Hunza
Islamabad to Hunza by Road: Route, Stops and Time
Islamabad to Hunza is roughly 650 to 700 km by road, 14 to 16 hours of driving on the KKH. Each stage, overnight stops, and what to do if the road closes.
Tour package · 5 days
Hunza Valley in 5 days
Karimabad is about 600 km from Islamabad by the Babusar road, and in five days that means four driving days and one full day in the valley. We run this trip over the Babusar Pass and through Naran in summer, because it avoids the Kohistan stretch of the Karakoram Highway and is several hours quicker. If you can spare one more day, or fly one way to Gilgit, the trip becomes much easier, and we say below how.
- Duration
- 5 days, 4 nights
- Pickup from
- Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad International Airport
- Best months
- Mid June to early October, while the Babusar Pass is open
- Effort
- Easy walking, but four long road days of 6 to 11 hours each
- Highest point
- 4,173 m at Babusar Top
- Price
- On request
The route
Day by day
- Crossing Babusar Top (4,173 m) between the Kaghan valley and Chilas
- Rakaposhi (7,788 m) from the Zero Point viewpoint at Ghulmet, beside the Karakoram Highway
- Baltit Fort and Altit Fort, the two old forts above Karimabad
- Attabad Lake, formed by the landslide of 4 January 2010, and the five tunnels beside it
- The Hussaini suspension bridge and the Passu Cones in upper Hunza
- Sunset over Rakaposhi and the valley from Duikar, the Eagle's Nest viewpoint
Good for: Friends and couples short on leave, Travellers who don't mind long drives, A first look at Hunza.
A private trip for your group. Dates, pace and hotels are set around you and confirmed in writing with your quote.
Travel note, October 2026: Babusar Top has been closed by heavy snow since about 13 October and normally stays shut until late May or June. Until it reopens, the road route is the Karakoram Highway through Besham and Dasu with a night in Chilas each way, which makes the first and last days 12 hours or more; flying to Gilgit is the easier choice. Emergency and governor's rule were declared in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 11 October and some roads in the province have been blocked, so we confirm the road through Hazara the day before you leave.
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Day 1
Islamabad to Naran
We collect you early in Islamabad or Rawalpindi and take the Hazara Motorway to Mansehra, then the N-15 up through Balakot and the Kaghan valley. Naran is at 2,409 m and about 245 km from Islamabad. With stops for breakfast, prayers and tea, the drive takes 6 to 8 hours, longer on summer weekends when the valley road is busy. Arriving by mid-afternoon leaves time for a walk along the river and an early night before the long day over the pass.
Drive: About 6 to 8 hours, 245 km · Night: Naran
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Day 2
Over Babusar Top to Karimabad
The longest day. Babusar Top is about 65 km above Naran, and in recent seasons the police have allowed traffic over it only in daylight, so we leave soon after dawn. After a short stop at the top the road drops to Chilas (1,265 m), which is very hot in summer, and joins the Karakoram Highway north to Gilgit. From Gilgit it is about 100 km up the Hunza river to Karimabad, with a stop at Ghulmet for Rakaposhi if the light allows. Expect to arrive in the evening.
Drive: About 9 to 11 hours, 350 km · Night: Karimabad
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Day 3
Attabad Lake, Passu and the Karimabad forts
Your one full day in Hunza, so it is a busy one. In the morning we drive about 50 km up the highway, through the tunnels beside Attabad Lake, to the Hussaini suspension bridge and the viewpoint for the Passu Cones, with time at the lake for a boat ride if you want one. Back in Karimabad after lunch you visit Baltit Fort or Altit Fort, or both if you move quickly, and finish at Duikar, the Eagle's Nest viewpoint, a short steep drive above the town, for sunset.
Drive: About 3 hours in all, 100 km · Night: Karimabad
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Day 4
Karimabad back to Naran
We leave at first light to reach Babusar while the road is open in daylight. The route is Day 2 in reverse: down the Hunza river to Gilgit, south on the Karakoram Highway to Chilas, then the long climb to Babusar Top and the descent into the Kaghan valley. It is another long day in the car, so pack snacks, water and a warm layer for the top, where it is cold even in July. Dinner and the night are in Naran.
Drive: About 9 to 11 hours, 350 km · Night: Naran
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Day 5
Naran to Islamabad
A later start than the last two days. The road follows the Kunhar river down through Kaghan and Balakot to Mansehra, where we rejoin the Hazara Motorway for the run into Islamabad. If time allows we stop at a riverside spot in the valley for tea. We drop you at home or your hotel in Islamabad or Rawalpindi by evening, traffic on the motorway permitting.
Drive: About 6 to 8 hours, 245 km
The detail
What your quote covers
What is included
- Private car, or a coaster for larger groups, with an experienced mountain driver
- Fuel, motorway tolls, and the driver's meals and room
- Hotel rooms on a twin-share basis for four nights, with breakfast
- A tour coordinator on call for the whole trip
- Road and weather checks before each driving day, and route changes if a road closes
What is not
- Lunches and dinners
- Entry tickets for Baltit and Altit forts and any boat ride on Attabad Lake, paid at the gate
- Flights, if you choose to fly one way to or from Gilgit
- Extra nights or transport caused by road closures or landslides
- Personal costs such as tips, snacks, laundry and phone credit
- Travel insurance
Good to know before you book
Why Babusar and not the Karakoram Highway through Besham?
In summer Babusar is quicker: Dawn reported that Diamer to Mansehra takes about seven hours over the pass against about 14 on the Karakoram Highway. It also avoids Kohistan, where landslides and the Dasu dam works cause long hold-ups, and the UK government advises against travel on the highway between Mansehra and Chilas. Babusar is only open from late May or June until the first heavy snow, so outside that season the highway is the only road and we add a night in Chilas each way.
Is five days really enough for Hunza by road?
It is enough for a first look, but four of the five days are spent mostly in the car, with one full day in the valley. If you can, add a sixth day in Karimabad, which turns Day 3 into two relaxed days. The other option is to fly one way between Islamabad and Gilgit, about an hour, which saves a full day of driving. Gilgit flights are operated by PIA in small aircraft and are cancelled in cloud, so we fly the outward leg, not the return.
Will the altitude be a problem?
You sleep no higher than about 2,500 m, in Naran and Karimabad, which most people manage without trouble. Babusar Top is 4,173 m, but you spend only a short stop there, and some people feel a headache or breathlessness that passes on the way down. If anyone in your group has a heart or lung condition, or is pregnant, speak to a doctor before booking and tell us.
What about phone signal, cash and fuel?
Signal is reasonable in Naran, Gilgit and Karimabad but drops for long stretches over Babusar and between Chilas and Gilgit. SCOM has the widest coverage in Gilgit-Baltistan; other networks mainly work in the towns. Bring enough cash from Islamabad, as small hotels, cafés and boat operators rarely take cards and cash machines in the valleys can be out of service. Fuel is our concern, not yours.
Is this trip suitable for children or older parents?
Physically it is easy, with short walks only, but the 9 to 11 hour days on Day 2 and Day 4 are hard on small children and older travellers, and the roads below Babusar are steep and winding. For families we suggest a seven-day version with a night in Chilas or Gilgit on the way up and down, or flying to Gilgit. Bring motion-sickness tablets if anyone needs them.
Before you go
Read up on the route
Kaghan Valley
Babusar Top Open or Closed? Opening Dates Explained
Babusar Top road update: when the pass opens and closes each year, why the dates move, and how to check today's road status before you set off.
Hunza
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