A month in northern Pakistan is enough time to stop rushing. Instead of a ten-day loop that hits Hunza, Khunjerab and Skardu back to back, a month lets you add rest days, sleep in homestays instead of hotels, and turn off into valleys most visitors never reach, such as Shimshal, Chapursan or Phander. This guide sets out how to pace four weeks so the driving doesn't dominate the trip.
It is written for GB and Kaghan valley: Astore, Deosai, Hunza, Gilgit and Skardu, with room to add a side valley wherever you have a spare day. It assumes a private vehicle, whether your own car, a hired one with a driver, or a mix of the two.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Suggested length | 28 to 32 days |
| Core region | Kaghan valley, Gilgit-Baltistan (Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu, Astore, Deosai) |
| Best months | June to September, for Deosai and Khunjerab to be open the whole time |
| Pace | 2 to 3 driving days a week; the rest are rest days or short local trips |
| Base yourself in | Karimabad or Gulmit (Hunza), Skardu town, Astore or Rama |
| Vehicle | Own car, hired car with driver, or a mix with local jeeps for side valleys |
Why take a month instead of two weeks?
A standard week or ten-day trip is built around driving: Islamabad to Naran, over Babusar, up to Hunza, out to Khunjerab, across to Skardu, back. It works, but every day has a destination and a deadline. A month removes that pressure. You can stay three nights in Karimabad instead of one, or take a rest day simply because the last drive was long.
It also opens up places a shorter trip skips because they don't sit on the direct road: Shimshal, at the end of its own jeep track past Passu; Chapursan, running out towards the Afghan border; and the Deosai plateau, which rewards two or three days far more than one afternoon.
A four-week route
This is one way to sequence a month. Swap weeks around, and cut a week if you have less time.
Week 1: Islamabad to Gilgit-Baltistan. Drive north via Naran and Babusar Pass in summer, or the Karakoram Highway through Besham and Chilas if Babusar is closed. Break the drive into two or three days, with a night in Naran or Chilas. Our Karakoram Highway road trip guide sets out the KKH route section by section.
Week 2: Hunza and its side valleys. Base yourself in Karimabad, Aliabad or Gulmit and use day trips for Attabad Lake, Passu and Khunjerab Pass, plus a quieter valley off the KKH such as Chapursan or Shimshal, which needs its own long day or overnight.
Week 3: Gilgit to Skardu, and Skardu's valleys. The direct Gilgit–Skardu road is a full day. From Skardu, spend days on Shigar, Khaplu, the Kachura lakes and the desert at Sarfaranga, rather than treating them as one rushed circuit.
Week 4: Astore, Deosai and the way home. Astore Valley and Rama Meadows, with Nanga Parbat close by, then the Astore–Deosai road over the plateau to Skardu or back the way you came, open only roughly June to September. Keep a spare day here, since a closure or a late-summer snow flurry on Deosai can cost you a day.
A couple of unallocated days across the month are worth more than a fixed extra stop: use them for weather, a vehicle problem, or simply staying somewhere you like.
Homestays and slower stays
Guesthouses and family-run rooms exist in most villages on this route, and staying in one for two or three nights, rather than moving on daily, is what makes a month feel different from a compressed trip. Our homestays in northern Pakistan guide has more on finding and booking them. Camping is also an option in Deosai and some meadows, for travellers with their own gear.
Getting around for a month
A private vehicle for the whole month, your own car or one hired with a driver, is the easiest way to manage this kind of pace, since it lets you leave a base for a day trip and come back to the same room. For the unpaved side valleys and the Deosai crossing, a 4x4 is needed regardless of what you drive on the main roads; hire a local jeep for those legs rather than risking a saloon car on a track it wasn't built for.
Costs over a long trip
A month costs more in total than a ten-day trip, but the daily rate can fall once you're staying several nights in the same room instead of paying for a driver's return leg every other day. We don't publish a fixed price for a month-long custom route; get a quote through our trip planner, or build the trip around two set departures, the Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour and the Skardu and Deosai tour, and fill the weeks between them yourself.
Is a slow month worth it over two shorter trips?
For some travellers, no: two focused ten-day trips, one to Hunza and Khunjerab, one to Skardu and Deosai, see the same places with less time off work and less logistics in one go. A month suits people who want to feel the region rather than tick it off: retirees, remote workers, families on a long summer break, and anyone who has already done the shorter version and wants to go back properly.
As of September 2026 the UK government advises against all travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, through Besham and Dasu; the summer route over Babusar Pass avoids that stretch. If you hold a foreign passport, check your own government's current advice before you travel, since going against it can affect your travel insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Is a month too long for northern Pakistan?
No. A month lets you slow the pace, add rest days and reach valleys that a shorter trip has to skip. Most travellers who try it say the extra time changes the trip more than the extra places do.
Do I need a 4x4 for a whole month?
Not for the main roads, which are paved KKH and reasonable valley roads. You do need a 4x4 for Deosai, Shimshal and most side valleys off the main road, which is easiest to hire locally for just those legs.
Can I do a month without booking everything in advance?
Mostly, yes, outside the Eid and peak-July periods, when Hunza and Skardu hotels do fill up. Book the first few nights and any specific homestay you want, and stay flexible for the rest.
What is the best time of year for a month-long trip?
June to September, so that Khunjerab Pass and the Deosai plateau are open for the whole trip rather than only part of it. Late September adds autumn colour but a real risk of an early closure at Deosai.
Is it safe to spend a month travelling in Gilgit-Baltistan?
Gilgit-Baltistan itself does not carry a UK travel advisory, and Pakistani and foreign travellers visit it every summer without incident. The road sections to watch are the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, which the UK advises against, and mountain roads that close for weather; check local conditions before each leg rather than relying on a fixed plan.
