How to Reach Gilgit-Baltistan: Roads, Flights and Buses

There are two ways to reach Gilgit-Baltistan: by road on the Karakoram Highway, about two days' drive from Islamabad, or by air to Gilgit or Skardu, about an hour's flight. In summer a shorter road runs over the Babusar Pass through Naran, and all year coaches run overnight from Rawalpindi. There is no railway. Which you choose depends on your time, the season, and how much a cancelled flight or a landslide would cost you.

This guide sets out each way in, how long it takes, when it is open and what can go wrong, then helps you pick.

By road: the Karakoram Highway

The Karakoram Highway (KKH, N-35) is the main road into Gilgit-Baltistan and the only one open all year. From Islamabad you take the motorway to the Burhan interchange, then the Hazara Motorway to Thakot, where the highway meets the Indus. From there it runs through Besham, Dasu and Kohistan to Chilas, which is in Gilgit-Baltistan, then on past Raikot Bridge and Jaglot to Gilgit.

Plan it as two days, with a night in Besham or Chilas. The slow part is Kohistan, between Besham and Chilas: narrow in places, busy with trucks, prone to slides and slowed by dam works around Dasu. Our guide to driving from Islamabad to Gilgit by road takes it leg by leg, with overnight stops.

From Gilgit, Karimabad in Hunza is about 100 km further, two to two and a half hours up the same highway. Carry your CNIC and car papers for the checkposts; foreign nationals register at checkposts along the road.

The summer shortcut over the Babusar Pass

From late spring to autumn there is a second road. You leave the Hazara Motorway at Mansehra, drive up the Kaghan valley through Balakot and Naran, cross the Babusar Pass at 4,173 metres and come down to the KKH near Chilas. It avoids the whole Kohistan stretch and makes Naran the natural overnight stop.

It is seasonal and has rules of its own:

• It opens when the snow is cleared. In 2026 it reopened on 25 May after seven months closed. It shuts again with the first heavy snow, usually in October or November.
• It is a daylight road. Crossings have been restricted to daytime in recent seasons; aim to be over the top by early afternoon.
• The descent to Chilas is long and steep. Use a low gear and let the brakes cool.
• It floods. In July 2025 a cloudburst on the Chilas side washed away parts of the road and killed several tourists. In heavy rain, take the KKH.

The road to Skardu

Skardu has no separate road from the south. You follow the KKH to Jaglot, about 40 km short of Gilgit, then turn east onto the 167 km Jaglot–Skardu road, which follows the Indus gorge for about four hours. It was rebuilt and widened into a proper two-lane road, but it still runs under steep, unstable slopes. In July 2026 a flash flood washed away a bridge at Sassi in Haramosh and closed the road for several days, until the army put in a temporary steel bridge and traffic resumed at the end of the month.

In total, Islamabad to Skardu by road is about 700 km and two days, usually with a night in Chilas; our guide to driving from Islamabad to Skardu covers it in detail. In summer you can also reach Skardu from the Astore valley across the Deosai plateau, a full day by jeep.

By air: flights to Gilgit and Skardu

The two airports serve different valleys and are very different services.

• Gilgit is the airport for Gilgit, Hunza, Nagar and Naltar. Only PIA flies there, from Islamabad, on small ATR turboprops. Seats are few and sell out early in summer and on holidays.
• Skardu is the airport for Skardu, Shigar, Khaplu and Deosai. It takes jets, and PIA, Airblue and AirSial fly from Islamabad, with direct flights from Lahore and Karachi as well.

Both routes need clear weather through the mountains, and cancellations are common, above all from December to April and in monsoon cloud. Gilgit, with its short runway and single airline, is the more exposed of the two. Book the first flight of the morning, keep a spare day at each end, and know how you would drive if the flight does not go. Our guide to flights to Gilgit and Skardu covers airlines, fares and cancellations.

By coach from Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Lahore

Coaches are the cheapest way in. NATCO, the Gilgit-Baltistan government's transport company, runs daily services from the Pir Wadhai terminal in Rawalpindi to Gilgit and Skardu, mostly leaving in the afternoon and evening and arriving the next day; from Gilgit, coaches and local wagons continue up to Hunza. Private operators run the route too, including Faisal Movers, which lists Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu and Chilas among its destinations.

• Time: plan on 16 hours or more to Gilgit and longer to Skardu. Delays on the KKH add to it.
• Fares: in August 2026, NATCO's Yutong coaches cost roughly PKR 5,500 to Gilgit and PKR 6,200 to Skardu, with cheaper seats on older buses. Fares change with the season.
• Booking: through NATCO's own website and app, the operators' offices, or booking sites. Book ahead for Eid and the summer holidays.

It is a long night, with Kohistan in the dark, and suits students and solo travellers more than families. Coaches pass Raikot Bridge, so they also work for Fairy Meadows.

Other ways in: Chitral and China

Over the Shandur Pass from Chitral. A summer road runs from Chitral through Mastuj, over the Shandur Pass at about 3,700 metres, and down through Phander and Gupis to Gilgit. Parts of it are unpaved and rough, a jeep is the right vehicle, and it is closed by snow from about November to May. It is a journey in itself, worth it only if you are visiting Chitral anyway.

From China over the Khunjerab Pass. The KKH continues north from Hunza to the Chinese border at 4,693 metres, with Pakistani immigration at Sost. It is a way in for overseas travellers with the right visas, but only in the months the pass is open to passengers, from spring to late autumn; check the dates for your year.

Is the road to Gilgit-Baltistan safe?

Thousands of Pakistani families drive the Karakoram Highway every summer, and the realistic risks for most are landslides, floods, tiredness and driving after dark. Security is a real factor on one stretch, though. In December 2023 gunmen attacked a passenger bus near Chilas, killing ten people, and in March 2024 a suicide bomber attacked a vehicle carrying Chinese engineers near Besham, killing six.

The UK government's travel advice, updated on 22 September 2026, advises against all travel on the KKH between Mansehra and Chilas, and on the N45 road to Chitral. Overseas visitors should check their own government's advice, which can also affect travel insurance; many fly instead, or take the Babusar route in summer, which avoids that stretch. Whoever you are, check local news and road advisories before setting out, follow instructions at checkposts, and finish each day's drive in daylight. The Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department posts road and travel advisories, and our guide to Karakoram Highway road status lists the other places to check.

Which way should you choose?

• A week or less: fly, and keep a spare day. Two days of driving each way would take most of the trip.
• Hunza with family, by road: the KKH or, in June to September, the Babusar route with a night in Naran. Break the drive; don't try Islamabad to Gilgit in one day.
• Skardu: fly if you can. With three airlines it is the more dependable northern airport, and the road ends with four hours in the Indus gorge.
• On a tight budget, or travelling solo: the NATCO or private coach.
• October to May: fly, or take the KKH. Babusar is closed and the days are short.
• Can't afford a lost day: drive at least one way. Road delays are usually shorter and more predictable than a run of cancelled flights.

Many people fly one way and drive the other. Our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour starts in Gilgit, so you can do either, and our travel guide covers what to know before your first trip north.

Frequently asked questions