Best of Pakistan's Northern Mountains: Hunza, Karakoram Highway, Skardu, Fairy Meadows, Nanga Parbat & Gilgit-Baltistan - A 2026 First-Person Advisory Guide

Browse more guides: Pakistan travel | Asia destinations

Best of Pakistan's Northern Mountains: Hunza, Karakoram Highway, Skardu, Fairy Meadows, Nanga Parbat & Gilgit-Baltistan - A 2026 First-Person Advisory Guide

I have been chasing high mountains for more than a decade, and I can say without flinching that the Pakistani north broke my expectations the way no other range ever has. Five of the world's fourteen 8000 metre peaks stand inside a single administrative region, the Karakoram Highway threads a road through gorges that should not, by any reasonable engineering logic, contain a road, and the people in Hunza and Baltistan greeted me with a calm that did not match a single headline I had read on the way in. This is the guide I wish I had when I first started planning. It is honest about the advisory situation, specific about the logistics, and written for travellers who care about getting the details right.

TL;DR

The Pakistani northern mountains, meaning Gilgit-Baltistan and the upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belt, are the highest density of giant peaks on Earth. K2 at 8,611 metres is the world's second-highest summit. Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres, the Killer Mountain, is the ninth. The Karakoram Highway, the N-35, runs 1,300 kilometres from Hasan Abdal to the Khunjerab Pass at 4,693 metres on the China border, was completed in 1979 after 800 Pakistani and around 230 Chinese workers died building it, and is still called the eighth wonder of the world. Hunza Valley at roughly 2,500 metres, Skardu at 2,228 metres in Baltistan, Fairy Meadows at 3,300 metres looking onto Nanga Parbat, and the Deosai Plains at 4,114 metres, the highest plateau on Earth, are the headline destinations. Naltar Valley with its colored lakes and the Shandur Pass at 3,719 metres, where the world's highest polo festival is played each July, round out the worth visiting short list.

I have to put the advisory framing first because it matters. Many Western governments, including the United States Department of State and the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, maintain raised travel warnings for Pakistan as a whole, and some regions remain firmly off-limits. The picture on the ground is more granular than the country-level warnings suggest. Gilgit-Baltistan is, by most current assessments, the most travel-permitted area in Pakistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is more mixed, with parts welcoming and parts restricted. Always check your own government's current Pakistan advisory before booking, and recheck within two weeks of departure. Also confirm No Objection Certificate, the NOC, requirements for any trekking near border areas, and register with your embassy on arrival. With that done, plan ten to fourteen days, fly Islamabad to Skardu or Gilgit on PIA or airblue when possible, hire a 4WD with driver for the Karakoram Highway sections, budget around USD 60 for a 30 day e-visa or USD 150 for the new 5 year multi-entry visa expanded in 2025, and travel May through October with peak window July to August. Bring layers for four seasons in one day, SPF 50 plus sunscreen, Diamox if you are altitude sensitive, and patience for checkpoints. The reward is scenery that genuinely does not have an equivalent anywhere else on the planet.

Why Pakistani northern matters in 2026

The Pakistani north is not a niche mountain destination. It is, by any honest measure, the global epicentre of high altitude geography. Five 8000 metre peaks sit inside Pakistan, four of them in the Karakoram, and they are all within roughly two hundred kilometres of each other. K2, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum I at 8,080 metres, Gasherbrum II at 8,035 metres, and Broad Peak at 8,051 metres make Gilgit-Baltistan the only place on Earth where you can stand at a single Baltoro Glacier waypoint, Concordia at 4,730 metres, and see four 8000 metre summits at once. No other range, not the Nepal Himalaya, not the Tibetan Plateau, offers that density.

Pakistan has also been pushing tourism more deliberately since around 2018. The e-visa system that launched in 2019 is now expanded with a 5 year multi-entry option since 2025, foreign arrivals are tracked and welcomed at gateways, and Gilgit-Baltistan has a dedicated Tourism Police force whose job is specifically to make foreign visitors feel safe and oriented. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor, CPEC, signed in 2013 and built out aggressively through the 2020s, has poured infrastructure money into the Karakoram Highway corridor, with road widening, new bridges, and better connectivity from Islamabad straight up to the Chinese border at Khunjerab. The friendship with China, which co-built the original Karakoram Highway in the 1960s and 1970s, is a structural feature of the region that you feel in the road signs, the truck traffic, and the joint border zone.

