GB General
Hunza and Skardu in One Trip: A 10-Day Itinerary
A 10-day Hunza and Skardu itinerary that flies into Skardu and drives home from Hunza, with the best order, each night's stop and the months it works.
Tour package · 9 days
Hunza and Skardu in 9 days
This is the combined northern trip by road, joining Hunza and Baltistan in one loop from Islamabad. We go up over the Babusar Pass to Hunza, cross to Skardu by the road through the Indus gorge, and come home over Babusar again, with a night in Chilas. Five of the nine days are mostly driving, but none is longer than the first two days of any road trip north, and there are four days to spend in the two valleys.
- Duration
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Pickup from
- Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad International Airport
- Best months
- Mid June to September
- Effort
- Easy walking, with several long road days and a rough jeep day above 4,000 m
- Highest point
- 4,173 m at Babusar Top (4,693 m if you add the Khunjerab Pass)
- Price
- On request
The route
Day by day
- Babusar Top (4,173 m) and the Kaghan valley
- Baltit and Altit forts, and sunset from the Eagle's Nest above Karimabad
- Attabad Lake, the Hussaini suspension bridge and the Passu Cones
- The 167 km Skardu road through the Indus gorge from near Jaglot
- Shangrila, Upper Kachura and Shigar Fort
- A day by jeep on the Deosai plateau, average height 4,114 m
Good for: Families with older children, Groups of friends, Couples with a week or more.
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 usually reopens in late May or June, so until then the trip runs on the Karakoram Highway through Besham and Dasu, with a night in Chilas on the way up as well and a longer drive home. We could not confirm that Deosai is still open, and it is normally under snow until June, so the Deosai day is replaced with Satpara Lake and Khaplu until then. Emergency and governor's rule were declared in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 11 October and some roads there have been blocked, so we check the road through Hazara before you leave.
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Day 1
Islamabad to Naran
We collect you in Islamabad or Rawalpindi in the morning and take the Hazara Motorway to Mansehra, then the N-15 up through Balakot and the Kaghan valley along the Kunhar river. Naran is at 2,409 m and about 245 km from Islamabad, a drive of 6 to 8 hours with stops, more on summer weekends. You arrive in the afternoon, with time to walk along the river before an early night.
Drive: About 6 to 8 hours, 245 km · Night: Naran
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Day 2
Over Babusar Top to Karimabad
We leave soon after dawn, because in recent seasons the police have allowed traffic over the pass in daylight only. Babusar Top is about 65 km above Naran. From there the road drops to Chilas (1,265 m) and joins the Karakoram Highway north to Gilgit, then follows the Hunza river for about 100 km to Karimabad. If the light allows, we stop at Ghulmet for the view of Rakaposhi (7,788 m). This is the longest day of the trip.
Drive: About 9 to 11 hours, 350 km · Night: Karimabad
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Day 3
Karimabad, the forts and the Eagle's Nest
A slower day after two in the car. In the morning you walk up through the bazaar to Baltit Fort, and later through the old village of Altit to Altit Fort. There is time for lunch and a rest in between. Towards evening we drive up the short, steep road to Duikar, the Eagle's Nest viewpoint, for sunset over Rakaposhi and the valley.
Drive: Short local drives · Night: Karimabad
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Day 4
Attabad Lake, Gulmit and Passu
We drive north through the five tunnels, about 7 km in all, that carry the highway past Attabad Lake, formed when a landslide blocked the Hunza river in January 2010. We stop at the lake, where boat rides are paid locally, walk in Gulmit, see the Hussaini suspension bridge and the Passu Cones, and return to Karimabad, about 50 km each way. If you want to stand on the Khunjerab Pass (4,693 m) at the China border, tell us when you book: it adds about five to six hours of driving and makes this a very long day.
Drive: About 3 hours in all, 100 km · Night: Karimabad
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Day 5
Karimabad to Skardu
We drive down the Hunza river to Gilgit, south on the Karakoram Highway to Jaglot, about 45 km south of Gilgit, where the Gilgit river joins the Indus and three mountain ranges meet, and then east on the 167 km Skardu road. The road was widened between 2017 and 2021, but it runs through a narrow gorge without tunnels, so rockfall and landslides can hold up traffic after rain. We stop for lunch on the way.
