Landslides in the Northern Areas: Staying Safe

Landslides in the Northern Areas are mostly a summer problem, at their worst from July to August and again, in a smaller way, from March to May. They close roads rather than towns: the Karakoram Highway through Kohistan, the Jaglot–Skardu road, the Neelum valley road and the routes into Swat and Kaghan all lose days to blocked stretches most years. Nobody expects a landslide to happen to them specifically, but on these roads a closure is a when, not an if, and it is worth planning around.

This guide covers when the risk is highest, which stretches close most often, how flood and landslide warnings actually reach you, and what to do if you are on the road when one hits.

When is landslide season in the Northern Areas?

The riskiest stretch of the year is July and August, when glacier melt across Gilgit-Baltistan peaks and monsoon rain reaches the southern part of the region at the same time. In 2026 the Pakistan Meteorological Department put the start of that year's monsoon at 1 July, with pre-monsoon storms bringing heavy, damaging rain even before that.

A second, smaller peak runs from March to May, when rain falls on slopes still loosened by winter snow and thaw. This is the period that catches out the Karakoram Highway in Kohistan most often, before the main summer season even starts.

Winter brings fewer landslides but more snow-driven road closures, covered in our guide to winter road closures in KPK. September and October are generally the calmest months to travel, once the monsoon has cleared and before the first heavy snow.

Where the roads close most often

Kohistan, on the Karakoram Highway

The stretch between Besham and Chilas is the single worst section on any route north. It runs through the Indus gorge on slopes that shed rock and mud in most wet spells, and it also carries the heaviest goods traffic on the highway. In mid-May 2026, four days of torrential rain triggered landslides and overflowing hill torrents across Lower Kohistan, killing one person, injuring dozens and damaging more than 20 vehicles; the district administration banned all traffic beyond Besham until the National Highway Authority and Frontier Works Organisation could clear the debris. Our guides to driving the Karakoram Highway and checking KKH road status cover this stretch in detail.

Tatta Pani and Hassanabad, north of Chilas

Tatta Pani, a short stretch of loose slope between Chilas and the Raikot bridge, blocks in most seasons. Further north, the Shishper glacier above Hassanabad has produced repeated glacial lake outburst floods that have damaged or destroyed sections of the highway.

The Jaglot–Skardu road

This road runs beneath loose hillside for long stretches and floods have cut it more than once in recent years, including in July 2026, when a temporary steel bridge had to be put in to reopen it.

The Neelum valley road

The road from Muzaffarabad through Kel to Taobat runs along steep, landslide-prone terrain for most of its length, and research on the valley has consistently flagged it as one of the more hazardous mountain roads in Azad Kashmir. Boulders and mudslides near Kel and further up the valley have closed it for days at a time. Our Neelum valley road condition guide has more detail.

The roads into Swat and Kaghan

Above Bahrain in Swat, and beyond Balakot in the Kaghan valley, roads climb through similar terrain and close for the same reasons. Our guide to monsoon travel safety in KPK covers these in depth, including the rivers that rise fast alongside them.

How flood and landslide warnings work

Pakistan's early warning system for the north runs on two tracks. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issues heavy-rain and flash-flood alerts by region, usually a day or more ahead of a spell of bad weather. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), working with provincial and GB disaster authorities, issues separate alerts for glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), where a glacial lake bursts and sends a wall of water and debris down a valley with little notice.

These alerts are specific about area and dates. In early April 2026, for instance, NDMA warned of GLOF, flash flood and landslide risk near glacier termini in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the period 1 to 10 April, and told tourists specifically to avoid trekking and photographing near glaciers during that window.

What to do when one is issued for your route:

• Treat it as a real instruction, not background noise. These alerts are issued for a specific reason and area.
• Avoid riverbanks, streams and glacier fronts for the period covered.
• Delay a day rather than push through. Most alerts cover a short window.
• Check again in the morning, since conditions can change quickly in either direction.

Our guide to checking Karakoram Highway road status lists the phone numbers and official channels to follow.

What to do if you get caught in a landslide, or stuck at one

• If rock or debris is actively falling, stop well back and wait. Don't try to time a gap and drive through it.
• Don't cross debris on foot while the slope is still moving or rain is still falling, and never take children across a slide that hasn't stabilised.
• Move away from the base of a slope and any streambed, even if it means leaving the car for open ground nearby.
• Settle in for a wait. Most blockages clear within a few hours to a couple of days; carry water, snacks, warm clothing and a full tank so a delay is an inconvenience rather than a crisis.
• Keep the car running only as needed, and don't sleep in a stationary vehicle with the engine on and windows shut.
• Use offline maps and let someone know your plan, since mobile signal drops out on most of these stretches.
• Follow the instructions of the National Highway Authority, Frontier Works Organisation or police on site. They are the ones who decide when it is safe to move again.

Should you change your plans?

If a PMD heavy-rain alert or an NDMA GLOF warning is current for your route, postpone rather than test it. These are not issued casually, and the stretches they cover are the same ones that close for days when they are wrong to ignore.

Outside of an active alert, ordinary caution is enough for most trips: travel in daylight, keep a spare day in the itinerary for July and August, and check road status the evening before and again in the morning. Families with a tight return flight or a work deadline should build in more slack than they think they need, particularly on the Kohistan and Neelum valley stretches. Our when to go guide has more on choosing a season that avoids the worst of the risk.

Frequently asked questions