[2] It is bordered to the east by the Indus plains, and to the west by the Iranian plateau.

[3] Tree lines are extremely high around 28 N (nearly 14,000 feet and some of the highest in the world), and Zardak Peak is far below it.

[4] The mountain is extremely inaccessible, as no proper roads have been built in the area.

The yearly mean maxima reach 114 °F (46 °C),[6] and the area has never recorded a temperature at or below freezing.

Although Zardak Peak is below the tree line, trees are rare due to the aridity, and the typical vegetation is thorny shrubland grading to moss and desert-hardy grass at higher altitudes.