Yes: a Gilgit-Baltistan trip by small car is realistic in summer. An Alto, Wagon R, Cultus or similar hatchback can drive the Karakoram Highway to Gilgit, Hunza and the Khunjerab Pass, the Jaglot–Skardu road, and the valley roads to Shigar and Khaplu, because all of them are paved. What it can't do is the jeep tracks: Fairy Meadows, Deosai, the Naltar lakes and a handful of side valleys. Plan to park and switch to a local jeep for those.
The trouble spots for a small car are predictable: low clearance on broken diversions and stream crossings, a small engine hauling a full load uphill, and brakes on the long descents. This guide goes route by route, then covers how to prepare the car and drive it.
| Route | Small car? | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Islamabad to Chilas on the KKH, via Kohistan | Yes | Slow, with broken stretches and roadworks around Dasu |
| Naran to Chilas over the Babusar Pass | Yes, in dry summer weather | Long climbs and a steep descent to Chilas; travel light |
| Chilas to Gilgit and Hunza | Yes | Good, wide road; Tatta Pani slide area near Raikot |
| Sost to the Khunjerab Pass | Yes, in season | Paved, but engines feel the altitude near 4,700 m |
| Jaglot to Skardu | Yes | Rebuilt road; floods cut it in July 2026 |
| Skardu to Kachura, Shigar and Khaplu | Yes | Paved valley roads |
| Nomal to Naltar Bala | Only in dry weather | Metalled but narrow and steep |
| Gilgit to Phander and Shandur | Possible, slowly | Long road with upgrade work under way |
| Deosai, Fairy Meadows, Naltar lakes, Rama, Basho | No | Local jeep only |
Where a small car is fine
The spine of the region is paved. From Raikot Bridge, north of Chilas, the Karakoram Highway was rebuilt and widened, and through Gilgit, Nagar and Hunza to Sost it is a good, wide road. Beyond Sost it climbs to the border at 4,693 metres, still paved, and small cars make the trip every summer.
The Jaglot–Skardu road, rebuilt a few years ago, takes you up the Indus gorge to Skardu, and from there paved roads run to the Kachura lakes, Katpana, Shigar and Khaplu. Around Karimabad, the lanes up to Baltit and Altit are steep but paved; most people park lower down and walk.
The two ways in from Islamabad are both possible in a small car. The Karakoram Highway through Kohistan is the flatter option and the one to choose if your car is small and full. The Babusar route through Naran is paved and shorter, but it means a long climb to 4,173 metres and a very steep descent. Our comparison of Babusar Top and the KKH goes through the choice for each type of car.
Where it struggles
Ground clearance
The paved roads are not the problem. The problem is the gaps in them:
- Diversions and roadworks. Around Dasu, where the highway passes the dam construction, and wherever a slide has been cleared, traffic is sent onto gravel and broken surface. With four adults and luggage in the car, the sump and exhaust are close to the stones.
- Stream crossings. Meltwater and rain channels cross the road in places, carrying rocks. After a storm, a crossing that was nothing in the morning can hide stones big enough to damage a low car.
- Speed breakers and potholes in the towns, which are hard to see at dusk.
The answer is to slow right down, get passengers out on the worst bits if the car is scraping, and pick your line around the biggest stones. If a crossing looks deep or fast, wait or turn back.
Power on the climbs
A small, naturally aspirated engine loses power as the air thins, and it notices four adults and their bags far more than a bigger car does. On the Babusar climb and the last stretch to Khunjerab, expect to crawl in second or first gear. Switching the air conditioning off on long climbs takes load off the engine and helps it stay cool. Keep an eye on the temperature gauge, and stop in the shade to let it recover if the needle climbs.
The heat lower down makes this worse. Chilas averages around 35 °C on July afternoons, and a small engine working hard in that heat is the most likely way to boil over.
Brakes on the way down
The real risk in a small car is not going up but coming down. On long descents, such as Babusar to Chilas or Khunjerab to Sost, riding the brakes overheats them until they fade. Use a low gear and let the engine hold the car back. If you smell the brakes, pull over and let them cool.
