How to Reach Shogran: Kiwai Jeep Road and Drive

To reach Shogran, drive from Islamabad up the Hazara Motorway to Mansehra, follow the N-15 through Balakot to Kiwai, about 25 km further up the Kaghan Valley, and then climb 7 to 8 km of steep hill road to Shogran. You can do the climb by local jeep, fixed at PKR 4,500 return per jeep in 2026, or in your own car in dry summer weather. Shogran is about 212 km from Islamabad; allow five to six hours door to door.

This guide takes the journey stage by stage: the drive to Kiwai, the choice at the bottom of the hill, public transport, and what closes the road in the monsoon and in winter.

The drive from Islamabad to Kiwai

The road is paved all the way to Kiwai, and the route is simple. What varies is the traffic.

1. Islamabad to Mansehra on the Hazara Motorway. The fastest part of the day, on a modern dual carriageway through the Hazara hills.
2. Mansehra to Balakot, about 40 km on the N-15. The road narrows and passes through towns and bazaars, so it is slower than the distance suggests.
3. Balakot to Kiwai, about 25 km. Balakot is the gateway to the Kaghan Valley and the last sizeable town, so fill the tank and draw cash here. From Balakot the road follows the Kunhar River upstream to Kiwai.

Kiwai is a roadside village with a waterfall beside the road and restaurants around it. The side road to Shogran turns off here, and the jeeps for Shogran and Siri Paye wait nearby.

In normal traffic Islamabad to Kiwai takes about four and a half to five hours with a tea stop. On summer weekends, Eid holidays and long weekends the stretch from Mansehra onwards can take much longer, so leave early. Our Islamabad to Naran road guide covers the same road in more detail as far as Kiwai and beyond.

From Lahore

From Lahore, take the M-2 motorway to Islamabad and then follow the route above. That makes it a long day, so many Lahore families break the journey in Islamabad or leave before dawn. Our Lahore to Naran road guide covers the drive north.

Kiwai to Shogran: jeep or your own car?

The last 7 to 8 km is the part people ask about. The road climbs through pine forest from Kiwai in a long series of steep hairpins, with Shogran on a shelf high above the river. The road has been resurfaced in the last couple of years, and in dry summer weather many people now drive their own cars up.

Taking a jeep

A local jeep is the easy option and the one most families choose. For 2026 the assistant commissioner's office in Balakot fixed the fare from Kiwai to Shogran at PKR 4,500 return per jeep. The ride takes under an hour.

Before you set off, agree whether the driver waits, comes back for you the next day or is paid one way. Our guide to Shogran jeep fares covers the full 2026 list, including Siri Paye, and how to avoid paying more than the notified rate.

Driving your own car

Driving up yourself is reasonable if:

• The weather is dry and there has been no heavy rain in the last day.
• The driver is used to mountain roads, including hill starts on steep hairpins and reversing to let jeeps pass.
• The car is in good order, not heavily loaded, and the brakes are sound for the way down.

Park at Kiwai and take a jeep if it has been raining, if there is snow or ice, if the car is very low or full to the roof, or if the driver is tired after the long drive from Islamabad. The descent is harder on the brakes than the climb is on the engine; use a low gear.

Beyond Shogran: Siri Paye

Plan on your own car stopping at Shogran. In 2022 the Kaghan Development Authority barred private tourist vehicles from the Shogran to Siri Paye road after a fatal accident, and the rough track above Shogran is best left to local jeeps or done on foot. Our Siri Paye guide covers the ride and the walk.

Getting to Shogran by public transport

It can be done, but it is slow. Balakot has a bus stand with services to Mansehra, Abbottabad, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. From Balakot, any vehicle heading up the valley towards Kaghan or Naran passes Kiwai, and from Kiwai you take a jeep up.

The catch is the jeep: you pay for the whole vehicle, so a solo traveller or couple pays the same PKR 4,500 as a family of six unless you can share with others at the stand. For most people a hired car with a driver from Islamabad is simpler, and it means nobody is driving tired on the way home.

When the road closes

Monsoon. From July to August, heavy rain brings mudslides onto the main Mansehra–Naran–Jalkhad road, and the stretches around Kiwai and Khanian are among the most often affected. In July 2026 mudslides blocked the road at Khanian and stranded travellers until machinery cleared it. The Shogran road itself can be blocked by landslides or turn to mud after heavy rain.

Winter. Shogran stays reachable when Naran is snowed in. The Kaghan Development Authority keeps machinery on the Shogran road to clear snow; in February 2025 its spokesperson reported the road to Shogran fully open while the Naran road was clear only as far as Kaghan bazaar. In snow, however, you go up by jeep, and authorities ask drivers on the main road to carry chains. Our guide to Shogran in winter covers the season in detail.

For the rest of the valley, check our guide to whether the Naran road is open before you go.

Which way suits you?

• Families with small children or older parents: drive or be driven to Kiwai and take the jeep. It removes the hardest driving of the trip for a modest, fixed price.
• Confident drivers in a sound car, in dry weather: drive up, and save the jeep fare for Siri Paye.
• Anyone arriving late in the day: take the jeep. Nobody should be learning those hairpins in the dark.
• Solo travellers and couples on a budget: public transport to Kiwai works; ask at the stand to share a jeep.

If you are fitting Shogran into a longer trip up the valley, our trip planning page can help you work out the nights, and our two-day Shogran trip from Islamabad turns this route into a weekend plan.

Frequently asked questions