Jeep Hire in Gilgit-Baltistan: Routes and Typical Rates

Jeep rent in Gilgit-Baltistan almost always means a local jeep hired with its driver, priced per vehicle for an agreed route, with fuel included. You need one for the Deosai plateau, the Fairy Meadows track, the Naltar lakes and a few side valleys; the main roads to Hunza, Khunjerab, Skardu, Shigar and Khaplu are paved and don't. In 2025–2026 the Fairy Meadows round trip cost roughly PKR 16,000 to 20,000 per jeep, and Skardu firms advertised a Deosai day from about PKR 14,000 to 20,000.

This guide sets out where a 4x4 is essential and where it isn't, how local fares are worked out, and what to settle with the driver before you set off.

Where do you need a jeep in Gilgit-Baltistan?

You have no choice:

• Fairy Meadows. Private vehicles are not allowed on the 15 km track from Raikot Bridge to Tato. Everyone rides in a local union jeep.

A jeep is the sensible choice:

• Deosai. The road is paved only to Sadpara Lake, then climbs to the plateau as a stony track that turns to mud after rain. There is no signal, no workshop and no recovery vehicle up there.
• The Naltar lakes. The last 12 to 13 km above Naltar Bala is a rocky track with meltwater streams to cross. Local advice is to leave your own vehicle in the village.
• Rama meadow, above Astore town, for Rama Lake and the walk towards Nanga Parbat.
• The Basho valley near Skardu and the Hushe valley beyond Khaplu, both on jeep roads.
• Shimshal and Chipursan, the long side valleys of upper Hunza.

You don't need one: the Karakoram Highway to Hunza and on to the Khunjerab Pass, the Jaglot–Skardu road, the Kachura lakes, Katpana, Shigar and Khaplu are all paved, and sedans drive them all summer. Winter is the exception. When snow is down, a 4x4 with chains and a local driver is the safer choice even on the main roads.

What counts as a "jeep" here?

Ask for a jeep in Skardu or Gilgit and you could be offered one of several vehicles:

• An old Land Cruiser or Willys-type jeep, often heavily modified, with reinforced suspension. Basic and noisy, but built for these tracks, and the cheapest option.
• A Toyota Hilux or Revo double cabin. Capable and more modern, with a firmer ride in the back.
• A Prado or Land Cruiser with seats and air conditioning. The most comfortable, and the most expensive.

On Fairy Meadows and the Naltar lakes you get what the local drivers run, which is usually the first kind. On Deosai you can choose, and comfort costs more: in one operator's 2025 price list, an open Willys-type jeep was about PKR 10,000 to 15,000 for the day and a Revo about PKR 20,000 to 28,000.

How local jeep fares work

Jeep fares in Gilgit-Baltistan follow a few simple rules, and knowing them makes quotes easier to compare.

1. You pay per jeep, not per person. Two people pay the same as six, so fill the seats. Sharing with another family is common and perfectly acceptable.
2. The price is for a route or a day. A Deosai quote is for a named route, such as Skardu to Bara Pani and back, or on to Sheosar. Going further than agreed costs more.
3. Fuel and the driver are normally included. Local firms quote a price that covers both for the agreed route. Confirm it in so many words.
4. Some routes have fixed fares. On the Fairy Meadows track the drivers' union sets the fare, and there is no bargaining. Elsewhere, prices are set by the operator or the driver, and it is worth asking two.
5. Waiting time is part of the deal. On a day trip the jeep waits while you walk, eat and take photographs. Agree how long, and the time you will head back.
6. Nights away cost extra. If the jeep stays out overnight, expect a charge for each night plus the driver's food and bed. Pay in cash, and settle the balance when you are back.

Prices rise in July, August and over Eid, when every jeep in Skardu is busy. Book the evening before at the latest in those weeks, through your hotel or a local operator.

Deosai by jeep

This is the jeep trip most visitors to Skardu make, and the one where route choice matters most:

• Skardu to Bara Pani and back. The shortest full Deosai day, two to three hours each way to the middle of the plateau. The cheaper end of the quotes above.
• Skardu to Sheosar Lake and back. Three to four hours each way to the far side. A long day, and the fare is higher.
• Across to Astore or Chilim. You leave the plateau on the other side, and the jeep has to come back empty, so get it quoted separately.

Night camping on the plateau has been banned since September 2025, after a brown bear attacked a camper near Bara Pani, and from the 2026 season commercial activity inside the park, including seasonal hotels, was banned too. That makes Deosai a day trip or a crossing. The national park fee is paid separately at the checkpoint, in cash. Our guide to the road from Skardu to Deosai covers the route stage by stage.

Fairy Meadows by jeep

The jeeps wait at Raikot Bridge on the Karakoram Highway, about 60 km past Chilas. You pay for the round trip up front and tell the driver the day and time to collect you at Tato; the walk to the meadow takes two to four hours from there. Leave your own car at the bridge after agreeing the parking charge.

In 2025 and 2026 visitors paid roughly PKR 16,100 to 20,000 per jeep for the return trip. It is a narrow track above a gorge, and on 1 June 2026 a jeep fell into the gorge and seven people died. Travel in daylight, don't go up in heavy rain and don't overload the jeep. Our Fairy Meadows jeep track guide goes into the fare, the ride and the safety record.

The Naltar lakes by jeep

Naltar Bala is about two hours from Gilgit, turning off the old Hunza road at Nomal, and the lake track starts at the top of the village. You can hire a jeep for the whole day from Gilgit or Nomal, or drive up yourself and hire one in Naltar Bala just for the lakes. The shorter the hire, the lower the fare, so ask for both prices before choosing.

Go in the morning. The streams across the track rise as the day warms, and jeeps coming down in the afternoon are sometimes held up until the water drops. Our Naltar Valley guide covers the road, the village and the seasons.

Your own 4x4, or a local jeep?

A Prado or Revo driven up from Islamabad can manage Deosai in dry weather with a driver confident on loose, steep ground, but Fairy Meadows is closed to it and the Naltar track is better left to local drivers. For most people the local jeep wins: the driver knows every bend, a breakdown on his vehicle is not a breakdown on yours, and you don't pay for a big 4x4 on all the paved days in between. Our guide to Prado rent for the Northern Areas sets out when the bigger car earns its price.

Before you get in

• Look at the jeep. Tyres with real tread, a spare, and seats you can sit in for three hours.
• Agree the route, the stops and the return time, and write down the driver's name, phone number and number plate.
• Don't overload it to save money. Five or six people with day bags is the limit on most jeeps.
• Travel in daylight, and don't set off on a jeep track in heavy rain or straight after it.
• Carry water, food, a warm layer and cash, because none of these tracks has shops.
• Ask the driver to slow down if you are uncomfortable. It is a reasonable request.

Our travel guide covers altitude, signal and what to pack for days like these.

Is a jeep day worth it?

For Deosai and Fairy Meadows, yes: there is no other sensible way in, and both are among the best days in the region. For Naltar it depends on the group, because three hours of jolting is hard on bad backs, small children and anyone who gets travel-sick. If nobody likes the sound of a jeep track, build the trip around Hunza, Skardu's lakes, Shigar and Khaplu, which need nothing more than a car. Our Skardu and Deosai tour includes the jeep days across the plateau, with the driver and fuel arranged.

Frequently asked questions