Gilgit Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan is Pakistan's high mountain north, and a Gilgit-Baltistan tour follows the Karakoram Highway to Hunza, Skardu, Fairy Meadows and the foot of K2 and Nanga Parbat. Adventure Planners runs private and small-group trips across the region with local drivers and guides who know its roads, seasons and villages.

Skardu View Tours

Hunza View Tours

Chitral View Tours

Fairy Meadows View Tours

Rakaposhi View Tours

Nanga Parbat View Tours

Shandur View Tours

Ghizer View Tours

Why visit Gilgit-Baltistan

Gilgit-Baltistan is famous for its mountains: five of the world's fourteen peaks above 8,000 metres stand here, including K2 at 8,611 metres and Nanga Parbat at 8,126 metres. The Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush ranges meet in the region, and the Karakoram Highway threads between them to the Chinese border. Between the peaks lie irrigated villages, apricot orchards and old forts, with languages and customs that change from one valley to the next.

Places to visit in Gilgit-Baltistan

Hunza: Baltit and Altit forts, Attabad Lake and the Passu Cones beside the Karakoram Highway.
Skardu: the Kachura lakes, Shigar Fort, the cold desert and the climb to the Deosai Plains.
Fairy Meadows: an alpine meadow at about 3,300 metres facing the north side of Nanga Parbat.
Khunjerab Pass: the border with China at 4,693 metres, the highest paved international crossing in the world.
Ghizer and Shandur: trout rivers, roadside lakes and the polo ground on Shandur Pass.

Best time to visit Gilgit-Baltistan

Late March to April: blossom season in the orchards of Hunza and Skardu, with snow still on the high peaks.
May to September: the main season. Khunjerab Pass is open to visitors, Deosai is usually reachable from mid-June, and treks to Fairy Meadows and the base camps are at their best.
October: dry days, cold nights and autumn colour in the valleys.
Winter: Gilgit-Baltistan weather turns severe, Khunjerab and the high plateaus close, and flights depend on clear skies.

How to get to Gilgit-Baltistan from Islamabad

By road, the Karakoram Highway runs north from Islamabad through Abbottabad, Besham and Chilas to Gilgit. Hunza is roughly 600 km from the capital, so most travellers break the drive with a night in Besham or Chilas. In high summer the Babusar Pass road through the Kaghan Valley offers a shorter route. Skardu is about four hours beyond the highway on the S-1 road from near Gilgit.

Flights from Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu take around an hour and save a long drive, but mountain weather can ground them, so it is wise to keep a spare day in your plans.