Northern Pakistan Travel Guide (2026)
Northern Pakistan Travel Guide (2026): Fairy Meadows, Hunza, Skardu, Gilgit, Kalash Valleys & Khunjerab Pass
Pakistan has hands down some of the most amazing mountain scenery on Earth and its northern regions are arguably the most beautiful part of the country. At the same time, northern Pakistan is extremely remote in many areas, with roads in horrible conditions and stretches of no internet for days at a time.
So how do you even navigate this region? How do you get there in the first place, and what exactly counts as northern Pakistan? Hunza, Skardu, the Kallash Valleys, Kashmir?
In this guide, I’ll show you how to reach northern Pakistan, which cities and regions are part of it, what you need to know about the people and their culture, and, of course, the best spots to explore.
Table of Contents
🌄 What Counts as Northern Pakistan?
Broadly speaking, northern Pakistan refers to the areas north of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, stretching all the way to the Khunjerab Pass, the border with China.
Gilgit-Baltistan
The largest and most famous part of the north, home to the Karakoram and western Himalaya ranges, including peaks like K2. Gilgit-Baltistan is administered by Pakistan, but India also claims it as part of the disputed territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Tourism here is fairly well established in areas like Hunza, Skardu and Fairy Meadows.
Azad Jammu & Kasmir
This is Pakistan-administered Kashmir, often just called Pakistani Kashmi, with a very different cultural experience. It’s a political sensitive area and you’ll need permits to enter the region. As far as I know you can’t enter this area without a Tour Guide. Following the May 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan, the region has become even more sensitive.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province includes:
Kalash Valleys: A super unique destination, home to the Kalash people, who practice a unique polytheistic religion and maintain centuries-old traditions. You could spend weeks in the valleys hiking through the insane landscapes.
Swat Valley: Known for beautiful rivers and valleys, as well as historic sites.
- Dir, Upper & Lower, and surrounding districts: Remote valleys with traditional villages. You might pass by on your way to Chitral.
- Naran-Kaghan & Mansehra Region: Popular hill stations and gateways to northern trekking routes.
🔗 Read my full Pakistan Guide for more information:
Which Areas in Pakistan's North are Safe to visit?
Northern Pakistan is generally very safe, which is amazing considering it’s probably the most astonishing region of the country.
✅ Safe Areas In Northern Pakistan
Hunza Valley & Gilgit: One of the most tourist-friendly regions in Pakistan. Roads are doable and accommodation is widely available.
Skardu: Another popular destination for trekking and mountain adventures. Skardu is generally safe for independent traveler.
Fairy Meadows & Nanga Parbat Base Camp: This area is extremely remote, with no mobile signal. It’s also one of the most visited northern destinations, alongside Hunza. The infamous Fairy Meadow Road is considered the second most dangerous road in the world, with narrow paths along steep cliffs. You can only travel here with a 4×4 jeep and its driver, who spent his whole life driving this route. Despite the challenges, the region itself is very safe.
Naran-Kaghan & Mansehra region: Popular hill stations close to Islamabad. Roads are well-maintained, and small guesthouses and hotels are easy to find. Summer months are the busiest, but safety is not an issue.
Kalash Valleys (Chitral): The Kalash region is safe and welcoming, but roads are narrow and it’s tough to reach the area.
- Khunjerab National Park: Remote and high-altitude. You’ll need your own vehicle or a driver, but the area is just as safe as Hunza and Skardu.
⚠️ Areas Requiring Caution
Azad Jammu & Kashmir (Pakistani Kashmir): Politically sensitive, especially after the May 2025 conflict with India. The whole area requires a permit, and independent travel is generally not even possible.
Remote Valleys in Dir, Upper & Lower: Beautiful but extremely hard to access. Roads are tough, and mobile coverage is often nonexistent.
🚙 How to enter Pakistan's North
You’ve probably guessed it already: how you get into northern Pakistan depends entirely on your destination.
