The hotels in Naltar are small, simple places: family-run guesthouses, cottages and a handful of resort-style hotels, almost all of them in and around Naltar Bala, the upper village where the jeep track to the lakes begins. Expect clean but basic rooms, cold nights, food cooked to order and patchy power. Simple rooms cost roughly PKR 3,000 to 8,000 a night in 2025, more for the better places in July, August and at Eid, and you should book ahead for summer weekends.
This guide covers where the hotels are, what the rooms are like, what to ask before you book, camping, and whether to stay in the valley at all or visit from Gilgit.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Where most hotels are | Naltar Bala, the upper village |
| Type | Guesthouses, cottages, small resort-style hotels |
| Rough price (2025) | About PKR 3,000 to 8,000 a night for a simple room; more at the better places and in peak weeks |
| Busiest | July, August, Eid and long weekends |
| Heating | Gas heaters or wood stoves; ask before booking |
| Power | Cuts are common; ask about a generator or solar backup |
| Camping | Possible near the lakes in summer; ask the forest department first |
| Payment | Mostly cash |
Where to stay: Naltar Bala or Naltar Payeen?
Naltar has two villages on the road up from Nomal. Naltar Payeen is the lower one, and Naltar Bala lies higher up the valley. Nearly all the accommodation is in and around Naltar Bala, and that is where you want to be. It is the start of the jeep track to Satrangi and the other lakes, it is close to the forest walks and the ski slopes, and it is where the lake jeeps are based.
Booking sites list a few dozen places across the valley, from rooms in family houses to small resorts with wooden cottages and lawns. Few have long track records, and standards vary more than the photographs suggest. Read recent reviews, and if possible ask someone who has stayed in the past season.
The valley also has government rest houses, the oldest belonging to the Gilgit-Baltistan Public Works Department, and others run by the Air Force, the army's Force Command Northern Areas and the GB Scouts. They are meant mainly for official use, so don't plan a trip around getting a room in one.
What the rooms are like
Think of a Naltar guesthouse as a warm bed in a beautiful place, not a hotel with services. Typically you get:
- A plain room with a double or twin beds, heavy quilts, and an attached bathroom in most places
- Hot water from a gas or electric geyser, sometimes only at certain hours
- Food cooked to order: dal, chicken karahi, rice and roti, eggs and paratha for breakfast. Order dinner in the afternoon so the kitchen can plan
- A lawn or terrace with a view of the forest or the stream
- Parking for your car, since most visitors leave it in the village and take a jeep to the lakes
The resort-style places add better furniture, a proper restaurant, and cottages spread across a garden. They cost more, and the difference in comfort is real, particularly heating.
What to ask before you book
Naltar is cold at night in every month, and it is a long way from the nearest shop. Ask these questions before you pay an advance:
- How is the room heated, and is heating included or charged extra? Gas heaters and wood stoves are the usual answers.
- What happens when the power goes? Power cuts are common across Gilgit-Baltistan. In August 2025, floods destroyed hydropower stations in the Naltar valley and left Gilgit short of electricity. A generator or solar backup makes a real difference.
- When is there hot water?
- Are meals included, and what do they cost if not?
- Can they arrange the jeep to the lakes, and at what fare for the round trip?
- Is the road up from Nomal open, especially after rain or at the edges of the season?
- Is the hotel open, if you are going in October or in winter?
Get the price and what it includes on WhatsApp before you travel, and take enough cash to cover the stay. Card machines and ATMs are unlikely in the village.
When to book
In July and August, over Eid and on long weekends, rooms in Naltar Bala fill up, and turning up without a booking can mean driving back down to Gilgit in the dark. Book a week or two ahead for those dates.
In June and September, weekdays are usually easy, though it is still worth calling a day or two ahead.
In October, the season winds down and some places close or run with fewer staff. Confirm that your hotel is open and that the heating works.
In winter, fewer places stay open, and those that do mostly serve skiers and snow visitors. Arrange your room and your transport from Nomal together, because the road can need a 4x4 after snowfall. Our guide to the best time to visit Naltar goes through the year month by month.
Camping in Naltar
Camping is possible in summer, near the lakes or in the meadows around Naltar Bala. Some hotels may also let you pitch a tent in their grounds; ask when you arrive.
Before you pitch a tent near the lakes, ask in Naltar Bala whether you need permission from the forest department, since the valley is a wildlife sanctuary. Don't camp right on the lakeshore, don't light fires in the forest, and carry every piece of rubbish back down. Nights near the lakes, a little above 3,000 metres, are cold even in July, so bring a proper sleeping bag.
Stay in Naltar, or visit from Gilgit?
Stay a night in Naltar if you want to see the lakes without rushing. Sleeping in Naltar Bala lets you reach Satrangi by jeep early in the morning, before the day visitors from Gilgit and before the streams across the track rise in the afternoon. It also gives you an evening in the forest, which is the part of Naltar most visitors never see. It suits couples, families with older children, walkers and photographers.
Visit from Gilgit if you are short of time, if you want more comfort than Naltar's guesthouses offer, or if you are travelling with people who feel the cold. With a 7 am start the lakes make a long but manageable day trip. Gilgit also has a far wider choice of hotels, from simple guesthouses to the Serena.
For most people, one night in Naltar is the right amount: arrive in the afternoon, walk in the forest, do the lakes the next morning and drive on. Our Naltar Valley guide sets out a two-day plan, and our Satrangi Lake guide covers the lakes.
Who Naltar's hotels suit, and who they don't
Naltar suits travellers who are happy with simple rooms and value the setting over the facilities. The forest, the quiet and the cold, clear mornings are the point.
It suits less well anyone who needs reliable power for work, families with babies who need a warm room all night, and anyone expecting a hotel restaurant with a long menu. If that is you, stay in Gilgit and visit for the day, or look at Hunza, where the choice of comfortable hotels is much wider.
If you would rather have somebody else sort out the rooms, the jeep and the timing, our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour includes a day in Naltar with transport arranged. To build a trip around your own dates, start on our trip planning page.
Frequently asked questions
Are there hotels in Naltar Valley?
Yes. There are guesthouses, cottages and a few small resort-style hotels, nearly all in and around Naltar Bala. They are simple, so check heating and power before you book.
How much is a hotel room in Naltar?
In 2025 simple rooms cost roughly PKR 3,000 to 8,000 a night, with the better places and peak weeks costing more. Prices change often, so confirm when you book.
Is it better to stay in Naltar Bala or Naltar Payeen?
Naltar Bala. It has most of the accommodation and it is where the jeep track to the lakes starts.
Do Naltar hotels have heating and electricity?
Most have gas heaters or wood stoves, and electricity with frequent cuts. Ask whether heating is included and whether there is a generator or solar backup.
Can you camp at the Naltar lakes?
Yes, in summer. Ask in Naltar Bala whether you need permission from the forest department, keep off the lakeshore and take your rubbish back down.
Are Naltar hotels open in winter?
Some are, mainly for skiers and snow visitors, but fewer than in summer. Confirm the booking and arrange 4x4 transport from Nomal before you go.
