Besham Stopover: Hotels, Food and Fuel on the KKH

Besham is the town on the Indus where many people driving the Karakoram Highway north from Islamabad stop for the night, about 240 to 250 km and five to six hours from the capital. It is the last large town before the Kohistan gorge, so it has what you need before the hardest part of the road: hotels along the highway, simple restaurants, fuel and banks. Stop here if you left Islamabad after breakfast; the point is to arrive before dark and set off into Kohistan early the next morning.

Besham is also where the road from Swat, over Shangla Top, joins the KKH. This guide covers why the stopover makes sense, what the hotels and food are like, what to sort out before you leave, and the security picture on this stretch.

Why travellers overnight in Besham

The drive from Islamabad to Gilgit is about 600 km, far too much for one day on mountain roads. The easy part is the Hazara Motorway to Thakot, where the KKH meets the Indus, and the half-hour on to Besham. The hard part comes next, in Kohistan: about 200 km of narrow road cut into the cliffs of the Indus gorge, with landslides, trucks and construction traffic, which you want to drive fresh and in daylight.

Besham sits at the join. Staying here makes sense if:

• You leave Islamabad late, after work or after a slow start, and would otherwise reach Kohistan in the afternoon.
• You are driving your own car north for the first time, and would rather meet Kohistan with a full night's sleep behind you.
• You are travelling with children or older parents, for whom a five- or six-hour first day is far kinder than a twelve-hour one.
• You are coming from Swat, over Shangla Top, and join the KKH here late in the day.
• It is winter, when the Babusar Pass is closed and the KKH is the only road to Gilgit-Baltistan, and daylight is short.

The alternative is to push on to Chilas, which makes day one long and day two easier. Our guide to driving from Islamabad to Gilgit weighs the two, and our guide to hotels in Chilas covers the other option.

Where to stay in Besham

The hotels line the KKH as it runs through town, from basic rooms to a handful of mid-range places with rooms looking over the Indus. Besham Inn, above the river, is one of the better-known mid-range options, with simple en-suite rooms and a restaurant. Standards vary a lot at the budget end, so look at the room before you pay.

A few things to ask for:

• A room away from the road. The KKH is the town's main street and carries heavy truck traffic, so front rooms can be noisy.
• Air-conditioning in summer, and what happens when the power goes. At about 610 metres, Besham is hot from June to August, far hotter than people expect on the way to the mountains.
• Secure parking, ideally inside the compound, with the car where you can see it.
• Hot water in winter. Nights from December to February are cold enough to want it.

You may remember the old PTDC motel on the riverbank. It was among 17 government motels leased to the Green Tourism company in 2024, and it does not appear on that company's list of open hotels, so check that it is operating before you rely on it.

In the peak weeks of summer and at Eid, when traffic to the north is heaviest, book a night or two ahead or arrive in good time. A room is much easier to find at 5 pm than at 10.

Food in Besham

Besham eats like the truck stop it is. Hotel restaurants and roadside places along the highway serve the standard menu of the northern roads: chicken karahi, daal, mixed vegetables, rice, fresh roti from the tandoor and endless tea, with kebabs and pakoras from the stalls in the bazaar. It is filling and cooked fresh, but don't expect much choice.

If you are leaving before 7 am, order breakfast the night before or carry something for the road. Paratha and omelette are easy to find once the town wakes up. Places to eat are fewer and more basic in Kohistan, so it is better to set off with a full stomach and a full flask.

Fuel, cash and supplies before Kohistan

This is the real point of stopping in Besham. North of here, services thin out sharply.

1. Fill the tank. There are several fuel stations on the highway through town, and far fewer beyond it. The next main fuel stops are Dasu and Chilas. Don't let the tank fall below half anywhere in Kohistan, because a landslide closure can leave you idling for hours.
2. Draw cash. HBL, HabibMetro and the Bank of Khyber all have branches in town, and card machines are unreliable further north.
3. Stock up on water and snacks for a day in which the next proper meal may be in Chilas.
4. Check the car. Tyres, brakes and coolant matter on the long climbs and descents through the gorge, and a problem is far easier to sort out in a town than halfway up Kohistan.

Our guide to driving on the Karakoram Highway has more on handling the road itself.

Timing the drive north

Leave Besham by 6 or 7 am. Kohistan is slow, often five to seven hours to Chilas, and you want to be through it well before dark.

Construction at the Dasu dam has also brought timed openings on the highway in Upper Kohistan. In 2026 the district administration opened the section at Samar Nullah to traffic only in set windows, including 8 to 10 am and 3 to 6 pm, and the schedule changes. Ask at your hotel or the police post in Besham the evening before, and plan your departure around it.

Coming south, Besham works just as well in reverse: a night here after Kohistan leaves an easy five or six hours to Islamabad the next day.

Is Besham safe?

Besham is a busy working town, and Pakistani travellers stop here every day. But this stretch of the KKH has a real security history. On 26 March 2024 a suicide bomber drove a car into a bus carrying Chinese engineers to the Dasu dam near Besham, killing five of them and their Pakistani driver. In February 2026 three police officers were killed in an operation against militants in caves in the Kabalgram area, near the highway; officials linked the group to car-bomb plots against Chinese nationals.

Security is visible as a result. Expect police checkposts, have your CNIC ready, and follow instructions. Foreign nationals are escorted by police through Lower Kohistan and handed over at each district boundary.

The UK government's travel advice, updated on 22 September 2026, advises against all travel on the KKH between Mansehra and Chilas, through Besham and Dasu. Overseas visitors should know that other governments may say the same, and that travelling against that advice can void insurance. Check local news the day before you drive, and don't drive this stretch at night.

Should you stop in Besham at all?

For most families driving north from Islamabad or Lahore, yes. A night in Besham turns a punishing first day into a manageable one and puts you at the start of Kohistan fresh, early and with a full tank. It is not a place to linger: there is little to do beyond watching the Indus go by, and one night is enough.

It makes less sense if you left Islamabad before dawn and can reach Chilas comfortably in daylight, or if you are going north in summer and can take the Babusar route through Naran instead. And if you would rather not drive this stretch at all, fly to Gilgit: our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour starts there. For help working out which route suits your group, see our trip planning page.

Frequently asked questions