Where to park and take a jeep
Some of the best days in Gilgit-Baltistan are off the paved road, and there the answer for any ordinary car, not just a small one, is a local jeep with a driver:
- Fairy Meadows: park at Raikot Bridge on the Karakoram Highway. Private vehicles are not allowed on the track to Tato.
- Deosai: leave the car in Skardu. The road is paved only to Sadpara Lake.
- The Naltar lakes: drive to Naltar Bala in dry weather if the road is in good shape, and hire a jeep there for the last 12 to 13 km.
- Rama meadow: hire a jeep in Astore town.
- The Basho and Hushe valleys: hire in Skardu or Khaplu.
Our guide to jeep rent in Gilgit-Baltistan explains how the fares work and what they cost.
Getting the car ready
A few days before you leave, have a mechanic go over:
- Brakes: pads, discs and fluid. This matters more than anything else on the list.
- Tyres: real tread on all four and a usable spare. Carry a jack and wheel spanner that fit, and a puncture repair kit.
- Cooling: coolant level, radiator, fan and hoses.
- Belts and the battery.
Pack light. Three adults and their bags is a comfortable load for a small car on long climbs; four adults plus luggage is where it starts to labour and to scrape. A roof carrier adds weight up high, so put in it only what you must.
Run on petrol. Don't plan around CNG. Fill up in every large town, particularly Besham, Chilas, Gilgit, Aliabad and Sost, which is the last fuel before Khunjerab. PSO lists a separate price for Gilgit, and some grades cost a few rupees more there than down country.
Driving it well
- Drive in daylight only. Broken edges, rockfall and trucks without lights make these poor roads after dark.
- Start early. You avoid the midday heat in Kohistan and Chilas and have time in hand if a slide holds you up.
- Let faster traffic pass. Pull over where the road is wide rather than holding a queue on a climb.
- Check the road before each day's drive. Slides can close stretches of the highway for hours. Our guide to Karakoram Highway road status lists the sources to check.
- Carry water, snacks and warm clothes in the car. Signal drops for long stretches.
Our travel guide has more on the drive north, altitude and what to carry.
Is a small car the right choice?
It is a good choice for two or three people who want to keep costs down and stick to Hunza, Gilgit and Skardu in summer. Fuel is the biggest cost of a road trip north, and a small car's economy makes a real difference over 1,800 km or more.
It is a poor choice for a family of five with a week's luggage, for anyone not confident on mountain roads, and for a trip in winter, when a 4x4 with chains is the safer option. It is also the wrong car for a plan built around Deosai and other jeep tracks, although you would need a local jeep for those anyway.
If the drive itself is what worries you, there are two middle ways: drive your own car to Gilgit and hire locally from there, or leave the car at home and hire a car with a driver. Our guide to hiring a driver for a Gilgit-Baltistan trip covers the rates and what to agree.
Frequently asked questions
Can an Alto or Mehran go to Hunza?
Yes, in summer. The roads from Islamabad to Hunza are paved all the way, and small cars drive them every season. Travel light, keep the car well serviced, and take the KKH rather than Babusar if the car is full.
Can a small car cross the Babusar Pass?
Usually, in dry summer weather, but it is slow on the climbs and hard on the brakes on the steep descent to Chilas. With a small engine and four adults on board, the KKH through Kohistan is the calmer choice.
Can I take a small car to Khunjerab Pass?
Yes, between about May and November when the road is open. It is paved from Sost to the top. The engine will feel the altitude, so climb in a low gear and fill the tank in Sost.
Can I take my car to Deosai or Fairy Meadows?
Not sensibly. Private vehicles are not allowed on the Fairy Meadows track, and Deosai's track is rough, stony and muddy after rain. Park and hire a local jeep for both.
Is it safe to drive a small car in Gilgit-Baltistan?
On the paved roads in summer, yes, if the brakes and tyres are good and you drive in daylight. In winter, on snow and ice, a small car is the wrong choice; hire a 4x4 with a local driver.
