The best places to visit in the Northern Areas, for most travellers, are Hunza, Skardu and the Naran and Kaghan valley, in that order: Hunza for mountains, villages and a paved road; Skardu for lakes, desert and the Deosai plateau, with flights from Islamabad; Naran for high lakes within a day's drive of the capital. After those come Fairy Meadows for the finest single view in the country, Swat for a short trip in any season, and Chitral and the Kalash valleys for culture. Which one is right for you depends mostly on how many days you have and who is coming.
We have ranked ten valleys below on four things that decide a trip: the scenery, how easy the road is, how well it suits families, and the days it needs from Islamabad. "Northern Areas" here means what most Pakistani travellers mean by it: Gilgit-Baltistan and the mountain valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
| Rank | Valley | Scenery | Road access | Family fit | Days from Islamabad |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunza | Outstanding | Paved highway; two days, or fly to Gilgit | Very good | 7 to 9 |
| 2 | Skardu | Outstanding | One-hour flight, or two days | Good; Deosai is hard | 5 to 7 flying |
| 3 | Naran and Kaghan | Very good | 6 to 7 hours, paved | Good | 3 to 4 |
| 4 | Fairy Meadows | Outstanding | Jeep track, then a 2 to 4 hour walk | Fit families only | 4 to 5 |
| 5 | Swat and Kalam | Very good | 4 to 9 hours, motorway most of the way | Very good | 3 to 5 |
| 6 | Chitral and Kalash | Very good | 10 to 12 hours | Good | 6 to 7 |
| 7 | Astore and Rama | Outstanding | Off the highway, then jeep | Fair | Add 2 to 3 |
| 8 | Naltar | Very good | Jeep from Gilgit | Good | Add 1 to 2 |
| 9 | Ghizer and Phander | Very good | Long, slow road from Gilgit | Fair | Add 3 to 4 |
| 10 | Kumrat | Very good | 8.5 to 10 hours, then jeep | Fair; camps and huts | 3 to 5 |
"Add" means the valley is usually visited from a base you are already travelling to, such as Gilgit.
How we ranked them
Scenery counts most, but not alone. A valley that takes three days to reach, or that a family with a grandmother cannot enjoy, drops down the list even if the view at the end is superb. We also gave weight to how long the season is, because a place you can only see for ten weeks a year suits fewer trips. The order would change for a group of fit trekkers, and we say so where it matters.
1. Hunza
The most complete trip in the north. The Karakoram Highway is paved all the way to the Chinese border, so an ordinary car reaches almost everything: Baltit and Altit forts above Karimabad, Rakaposhi from the roadside at Ghulmet, Attabad Lake, the Passu Cones, the Hussaini bridge and the Khunjerab Pass at 4,693 metres. The valley is lived in, with orchards, old villages and plenty of small guesthouses and cafés.
- Road access: two days each way by road with a night in Chilas, or an hour's flight to Gilgit with PIA, often cancelled for weather.
- Family fit: very good. Short drives between sights, hotels everywhere, and the one high day at Khunjerab is easy to skip.
- Days needed: seven to nine by road; four or five if the flights work.
- Season: open all year; best from April to early November.
See our Gilgit and Hunza page for more on the valley.
2. Skardu
Broader, drier and emptier than Hunza, and the best choice if you are flying. From Skardu you reach the Shangrila and Upper Kachura lakes, the Katpana cold desert by the airport, Satpara Lake, Shigar Fort an hour away and Khaplu Palace about three hours away. In summer the Deosai plateau, averaging over 4,100 metres, is the reason many people come.
- Road access: PIA, Airblue and AirSial fly from Islamabad in about an hour, with more seats than the Gilgit route. By road it is two days.
- Family fit: good in the valley; Deosai means hours in a jeep at over 4,000 metres, which is hard on small children and older parents.
- Days needed: five to seven flying, with a spare day for weather.
- Season: April to October; Deosai roughly June to September.
3. Naran and the Kaghan valley
The easiest big mountain trip from Islamabad and Lahore. Naran is six to seven hours by road, the whole way paved, and from it you reach Lake Saif-ul-Malook by jeep, Lulusar Lake and the Babusar Pass at 4,173 metres by car. Shogran, on a forested shelf above Kiwai, is a good night on the way up.
- Road access: motorway to Mansehra, then the paved N-15. Traffic at Eid and on summer weekends is the real problem.
- Family fit: good, with cold nights and a big altitude jump to Babusar.
- Days needed: three to four.
- Season: summer only. The upper valley is open from about May to November, and best from June to September.
It ranks below Hunza and Skardu for scenery and crowds, and above everything else for ease.
4. Fairy Meadows
A grass meadow at about 3,300 metres facing the Rakhiot face of Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest mountain in the world, at 8,126 metres. For a single view, nothing on this list beats it. There is no road to the meadow: a local jeep takes a narrow, exposed 15 km track from Raikot Bridge on the Karakoram Highway to Tato, and from there it is a walk of 2 to 4 hours.
- Road access: the hardest of the top five. Two days from Islamabad to Raikot Bridge by road, over Babusar in summer or up the highway, then the jeep and the walk.
- Family fit: only for fit families who are comfortable with heights. The jeep track is not for nervous passengers.
- Days needed: five by road, or four with a flight to Gilgit, with two nights at the meadow.
- Season: June to September.
Our Fairy Meadows page covers the track, the walk and the huts.
5. Swat and Kalam
Green, settled and open in every month. Lower Swat has the Swat Museum and Buddhist sites around Mingora; Malam Jabba has a chairlift in summer and skiing in winter; above Bahrain the valley narrows to Kalam, the Ushu forest and Mahodand Lake by jeep.
