Hazara Motorway Guide: Exits, Tolls and Rest Stops

The Hazara Motorway (M-15) runs about 180 km from the Hazara interchange at Burhan, near Hasan Abdal on the M-1, to Thakot on the Karakoram Highway. For most trips the exit is simple: Havelian for Abbottabad, Thandiani and the Galiyat from the Abbottabad side, Mansehra for Balakot, Naran and Kaghan, and Bedadi, just short of Shinkiari, for the tea gardens and the Siran valley. From July 2026 the toll for a car between Hasan Abdal and Mansehra is PKR 400, paid by M-Tag.

This guide goes through the motorway section by section: which interchange serves where, what the toll and M-Tag rules are, where to stop, and what changes once the road narrows north of Mansehra.

What is the Hazara Motorway?

It is the fast road north from Islamabad into Hazara, built in stages as part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor. The first stretch, from Burhan to Shah Maqsood, opened in December 2017. The motorway reached Mansehra in November 2019, and the last 80 km, from Mansehra to Thakot, opened in July 2020.

You will see it called by several names. Most people say Hazara Motorway or M-15. The National Highway Authority's toll schedules list the southern half as the E-35, the Hasan Abdal–Havelian–Mansehra Expressway. It is the same road.

It bypasses the old N-35 through Haripur, Havelian, Abbottabad and Mansehra, which is still there and still slow, running through town bazaars most of the way. Unless you are stopping in one of those towns, the motorway saves a great deal of time.

Getting onto it from Islamabad and Lahore

From Islamabad, take the M-1 west towards Peshawar and turn north at the Hazara interchange at Burhan. You pay a toll for your stretch of the M-1 as well as for the Hazara Motorway.

From Lahore there is no need to go into Islamabad. Where the M-2 ends, carry straight on along the M-1 towards Peshawar and turn north at Burhan in the same way.

Which interchange should you take?

The interchanges run in this order going north. Here is what each is useful for.

For Abbottabad

Leave at Havelian and follow the N-35 north into the city, roughly 10 km. Coming back south from Mansehra or Shinkiari, Qalandarabad is the nearer way into the north of the city. For a day out, our Abbottabad day trip plan sets out the timings.

For Naran, Kaghan and Balakot

Leave at Mansehra and follow the signs through the town for Balakot and Naran. This is the usual route for Naran, and for Babusar in summer. Mansehra town is often the first slow point of the day, so don't be surprised if the few kilometres through it take longer than the last half-hour of motorway. Our Islamabad to Naran road guide covers the valley road beyond.

For Shinkiari and the Siran valley

Continue past Mansehra onto the two-lane section and leave at Bedadi, a couple of kilometres short of Shinkiari. Shinkiari is the town for the tea gardens and the turn for the Siran valley. Alternatively, leave at Mansehra and take the old Karakoram Highway 18 km north through Dhodial. Our list of places to visit in Mansehra covers what is worth seeing on both routes.

For Khanpur Dam

The quickest way from central Islamabad is usually the GT Road to Taxila and the Khanpur road from there, rather than the motorway. If you are already on the Hazara Motorway, or coming from Abbottabad, leave at Haripur and head south on the N-125. See our Khanpur Dam guide for the route and the water sports.

Tolls and M-Tag

From 10 July 2026 the NHA toll for a car on the E-35, Hasan Abdal to Mansehra, is PKR 400, up from PKR 300. On top of that you pay for the part of the M-1 you drive. If you carry on past Mansehra towards Thakot, check the rate at the plaza. Tolls have gone up at least once a year recently, so treat these figures as a guide.

The motorway is on M-Tag, like the M-1 and M-2. In 2025 the NHA began charging extra, eventually 50 per cent, to vehicles without a tag or with too little balance. In July 2026 the Islamabad High Court suspended that surcharge, and in August it extended the stay while the case continues. The simplest course is still to have a working tag with enough balance before you leave, so the rules at the barrier don't matter.

Driving it: speed, tunnels and the northern section

As far as Haripur the road is a wide six-lane motorway. From Havelian to Mansehra it is four lanes and properly in the hills, passing Abbottabad through a tunnel of about 1.7 km under Shimla Hill. The limit for cars is up to 120 km/h where signed, but it drops sharply in the tunnels, and the National Highways and Motorway Police run speed checks on this road.

North of Mansehra the motorway is two lanes, one each way, with more tunnels, including those at Battal and Karmong. It is a good road, but it is not a dual carriageway: overtake only where you can see clearly, and expect trucks on the long climbs.

At Thakot the motorway ends and the Karakoram Highway continues north along the Indus towards Besham. If you are driving to Gilgit that way, our Islamabad to Gilgit road guide covers the rest of the route.

Where to stop

The motorway has a handful of service areas, including a pair between Abbottabad and Mansehra, one on each side of the road. For a proper meal or a big fuel stop, most people leave the motorway rather than rely on them:

• Havelian and Abbottabad, off the Havelian interchange, have plenty of restaurants and fuel stations.
• Mansehra is the last large town before Balakot and the Kaghan valley, and the natural place to fill up, draw cash and buy anything you have forgotten.

Fill the tank before leaving Islamabad, and top up in Mansehra if you are going on to Naran. Our travel guide has general advice for long drives in the north.

Is the Hazara Motorway safe?

The motorway itself is a well-kept, patrolled road, and it is the main route north for Pakistani families heading to Abbottabad, the Galiyat and Naran. The southern half, from Burhan to Mansehra, runs through Haripur and Abbottabad districts, which are not on the UK government's list of areas to avoid.

North of Mansehra it is different. The UK government's travel advice, updated on 22 September 2026, advises against all travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas via Battagram, Besham, Dasu and Sazin. The two-lane section to Thakot runs through the same corridor. Pakistani travellers use this road all the time, but check local news and current police advice before setting out. Overseas visitors should know that their government's advice may say not to go, and that travelling against it can void travel insurance.

In the monsoon, landslides are a real risk on the Karakoram Highway beyond Thakot. If heavy rain is forecast and you are heading that way, wait a day.

Frequently asked questions