Hiring a Driver and Car for a Gilgit-Baltistan Trip

To hire a driver for a Gilgit-Baltistan trip, you have two real choices: bring a car and driver up from Islamabad or Lahore for the whole trip, or fly to Gilgit or Skardu and hire there. In 2026 one Skardu firm published rates of PKR 8,000 a day for a Corolla with driver and PKR 12,000 for a Prado, with fuel for its local routes included, while Islamabad firms charged roughly PKR 7,000 to 10,000 a day for a sedan, with fuel, tolls and the driver's food and room on top. Either way, the driver matters more than the car.

This guide covers where to hire, what local rates look like, which vehicle suits which part of the region, the costs that come on top of the day rate, and what to settle with the driver before the first morning.

Hire from Islamabad, or hire in Gilgit-Baltistan?

From Islamabad or Lahore makes sense when you are driving up anyway. The car is yours from your door, you can stop where you like, and a road closure costs you a day rather than a missed flight. The price is four travel days on a return trip to Hunza or Skardu, all paid at the day rate, plus the fuel for roughly 1,200 to 1,400 km just to get there and back. Our guide to a car with driver for the Northern Areas sets out the Islamabad and Lahore rates by vehicle.

In Gilgit, Hunza or Skardu makes sense when you fly in. You pay only for the days you are in the mountains, and a local driver knows the side roads, the hotels, the jeep operators and which stretch was blocked yesterday. The risk is the flight: if it is cancelled, the car may be booked for a day you are not there, so ask what happens then.

A mix often works best: drive your own car to Gilgit or Skardu, then hire a local jeep and driver for the rough days, or hire a local car and driver for a few days while your own car rests.

What local drivers charge

Published rates from firms inside Gilgit-Baltistan are thin on the ground. One Skardu rental firm's 2026 list is a useful benchmark:

The same firm quoted fixed prices for its standard routes, with the vehicle, fuel and driver included: from PKR 8,000 for a day around Skardu, PKR 12,000 for Shigar, PKR 13,000 for the Kachura lakes, PKR 14,000 to 26,000 for Deosai and PKR 14,000 to 28,000 for Khaplu, depending on whether the trip takes one day or two. On multi-day trips it included the driver's food and room.

We could not find published 2026 rates from Gilgit or Hunza firms that we would stand behind, so get two written quotes there. Rates rise in July, August and over Eid, when local cars are booked well ahead.

Which vehicle for which trip?

• Hunza, Nagar and Khunjerab in summer: a sedan. The Karakoram Highway is paved all the way to the border.
• Skardu, Shigar and Khaplu: a sedan, with a local jeep for the Deosai day. That is almost always cheaper than a 4x4 for the whole week.
• Skardu to Hunza, or the reverse: a sedan on the Jaglot–Skardu road and the KKH, about seven hours of driving.
• A family of five or six: a Honda BR-V or similar seven-seater if luggage is light, or a Hiace Grand Cabin for comfort and bags.
• A group of ten or more: a Hiace or a Coaster, with a driver who knows the Babusar descent if you are taking that route.
• Winter, or a crossing of Deosai to Astore: a 4x4 with a local driver, and chains in winter.

Whatever you hire, some places need a local jeep: Fairy Meadows from Raikot Bridge, where private vehicles are not allowed, the Deosai plateau and the Naltar lakes. Our guide to jeep rent in Gilgit-Baltistan covers those fares.

Costs on top of the day rate

The day rate is rarely the whole bill. In Gilgit-Baltistan, watch for these:

• The driver's room and food on every night away from his home town. Firms either charge a fixed allowance, around PKR 2,000 a night at one Lahore firm in 2026, or expect you to arrange it. In July, August and Eid, ask each hotel how it accommodates drivers and book his bed when you book yours.
• Waiting days. If you spend two nights at Fairy Meadows, the car waits at Raikot Bridge or in Chilas, and those are paid days.
• The empty return. Fly into Skardu and out of Gilgit, and a Skardu driver still has to get home. Expect to pay for that return day, or hire separately at each end.
• Fuel, unless the quote includes it for a named route. On a trip hired from Islamabad it is usually the second-largest cost after the car itself.
• Parking and vehicle entry charges at some viewpoints and parks.
• A tip at the end of a good trip is customary.

Choosing the driver

The car can be checked in five minutes. The driver takes a few questions:

1. Has he driven these roads recently? The Karakoram Highway through Kohistan, the Jaglot–Skardu road and, if you plan it, the Babusar descent. A city driver who has never been north is not what you are paying for.
2. How does he handle a long day? You want someone who stops for tea, rests at night, and doesn't try to make up time after dark.
3. Which network does his phone use? SCOM or Zong keeps him reachable in more places than other networks.
4. Does he know people up the valley? Hotels, jeep operators and mechanics. A local driver usually does; one from Islamabad may not.

Be wary of a firm that won't put terms in writing, a driver who suggests pushing on through the night to save a hotel, and a car whose tyres are already worn.

What to agree before departure

The money terms, meaning the rate, fuel, allowance, overtime and the advance, belong in writing before you pay anything. Beyond those, settle these the evening before you set off:

1. The route, day by day, with the overnight stops. Share it with someone at home.
2. Start times and a daily limit. An early start and six to eight hours of driving is a good day in the mountains.
3. No driving after dark on mountain roads, and no exceptions to make up time.
4. Who decides in bad weather. Agree that if the driver or the police say a road is unsafe, you wait, and that a lost day is handled the way you agreed in the terms.
5. The jeep days, and where the car will wait while you ride up to Fairy Meadows or across Deosai.
6. The car's condition. Walk round it with the driver: tyres and spare, lights, wipers and a working heater. Take photographs.
7. Contacts. The driver's number, the firm's number, and the car's registration, sent to someone who is not travelling.

Check the road each morning with the driver before setting off; our guide to Karakoram Highway road status lists the sources.

Is hiring a driver worth it?

It suits families who don't want to drive the Karakoram Highway, couples who fly in, anyone new to mountain roads, and groups who can share a larger vehicle. It also takes away the most dangerous part of a self-drive trip: a tired driver on the way home.

It doesn't suit a group of four with a sound car and an experienced driver among them, for whom fuel alone costs far less, or budget travellers who can use the coaches and shared vans.

If you would rather not manage cars, drivers and hotels at all, our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour and our Skardu and Deosai trip include all ground transport with an experienced mountain driver, from PKR 90,000 per person. To work out a car and driver around your own dates, start on our trip planning page.

Frequently asked questions