Gilgit-Baltistan administrative region covers 72,971 square kilometres with a population of about 2 million across ten districts.
The Karakoram Highway is 1,300 kilometres long, runs from Hasan Abdal to the Khunjerab Pass at 4,693 metres on the China border, was completed in 1979 after twenty years of construction, and is regularly called the eighth wonder of the world.
K2 at 8,611 metres is the world's second-highest mountain after Everest, sits on the Pakistan China border in the Karakoram, and has a summit fatality rate near 25 percent historically, among the deadliest of the 8000 metre peaks.
Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres is the ninth-highest in the world, known as the Killer Mountain because of more than thirty deaths during early summiting attempts in the twentieth century, and was first solo summited by Reinhold Messner in 1970.
The Deosai Plains, locally called the Land of the Giants, sit at an average elevation of 4,114 metres, cover more than 3,000 square kilometres, hold the Himalayan brown bear population, and erupt into wildflower bloom from July to August.
Hunza Valley sits at around 2,500 metres along the Hunza River, with Rakaposhi at 7,788 metres towering directly above the valley floor for one of the most dramatic vertical relief views on Earth.
Fairy Meadows at 3,300 metres is the classic base for the north face approach to Nanga Parbat, accessible only June through September via a notoriously narrow 4WD road from Raikot Bridge on the Karakoram Highway.

Background - Gandhara, Silk Road, the British, and the Karakoram Highway

The Pakistani north has been a corridor for almost as long as humans have moved across Asia. The Gandhara civilisation, with its Greco Buddhist art that fused Hellenistic sculpture with early Mahayana Buddhism, flourished here from roughly the 4th century BCE through the 7th century CE. After Alexander the Great's campaigns into the Indus, the Indo Greek kingdoms ruled parts of the region, and Buddhist monasteries dotted the valleys. The 7th century pilgrim Xuanzang recorded thriving Buddhist communities in what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Gilgit corridor. You can still see this layer at the Kargah Buddha, a 7th century rock carving near Gilgit, and at sites scattered through Swat and the upper Indus.

Islamic conquest reached the region in the 8th century, and from then through the medieval period the area saw waves of rule, Mongol incursions in the 13th century, Mughal influence from the 16th to 18th centuries, Sikh expansion under Ranjit Singh in the early 19th century, and finally British annexation in 1849 after the Second Anglo Sikh War. The British administered the region through a mix of direct rule and tributary princely states, and the Hunza and Nagar valleys remained semi independent kingdoms with their own Mirs until well into the twentieth century. Partition in 1947 was traumatic and reshaped the entire region. The Gilgit Scouts rose against Maharaja Hari Singh's Dogra rule in November 1947, and Gilgit-Baltistan was administratively added to Pakistan in 1948, though its constitutional status has remained distinct from the rest of the country ever since, and it borders the Kashmir, China, and India tri border zone that is one of the most geopolitically sensitive corners of Asia.

The story of the Karakoram Highway is its own chapter. Pakistan and China began the road in 1959, completed it in 1979 after twenty years of work in some of the most unstable rock and weather on Earth, and lost roughly 800 Pakistani workers and 230 Chinese workers to landslides, falls, and accidents during construction. The CPEC framework signed in 2013 brought a second wave of investment, rebuilding sections damaged by the 2010 Attabad landslide and widening the road for heavy freight traffic into China. The Karakoram Highway is, in every sense that matters, the artery of the modern Pakistani north.

5 Tier-1 Destinations

Hunza Valley & Rakaposhi

Hunza is where most people fall in love with the Pakistani north, and I understand why. The valley sits at around 2,500 metres along the Hunza River at roughly 36.32 N, 74.65 E, with Karimabad as its capital and cultural centre. Karimabad climbs the hillside in terraced layers of stone houses, apricot orchards, and small guesthouses, and looks directly at Rakaposhi at 7,788 metres across the valley. Rakaposhi rises 5,800 metres of vertical relief from the river to its summit, one of the steepest vertical drops in the world, and on clear mornings you can see it from your breakfast table, no exaggeration.

The two great forts of Hunza anchor the cultural visit. Baltit Fort, perched above Karimabad at roughly 36.32 N, 74.66 E, is about 700 years old in its current form, restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in the 1990s, and served as the seat of the Mirs of Hunza for centuries. The carved wooden balconies, the throne room, and the view from the upper terrace across the valley to Rakaposhi are worth half a day on their own. Altit Fort, slightly older at roughly 1,000 years, sits in the village of Altit just below Karimabad, and feels less restored, more raw, with stone defensive walls and an intact royal quarter.

