Deosai Trip Cost: Jeep, Fees and Food per Group

A Deosai trip cost is mostly the jeep. A day on the plateau from Skardu cost roughly PKR 15,000 to 25,000 per vehicle in 2025 and 2026, with a driver and usually the fuel, so a group of four or five pays about PKR 4,000 to 8,000 each once food is added, plus the park entry fee. A couple pays about twice as much per head for the same day. Crossing the plateau to Astore, or spending two days up there, adds a second day's hire or the driver's return, and a night on the far side.

This guide prices a Deosai day from Skardu, then the options for a longer trip now that camping is banned, and the costs around the day that people forget. It assumes you are already in Skardu; getting there and hotel prices are covered in our Skardu trip cost guide.

What a day on Deosai costs

Three things make up the bill for the day.

1. The jeep. Priced per vehicle, not per person, and nearly always the biggest cost. Rates published by Skardu rental firms for 2025 and 2026 put a day trip at about PKR 15,000 to 25,000, depending on the vehicle and how far you go. An older open jeep costs less; a newer Land Cruiser, Prado or double-cabin pickup more. Our Deosai jeep rent guide goes through the rates and what to agree.
2. The park entry fee. Paid per person at the checkpoint, in cash, at different rates for Gilgit-Baltistan residents, other Pakistanis and foreign visitors. It has changed several times, so carry more small notes than you expect to need and pay what is posted. Next to the jeep it is a small cost.
3. Food and water. With commercial activity inside the park banned from the 2026 season, you can't count on buying anything on the plateau. Pack lunch, snacks, water and a flask from Skardu. At local places in town, food ran at roughly PKR 1,000 to 2,000 per person a day in 2026.

Fuel is usually included in a day-trip price for a fixed route. If your jeep is on a daily rate with fuel extra, the long climb and a run out to Sheosar Lake add a noticeable amount, so ask before you agree.

Sample budgets per group: a day trip

These are rough figures for one day from Skardu to the plateau and back, using the jeep range above and food at local prices. They leave out the park fee, tips and your hotel.

The pattern is simple: the more seats you fill, the cheaper the day. The lower end of each range is an older jeep to Bara Pani and back; the upper end is a newer vehicle and the long day out to Sheosar Lake.

For groups of six or more, ask whether one large vehicle will take everyone in comfort for eight or nine hours on a rough track. Two smaller jeeps cost more, but a cramped day at 4,000 metres is not a saving.

Overnight: what a longer trip costs now

Until 2025, the classic longer trip was a night in a tent at Bara Pani or Sheosar, and Skardu operators sold camping packages with tents and meals. Night camping on the plateau was banned in September 2025, and seasonal hotels and tent camps inside the park were banned from the 2026 season, so those packages no longer exist legally. Be wary of anyone still selling one, and see our guide to camping in Deosai for the rules.

That leaves two ways to spend more time up there.

Two separate days from Skardu

Two day trips, sleeping in Skardu in between. Budget two days of jeep hire and two days of food, with your hotel nights as usual. It suits photographers and anyone who wants a second chance at a bear, and it means one bad-weather day does not cost you the plateau.

A one-way crossing to Astore

You leave Skardu early, cross the whole plateau past Sheosar, and sleep on the Astore side. The costs are:

• The jeep one way, plus the driver's return to Skardu, which you pay for. Quotes for the crossing vary more than any other Deosai trip, so ask for one all-in price that covers the return.
• The driver's night, if he stays over rather than driving back the same evening.
• A room at Chilim, Gudai or Astore town. Get the price when you book; the choice is much smaller than in Skardu.
• Onward transport from Astore towards Gilgit or the Karakoram Highway, unless your own car is waiting there.

A crossing can make financial sense if you are leaving the north by road anyway, because it replaces the long drive back along the Skardu road. Our Astore to Deosai route guide covers the western side.

The costs around the day that people forget

• A spare day. Rain, snow or a landslide can close the track at short notice, and a Skardu flight can be cancelled. Every spare day is another hotel night and a day's meals.
• Warm clothing. If you came north with summer clothes, a warm jacket, hat and gloves bought in Skardu are part of the Deosai budget. The plateau is cold even in July.
• Cash. The fee, the jeep and any tip are paid in cash. ATMs in Skardu are not always dependable, so bring most of what you need from Islamabad.
• Tips. Not required, but a driver who waited patiently while you watched a bear has earned one.

Ways to spend less

• Fill the jeep. Ask your hotel whether another couple or family is going the same day and share.
• Choose the turnaround point. Bara Pani and back is a shorter, cheaper day than Sheosar.
• Avoid the peak dates. July, August, Eid, 14 August and long weekends push up rates. Early June and September are easier to negotiate.
• Bring your own food rather than paying for packed lunches from a resort hotel.
• Take an older open jeep if everyone is young, fit and dressed for dust and wind.
• Don't buy a camping package. It is not legal inside the park at present, and you would be paying for something you cannot use.

Do it yourself, or take a tour?

For a group of four or five already in Skardu, doing it yourself is the cheaper way to spend a day on Deosai. You need a good driver, a reasonable price agreed in advance, and food for the day.

A tour costs more but takes the arranging off your hands, which matters most for couples, for families with older parents, and for anyone flying in on a tight schedule. Our seven-day Skardu and Deosai trip costs from PKR 90,000 per person, with all ground transport and an experienced mountain driver, twin-share rooms, a guide from the valley, park fees and permits, breakfast daily and all meals on the plateau. Flights, and lunches and dinners in Skardu, are extra.

Frequently asked questions