How to Reach Naltar Valley From Islamabad and Gilgit

How to reach Naltar Valley comes down to three stages. First get to Gilgit, by a two-day drive or a one-hour flight from Islamabad. Then drive about 25 km north to Nomal and turn up the rebuilt valley road to Naltar Payeen and Naltar Bala, roughly an hour and a half to two hours from Gilgit in all. The only jeep-only stretch is the last one: 12 to 13 km of rough track from Naltar Bala up to Satrangi and the other lakes.

This guide takes each stage in turn, explains whether an ordinary car can manage the road, what the jeeps cost in 2026, and how the trip changes in winter.

Step one: Islamabad to Gilgit

Naltar has no airport and no direct bus, so every trip goes through Gilgit.

• By road. Islamabad to Gilgit is about 600 km on the Karakoram Highway, 14 to 18 hours of driving with a night in Besham or Chilas. In summer the Babusar Pass route through Naran is an alternative. Our guide to driving from Islamabad to Gilgit covers both routes.
• By coach. NATCO and private operators run overnight coaches from Pir Wadhai in Rawalpindi. You arrive in Gilgit around midday and can reach Naltar the same afternoon if you don't mind a long day.
• By air. PIA flies Islamabad to Gilgit in a little over an hour, weather permitting. The morning flight leaves time to reach Naltar the same day. See our guide to the Islamabad to Gilgit flight.

If you are driving from Islamabad, you don't need to stop in Gilgit city itself: pick up supplies and fuel there, and carry on to Nomal.

Step two: Gilgit to Nomal

Nomal is a village on the Hunza river, about 25 km north of Gilgit on the road along the river's western bank, across the water from the Karakoram Highway. It is the gateway to Naltar. Fill the tank and buy anything you have forgotten in Gilgit, where the choice is far better.

The drive is straightforward and paved. Leave Gilgit early in summer, because the afternoon heat on this stretch is intense and you will want the morning for the lakes.

Step three: Nomal to Naltar Bala

At Nomal the Naltar road leaves the river and climbs into the side valley to the west, through Naltar Payeen, the lower village, to Naltar Bala, the upper village, where most of the hotels are.

For years this was a rough jeep road, and old guides still say only jeeps can reach Naltar. That changed when the Gilgit-Baltistan government rebuilt it as the Naltar Expressway, a paved road of about 45 km from Gilgit, which the prime minister formally opened in November 2024. Since the rebuild, visitors have been driving ordinary cars up the valley in summer.

Can a normal car reach Naltar?

In dry weather between late spring and autumn, a sedan in good condition can usually get up the paved road to Naltar Payeen. The last stretch on to Naltar Bala, about half an hour, has been rougher in the past, so ask in Nomal or Naltar Payeen how it is before taking a low car up. Other caveats:

• The road is narrow and steep in places, with drops to the stream. Take it slowly and use a low gear on the way down.
• Landslides and rain damage happen, as on every mountain road in the north. After heavy rain, ask at Nomal before you go up.
• Low-clearance cars suffer on any unrepaired patches. If yours is very low, park lower down and hire a jeep for the rest.
• Don't drive beyond Naltar Bala. That is where the jeep track starts.

If you are not confident driving mountain roads, hire a car with a driver in Gilgit for the day, or a jeep that can take you all the way to the lakes.

The jeep-only section: Naltar Bala to the lakes

Above Naltar Bala any semblance of a road ends. The 12 to 13 km up to Satrangi Lake is a rocky, bumpy track along the stream and through the pine forest, with meltwater streams to cross. It takes an hour to an hour and a half each way, and it is for local jeeps with experienced drivers only. Don't try it in your own car, and don't try it in a 4x4 you have hired without a local driver.

What it costs. Quotes gathered in 2025 and 2026 put a jeep for the round trip to the lakes at roughly PKR 12,000 to 16,000, depending on where it starts, and more if you take a jeep all the way from Gilgit. The price is per jeep, not per person, so it drops sharply if you can fill the seats.

How to book. Jeeps can be arranged in Naltar Bala, in Nomal or through hotels in Gilgit. Before you get in, agree:

1. The full round-trip price, not one way.
2. How long the driver will wait at the lakes. Two hours is reasonable if you want to walk to the higher lake.
3. Which lakes are included. Ask for every lake the jeep can reach, not just the first one.

For the lakes themselves, which one is which and the walk to the highest, see our guide to Satrangi Lake and the Naltar lakes.

Without your own car

• A car and driver from Gilgit. The simplest option for most visitors. The driver takes you to Naltar Bala, and you switch to a local jeep for the lakes.
• A jeep from Gilgit. Costs more, but you stay in one vehicle all day.
• Shared transport. Shared jeeps have run between Gilgit and Naltar in the peak season, but not on a schedule you can plan around. Backpackers usually do better by finding others to share a hired jeep.

A day trip or a night in Naltar?

A day trip from Gilgit works in summer if you leave by 7 in the morning:

1. 7 am: leave Gilgit for Nomal and the valley road.
2. About 9 am: reach Naltar Bala and change into a jeep.
3. About 10:30 am: reach Satrangi, then the lakes beyond.
4. Early afternoon: start back down, before the streams on the track run high.
5. Evening: back in Gilgit.

It is a long, bumpy day. A night in Naltar Bala is far more relaxed: drive up in the afternoon, walk in the forest, and take the jeep to the lakes early the next morning when the light is best and the day visitors haven't arrived. Our Naltar Valley guide covers where to stay and what else there is to do.

Reaching Naltar in winter

From about December to March, the upper valley is under deep snow. The villages can still be reached in most winters, and Naltar's ski slopes draw visitors in January and February, but the road from Nomal may need a 4x4 or chains after fresh snow. The lakes are cut off entirely.

Winter demand can be high: in early January 2026, after several days of snowfall, hotel rooms in Naltar were reported to be in short supply. Book ahead, and check the road in Nomal or with your hotel before driving up. Our guide to skiing in Naltar covers the winter trip in more detail.

Which way suits you?

Drive yourself if you already have your car in Gilgit, it is summer, and you are comfortable on narrow mountain roads. Plan to switch to a local jeep at Naltar Bala.

Hire a driver if it is your first time in the north or you would rather enjoy the valley than watch the edge of the road.

Join a trip if you want Naltar as part of a longer journey without arranging each vehicle. Our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour gives Naltar its own day, with the jeep road to the lakes and the forest above Gilgit.

Frequently asked questions