Beyond the forts, Hunza is a hub for short excursions. Hopper Glacier, about an hour and a half from Karimabad, is a black surface glacier you can walk onto with a local guide. The Hussaini Suspension Bridge near the village of Khaibar, built around 1968, is a 60 metre wood and rope crossing over the Hunza River that has appeared on more lists of the world's most dangerous bridges than it probably deserves, but is genuinely something to walk. Attabad Lake, created in January 2010 when a massive landslide blocked the Hunza River, stretches 21 kilometres of turquoise water and is now a centrepiece of the upper valley, with boat rides, a few lakeside cafes, and a series of tunnels rebuilt by the Chinese to bypass the submerged road. Cherry blossom season in April and May turns the entire valley pink and white, and apricot harvest in July is its own quiet wonder.

I would not give Hunza less than three full days. Four is better. The pace of the valley does not reward rushing, and the light at dawn and dusk on Rakaposhi is the kind of thing you remember in detail years later.

Skardu & Baltistan

Skardu sits at 2,228 metres in a wide bowl where the Indus and the Shigar rivers meet, at roughly 35.30 N, 75.63 E. It is the capital of Baltistan, the eastern half of Gilgit-Baltistan, and the launching point for almost every serious expedition into the Karakoram, including K2 base camp. The town itself is a low spread of bazaars, mosques, and government buildings under a wall of brown desert mountains, and at first glance it does not look like much. Then you start exploring the valleys around it, and Baltistan opens up.

Shangrila Resort at Lower Kachura Lake, about half an hour from Skardu, is the tourist anchor most visitors know. Built in 1983 around a small turquoise lake with a famous lakeside cottage made from the fuselage of a crashed DC-3, it is a comfortable mid-range base. Upper Kachura Lake nearby is quieter and arguably more beautiful, with a swimmable basin of clear water. Shigar Fort, the Fong Khar, was built in 1634 in the Mughal style by the Raja of Shigar, restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 2005, and now operates as a heritage hotel. Khaplu Palace, built around 1840 by the Raja of Khaplu in the Yabgo dynasty, sits two and a half hours east of Skardu in the Shyok River valley and is another restored heritage stay.

The crown of any Skardu trip, though, is Deosai. The Deosai Plains at 4,114 metres are the highest plateau on Earth and cover more than 3,000 square kilometres of rolling alpine tundra. From late June through early September the plateau is reachable by 4WD from Skardu, and from July to August it bursts into a wildflower bloom that does not feel real until you are standing in it. Deosai National Park protects the last viable population of Himalayan brown bears in Pakistan, and you have a reasonable chance of seeing them from a respectful distance. Concordia, 8 to 12 days of trekking from Askole village to the meeting point of the Baltoro and Godwin-Austen glaciers at 4,730 metres, is where you stand among four 8000 metre peaks, K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I, and Gasherbrum II, all visible at once.

Plan at least three days in Skardu for the town, Shangrila, and a Deosai day trip. Add a full week if Concordia or K2 base camp is on your list, plus acclimatisation buffer days.

Karakoram Highway & Khunjerab Pass

The Karakoram Highway is not a side trip. It is the trip itself. The 1,300 kilometre N-35 from Hasan Abdal near Islamabad to the Khunjerab Pass at 4,693 metres on the Chinese border is the highest paved international road in the world, was completed in 1979, took twenty years of construction with the loss of more than a thousand workers between the two countries, and crosses the collision zone where the Indian and Eurasian plates are still actively pushing the Karakoram skyward at a measurable rate every year.

The road has personalities along its length. The stretch from Besham to Chilas runs through the Indus gorge with sheer rock walls that close in to the river, the kind of section where you stop the jeep just to look up. Around Chilas you cross into Gilgit-Baltistan and the geology shifts. From Gilgit to Hunza, the highway opens into the wide green valley with Rakaposhi as the constant backdrop. North of Hunza, around Gulmit and Passu, you reach the Passu Cones, also called the Cathedral Spires, a row of needle sharp peaks at roughly 36.46 N, 74.86 E that look unreal even when you are standing in front of them. Khunjerab National Park, 27 square kilometres of alpine zone near the border, protects Marco Polo sheep, ibex, and snow leopards, and you may see ibex from the road.

The Khunjerab Pass itself, the actual Pakistan China border crossing, opens seasonally from April to November and closes for winter snow. Foreign tourists can drive up to the border marker on the Pakistan side, photograph the gate, and turn around, but crossing into China requires a separate Chinese visa and usually a pre-arranged tour. The drive from Hunza to Khunjerab and back is a long day, around four hours each way, and the altitude jump matters. Do not attempt it without spending at least two nights at Hunza altitude first.

