The best hotels in Gilgit-Baltistan are spread across five bases. At the top end, Hunza Serena in Karimabad and Gilgit Serena lead in their valleys, and in Baltistan the two restored palaces run by Serena, Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace, are the most memorable stays in the north. Shangrila Resort at Kachura is Skardu's classic. For less, long-running hotels such as Eagle's Nest at Duikar in Hunza and Concordia Motel in Skardu give you the view without the five-star bill, and a handful of guesthouses have looked after budget travellers for decades.
This guide picks out established stays region by region and budget by budget. Where you should base yourself within a valley is a separate question, covered in our guides to where to stay in Hunza and where to stay in Skardu.
| Region | Top end | Mid-range | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunza | Hunza Serena, Luxus Hunza | Eagle's Nest, Hunza Embassy | Old Hunza Inn, Haider Inn |
| Gojal (upper Hunza) | Sost Serena | Hunza Marco Polo Inn, Silk Route Lodge | Village guesthouses |
| Gilgit | Gilgit Serena, Ramada Resort | Hotels along the Jutial and airport roads | Madina Hotel |
| Skardu | Shangrila Resort, PC Legacy Skardu | Concordia Motel, Hotel Mashabrum | Guesthouses in town |
| Shigar | Serena Shigar Fort | Smaller valley hotels | Village guesthouses |
| Khaplu | Serena Khaplu Palace | Hotels in town | Simple guesthouses |
What does a room cost in 2026?
These are rough nightly rates for a double room, from Booking.com averages and listings in September 2026, converted at about PKR 278 to the dollar. Rates change daily, rise sharply in July, August and on Eid and 14 August weekends, and fall in winter.
| Level | Hunza | Skardu |
|---|---|---|
| Simple guesthouse | About PKR 2,500 to 5,000 | About PKR 2,500 to 4,500 |
| Three-star average | About PKR 5,300 | About PKR 8,300 |
| Four-star average | About PKR 17,000 | About PKR 25,000 |
| Five-star average | About PKR 31,000 | About PKR 48,000 |
In Gilgit, listed rates ran from about PKR 4,000 to 4,500 for a guesthouse room to about PKR 26,000 to 30,000 at the Serena and the Ramada. Skardu is dearer than Hunza at every level. Our guide to the cost of a Gilgit-Baltistan trip puts rooms together with transport and food.
Hunza
Hunza has the widest choice in Gilgit-Baltistan, and the best hotels here are the ones with a view of the valley and Rakaposhi.
Top end
- Hunza Serena Hotel, Karimabad. A pool, a spa and four places to eat, with views of Ultar, Diran, Lady Finger, Golden Peak and Rakaposhi. The most comfortable hotel in central Hunza, and priced like it.
- Luxus Hunza, Attabad Lake. Colourful wooden cottages on the shore of the lake, about 30 to 40 minutes north of Karimabad. The reason to stay is the lake at dawn and dusk. It is isolated, so one night is usually enough. Pearl-Continental began opening a hotel on the same lake in mid-2026, too new yet to have a track record.
Mid-range
- Eagle's Nest Hotel, Duikar. A family-run hotel since 1994, high above Altit at the viewpoint of the same name. Sunrise and sunset over the whole valley are the point, and the road up is steep and narrow.
- Hunza Embassy Hotel, Karimabad. A long-running Karimabad hotel, about ten minutes' walk from the centre, with valley-facing rooms and terraces.
Budget
- Old Hunza Inn, Karimabad. Simple rooms with hot water, a garden and a shared kitchen, between Baltit Fort and Ganish. Among the cheapest decent rooms in Karimabad.
- Haider Inn, Karimabad. A long-standing favourite with backpackers, in the centre of town.
Gojal, upper Hunza
For a night closer to Passu and the Khunjerab Pass, Hunza Marco Polo Inn in Gulmit has been open since 1986, and the Silk Route Lodge sits just off the highway in Gulmit. At the border end, Serena has opened Sost Serena, a 50-room hotel at about 2,800 metres in the last town before China.
Gilgit
Most people spend one night in Gilgit on the way to Hunza or after a flight. The choice is between comfort and a central location.
- Gilgit Serena Hotel, Jutial. Open since 1985, with 43 rooms, gardens, its own orchards and vegetable garden, backup generators and a view to Rakaposhi from the grounds. Quieter than the city centre.
