Northern Areas Trip Plan from Faisalabad

A northern areas trip from Faisalabad starts with about 324 km of motorway to Islamabad: the M-4 to Pindi Bhattian, then the M-2 north, roughly four hours without stops. From there Naran is another 244 km, Hunza about 566 km over Babusar, and Skardu about 637 km. That means five days is enough for Naran and Babusar, while Hunza or Skardu by road needs a full week, or flights from Islamabad.

This guide covers the drive out of Faisalabad, the real distances from home, which circuit fits five or seven days, when the roads are open, and the safety points on the way north.

Getting out of Faisalabad and onto the motorway

The road north is simple. Join the M-4 on the edge of the city and follow it to Pindi Bhattian, where it meets the M-2 Lahore-Islamabad motorway. This first stretch is the original Faisalabad-Pindi Bhattian motorway, opened in 2003 and known as the M-3 until the whole Pindi Bhattian-Multan route was renamed the M-4, so older guides still call it the M-3.

The part you control is the start. Leave before 6 am and you clear the city and the M-4 interchange before the morning traffic, and you reach Islamabad by about 10. Leave mid-morning and you will be on the Hazara motorway in the afternoon and driving the mountain roads late in the day, which is what you want to avoid.

Practical points for the motorway:

• Fill up before you leave or at the first service area, and check the tyres and brakes before the mountain roads.
• Carry your M-Tag if your car has one, and some cash. Our guide to motorway toll tax to the northern areas covers the charges.
• In December and January, fog can close motorway sections in the early hours; see our motorway fog closure guide. Few people head north then anyway.

Which circuit fits 5 to 7 days?

5 days: Naran, Saif-ul-Malook and Babusar Top

The shortest trip that still feels like the mountains. Naran is about 559 km from Faisalabad, which is a long single day; you can split it at Balakot.

1. Faisalabad to Balakot or Naran. Leave early; Islamabad by mid-morning, then the Hazara motorway to Mansehra and the N-15 up the Kunhar.
2. Naran: Lake Saif-ul-Malook by jeep in the morning, the bazaar and river in the afternoon.
3. Babusar Top, if open, with stops at Lulusar Lake on the way.
4. Naran to Islamabad, or to Murree for a night.
5. Back to Faisalabad.

Our Faisalabad to Naran guide has the drive in detail.

7 days: Hunza over Babusar

Hunza is about 880 km from Faisalabad by the Babusar route, so it is two full driving days each way unless you fly.

1. Faisalabad to Naran.
2. Naran to Karimabad over Babusar Top, Chilas and Gilgit, a long day.
3. Karimabad: Baltit and Altit forts.
4. Attabad Lake, Passu and Khunjerab, if the pass is open and the weather allows.
5. Karimabad to Naran or Chilas.
6. Naran or Chilas to Islamabad.
7. Back to Faisalabad.

It is tight, and it only works when Babusar is open. If you want more time in Hunza itself, fly from Islamabad to Gilgit, about 100 km from Karimabad, and drive only the Faisalabad-Islamabad leg. Our Islamabad to Hunza by road guide covers the options.

7 days: Skardu by air

Skardu is about 952 km by road from Faisalabad, too far for a week by car. The realistic seven-day version is to drive to Islamabad, fly to Skardu, and spend four or five days around Skardu, Shigar and Deosai. Flights depend on the weather, so keep the last day spare. See our Islamabad to Skardu flight guide.

When are the roads open?

The answer decides which trip is possible.

• Naran is usually reachable from April, after the National Highway Authority clears the winter snow. In 2025 the road opened as far as Naran on 20 April.
• Babusar Top usually opens in late May or June and closes with the first heavy snow, typically in November. Dawn reported that the pass is normally shut from November to June.
• Khunjerab is open to visitors seasonally, typically from April or May to November.

Outside the Babusar season, the only road to Gilgit and Hunza is the Karakoram Highway via Besham, and that changes the safety picture.

Is it safe?

As of September 2026 the UK government advises against all travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, through Battagram, Besham and Dasu. In summer, the N-15 over Babusar avoids that stretch, which is one more reason to time a Hunza trip for June to October. Pakistani travellers do use the KKH route; check current police advice and local news first.

If anyone in your group holds a foreign passport, they should check their own government's advice, since travelling against it can void insurance. Our guide to Babusar Top versus the KKH compares the two routes.

Flying from Faisalabad

We found no direct flights from Faisalabad International Airport to Gilgit or Skardu. Islamabad International Airport is about 315 km from Faisalabad by road, so the usual plan is to drive or take a coach to Islamabad and fly north from there. Leave a margin: northern flights are cancelled when the weather closes in.

Joining one of our tours

If you would rather not drive the mountain roads, our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour runs for nine days starting in Gilgit, from PKR 90,000 per person, and our Skardu and Deosai tour runs for seven days from PKR 90,000. From Faisalabad you drive or travel to Islamabad and fly up to the start.

Frequently asked questions