Northern Pakistan Itineraries: How Many Days and Sample Routes

Here is the thing about northern Pakistan. The single biggest mistake people make is trying to see too much in too little time. The distances are long, the roads are slow, and the whole point is to stop and soak it in. So before you book anything, decide how many days you really have, then pick a route that fits. This guide gives you three routes that work, plus the honest advice to build your own and a rough idea of the budget.

First, three things that shape every trip

• Fly or drive? Flying Islamabad to Gilgit or Skardu saves a full day each way, but the flights are weather-dependent, so keep buffer days. The Karakoram Highway is spectacular but eats time. The sweet spot for most people is to fly one way and drive the other, so you get the views without doubling the driving.
• When are you going? May to October is the season. September and October give the clearest views and gold autumn colour. July and August are busiest and priciest. Deosai and the highest passes only open roughly late June to mid-October. Our season guide breaks it down month by month.
• How much moving do you enjoy? If you would rather go deep on one valley than tick off five, build a slower trip. There is no prize for covering the most ground, and the rushed trips are the ones people regret.

7 days: the Hunza focus

The best short trip. Fly both ways and spend your time properly in one region instead of losing days on the road.

• Day 1: Fly Islamabad to Gilgit, drive to Karimabad in Hunza, settle in.
• Days 2 to 3: Baltit and Altit forts, Attabad Lake, the Passu Cones and Hussaini bridge, and a sunrise at Eagle's Nest.
• Day 4: Day trip up to Khunjerab Pass on the China border.
• Day 5: Hopper Glacier in Nagar, or a relaxed day around Karimabad.
• Days 6 to 7: Drive to Gilgit, fly home, keeping a buffer for weather.

10 days: Hunza plus Skardu

Add the Baltistan side and the really big peaks.

• Days 1 to 4: The Hunza core, as above.
• Day 5: Drive Gilgit to Skardu along the Indus gorge.
• Days 6 to 8: Skardu: the Kachura lakes and Shangrila, the cold desert, Shigar Fort, and a full day across the Deosai plains to Sheosar Lake.
• Days 9 to 10: Fly Skardu to Islamabad, with a buffer day built in.

14 days: the grand northern loop

The full experience, best done with a flight one way and the KKH the other.

• Days 1 to 2: Islamabad to Naran, over Babusar into Gilgit-Baltistan.
• Day 3: Stop at the Nanga Parbat viewpoint; night near Chilas or push on to Hunza.
• Days 4 to 7: Hunza in full, including Khunjerab.
• Days 8 to 11: Skardu and Deosai.
• Days 12 to 13: An add-on such as Fairy Meadows or the quiet Ghizer valley.
• Day 14: Fly home from Gilgit or Skardu.

What about Chitral and the Kalash valleys?

Chitral sits on the other side of the mountains and really deserves its own trip of 5 to 7 days, rather than being squeezed onto a Gilgit-Baltistan loop. Fly or drive to Chitral, spend time in the Kalash valleys, and if your timing lines up in July, add the Shandur Polo Festival. This is also where you will find real, bookable local treks right now, run by Chitrali hosts.

A rough budget

Costs vary a lot with comfort and group size, but as a rough guide per person: backpackers manage on under PKR 5,000 a day with guesthouses, local food, and shared transport. A comfortable trip with a private car for day trips runs more like PKR 8,000 to 15,000 a day. Flights to Gilgit or Skardu are extra and change with season. A hired car with driver for a two-week loop is a big shared cost, so it works out well for a group of four. Carry cash, because ATMs thin out fast after Gilgit.

How to build your own

Start with your total days, subtract two for flight buffers, and be honest about drive times (assume mountain roads are slower than they look). Pick one or two regions, not five. Sleep at least two nights anywhere worth seeing. And leave a little slack, because the best days up north are usually the unplanned ones. Weather will change your plan at least once, so let it, and do not book tight connections on either end.

Questions people ask

How many days do you need for northern Pakistan? Seven for one region, ten to fourteen for a proper loop.

Is a week enough? Yes, for Hunza on its own if you fly both ways.

Can you combine Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral? Better to treat Chitral as its own trip; the crossing is long.

Best months? September and October for the best mix of weather, views, and value.

Do you need permits? No for the main routes; carry ID for checkpoints. High expeditions like K2 need permits and an operator.

Ready to turn a route into a trip? Browse experiences across Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, base in Hunza or Skardu, or search everything on the map.