5-Day Hunza Itinerary From Islamabad

A five-day Hunza itinerary from Islamabad by road works like this: drive to Chilas on day one, reach Karimabad by lunchtime on day two, spend day three on Attabad, Passu and the Khunjerab Pass, see Baltit Fort on the morning of day four before driving back to Chilas, and return to Islamabad on day five. That gives you two and a half days in the valley, which is enough for the highlights if you start early and accept long drive days.

Below is the plan day by day, with realistic timings, followed by a version that flies one way to gain a day, a lower-altitude alternative to Khunjerab, and a frank look at whether five days is enough.

Day 1: Islamabad to Chilas

About 10 to 13 hours on the road. Leave by 5 or 6 in the morning. The Hazara Motorway gets you to Thakot quickly, then the Karakoram Highway follows the Indus through Besham, Dasu and Kohistan to Chilas.

1. Breakfast in Besham, about four to five hours out, and fill the tank.
2. Besham to Chilas, the slow stretch through the Kohistan gorges: six to eight hours for roughly 200 km, with trucks, rockfall and construction.
3. Chilas by late afternoon or early evening. Aim to arrive before dark, because this is not a road to drive at night.

Chilas is hot in summer and its hotels are simple, so ask for a room with air conditioning. Our full guide to the drive from Islamabad to Hunza covers the route and the alternatives in more detail.

In summer, if the Babusar Pass is open and the forecast is dry, you can drive through Naran and over the pass instead. It is more scenic and often a little quicker, but it crosses 4,173 metres.

Day 2: Chilas to Karimabad, Altit and Eagle's Nest

About five to six hours on the road. Leave Chilas by 7 so you reach Hunza in time for lunch.

1. The three-ranges viewpoint near Jaglot, where the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush meet, about two hours from Chilas.
2. Gilgit for fuel and a break.
3. The Rakaposhi viewpoint at Ghulmet, on the highway about 70 km beyond Gilgit. Stop for tea facing the mountain.
4. Karimabad by early afternoon. Check in and have lunch.
5. Altit Fort and the Royal Garden in the afternoon, with a walk through old Altit village below it. Allow two hours.
6. Sunset at Eagle's Nest in Duikar, a steep 30-minute drive above Altit, with Rakaposhi, Diran and Ladyfinger in the evening light.

Night in Karimabad, or at Duikar if you want to be there again for sunrise. Our guide to where to stay in Hunza compares the options.

Day 3: Attabad, Passu and the Khunjerab Pass

A full day, eight to ten hours. This is the longest sightseeing day and the one to start early.

1. Leave Karimabad by 7. Drive past Attabad Lake and through the tunnels without stopping; the lake is better on the way back.
2. Passu and Sost, about two hours out. Fill up with fuel in Sost, because there is none beyond it.
3. The Dih checkpoint at the entrance to Khunjerab National Park. Show your CNIC and pay the park fee.
4. Khunjerab Pass around midday. An hour at the top at most; walk slowly and drink water.
5. Passu Cones and the Hussaini bridge on the way down, when the afternoon light is on the Cones.
6. Attabad Lake in the late afternoon, when the midday crowd at the landing has thinned.
7. Back in Karimabad by early evening.

The altitude is what matters on this day. You go from about 2,500 metres to 4,693 in a few hours, and some people feel it. Our Khunjerab Pass guide covers opening dates, what to carry and how to handle the height.

Day 4: Baltit Fort, then back to Chilas

A short morning in Karimabad and five to six hours on the road.

1. Baltit Fort as soon as it opens. The guided tour takes about an hour and ends on the roof, with the whole valley below.
2. A walk through Karimabad's old lanes and the bazaar for apricots, dried fruit and gifts.
3. Leave by 11 or 12, after an early lunch.
4. Chilas by late afternoon, before dark.

If you skipped the Rakaposhi viewpoint on day two because of cloud, stop there now.

Day 5: Chilas to Islamabad

About 10 to 13 hours on the road. Leave at first light and drive the Kohistan stretch in the morning, when you are fresh. Islamabad by evening.

In summer you can return over Babusar and through Naran instead, which breaks the monotony of the Indus gorge, as long as the weather is dry.

Variation: fly to Gilgit and drive back

The simplest way to gain time is to fly one way. PIA flies from Islamabad to Gilgit in about an hour, and a car from Gilgit reaches Karimabad in two to three hours.

1. Day 1: morning flight to Gilgit, Rakaposhi viewpoint, Karimabad by lunch. Altit and Eagle's Nest in the afternoon.
2. Day 2: Baltit Fort and Karimabad in the morning, then Hopper Glacier across the river in Nagar, or a walk towards Ultar.
3. Day 3: Khunjerab, Passu and Attabad, as above.
4. Day 4: Karimabad to Chilas by road.
5. Day 5: Chilas to Islamabad.

Fly up rather than back. The Gilgit flight is often cancelled for weather, and if the outbound flight is cancelled you simply drive up a day later and shorten the trip. If the return flight is cancelled, you may lose a day or two getting home, which matters more when there is work or school at the other end.

Variation: skip Khunjerab

Khunjerab is not for everyone. Small children, older parents and anyone with a heart or lung condition may be better off lower down, and some people simply don't want eight hours in the car on a holiday day. Replace day three with a slower day in Gojal:

• Attabad Lake in the morning, with a boat trip before the crowds arrive
• Gulmit for lunch and a walk through the old village
• The Hussaini bridge and Borith Lake, about an hour each
• The Passu Cones viewpoint in the afternoon light

You stay below about 2,600 metres, and the day is easier, cheaper and still full. Our list of places to visit in Hunza has more ideas for filling it.

Before you set off

A five-day trip has no slack, so sort these out before you leave Islamabad:

• Book both nights in Chilas and both in Karimabad in advance in summer and at long weekends. Arriving tired in Chilas to find everything full is the worst start to the trip.
• Get the car checked: brakes, tyres, the spare and the cooling system. Day three alone climbs more than 2,000 metres and comes all the way back down.
• Carry enough cash. There are ATMs in Aliabad, but the Khunjerab park fee, tea stalls and many small hotels in Gojal work in cash, and machines do run out on busy weekends.
• Pack a warm layer for everyone, whatever the month. It can be pleasant in Karimabad and close to freezing in the wind at the pass.
• Download offline maps before you leave. Signal is patchy through Kohistan and above Sost.
• Plan each day to end by sunset. On a trip this tight, the temptation is to push on after dark. Don't, on the Kohistan and Diamer stretches especially.

Is five days enough for Hunza?

Five days is the least we would suggest by road from Islamabad, and it is a trip for people who like being on the move. Almost half of it is spent driving, two of those days are long, and there is no slack if the road closes.

It works best:

• Between May and October, and ideally not in July or August, when monsoon landslides south of Gilgit are most likely.
• With a second driver or a hired mountain driver, so nobody drives 12 hours alone.
• With a spare sixth day held in reserve, even if you don't use it.

If you can stretch to seven days, add a night in Gulmit or Passu before Khunjerab and a full day in Karimabad. That turns a rushed trip into a comfortable one. Our nine-day Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour goes further, with Gilgit, Nagar and Naltar as well, and a spare day kept for weather. For a sense of what the five days cost, see our Hunza trip cost guide.

Frequently asked questions