- Road access: the M-1 and Swat Motorway make Mingora four to five hours from Islamabad. Kalam is seven to nine, and the road above Bahrain is still slow after the 2022 floods.
- Family fit: very good. Low altitude in the lower valley, towns all the way up.
- Days needed: three to five.
- Season: all year, depending on altitude.
The reason it is not higher is security. On 2 August 2026 a suicide bombing outside the Kabal police station, near Mingora, killed 17 people, and the UK advises its nationals against all travel to Swat. Pakistani tourists still visit in large numbers, but check the news before you go.
6. Chitral and the Kalash valleys
Chitral is a long valley under Tirich Mir, and the three Kalash valleys south of the town, Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir, are home to the Kalasha, with their own religion, language and festivals. It is the most culturally distinct trip in the north.
- Road access: about 400 km and 10 to 12 hours from Islamabad via the Swat Motorway, Dir and the Lowari tunnel, opened in 2017. The Kalash valleys are 1.5 to 2.5 hours beyond Chitral town.
- Family fit: good, with long days in the car.
- Days needed: six to seven, with two nights in the Kalash valleys.
- Season: May to October, with the Chilam Joshi festival in mid-May and Uchal in August.
Some foreign governments advise against travel on the road to Chitral, including the Kalash valleys, so foreign nationals should check their own advice.
7. Astore and Rama
The other side of Nanga Parbat. A turning off the Karakoram Highway near Jaglot leads to Astore, three to four hours from Gilgit, and a jeep ride above it to Rama meadow, with Rama Lake a walk beyond. Further on, the Rupal valley leads under the Rupal face, often described as the highest mountain face in the world. In summer Deosai can be crossed from this side to Skardu.
- Family fit: fair. Simple places to stay and jeep tracks.
- Days needed: add two to three to a Gilgit or Skardu trip.
8. Naltar
A pine valley about 40 km from Gilgit, with a string of coloured lakes above Naltar Bala reached by jeep, and Air Force ski slopes in winter. It is the easiest add-on to a Hunza or Gilgit trip.
- Family fit: good, if everyone is fine with a bumpy jeep ride.
- Days needed: add one to two. The lakes are open from about late May to October.
9. Ghizer and Phander
West of Gilgit, the road runs for hours up a broad valley of turquoise lakes and small villages: Khalti near Gupis, Phander five to six hours from Gilgit, and at the far end the Shandur Pass, about 212 km from Gilgit, with its polo ground at around 3,700 metres. It is quiet and very beautiful, but slow to reach, with simple stays.
- Family fit: fair.
- Days needed: add three to four, or cross Shandur to Chitral.
10. Kumrat
A deodar forest along the Panjkora river in Upper Dir, with waterfalls, meadows and Katora Lake above. You drive to Thal, about 375 km from Islamabad, and go on by jeep; nights are in huts and tented camps.
- Family fit: fair; best for groups who like camping.
- Days needed: three to five.
- Season: roughly May to October.
Which should you choose for your days?
- Three days: Naran, or lower Swat and Malam Jabba.
- Five days: Skardu by air, Naran with Shogran, or Swat up to Kalam.
- A week: Hunza with a flight one way, or Skardu with Deosai. Our seven-day Skardu and Deosai tour is built around the plateau.
- Nine or ten days: Hunza by road, with Naltar or Fairy Meadows. Our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour covers nine days on the Karakoram Highway.
- Two weeks: Hunza and Skardu together, or Chitral over the Shandur Pass to Gilgit in summer.
Where not to go with small children or older parents
Some places on this list are wonderful and still wrong for certain groups. Leave out or think hard about Fairy Meadows (exposed jeep track and a real walk), Deosai and Khunjerab (above 4,000 metres), and the jeep lakes of Naltar and Astore if anyone suffers from car sickness or a bad back. For anyone with a heart or lung condition, ask a doctor before any of the high day trips. Hunza without Khunjerab, Skardu without Deosai, lower Swat and Naran without Babusar all remain very good trips.
For more on individual valleys in Gilgit-Baltistan, see our district-by-district guide to Gilgit-Baltistan, and if lakes are your priority, our guide to the best lakes in Pakistan sorts them by car, jeep and hike.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most beautiful place in the Northern Areas?
Hunza is the favourite of most first-time visitors, for mountains, orchards and villages together. For a single view, Fairy Meadows under Nanga Parbat is hard to beat, and Deosai in July is unlike anywhere else.
Which Northern Areas destination is best for a family trip?
Hunza for a week or more, because the road is paved and the sights are close together. For a shorter trip, Naran or Swat, both within a day's drive of Islamabad.
How many days do you need for the Northern Areas?
Three to four days for Naran or Swat, five to seven for Skardu if you fly, and seven to nine for Hunza by road. To see both Hunza and Skardu, allow at least ten days.
What is the best time to visit the Northern Areas?
June to September if you want everything open, including Deosai, Fairy Meadows and the high passes. April is best for blossom in Hunza and Skardu, and October for autumn colour.
Which places in the Northern Areas are open in winter?
Hunza, Skardu, Gilgit, Swat and Naltar can be reached in most winters, weather permitting. Naran, Fairy Meadows, Deosai, Babusar and the top of Khunjerab are closed.
Can you visit the Northern Areas without a jeep?
Yes, for most of the headline places. Hunza, Skardu town and its lakes, Naran, Lulusar, Babusar and Swat up to Kalam are all reachable by car. You need a jeep for Fairy Meadows, Deosai, Saif-ul-Malook, the Naltar lakes and Mahodand.