Naran Road Open or Closed? Seasonal Road Status Guide

Whether the Naran road is open or closed depends on the season. In a normal year the Kaghan road, the N-15, is open to Naran from about late April until the snow closes it in late November or early December, and from then until spring travel beyond Kaghan town is banned. The sections above Naran keep shorter hours: the Saif-ul-Malook track opens around the end of April or in May, and Babusar Top only in late May. In summer, monsoon rain can close any part of it for hours or days.

This guide sets out when each section usually opens and closes, what happened in 2025 and 2026, and how to check the road before you set off.

How the winter closure works

The valley does not close all at once. Snow closes it from the top down, and each section is shut by an order from the district administration in Mansehra, or from the Diamer administration for the Gilgit-Baltistan side of Babusar.

Here is how the 2025 season ended:

1. Early November: heavy snow closed the Babusar road, and the police moved stranded tourists to safety.
2. Late November: the Mansehra administration banned all travel between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan through the valley until the next summer, and on 28 November the Diamer administration declared Babusar closed for the season. Naran itself stayed open, but visitors could go on to Batakundi and Saif-ul-Malook only between 11 am and 3 pm, and only with chains on their tyres.
3. Early December: after the second snowfall, the deputy commissioner banned travel beyond Kaghan town until summer. By then most families from Naran and the villages above it had moved down the valley for the winter, the police posts were withdrawn, and no hotels or restaurants were open.

The previous winter followed the same pattern, with the official closure beyond Kaghan announced at the start of December 2024.

From December to April, visitors are allowed as far as Kaghan town and Shogran. The 2025 order warned that anyone breaking it would face legal action, and there is nothing open up there anyway.

How the road reopens in spring

The National Highway Authority clears the N-15 with heavy machinery, cutting through avalanche debris and glaciers that can be many metres deep. The sequence in 2026 shows how it works:

1. Mid-April: the road up to Naran was largely clear, and hoteliers began returning to open up.
2. Around 20 April: the Kaghan road opened to Naran for all traffic, after about five months.
3. Late April: the road was cleared to Batakundi, the Kaghan Development Authority was cutting through snow on the Saif-ul-Malook track, and police posts were reactivated in phases.
4. 25 May: Babusar Pass reopened.
5. 30 and 31 May: continuous snow at the top led the administration to warn tourists against travelling to Babusar, only days after it opened.

In 2025 the dates were similar: Naran around 20 April, the Saif-ul-Malook track on 30 April, and Babusar on 22 and 23 May. Earlier that spring, with the road above still under snow, the police said they would stop visitors going beyond Kaghan town over the Eid ul Fitr holidays.

The lesson for planning: late April is the earliest you can count on reaching Naran, May for the lake, and mid-June onwards for Babusar with any confidence. Our guide to the best time to visit Naran explains what each month is like once you are there.

Babusar: extra rules

Babusar Top, the pass into Gilgit-Baltistan, is the most restricted section of the road even when it is open.

• Daylight only. In May 2025 the Mansehra administration and police banned all traffic between Naran and Babusar Top from 6 pm to 6 am, with police on both sides of the pass. In 2026 the authorities again told travellers to cross only in daylight.
• Late snow. Snow can close the top for a day or two in late May and early June, and again from October.
• Monsoon floods. The Gilgit-Baltistan side drops through the Thak valley to Chilas, and in July 2025 a cloudburst there swept away vehicles and killed tourists. The Diamer administration declared an emergency and closed the road.

If you are using Babusar to drive to Gilgit-Baltistan and it is closed, the alternative is the Karakoram Highway through Besham and Chilas. Our Karakoram Highway road status guide covers how to check that route.

Summer closures: rain and roadworks

In July and August, the monsoon months, the risk is not snow but rain. Cloudbursts send debris onto the road and wash out the jeep tracks. The 2026 season had several:

• 13 July: mudslides blocked the road at Khanian for over an hour.
• 21 July: a cloudburst caused flash flooding. The main Kaghan bridge was closed as a precaution, a landslide at Soach blocked the highway, and traffic on the road to the lake was suspended. The district administration told visitors to avoid the upper valley for three to four days.
• 30 July: flash floods washed away a section of the Saif-ul-Malook track, and about 200 jeeps of tourists had to be brought down. The administration banned visits to the lake on 1 August and lifted the ban a week later, allowing visits only between 9.30 am and 4 pm.

Planned works close the road too. In June 2025 the district police announced a four-day closure of the road beyond Mahandri, from 15 to 18 June, to install a new steel bridge in place of one lost in floods the year before.

Most of these closures last hours, not days. The ones that matter to a short trip are the jeep tracks, which stay shut longer than the main road.

How to check before you leave

There is no single live map of the Naran road, so check several sources the evening before you travel and again in the morning.

1. Your hotel in Naran. The most useful call you can make. Staff know whether the road below is moving, whether the lake jeeps are running and whether Babusar is open that day.
2. The district administration and police. Openings, closures, night-travel bans and timing rules for the lake are announced by the Mansehra deputy commissioner, the Balakot assistant commissioner and the district police, and are widely reported by Dawn, The News and the Express Tribune. The Kaghan Development Authority also posts updates on its official social media.
3. The National Highway Authority, which clears the N-15 and announces when sections reopen. Its official channels are linked from nha.gov.pk.
4. The weather forecast. The Pakistan Meteorological Department issues heavy-rain and flood alerts. A PMD warning for the Hazara division is the best early sign that the road or the lake track may close.
5. For the Babusar side, the Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department posts road advisories at visitgilgitbaltistan.gov.pk, and the Diamer administration announces closures on its side.
6. The police at the checkposts on the way up. If they tell you the road ahead is closed, it is.

For emergencies, call Rescue 1122. Our travel guide has more on staying safe on mountain roads across the north.

What to do if the road is closed

• In winter: go to Shogran or Kaghan town instead. Both are open to visitors and get plenty of snow.
• In spring, before Babusar opens: plan your days around Naran, Batakundi and the lake, and leave Babusar for another trip.
• After heavy rain in summer: wait. Most blockages on the main road are cleared within hours, and the district administration sometimes asks visitors to stay put for a few days after a cloudburst. Follow that advice.
• On your way to Gilgit-Baltistan: switch to the Karakoram Highway if Babusar is closed or flood warnings are out.

Planning a trip around the road

A few rules keep closures from ruining a trip:

• Keep a spare day in any plan that includes Babusar or the lake, especially in May, July and August.
• Drive the valley road in daylight in both directions, whatever the rules say on the day.
• Book refundable rooms if you are going in late April, May or November.
• Carry chains if you are going in November, and warm clothes and food in the car at any time of year.

If you are driving up from the capital, our Islamabad to Naran road guide covers the route and the stops. For the lake itself, see our Saif-ul-Malook visitor guide, which covers how the track and the timing rules affect a visit.

Frequently asked questions