For the highway itself, plan a slow north-to-south or south-to-north route over at least seven days. A 4WD with driver costs USD 80 to 150 per day depending on season and itinerary, and is more than worth it.

Fairy Meadows & Nanga Parbat

Fairy Meadows is one of those places that earned its English name from a German climber, Hermann Buhl, who described it during the 1953 first ascent of Nanga Parbat, and the name stuck. The meadows sit at 3,300 metres on a forested shelf directly opposite the north face of Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres, the world's ninth-highest mountain and Pakistan's Killer Mountain, at roughly 35.39 N, 74.58 E. The mountain has killed more than thirty climbers across its history, including an entire German expedition in 1934 and another in 1937, and was first summited by Hermann Buhl in 1953 in one of the most extraordinary solo pushes in mountaineering history, then first solo summited by Reinhold Messner in 1970 in another era defining climb.

Getting to Fairy Meadows is part of the experience and part of the warning. From the Karakoram Highway at Raikot Bridge, you transfer to a local 4WD jeep for the 9 kilometre climb to the village of Tato. The road has appeared on lists of the world's most dangerous roads for good reason, narrow, unpaved, with sheer drops and no guardrails, and only local drivers who know it are permitted to drive it. From Tato village, you trek roughly 5 kilometres on foot, or on horseback, up to the Fairy Meadows campsite. The whole transfer from Raikot Bridge takes most of a day. The campsite is wooden huts and cabins set in the alpine meadow facing the mountain, no electricity beyond solar, no real network, and a star field at night that is genuinely overwhelming.

From Fairy Meadows you can trek higher to Beyal Camp at around 3,600 metres for a closer view, or onward to Nanga Parbat base camp at the Rakhiot Glacier at around 4,200 metres for a full day round trip. The site is accessible only from June through September, closes in winter due to heavy snow, and even in season the weather can shut down the jeep road for days. Plan three nights minimum at Fairy Meadows to absorb the place and to give yourself a buffer for weather.

Naltar Valley & Phander

Naltar Valley is the surprise of the Pakistani north. About three to four hours by 4WD from Gilgit, accessed up a rough side road from Nomal, Naltar sits at roughly 36.16 N, 74.18 E in a pine forest bowl between mountain walls. The valley is best known for its three colored lakes, Pari Lake, Bashkiri Lake, and Naltar Lake, that range across an unreal palette of turquoise, emerald, and deep blue depending on light and season. The Pakistan Air Force runs the Naltar Ski Resort at 2,900 metres, the country's main ski destination, with limited but real lift skiing from December through March. In summer the same slopes are alpine meadow grazing for shepherds, and the contrast is striking.

Phander Valley, further west in the Ghizer district, is another quieter alternative. The Khalti Lake stretches around 12 kilometres along the Ghizer River, the water is a deep glacier blue, and the village of Phander itself is a string of stone houses and small guesthouses with a slower pace than Hunza. From Phander you can push further west to Mastuj, then over the Shandur Pass to Chitral if you have the time and the right vehicle. Yarkhun Valley to the north of Mastuj is one of the least visited corners of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one of the most beautiful, but it requires careful permit and security checks.

The Shandur Pass at 3,719 metres is called the Roof of the World, and each July it hosts the Shandur Polo Festival, where teams from Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral play on the world's highest polo ground. The festival runs three to four days, typically in the second or third week of July, draws thousands of spectators, and is one of the most genuine cultural experiences in South Asia. Plan two days for Naltar, three or four if you continue to Phander and Shandur.

5 Tier-2 Destinations

Gilgit city, population around 56,000, the administrative gateway capital with the Gilgit Airport linking flights to Islamabad. The Kargah Buddha, a 7th century Buddhist rock carving in the cliff face about 10 kilometres outside town, is a quick and underrated stop. Gilgit also has the most reliable banks, ATMs, and pharmacies in the region, useful for restocking.
Chitral district, sitting in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa just west of Gilgit-Baltistan, with Tirich Mir at 7,708 metres dominating the skyline as the highest peak of the Hindu Kush. The Kalash valleys of Bumburet, Rumbur, and Birir hold one of the oldest continuous polytheistic cultures in South Asia, a community of around 3,000 to 4,000 Kalash people with their own language and festivals. Check current security advisories carefully for Chitral, status changes month to month.
Astor Valley, accessed from Jaglot on the Karakoram Highway, leads up to Rama Lake at around 3,300 metres with a direct view of Nanga Parbat from a different angle than Fairy Meadows. The drive is rough but doable in a 4WD, and the valley remains lightly visited.
Misgar and Chipursan, the remote far north valleys just below Khunjerab. Chipursan in particular has a Wakhi cultural community, links to the Pamir, and a shrine to the saint Baba Ghundi. Permits and current security check required.
Hushe and Machulu valleys east of Khaplu in Baltistan, the launching points for the Masherbrum massif and the Gondogoro La trek. Less visited than the Concordia route and excellent for a quieter Karakoram trek experience.

