), and Broad Peak (8,051 meters). There are also sixty other peaks that are higher than 7,000 meters!

About the Park

The Central Karakoram National Park is known as the highest national park in the world. It covers a huge area of about 10,557 square kilometers in the Central Karakoram mountains. The park's height changes a lot, from 2,000 meters above sea level all the way up to the top of K2. K2 is the second highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,611 meters!

Besides K2, the park has three other mountains over 8,000 meters tall. These are Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II, and Broad Peak. There are also sixty mountains that are taller than 7,000 meters. The park is also home to massive ice rivers called glaciers. Some of these include the Baltoro Glacier, Panmah Glacier, Biafo Glacier, and Hispar Glacier. Many smaller glaciers also flow into them. This makes the park one of the most beautiful natural areas.

For a long time, the exact borders of the park were not clear. It also didn't have a proper plan for how to manage it. But in February 2015, a new management plan was finally created. This plan helps guide how the park is looked after. It covers many important things like wildlife, plants, pastures for animals, farming, water, and tourism. It also makes sure local communities are involved.

The park is split into two main areas. The first is the core zone, which is about 7,600 square kilometers. This part includes the tall mountain peaks, glaciers, and high-level mountain areas. These places have very delicate natural systems. The second area is the buffer zone, which is about 3,000 square kilometers. This zone is mostly lower land around where people live. It also includes paths that lead to different parts of the core zone.

Plants and Animals

The Mountain weasel (Mustela altaica) is one of the smaller predators in the park.

The valleys in the park have many different types of trees. You can find Picea smithiana, Pinus wallichiana, and Juniperus excelsa. Some areas even have only one type of tree, like P. smithiana.

Smaller plants and bushes also grow here. Some common ones are Artemisia maritima, Astragalus gilgitensis, and Fragaria nubicola. You might also see Thymus linearis and Trifolium repens. On some sunny slopes, Hippophae rhamnoides is the main bush. Other plants like Rosa webbiana and Ribes orientale grow at higher places. In grassy areas, especially in small valleys, you can find Salix denticulata and Potentilla desertorum.

Many large mammals live in this region. These include the Marco Polo sheep, the markhor, the ibex, and the urial. The amazing snow leopard hunts these animals. It also preys on smaller creatures like pikas, hares, and different types of gamebirds.

Other predators in the park are the mountain weasel, the beech marten, and the brown bear. You might also spot the Asian black bear, the lynx, the red fox, and the grey wolf.

There aren't many different kinds of birds here. The robin accentor and black-throated thrush spend the winter in the park. Other birds like vultures, birds of prey, rosefinches, Himalayan monals, and Güldenstädt's redstarts stay all year. They might move to lower areas when it gets very cold. The park has three types of lizards, but no amphibians.

Climbing Adventures

The Trango Towers offer some of the largest cliffs and most challenging rock climbing in the world.

Every year, people come from all over the world to the Karakoram region. They want to climb the huge mountains, tackle rocky cliffs, and explore the big, steep rock walls. Many expeditions visit in July and August. However, some climbers arrive as early as May and June. September can also be a good time for climbing at lower heights.

One very famous climbing spot is the Trango Towers. This is a group of some of the world's tallest rock towers. They are located inside the park, near the path that leads to the K2 base camp. Each year, many climbing teams from different countries come to challenge these amazing granite towers.

See also

In Spanish: Parque nacional del Karakoram Central para niños