✈️ By Air
Skardu and Gilgit are just about an hour away from Islamabad by plane, and tickets can often be booked a day or two in advance. Pakistan International Airlines operates these routes, with round-trip fares usually between 100€ –150€.
Due to weather conditions flights are delayed almost daily and also frequently canceled.
Chitras Airport is the gateway into the Kalash Valleys and operates Fridays and Sundays.
🚐 By Bus / Shared Vans
For every destination including Gilgit, Hunza, Skardu and Chitral you can find detailed Route Plans including bus lines in each of my Blog Posts. Generally NATCO, Faisal Movers and K2 Movers are the most known buslines. Here are the most important connections:
- Islamabad → Hunza / Gilgit: NATCO Bus Service, 12-15€, roughly 20 hours. Departure: NATCO Terminal, Faizabad, Islamabad
- Islamabad → Skardu: Almost the same Route as Hunza / Gilgit. Roughly a few hours longer though.
- Islamabad / Peshawar → Chitral: During day time there are direct busses. If you travel by night you’ll need to change busses in Dir. It takes roughly 12-15 hours and costs around 8-10€
Many buses stop overnight in Chilas, and may also stop in Besham and Mansehra.
You’ll probably know this by now but remember busses in Pakistan are almost always delayed. If a bus route says it’ll be 12 hours it’s most likely 20 hours.
🚗 With A Private Driver
You can hire a private driver at Pakistani Agencies for a fair price. You’d probably pay around 500€ for a week including car, private driver and gasoline. Note that this does not include the Jeep Ride up to Fairy Meadows. This makes sense if you want to visit remote areas in Kjunjerab National Park or the Kallash Valleys where no public transport goes.
🗺️ Must Know Spots in Northern Pakistan
Hunza & Gilgit
Hunza Valley is arguably the most famous and photographed valley in northern Pakistan. Gilgit, the administrative hub of Gilgit-Baltistan, serves as the main entry point to the northern valleys. Both destinations are popular among Pakistani tourists, and many freshly married couples are visiting Hunza for their honeymoon.
These towns are slightly more expensive than much of the rest of Pakistan, but it’s still possible to find affordable guesthouses and street food. The main town of Hunza, Karimabad, is where most hotels and guesthouses are concentrated. The region is also well-known for its baked goods.
Traveling between Gilgit and Karimabad in Hunza takes around two to three hours, depending on road conditions.
🔗 For more information read my Full Guide:
How To Visit Hunza & Gilgit
Fairy Meadows & Nanga Parbat Base Camp
Fairy Meadows is located in an extremely remote part of northern Pakistan and can only be reached by crossing the infamous Fairy Meadows Road, often described as the second most dangerous road in the world. Even though that’s pretty cool to tell your friends, in reality there were no incidents in over a decade and only Locals drive up and down this road in their 4×4 Jeep and have been doing so for years.
After the jeep ride, you’ll need to hike for roughly two hours to reach Fairy Meadows itself, where you’ll find pine forests, wooden cabins and one of the best mountain views in the world. You can stay here in wooden cabins for little money. Facilities are basic, electricity is limited, and internet usually doesn’t exist.
From Fairy Meadows you can also hike to Nanga Parbat’s Base Camp, the ninth highest mountain in the world. The experience is amazing so I can only recommend doing this.
Fairy Meadows has become a bit more touristc in the recent years, however when I visited in April 2024 there were only a few local tourists and one small group of influencers.
🔗 For more information on how to exactly reach Fairy Meadows, Prices and Equipment read my Full Guide:
How To Visit Fairy Meadows & Nanga Parbat Base Camp
Skardu
Skardu is another iconic destinations in northern Pakistan, serving as the gateway to the Karakoram Range and some of the highest peaks in the world, including K2.
The town of Skardu is relatively small but offers affordable accommodation and descent food. It’s also known for its fresh apricots, cherries, and other mountain produce, and local bakeries offer some amazing breads and pastries.
Must sees are the Shigar Fort and Satpara Lake.