Cost Table

All prices in May 2026 reckoning. PKR to USD parity moves, but the ratio has been roughly 280 to 285 PKR per USD through early 2026. INR figures are conversion only.

Item	PKR	USD	INR
Hostel dorm bed Gilgit or Karimabad Hunza	1,400 to 2,800	5 to 10	420 to 830
Mid-range guesthouse Hunza per night	5,600 to 11,000	20 to 40	1,660 to 3,330
Boutique heritage Shangrila Resort Skardu	22,000 to 42,000	80 to 150	6,650 to 12,500
PIA or airblue Islamabad to Skardu one way 1 hour	19,000 to 28,000	70 to 100	5,830 to 8,330
PIA Islamabad to Gilgit one way	17,000 to 25,000	60 to 90	5,000 to 7,500
4WD with driver Karakoram Highway per day	22,000 to 42,000	80 to 150	6,650 to 12,500
Fairy Meadows full transfer jeep plus porter plus guide	28,000 to 56,000	100 to 200	8,330 to 16,660
K2 base camp 12 day full outfitter trek	420,000 to 840,000	1,500 to 3,000	124,800 to 249,600
Hunza homestay with traditional meals per day	5,600 to 11,000	20 to 40	1,660 to 3,330
Local meal chapshuro plus chai bazaar	280 to 700	1 to 2.50	85 to 210
Pakistan e-visa 30 day	17,000	60	5,000
Pakistan 5 year multi-entry visa	42,000	150	12,500
NOC and GB Tourism Police permit	8,500	30	2,500
Domestic SIM with data 30 day Zong or Telenor	1,400 to 2,000	5 to 7	420 to 580

A realistic ten day Hunza plus Skardu plus Fairy Meadows budget, two travellers sharing, mid range, comes out around USD 1,800 to 2,400 per person including domestic flights and a private driver. Solo travellers using public transport and homestays can reasonably do the same itinerary on USD 800 to 1,200.

How to Plan a 10 to 14 Day Northern Pakistan Trip

Advisory check first, always. Many Western governments, including the United States and the United Kingdom, maintain raised travel warnings for Pakistan as a whole. The picture by region is more granular. Gilgit-Baltistan is, by most current assessments, the most travel permitted area, and many parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also welcoming, though some areas remain restricted. Check your own government's current Pakistan advisory before booking, recheck within two weeks of departure, register with your embassy on arrival, and confirm NOC requirements for any trekking near border zones. Do not travel on outdated information.

When to go. May through October is the practical window. April brings Hunza cherry blossom and is genuinely beautiful but cold at altitude. May and June are warming, fewer crowds, ideal for the lower valleys. July and August are peak, with the Deosai wildflower bloom, the Shandur Polo Festival in mid July, and the most reliable weather for Fairy Meadows and high trekking, but also the busiest. September and October bring crisp air, golden poplars in Hunza, and quieter trails. November through March is mostly closed for trekking, with Naltar skiing as the main winter draw.

Getting around. PIA and airblue both run Islamabad to Skardu and Islamabad to Gilgit flights, with flight time around one hour, but they are weather dependent and frequently delayed or cancelled, so always build a buffer day if you are flying. The Karakoram Highway is your alternative, a 14 to 18 hour drive from Islamabad to Gilgit or longer to Skardu. Inside the region, rent a 4WD with driver for the Karakoram Highway and side valleys, around USD 80 to 150 per day. Public buses connect Gilgit and Skardu and the main valleys, but are slow and not comfortable.

Accommodation. Hunza has the best mix in the region, ranging from homestays at USD 20 per night to the Hunza Serena Inn at the upper end. Skardu has Shangrila Resort, Mashabrum Hotel, and a growing boutique scene at Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace. Fairy Meadows is wooden cabins only, basic but adequate. Book ahead in July and August.