- Ramada Resort by Wyndham Gilgit. A newer resort about 7 km from the airport, with a pool, gym and an airport shuttle. Good if you want resort facilities; less good for walking into town.
- Madina Hotel, NLI Chowk. One of the oldest names in Gilgit and the traveller's standby for decades, with simple rooms, a garden and help with onward transport and treks.
Skardu
Skardu's hotels spread along the roads through town and out towards the airport and the Kachura lakes.
- Shangrila Resort, Lower Kachura. Opened in 1983 as the north's first resort hotel, with cottages around the lake and a restaurant inside an old aircraft fuselage. It is also a day-trip stop, so the grounds are busy on summer afternoons. Our Shangrila Resort guide covers staying and visiting.
- PC Legacy Skardu. Opened by the Pearl-Continental group in December 2024, a few minutes from the airport, with central heating and chalets as well as rooms. Useful for early flights and winter trips.
- Concordia Motel. Open since 1992 on a rise above the Indus, about ten minutes' walk from the bazaar, with views across the river to Kharpocho fort. Popular with trekking and climbing groups.
- Hotel Mashabrum. A large, central three-star with a proper dining hall and mountain views. The furnishings are dated, but it is practical and well located.
Budget travellers will find simple guesthouses throughout town. Read reviews from the current year, because standards change quickly.
Shigar and Khaplu: the palace hotels
The two heritage hotels of Baltistan are the reason many people extend a Skardu trip.
- Serena Shigar Fort. A seventeenth-century palace of the Rajas of Shigar, about an hour from Skardu, restored by the Aga Khan Cultural Service. It has 20 rooms: 13 in the old palace and 7 in the more modern Garden House. The palace rooms are the ones to ask for.
- Serena Khaplu Palace. A palace of the 1840s, about three hours east of Skardu, with 21 rooms and suites around courtyards and fruit gardens. Six are in the old palace; the rest are in the Garden House.
Both are small, so book well ahead for summer. Shigar and Khaplu also have simpler hotels and guesthouses for travellers who want the villages without the palace price.
How to choose a hotel in Gilgit-Baltistan
Stars mean less up here than the practical details, so ask before you book:
- How is the room heated, and what happens in a power cut? From October to April this matters more than the view.
- Is there parking? Karimabad's hotels in particular can be hard to reach by car.
- Does the room actually face the view? Two rooms at the same price can look at Rakaposhi or a wall.
- Is breakfast included, and is there somewhere to eat nearby?
- Can you pay by card? Many smaller hotels want cash or a bank transfer.
Book directly with the hotel or a well-known booking site, and be wary of paying an advance to a number you found on social media. Foreign nationals should also ask whether the hotel can register foreign guests: the rules on this in Hunza have changed more than once since 2025.
Is it worth paying for the top hotels?
For one or two nights, often yes. A palace room at Shigar or Khaplu, or a sunrise at Eagle's Nest, is part of the trip rather than just a bed. For a whole week, the difference between a five-star and a good mid-range hotel is mostly facilities you will barely use, because you are out from breakfast to dusk.
A sensible mix is a comfortable mid-range base for most nights, with one or two nights somewhere special. If you would rather have someone else weigh the options, send your dates through our trip planner; our Skardu and Deosai tour includes accommodation throughout.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best hotel in Hunza?
For comfort and facilities, the Hunza Serena Hotel in Karimabad. For the view, Eagle's Nest at Duikar, and for the lake, Luxus Hunza at Attabad.
Which is the best hotel in Skardu?
Shangrila Resort at Lower Kachura is the classic choice, and PC Legacy Skardu the newest big-name hotel. For a heritage stay, Serena Shigar Fort, an hour away, is hard to beat.
Can you stay inside Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace?
Yes. Both are run as heritage hotels by Serena, with 20 rooms at Shigar and 21 at Khaplu, including rooms in the original palace buildings.
How much is a hotel in Gilgit-Baltistan per night?
In September 2026, simple guesthouse rooms cost roughly PKR 2,500 to 5,000, three-star hotels about PKR 5,300 in Hunza and PKR 8,300 in Skardu, and five-star hotels about PKR 31,000 and PKR 48,000. Prices rise in peak season.
Do I need to book hotels in Gilgit-Baltistan in advance?
For July, August, Eid and 14 August weekends, yes, especially for the heritage and lakeside hotels. Outside those weeks you can usually find a room on arrival, though not always at the hotel you wanted.
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