The Deosai entry fee is a national park charge, paid per person in cash at the checkpoint on the road up from Sadpara, with a separate, lower rate for local residents than for other visitors. It is on top of your jeep hire and, if you fish, a separate permit paid at Bara Pani. This guide sets out who pays what, where, and the other charges that catch people out.
Prices at Deosai have changed more than once in recent seasons, and different sources give different numbers for the same year. Rather than print a figure that may already be wrong by the time you travel, this guide tells you the structure, so you know what to expect and how much cash to carry.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Where you pay | The checkpoint on the Sadpara–Deosai road, before the plateau |
| How | Cash, per person |
| Rates | Different tiers for Gilgit-Baltistan residents, other Pakistanis and foreign nationals |
| Fishing permit | Paid separately at Bara Pani, in cash |
| Vehicle fee | A separate Gilgit-Baltistan-wide charge, not the park fee |
| Cards | Not accepted anywhere on the plateau |
| On our tour | Park fees and permits included |
How much is the Deosai entry fee?
There are three broad tiers: a lower rate for Gilgit-Baltistan residents, a higher one for other Pakistani visitors, and a rate for foreign nationals set well above both. The actual amounts are where sources disagree, and some of what circulates online is a year or two old. The Gilgit-Baltistan Forest, Wildlife and Environment Department, which runs the park, does not publish a fee schedule on its Deosai National Park page. Rather than repeat a number that has already changed by the time you read this, the honest advice is:
- Ask your hotel or jeep driver in Skardu the evening before. Rates in Skardu are usually current, because operators pay them constantly through the season.
- Carry more cash than you think you need, in small notes, for everyone in the vehicle.
- Pay what is posted at the checkpoint, not what a blog told you.
Where is the fee paid?
The main checkpoint is on the road up from Sadpara, before the track reaches the rim of the plateau at Ali Malik Mar. Everyone driving up from Skardu passes through it. On the Astore side, a similar check applies on the way up from Chilim.
At the checkpoint, expect to:
- Show ID: a CNIC for Pakistani citizens, a passport and visa for foreign nationals.
- Register the vehicle.
- Pay the entry fee for each person in cash.
- Continue onto the plateau.
There is no facility to withdraw cash or use a card at the checkpoint or anywhere on Deosai, so sort your money out in Skardu before you set off. Our Deosai trip cost guide sets the entry fee against the rest of a day's spending, including the jeep, which is normally the bigger cost.
The fishing permit
If you want to fish, that is a separate charge from the park entry fee. Deosai's rivers hold snow trout, and the best-known spot is Bara Pani, roughly in the middle of the plateau, where Forest and Wildlife Department staff issue permits on the spot for a modest cash fee, reported at around PKR 500 in recent seasons. Our guide to Bara Pani covers what is there and how fishing works.
As with the entry fee, treat any figure you read, including this one, as a guide rather than a guarantee, and pay what is currently asked. Bring your own rod and tackle; nothing is for hire on the plateau.
The separate Gilgit-Baltistan vehicle fee
Don't confuse the park entry fee with a different charge: in January 2025 the Gilgit-Baltistan government introduced a region-wide entry fee for tourist vehicles coming into Gilgit-Baltistan, set at Rs 2,000 for a car and Rs 500 for a motorcycle, to help fund roads, waste management and conservation. This is not specific to Deosai and is not collected at the park checkpoint. If you are asked for it anywhere on the way in, pay it and keep the receipt.
What about camping and other permits?
Until 2025, some visitors also budgeted for a camping fee or a tent-camp package on the plateau. That is no longer relevant: night camping on Deosai was banned in September 2025 after a bear attacked a camper near Bara Pani, and seasonal hotels and other commercial activity inside the park were banned from the 2026 season. There is now no legal overnight fee to pay on the plateau, because there is no legal overnight stay. Our guide to camping in Deosai covers the current rules and where to sleep instead.
How much cash should you carry?
For a day trip from Skardu, plan cash for:
- The park entry fee for everyone in the vehicle, with a margin above whatever rate you were quoted.
- A fishing permit, if anyone plans to fish, plus tackle you brought yourself.
- Fuel and food, since nothing reliable is sold on the plateau.
- Small notes. Checkpoint staff can struggle to give change for a large one.
Withdraw what you need in Skardu before heading up; ATMs there are not always reliable, so bring most of your cash from Islamabad if you can.
Is the fee worth it?
For Pakistani visitors it is a small part of the day compared with the jeep, and it goes towards a park that protects one of the country's rarest animals, the Himalayan brown bear. For foreign visitors the rate is higher, but there is no way to see the plateau without passing the checkpoint, and the fee is a minor cost next to getting to Skardu in the first place.
If you would rather not deal with fees, cash or checkpoints yourself, our seven-day Skardu and Deosai trip includes park fees and permits, with an experienced mountain driver and a spare day built in for weather.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to enter Deosai National Park?
There are different rates for Gilgit-Baltistan residents, other Pakistanis and foreign nationals, paid per person in cash at the checkpoint. The amounts have changed more than once recently, so ask locally and carry more cash than you expect to need.
Where do I pay the Deosai entry fee?
At the checkpoint on the road up from Sadpara, before the plateau, if you come from Skardu. A similar check applies on the Astore side near Chilim.
Is the fishing permit separate from the entry fee?
Yes. The entry fee gets you onto the plateau; a fishing permit is bought separately, in cash, from fisheries staff at Bara Pani.
Can I pay the Deosai fee by card?
No. Cards are not accepted at the checkpoint or anywhere on the plateau. Bring cash from Skardu.
Is there a separate vehicle fee for Gilgit-Baltistan?
Yes. Since January 2025 the region has charged Rs 2,000 for cars and Rs 500 for motorcycles entering Gilgit-Baltistan. This is not the Deosai park fee and is collected separately.
Do children pay the Deosai entry fee?
Don't assume young children go free. Ask at the checkpoint, since rules on age exemptions are not consistently reported online.