Visa and permits. The Pakistan e-visa is now USD 60 for a 30 day single entry or USD 150 for a 5 year multi-entry, the latter expanded in 2025. Apply online at the official Nadra portal at least two weeks before travel. Gilgit-Baltistan trekking permits, the NOC, are required for some routes, especially near the China and India borders, processed through the GB Tourism Police at around USD 30. A licensed outfitter handles all of this for major treks.

Language. Urdu is the lingua franca everyone speaks. Pashto is widely used in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Gilgit-Baltistan you will hear Burushaski in Hunza, Wakhi in upper Hunza and Chipursan, Shina across most of the central valleys, and Balti in Skardu and the eastern Baltistan zone. Learning even five words in the local language earns enormous goodwill.

8 FAQs

Is Pakistan safe to travel right now?
This is the question that matters most, and the honest answer is that the picture is regional. Gilgit-Baltistan, where Hunza, Skardu, Fairy Meadows, and the Karakoram Highway sit, is by most current assessments the most travel permitted area in Pakistan, and the tourism infrastructure including the GB Tourism Police is built around foreign visitors. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is mixed, with parts welcoming, parts restricted. Always check your own government's current Pakistan advisory before booking, recheck within two weeks of departure, register with your embassy on arrival, and confirm permit requirements. I have travelled the northern circuit and felt safer at most checkpoints than in some large international cities, but your government's advisory still binds you and should be your primary reference. Solo female travellers regularly report positive experiences in Hunza and Skardu specifically, with appropriate dress and cultural respect.

What is the best time of year for the Pakistani north?
May through October is the practical window. July and August are peak season with Deosai in bloom, the Shandur Polo Festival, and reliable Fairy Meadows weather, but also the most crowded. May to June is shoulder, with thinner crowds, cherry blossoms in late April and early May at lower Hunza, and increasingly green valleys. September and October are my personal favourite, crisp clear air, autumn poplars in Hunza, fewer travellers, but you need to move quickly because passes close from late October as snow comes in. Avoid November through March unless you specifically want winter skiing at Naltar or cold weather culture in Skardu town.

How long does the Karakoram Highway drive take?
Islamabad to Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway is roughly 14 to 18 hours of driving depending on conditions, military checkpoints, and weather. Most people break it over two days with an overnight at Chilas or Besham. Gilgit to Hunza is about 2 to 3 hours, Hunza to Khunjerab Pass is around 4 hours each way. Gilgit to Skardu is around 6 hours on the now improved Skardu road, or you can fly the one hour PIA route directly from Islamabad. For most travellers, flying one direction and driving the other is the right balance, you see the road and save a day.

Do I need permits to trek in Gilgit-Baltistan?
For most popular routes like Fairy Meadows, day treks around Hunza, and the Deosai Plains crossing, no special permit is required beyond your visa. For Concordia, K2 base camp, and trekking near restricted border zones, you need an NOC and trekking permit processed through the GB Tourism Police, typically arranged by your outfitter, costing around USD 30 to 60 plus outfitter fees. Always ask your operator about permits at the booking stage, not on arrival. Climbing permits for 8000 metre peaks are a separate and far more expensive category handled by the Alpine Club of Pakistan.

What should I pack for the Pakistani north?
Layers for four seasons in one day, even in summer. A warm down or synthetic jacket, fleece mid layer, breathable base layers, waterproof shell, sturdy hiking boots already broken in, and a hat plus gloves even in July at high altitude. Sun protection is non negotiable, SPF 50 plus sunscreen, polarised sunglasses for snow and glacier glare, and lip balm with SPF. Bring a power bank, headlamp, water purification tablets or a filter, modest dress for villages and mosques, and a basic first aid kit including Diamox for altitude. ATMs in Hunza and Skardu work for international cards but not always reliably, so bring some USD cash to exchange.

Can I drink the water and what about food safety?
Tap water is not safe to drink anywhere, including Islamabad and Gilgit. Use bottled water from sealed bottles, or better, use a filter or purification system to reduce plastic waste. Cooked food at established restaurants is generally fine, and Hunza cuisine is one of the most surprising regional cuisines in Asia, with chapshuro meat pies, mulberry and apricot jams, walnut breads, and Hunza pani, the local water with reputed health properties. Avoid uncooked salads in budget places. Street chai is universally good. Dengue risk in the Punjab lowlands is real, so use DEET 30 plus and long sleeves at lower elevations.

What is the connectivity situation, internet and phone?
Pakistan has 4G across most of Hunza, Skardu town, and the Karakoram Highway from Gilgit north as far as Sost. Zong and Telenor are the two main carriers worth getting a SIM with, around PKR 1,400 to 2,000 for 30 days with data. Buy at Islamabad airport on arrival, you will need your passport. In Fairy Meadows, upper Naltar, and the Deosai Plains, expect no signal. WiFi at guesthouses is variable and slow. VPN apps work in Pakistan but should be installed before arrival, and some social media platforms have intermittent restrictions, so plan accordingly.

