Skardu
Skardu by Road or Flight: Which Is Better?
Skardu by road or flight compared on time, cost, reliability, scenery and safety advice, with a clear recommendation for each length of trip and type of group.
Tour package · 6 days
Skardu in 6 days
Skardu is two long days from Islamabad by road, so a six-day trip gives you three days in Baltistan. We drive over the Babusar Pass in summer, stay in Chilas, and take the 167 km road through the Indus gorge from near Jaglot. Deosai is a day trip by jeep, because night camping and all hotels inside the park are now banned. If you would rather not spend four days in the car, Skardu has daily flights from Islamabad and we can fly you one or both ways.
- Duration
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Pickup from
- Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad International Airport
- Best months
- Mid June to September
- Effort
- Easy walking, but four long road days and a rough jeep day above 4,000 m
- Highest point
- 4,173 m at Babusar Top; the Deosai plateau averages 4,114 m
- Price
- On request
The route
Day by day
- Babusar Top (4,173 m) and the Indus gorge road to Skardu
- Shangrila (Lower Kachura) and the quieter Upper Kachura lake, both at about 2,500 m
- A day by jeep on the Deosai plateau, past Satpara Lake
- Shigar Fort, a 17th-century palace restored between 1999 and 2004
- The Sarfaranga cold desert on the way to Shigar
- Manthokha waterfall in Kharmang, about 55 m high, or Khaplu Palace instead
Good for: Friends and couples, Travellers comfortable with long drives, First trip to Baltistan.
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 the road route is now the Karakoram Highway through Besham and Dasu, with much longer first and last days. We could not confirm that the Deosai track is still open, and the plateau is normally under snow until June, so until then the Deosai day is replaced with Satpara Lake and a day trip to Khaplu. Flights to Skardu run all year, weather permitting. 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.
-
Day 1
Islamabad to Chilas over Babusar
A very early start, around dawn. We take the Hazara Motorway to Mansehra and the N-15 through the Kaghan valley to Naran, about 245 km, then climb about 65 km to Babusar Top. In recent seasons the police have allowed traffic over the pass in daylight only, which is why we leave so early. From the top the road drops to Chilas at 1,265 m on the Karakoram Highway. Chilas is very hot in summer, so we book rooms with air conditioning. If you prefer a gentler start, a night in Naran adds a day to the trip.
Drive: About 10 to 12 hours, 360 km · Night: Chilas
-
Day 2
Chilas to Skardu, then Shangrila and Upper Kachura
We follow the Karakoram Highway north towards Gilgit and turn east near Jaglot on to the Skardu road, 167 km through the Indus gorge. It was widened between 2017 and 2021 but was built without the tunnels once planned, so landslides still hold up traffic after rain. If we reach Skardu with daylight to spare, we drive 20 to 25 km out to Shangrila, the resort at Lower Kachura, and walk down to the clear water of Upper Kachura. If a landslide delays us, we visit them on the morning of Day 5 before leaving.
Drive: About 6 to 7 hours, 280 km · Night: Skardu
-
Day 3
The Deosai plateau by jeep
We change to a jeep with a local driver for the day. The road climbs past Satpara Lake (2,600 m) and becomes a rough track up to the plateau, a national park with an average height of 4,114 m and home to Himalayan brown bears. Depending on the track and the weather we go as far as Bara Pani or on to Sheosar Lake at the far side. Deosai is daytime only: night camping has been banned since September 2025, and no hotels or camps are allowed inside the park. We are back in Skardu by evening.
Drive: A full day by jeep, about 30 km to the edge of the plateau · Night: Skardu
-
Day 4
Shigar, then Manthokha or Khaplu
In the morning we drive through the Sarfaranga cold desert, about 20 to 25 minutes from Skardu, to Shigar, 30 km away, for Shigar Fort and the Amburiq Mosque, which local tradition dates to the 14th century. In the afternoon we head the other way on the Kargil road to Manthokha waterfall in Kharmang, about 80 km and two hours from Skardu. If you would rather see Khaplu Palace, Khaplu is about 100 km and 2.5 to 3 hours each way and fills the day on its own, so it replaces both Shigar and Manthokha.
