Jeep track safety in the northern areas comes down to three things: who is driving, what the weather is doing, and whether the vehicle should be on that road at all. Tracks like the Raikot Bridge to Fairy Meadows road, the Skardu–Deosai route and the Naltar valley road are unpaved, narrow and cut into steep ground, and they are driven every day without incident by local union drivers who know every bend. The risk rises sharply when any one of those three things goes wrong.
This guide covers how to choose a driver and vehicle, what to check before you set off, how weather changes the picture, and when it makes more sense to walk or wait than to ride.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Typical tracks | Raikot Bridge–Fairy Meadows, Skardu–Deosai, Naltar valley, Astore–Rama |
| Vehicles | Local union 4x4 jeeps only; private cars often barred |
| Highest-risk months | July and August (monsoon landslides); also thin ice in spring |
| Main hazard | Unfenced drops above gorges and rivers, not high speed |
| What to check | Driver's union membership, brakes, tyres, seatbelts |
Why these tracks are different from the highway
The Karakoram Highway and most main roads to the north are paved, and the driving risk there is the ordinary kind: trucks, blind bends and rockfall, covered in our guide to Karakoram Highway safety. Jeep tracks are a separate category. They are graded dirt or loose stone, often a single lane wide with no barrier, running along the edge of a gorge or riverbed. A mistake that would be a scrape on a paved road can be much more serious here, which is why several of these tracks only allow local jeeps and local drivers rather than private vehicles.
The clearest recent example is on the Fairy Meadows track itself: in June 2026, a jeep carrying six tourists and its driver went off the road near Chilas and fell into the Tattu Nullah gorge, killing everyone on board, according to reports from Dawn and Arab News. It is a rare event on a road driven by thousands of people every season, but it is the reason the precautions below matter.
Choosing a driver
On most tracks you don't get to choose your driver freely, because the jeeps are run by a local union with a fixed rota and a fixed fare, as our guide to the Fairy Meadows jeep track explains. That system exists partly for safety: every driver on the roster works that specific track daily and knows where the surface is weak or the edge has crumbled.
Where you do have a choice, such as hiring a car and driver for a longer circuit that includes side trips, ask directly how many years the driver has worked mountain roads, not just how many years they have driven overall. A driver who is confident on the motorway is not automatically confident on a switchback with no barrier.
Checking the vehicle
Before getting in, look at:
- Tyres, including the spare. Worn tread on loose stone is the single biggest reason vehicles slide.
- Brakes, especially on descents; ask if they were checked before the season started.
- Seatbelts, and use them even on a short ride. Jeeps on these tracks move slowly, but the drops are real.
- Whether the vehicle is registered with the local union or operator, rather than an unmarked car offering a cheaper ride. A licensed jeep has passed some basic checks that an informal one has not.
Our guide to jeep safari trips in Pakistan has more on what a properly run operator looks like.
Weather: the biggest variable
Monsoon rain, mainly in July and August, is what closes these tracks most often. Landslides can block a route for hours or days rather than minutes: in one closure on the Skardu–Deosai road, heavy rain triggered landslides that trapped forty to fifty vehicles, most of them carrying tourists, until army engineering teams cleared the route overnight. Our mountain driving tips cover how to read conditions before setting out, and our guide to driving in snow covers the equivalent risk at the shoulder of the season, when ice rather than rain is the problem.
Before you set off on any jeep track in July or August:
- Ask at your hotel or the jeep stand whether the road is currently open, not just whether it was open yesterday.
- Build a spare day into your plan so a closure doesn't force a rushed drive later.
- Never push a driver to continue if they say conditions have changed; they have more to lose from an accident than you do.
When to walk instead
Not every jeep track needs a jeep. On some routes, such as the final approach to Fairy Meadows from Tato, walking is the only option regardless, and that is worth knowing before you book. On others, a short, exposed stretch can sometimes be walked past while the jeep goes on ahead, particularly if you are uneasy about a specific section. Ask the driver; a good one will tell you honestly whether that is sensible on the day, rather than just wanting the fare.
If anyone in your group has a strong fear of heights or is travelling with a small child who won't stay seated, ask in advance what the ride involves rather than finding out halfway along.
Is it worth the risk?
For the vast majority of trips, yes. These tracks are driven daily by families, students and older travellers, and the accidents that make the news are rare against that volume of traffic. The sensible response is to travel in season, use registered vehicles and drivers, check the weather before you go, and accept a delay rather than push through a closure.
Frequently asked questions
Are jeep tracks in northern Pakistan safe?
They are used safely by large numbers of travellers every season, but they carry more risk than paved roads because of narrow, unfenced sections above steep drops. Using a licensed local driver and checking conditions before you travel are the main safeguards.
Can I take my own car on a jeep track?
Often not. Several tracks, including the Fairy Meadows road from Raikot Bridge, only allow registered local union jeeps, and private cars are left at the start of the track.
What is the most dangerous time of year for jeep tracks?
July and August, when monsoon rain triggers landslides that can close a track for hours or days. Late autumn and early spring bring a different risk from ice on higher tracks.
What should I do if a driver says the road is closed?
Accept it and rearrange your plan. Drivers who work a track daily know its condition far better than a visitor can, and pushing them to continue removes the main safety advantage of hiring a local vehicle.
Do I need travel insurance for a jeep track trip?
It is worth having, particularly if your route includes remote tracks with no nearby medical facility. Our guide to travel insurance for a northern areas trip covers what to look for.