How do I get money out, are ATMs reliable?
Mixed picture. Islamabad and Lahore have full ATM access for international Visa and Mastercard. Gilgit and Skardu have functioning ATMs at major banks including Habib Bank, MCB, and Allied Bank, but they go down regularly and sometimes do not accept foreign cards. Hunza Karimabad has limited ATM access. The safe approach is to withdraw a substantial PKR float in Islamabad on arrival, carry some USD cash for emergency exchange at hotels and forex shops, and use credit cards only at upper end hotels which accept them. Mobile wallets like JazzCash are local only.

Useful Phrases

Language	Hello	Thank you	How much	Other
Urdu	as-salam-u-alaikum	shukria	kitne ka hai	accha ji means okay
Burushaski Hunza	huch	shukria	beruum baat	jamaate good
Wakhi	shu nast	tsharyab	chund pul	safed white
Shina	shukur	mehrbani	kapesht haa	atcha good
Balti Skardu	yousha	shukur	yek che	thiq right

Food words worth knowing across the region include chapshuro, the Hunza meat filled pie, momo, Tibetan style dumplings common in Baltistan, chapati, the standard flatbread, dal for lentil dishes, biryani for spiced rice meals, and chai for the universal milk tea that arrives at every social encounter. Refusing chai is borderline rude. Drink the chai.

Cultural Notes

The Pakistani north is more religiously and ethnically diverse than the country level picture suggests. Hunza is largely Ismaili Muslim, followers of the Aga Khan, and the Ismaili emphasis on education has produced female literacy rates around 99 percent in Hunza, among the highest in South Asia, and a culture that is genuinely warm to foreign visitors, including women travellers. The Aga Khan Development Network has been the driving force behind much of the modernisation of Hunza over the past four decades, from school networks to fort restoration to economic development.

Baltistan is largely Shia and Sufi Muslim, with strong cultural and historical ties to Tibet and Ladakh, visible in architecture, language, and cuisine. The Diamer district along the central Karakoram Highway is more conservative Sunni and the social atmosphere is more formal. The Kalash valleys of Chitral hold a small surviving polytheistic culture that predates Islam in the region and is unique in South Asia.

Practical etiquette matters. Modest dress for both men and women, shoulders and knees covered, and a headscarf for women when entering mosques. Three cups of tea is the traditional welcome and refusing it is awkward. Ask before photographing people, especially women, and respect a no. Alcohol is illegal in Pakistan for Muslims and largely unavailable for foreigners outside specific licensed venues at major hotels in Islamabad. Plan around this, it is an Islamic republic and the rules are real.

The Karakoram Highway and the Khunjerab border with China carry their own diplomatic weight. The road is often called the eighth wonder of the world because of the engineering scale, and the Pakistan China friendship that built it remains a structural part of regional politics. CPEC investment has visibly improved infrastructure since 2013 but also introduced new traffic patterns and military presence along the corridor. The Khunjerab border crossing requires a separate Chinese visa for crossing, and the entry rules for foreigners at the Pakistan side gate change periodically, so confirm with your driver or a tourism office in Hunza before making the trip up.

Pre-Trip Preparation

Visa. Pakistan e-visa is now USD 60 for a 30 day single entry or USD 150 for the 5 year multi-entry expanded in 2025. Apply at the official online portal at least two weeks before travel, with passport bio page, photograph, hotel booking, and return flight. The e-visa has dramatically simplified Pakistan travel since the older paper visa system.

Permits. NOC for trekking near borders is processed through GB Tourism Police at around USD 30. For major treks like Concordia or K2 base camp, your licensed outfitter handles the permit chain.

Vaccinations. Standard recommendations include hepatitis A and typhoid, with cholera advisable for longer or rural stays. Routine vaccines including MMR, tetanus, and polio should be current. Yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from a yellow fever zone, not otherwise. Consult a travel clinic six weeks before departure.

Altitude. Hunza at 2,500 metres is generally well tolerated for healthy travellers without prep, Deosai at 4,114 metres, Khunjerab at 4,693 metres, and Concordia at 4,730 metres are altitudes where Acute Mountain Sickness is a real risk. Diamox, acetazolamide, is the standard prophylactic, taken under medical guidance, and acclimatisation by spending two or three nights at Hunza altitude before pushing higher is more effective than any drug. Hydrate aggressively, avoid alcohol, and descend if symptoms get worse.