Drive: About 6 to 7 hours in all, 220 km · Night: Skardu
-
Day 5
Skardu back to Chilas
We leave Skardu after breakfast and retrace the Indus gorge road to the Karakoram Highway, then turn south to Chilas. A stop near Jaglot, where the Gilgit river joins the Indus and the Karakoram, Hindu Kush and Himalaya ranges meet, breaks up the drive. You reach Chilas in the afternoon and have an early night before the last long day.
Drive: About 6 to 7 hours, 280 km · Night: Chilas
-
Day 6
Chilas to Islamabad over Babusar
Another early start to cross Babusar Top while the road is open in daylight. After the pass the road runs down through Naran, Kaghan and Balakot to Mansehra and the Hazara Motorway. Expect to reach Islamabad or Rawalpindi in the evening. If Babusar is closed by 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 five 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
- Deosai park fee and entry tickets for Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace, paid at the gate
- Flights, if you choose to fly one or both ways
- 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
Should we drive or fly to Skardu?
Driving both ways means four of your six days are spent largely on the road. PIA, Airblue and AirSial fly between Islamabad and Skardu, a flight of about an hour, and Skardu's long runway takes jet aircraft, so it is more dependable than Gilgit, though flights still stop in bad weather. Flying both ways gives you about four full days in Baltistan; flying one way saves two days. Flights are booked at your cost, and we quote the car and hotels around them.
Which road do we use, and is the KKH through Besham an option?
From mid June to September we use Babusar, which avoids Kohistan, where landslides and the Dasu dam works cause long delays. The UK government advises against travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas. When Babusar is closed, that highway is the only road: Islamabad to Chilas is then about 450 km and 12 hours or more. The Skardu road from Jaglot is open most of the year but can be blocked by landslides for hours or longer.
Why can't we stay overnight on Deosai?
After a brown bear injured a visitor near Bara Pani in September 2025, the Gilgit-Baltistan government banned night camping on the plateau. In December 2025 it also banned seasonal hotels, camps and other commercial set-ups inside the park. So Deosai is a day trip from Skardu. There is no signal and no fuel on the plateau, and it is cold and windy even in July, so bring a warm jacket, sunglasses and sun cream.
How hard is the altitude?
You sleep at 1,265 m in Chilas and about 2,230 m in Skardu. The two high points, Babusar Top at 4,173 m and the Deosai plateau at around 4,100 m, are crossed or visited in the day, with a return to lower ground the same evening. A headache and shortness of breath are common up high and ease on the way down. Anyone with a heart or lung condition should ask a doctor before booking.
Is it suitable for children or older parents?
The walking is easy, but the first and last days are 10 to 12 hours on mountain roads and the Deosai jeep track is rough and dusty. For small children or older parents we suggest flying at least one way, or a longer version with a night in Naran. Phone signal is patchy on the Babusar and Skardu roads, so download maps and music before you leave Islamabad.
Before you go
Read up on the route
Deosai
Skardu to Deosai: Route, Jeep and Timing
Skardu to Deosai by jeep: the route via Sadpara and Ali Malik Mar, how long each stage takes, and whether to go as a day trip or cross to Astore.
Deosai
Best Time to Visit Deosai Plains, Month by Month
The best time to visit Deosai is July for wildflowers, August for wildlife and September for quiet days. What each month of the short season is like.
More trips
Other packages like this
4 days
From Islamabad
Fairy Meadows and Nanga Parbat view in 4 days
Fly to Gilgit, jeep up from Raikot Bridge to Tato and walk to Fairy Meadows for two nights facing Nanga Parbat, with an optional walk to Beyal.
Price on request
View itinerary5 days
From Islamabad
Hunza Valley in 5 days
Five days by road from Islamabad, over Babusar in summer, with one full day in Hunza for the forts, Attabad Lake and the Passu Cones. Long drives, short stay.
Price on request
View itinerary6 days
From Islamabad
Chitral and the Kalash valleys in 6 days
Drive through the Lowari Tunnel to Chitral, visit the hot springs at Garam Chashma and spend two nights among the Kalasha in Bumburet, with Rumbur and Birir by day.
Price on request
View itinerary