Drive: About 7 to 8 hours, 290 km · Night: Skardu
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Day 6
Shangrila, Upper Kachura and Shigar
In the morning we drive 20 to 25 km to Shangrila, the resort around Lower Kachura lake, and walk down to Upper Kachura, both at about 2,500 m. After lunch we cross the Sarfaranga cold desert, about 20 to 25 minutes from Skardu, to Shigar, 30 km from the town, for Shigar Fort, a 17th-century palace restored between 1999 and 2004, and the Amburiq Mosque. We are back in Skardu by evening.
Drive: About 3 hours in all, 110 km · Night: Skardu
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Day 7
The Deosai plateau by jeep
A full day in a jeep with a local driver. The road climbs past Satpara Lake (2,600 m) and turns into a rough track up to the plateau, a national park with an average height of 4,114 m. We go to Bara Pani or on to Sheosar Lake, depending on the track and the weather, and return to Skardu by evening. Overnight stays are not possible: night camping has been banned since September 2025 and hotels and camps are banned inside the park.
Drive: A full day by jeep, about 30 km to the edge of the plateau · Night: Skardu
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Day 8
Skardu to Chilas
We leave Skardu after breakfast, retrace the Indus gorge road to the Karakoram Highway and turn south to Chilas. The drive is shorter than Day 5 because there is no Hunza leg, and the stop near Jaglot where the rivers meet breaks it up. Chilas is very hot in summer, so we book rooms with air conditioning, and we make it an early night before the crossing of Babusar.
Drive: About 6 to 7 hours, 280 km · Night: Chilas
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Day 9
Chilas to Islamabad over Babusar
An early start to cross Babusar Top in the daylight hours, then down through Naran, Kaghan and Balakot to Mansehra and the Hazara Motorway. Stop for tea in Naran or by the river further down the valley. You reach Islamabad or Rawalpindi in the evening, depending on traffic on the motorway. If Babusar has closed for weather, we take the Karakoram Highway through Besham instead, which is longer; see the notes below.
Drive: About 10 to 12 hours, 360 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 eight nights, with breakfast
- Jeep with a local driver for the Deosai day
- 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 Fort, Altit Fort and Shigar Fort, and the Deosai and Khunjerab park fees, paid at the gate
- Boat rides on Attabad Lake, paid locally
- Flights, if you choose to fly one way
- Extra nights or transport caused by road closures or landslides
- Personal costs, such as tips and phone credit, and travel insurance
Good to know before you book
Why go up and down over Babusar?
It is the quicker road in summer: Dawn reported that Diamer to Mansehra takes about seven hours over the pass against about 14 on the Karakoram Highway. It also keeps you off the Kohistan stretch, where landslides and the Dasu dam works cause long delays and which the UK government advises against. Babusar opens in late May or June and closes with the first heavy snow, so outside the season we use the highway and add a night.
Can we fly part of the way?
Yes, and it takes a lot of the driving out. The best saving is flying home from Skardu, which PIA, Airblue and AirSial fly to Islamabad in about an hour; that removes Days 8 and 9 and leaves room for Khaplu or Manthokha. Gilgit flights are run by PIA in small aircraft and are often cancelled in cloud, so we would not rely on one for your return. Flights are booked at your cost.
How tiring is it for children and older parents?
The walks are short and easy, but Days 2 and 9 are 9 to 12 hours on mountain roads, and Days 5 and 8 are 6 to 8 hours. For small children or older parents, flying one way, or adding a night in Naran on the way home, makes a real difference. Bring motion-sickness tablets for the hill roads.
What about altitude?
You sleep no higher than about 2,500 m, in Naran, Karimabad and Skardu, and lower in Chilas. The high points are crossed in the day: Babusar Top at 4,173 m, the Deosai plateau at around 4,100 m, and Khunjerab at 4,693 m if you add it. Headaches and shortness of breath are common up high and ease on the way down. Check with a doctor first if anyone has a heart or lung condition.
Signal, cash and what to pack
Signal is fine in Karimabad, Gilgit and Skardu but disappears for long stretches on Babusar, the Indus gorge road and Deosai; SCOM has the widest coverage. Carry enough cash from Islamabad, because small hotels, boat operators and park gates usually want cash. Pack a warm jacket even in July for Babusar and Deosai, plus sunglasses and sun cream for the high ground.
Before you go
Read up on the route
Skardu
Hunza to Skardu by Road: Route and Travel Time
Hunza to Skardu distance is about 310 to 320 km by road via Gilgit, 7 to 8 hours. Stage distances, where to break the drive, and the Deosai route.
GB General
Hunza vs Skardu: Which Should You Visit First?
Hunza or Skardu for your first trip north? A side-by-side on getting there, scenery, hotels, cost, family travel and the best months for each.
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