Clothing. Layered system for four seasons in one day. Down or synthetic jacket, fleece mid layer, breathable base layers, waterproof shell, hat, gloves, neck gaiter, two pairs of broken in hiking boots if trekking. UV at altitude is extreme, so SPF 50 plus sunscreen and polarised sunglasses are not optional. A hat with a brim helps.

Lowland precautions. Dengue is present in Punjab and Sindh during monsoon. Use DEET 30 plus or picaridin, wear long sleeves in the evening when transiting Islamabad or Lahore, and consider a permethrin treated travel layer. Drinking water from sealed bottles or filtered only, no tap.

Money. Withdraw a PKR float in Islamabad on arrival, carry USD cash for emergencies, and verify that your bank does not block Pakistan transactions. Notify your bank in advance.

3 Recommended Trips

Trip 1: Islamabad to Hunza Karakoram Highway 7 day classic. Day 1 arrive Islamabad. Day 2 fly to Gilgit, transfer to Karimabad Hunza. Day 3 Baltit Fort and Altit Fort plus Karimabad bazaar. Day 4 Attabad Lake plus Hussaini Bridge plus Passu Cones drive. Day 5 Khunjerab Pass full day. Day 6 return Karimabad to Gilgit, Kargah Buddha stop. Day 7 fly Gilgit to Islamabad. Tight but doable, gives you the Karakoram Highway anchor experience.

Trip 2: Skardu plus Deosai plus Fairy Meadows 10 day grand. Day 1 arrive Islamabad. Day 2 fly Islamabad Skardu. Day 3 acclimatisation, Shangrila and Upper Kachura Lake. Day 4 Shigar Fort. Day 5 Deosai Plains full day to Sheosar Lake. Day 6 drive Skardu to Chilas via Astore. Day 7 Karakoram Highway to Raikot Bridge, transfer to Fairy Meadows. Day 8 Fairy Meadows, trek to Beyal Camp. Day 9 return Fairy Meadows to Islamabad via Karakoram Highway with overnight Besham. Day 10 fly home. Adds the eastern Baltistan and Nanga Parbat anchors to the classic.

Trip 3: Full 14 day grand including Naltar and Shandur Polo Festival. Time this for early to mid July for the polo festival. Day 1 arrive Islamabad. Day 2 fly Skardu. Days 3 to 5 Skardu, Deosai, Shigar. Day 6 drive Skardu to Gilgit. Day 7 to 8 Naltar Valley and colored lakes. Day 9 to 10 Karimabad Hunza, forts, Attabad. Day 11 Khunjerab Pass. Day 12 drive Gilgit to Phander via Gupis. Day 13 Shandur Pass and Shandur Polo Festival. Day 14 fly Chitral or drive back to Islamabad. This is the dream itinerary if your dates align with the polo festival.

6 Related Guides on visitingplacesin.com

If you found this Pakistani north guide useful, the following deep dives on the site connect directly. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Block 38 coverage on the site covers Peshawar, Swat, and the lower northern belt that complements Gilgit-Baltistan. The Pakistan Mohenjo-Daro Block 43 guide covers the Indus Valley civilisation sites in Sindh and is a natural pair for a longer Pakistan trip. The Bhutan deep dive on the site covers the eastern Himalayan kingdom for comparable mountain culture and Buddhist heritage. The India Ladakh Block 45 guide covers the trans Himalayan plateau on the Indian side of the same broader mountain system, with strong cultural overlap to Baltistan. The China Xinjiang Block 45 guide covers the area immediately across the Khunjerab Pass for travellers extending into Kashgar and the Karakoram corridor on the Chinese side. The site's broader South Asia trekking master guide cross references most of the routes above into a single planning resource.

5 External References

Tourism Development Corporation of Pakistan, the federal tourism authority, for general Pakistan tourism information and operator licensing.
Gilgit-Baltistan Tourism Department, the regional tourism authority, for current NOC requirements, festival dates including Shandur Polo, and Deosai access status.
Pakistan e-visa portal at the Nadra federal site, for current visa application, fees, and the 5 year multi-entry option expanded in 2025.
United States Department of State Pakistan Travel Advisory, the federal advisory from the United States for current security guidance by region.
United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Pakistan travel advice, the UK FCDO advisory for current safety, security, and entry requirements.

Last updated: 2026-05-11.

Search This Blog

Your Local Guide to Visiting Places | visitingplacesin.com