Deosai Jeep Rent: Rates From Skardu and What to Agree

Deosai jeep rent from Skardu ran at roughly PKR 15,000 to 25,000 per vehicle for a day on the plateau in 2025 and 2026, with a driver and usually the fuel for the agreed route included. Older open jeeps were advertised from about PKR 10,000, and newer Land Cruisers, Prados and double-cabin pickups at the top of the range or a little above it. The price is for the whole vehicle, so four or five people sharing pay far less each than a couple.

Prices change with the season and with fuel, so treat these figures as a guide to what is reasonable, not a quote. This post covers what drives the price, how day hire, two-day hire and the one-way crossing to Astore differ, what is and isn't included, and what to settle before you get in.

How much is a jeep to Deosai?

The rates that Skardu rental firms and jeep operators published for the 2025 and 2026 seasons cluster around these figures, per vehicle, with a driver:

• Older open jeeps, the classic Willys type: about PKR 10,000 to 15,000 for the day.
• Older Land Cruisers: about PKR 16,000 to 20,000.
• Prados: about PKR 18,000 to 25,000, although one Skardu firm listed a Prado TZ at PKR 12,000 a day in 2026.
• Double-cabin pickups such as the Hilux Revo: about PKR 20,000 to 28,000.
• A return day trip, Skardu to Deosai and back, quoted as a package: about PKR 15,000 to 20,000, rising to the mid-twenties for a longer day out to Sheosar Lake.

Most of those rates included fuel for the route. Some firms that rent by the day for a whole trip charge fuel separately, which on a long mountain day adds a lot, so always ask.

These are advertised prices from peak season. A driver found through your hotel may quote differently, in either direction.

What changes the price

Four things move a Deosai quote more than anything else.

1. How far you go. The rim of the plateau at Ali Malik Mar, the Bara Pani bridge, Sheosar Lake at the far end, or all the way across to Chilim and Astore. Each step adds hours and fuel. Say exactly where you want to turn round.
2. The vehicle. An old open jeep is the cheapest and the least comfortable, with more dust and less shelter from rain and wind. A closed Land Cruiser or Prado costs more and is kinder to older passengers and children.
3. The season and the day. Rates are highest in July and August, over Eid, around 14 August and on long weekends, when every vehicle in Skardu is busy. Early June and September are easier.
4. Fuel prices. When fuel goes up, so do jeep rates, sometimes mid-season.

The number of passengers does not usually change the price, which is why a full jeep is the cheapest way to see Deosai.

Day hire, two-day hire and the one-way crossing

A day trip from Skardu

This is what most people book: leave Skardu around 7, spend the middle of the day on the plateau, and be back by late afternoon. It is the simplest arrangement to price, and it is the one the current rules point to, because night camping on the plateau was banned in September 2025.

Two days

"Overnight" jeep packages used to mean a night in a tent at Bara Pani or Sheosar. With camping and seasonal camps banned, two-day hire now means two separate days on the plateau from Skardu, or a crossing with a night on the Astore side. Expect a day rate for each day. The driver's food and room are sometimes included and sometimes charged on top; on northern trips in 2026 they were often charged at about PKR 2,000 a night.

One way across to Astore

If you are crossing the plateau and leaving the jeep at Chilim or Astore, the driver still has to get back to Skardu, and you pay for that. Ask whether the price covers his return, whether he goes back the same evening or the next day, and who pays for his night if he stays. It is also worth asking whether he can pick up return passengers, which sometimes brings the price down.

If you are coming from the other direction, jeeps can be hired in Astore town for the Chilim side. Get quotes there rather than assuming Skardu rates apply.

What is included, and what isn't

Settle each of these before you agree a price:

• Fuel: included for the whole route, or charged separately?
• Turnaround point: Bara Pani, Sheosar, or across to Chilim?
• Waiting time: how long you can spend on the plateau, and roughly when you will start back.
• Park entry fee: almost always extra, paid per person in cash at the checkpoint. It has changed several times, so pay what is posted.
• Driver's food and room on any trip that goes past one day.
• Stops: Sadpara Lake on the way down, and photo stops on the plateau.
• Road closures: what you pay if the road is shut halfway, or you turn back for weather.

Food is not included, and there is nothing to buy on the plateau now that commercial activity inside the park is banned. Pack lunch, water and snacks for everyone, including the driver if you want to be kind.

How to hire and negotiate

1. Ask more than one source. Your hotel, one or two rental firms and, if you can, another group who went up that day. You will quickly see what is normal this week.
2. Book the evening before at the latest. In July and August, and over holidays, book a day or two ahead.
3. Negotiate politely, and on the whole deal. Drivers are more flexible on the waiting time or the turnaround point than on the headline figure. A fair price for a good driver is worth more than the last thousand rupees.
4. Put it in writing. A WhatsApp message listing the route, vehicle, start time, price and what is included avoids arguments at 4,000 metres.
5. Check the vehicle. Look at the tyres, ask about the spare, and make sure the doors close and the seats are sound. On an open jeep, ask what happens if it rains.
6. Pay the balance at the end. If a deposit is asked for to hold the booking, keep it modest, and settle the rest when you are back.

A driver who knows the plateau is also your guide to where bears have been seen that week and when the track tends to get muddy. That knowledge is part of what you are paying for.

Jeep, Prado or your own car?

Hiring locally is the standard advice because the track above Sadpara is stony, rutted and muddy after rain, and there is no help on the plateau. If you have a high-clearance 4x4 of your own, you can drive it; if you came in a sedan, leave it at the hotel. Our guide on driving to Deosai in your own car goes through which vehicles cope, and our Prado rent guide compares hiring a 4x4 for the whole trip.

Is it worth hiring your own jeep?

For a group of four to six, a private jeep is good value: at PKR 20,000 for the day, five people pay PKR 4,000 each for the most memorable day of a Skardu trip. For a couple it is expensive, at PKR 10,000 each on the same figure, and sharing with another couple or family from your hotel halves it.

What a private jeep gives you, and a shared one may not, is control of the day: when to leave, how long to wait for a bear, whether to push on to Sheosar. For budgeting the whole day, including fees and food, see our Deosai trip cost guide.

If you would rather not arrange jeeps at all, our Skardu and Deosai tour includes all ground transport with an experienced mountain driver, and the park fees, from PKR 90,000 per person for seven days.

Frequently asked questions