Daintar Pass Trek: Naltar to Nagar, Route and Season

The Daintar Pass trek runs from the upper Naltar valley over a pass at about 4,500 metres and down the Daintar nala to Chalt, in Lower Nagar. The walking takes four to five days, the highest camp is at 4,100 metres, and the steep, loose descent on the Nagar side is the part that decides whether the trek is for you.

This is an old herders' line between two valleys, not a built trail. It suits fit, equipped trekkers with a guide who has crossed before. The guide below sets out the camps and altitudes, what makes the descent serious, the season, and the logistics at each end.

How high is the Daintar Pass?

Trekking operators who run the route give the pass as 4,500 metres. Wikipedia's short entry gives 5,000 metres (16,390 feet). The lower figure fits the rest of the route better: the camp below the pass is at 4,100 metres and the crossing from there takes hours, not a full day of climbing, while the Snow Dome, a named summit beside the pass, is given as 5,029 metres. We use 4,500 metres, and would treat any figure as approximate until you have an altimeter on it.

Do not confuse it with two neighbours. The Chaprot Pass, further south-east on the same ridge, also links Naltar with Nagar, and the Naltar Pass at the head of the valley leads west to Ishkoman.

The route, stage by stage

The altitudes below come from a published operator itinerary. Walking times were given only for the descent.

1. Gilgit to Naltar, by jeep. About 45 km, and around two hours because of the state of the road. Our guide to reaching Naltar valley covers it.
2. Naltar to the Naltar lakes. A further jeep track; camp by the lake.
3. Upper Naltar to Lower Shani, 3,690 m. The first walking day, kept short on purpose. Operators add an acclimatisation day here.
4. Lower Shani to Daintar high camp, 4,100 m. A climb to a camp below the snowfield that leads to the pass.
5. High camp over the Daintar Pass (4,500 m) to Tolebari, 3,450 m. The crossing day. The descent from the pass to the shepherds' huts and pastures at Tolebari takes three to three and a half hours.
6. Tolebari to Daintar village (2,743 m) and Torbuto Das, 2,100 m. About two hours down the Tolebari nala to Taling and Daintar village, then two to three hours more to the roadhead at Torbuto Das.
7. Torbuto Das to Chalt and the Karakoram Highway, by jeep. From Chalt it is about 50 km back to Gilgit; the operator itinerary allows about three hours from the roadhead to Hunza.

From the pass to Torbuto Das you lose about 2,400 metres of height in two days. Knees feel it more than lungs.

The pass: what makes it hard

The climb from the Naltar side is the easier half. It is described as scrambling of about Class 2, but a rope may be needed near the top, and the cornice of overhanging snow on the crest can be large.

The far side is the reason for the trek's reputation. The mountaineer Trevor Braham described the north side as 230 metres of fractured rock at an angle of 50 degrees, ending at a wide chasm. Operators describe the usual descent as "a dangerous scree gully", with rockfall and crevasses on the glacier below.

What that means in practice:

• A guide who has made this descent before, not only one who knows Naltar.
• A helmet for every member, and wide spacing in the gully so that dislodged stones do not hit the person below.
• A rope, an ice axe and the knowledge to use them, in a year when snow lies late.
• An early start, the usual practice on loose ground, before the sun loosens the slope.
• A willingness to turn back at high camp. Once over the top you are committed to the Daintar side.

When to go

July, August and the first half of September are the months when the pass is most likely to be clear of fresh snow. One operator schedules its 2026 and 2027 departures for 20 June to 5 July, so the crossing is also attempted earlier; ask what the snow is doing that year before you commit to dates.

By late September the nights at 4,100 metres are cold and new snow becomes more likely. Our guide to the trekking season in Gilgit-Baltistan gives the wider calendar.

Camping, supplies and the Daintar side

There is no lodge, shop or shelter between upper Naltar and Daintar village. Everything is carried.

On the Nagar side, Tolebari is a pasture with shepherds' huts. Daintar village, at 2,743 metres, is a farming settlement; we know of no hotel or restaurant there, and trekkers camp or walk through. The first real services are at Chalt on the highway. Our separate note on Daintar valley describes the Nagar side on its own.

Mobile coverage should not be expected between upper Naltar and the lower Daintar nala. Leave your route and return date with someone in Gilgit.

Permits and safety

Pakistani trekkers need no permit that we could confirm for this route, but carry your CNIC. Foreign nationals must register with the local authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan, and some treks need a permit that can take weeks to issue, so check the position for this route through a licensed operator before booking. Our trekking permit guide for Gilgit-Baltistan explains the zones.

Gilgit-Baltistan is not covered by the UK government's warnings for Pakistan, and both ends of this trek lie north of Gilgit, away from the stretch of the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas that the same advice warns against. If you are driving up from Islamabad, the Babusar Pass avoids that stretch in summer, and foreign-passport holders should check their own government's advice because ignoring it can void insurance.

The real hazards here are the mountain ones: altitude at high camp, stonefall in the gully and a long way to help. Carry a first aid kit and know the signs in our altitude sickness guide.

Is it worth it?

For an experienced trekker who is comfortable on steep loose ground, yes. It is a compact crossing between two very different valleys, forested Naltar and terraced Nagar, and it sees few parties.

For a first trek, no. The descent is the wrong place to discover a fear of exposure. The Naltar Pass trek to Ishkoman gives a high crossing from the same starting point without the same descent, and Rush Lake gives high-altitude trekking on a far more travelled path.

Frequently asked questions