Kalash Valleys & Chitras
For transparency: I haven’t visited the Kalash Valleys myself yet. However, all the information presented here is reliable and gathered from local friends.
The Kalash Valleys are located in the remote mountains of Chitral District, close to the border with Afghanistan. Unlike most of Pakistan, where Islam is the dominant religion, the Kalash people have preserved a belief system that dates back centuries. This make the region very unique and a whole different experience than the rest of Pakistan.
The three main Kalash valleys are Bumburet Valley, Rumbur Valley and Birir Valley. Among them, Bumburet is the most accessible and developed for tourism, however Rumbur Valley and Birir Valley are also reachable and even more traditional.
To get to the Kalash Valleys simply take a bus from Islamabad or Peshawar to Chitras and then take shared transportation to the valleys surrounding it.
The best time to visit the Kalash region is during one of the traditional festivals, when the valleys come alive with music, dancing, and celebrations. The most famous festivals are Chilam Joshi in spring and Uchal Festival in summer. However also outside those festivals the valleys are worth a visit I can’t wait to finally see them myself in the future.
Khunjerab National Park & Khunjerab Pass
At the very northern edge of Pakistan lies Khunjerab National Park. The park was established to protect the wildlife of the Karakoram Mountains, including animals like the Snow Leopard and the Himalayan Ibex. Realistically though, you’ll probably never see them since they usually roam in remote areas far away from the roads and human settlements.
There is no public transport going all the way to the border or in the National Park. You’ll need to hire a private Driver from Hunza. To enter the National Park you also need to pay a fee of 12.500 PKR per Person, even if you are not leaving the road.
Also at around 4,693 meters above sea level, Khunjerab Pass is the highest paved international border crossing in the world and connects Pakistan and China. The road in the National Park is also named as “Pakistan China Friendship Road”. It’s minus degress all year around and the Pass is only open in warmer months (Roughly April – September)
🔗 For more information read my Full Guide:
How To Visit Khunjerab National Park
Kashmir
Kashmir is a politically sensitive area due to the long-standing dispute between India and Pakistan over the broader Kashmir region. Because of this, travel here is more restricted than in other parts of northern Pakistan.
From what I know, foreign travelers need special permits to enter Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and independent travel is not allowed.
Personally, I don’t know anyone who has done this trip, but from what I’ve heard it should still be possible to visit with the help of a local agency that handles the permits and logistics.
🛏️ Accommodation in northern Pakistan
While prices on Airbnb and Booking.com are generally higher in northern Pakistan than in the rest of the country most guesthouses are still affordable. Finding accommodation for 10-15€ a night is absolutely realistic.
Facilities are pretty basic, Electricity is produced through generators and is only available for a few hours in the morning and evening. Hot water is usually on for one to two hours in the morning.
🌐 Sim Card and Internet in northern Pakistan
Internet is none existent most of the time, especially with a normal esim. There is one local provider called Special Communications Organization (called SCO or SCOM) that covers parts of the northern regions, but it’s still unreliable. Wifi is also rare and only found in a hand full of guest houses.
🏧Money Exchange & ATMs in Northern Pakistan
Money can be exchanged in Hunza, Skardu, Chitras and Gilgit. The world’s highest ATM is also located at the Khunjerab Pass. I don’t know if foreign Cards work though. Your best bet is to just bring enough cash with you.
🧭 Independent Travel or Joining a Group?
Travelling northern Pakistan by yourself is absouteley doable. The main challenge though is roaming around outside of major towns where no public transport goes. For remote destinations such as Fairy Meadows or Khunjerab National Park, you’ll need either a private driver or your own vehicle.
If you decide to rent your own vehicle, I’d heavily recommend using a scooter or motorbike rather than a car, as most roads are extremely narrow and steep.
On the other hand, joining a group tour or hiring a personal guide has several advantages. You can access remote areas that are otherwise hard to reach, avoid language barriers, and travel without worrying about transport or accommodation. You can also stop whenever you like for photos, meals, or short hikes.
That said, if you do decide to hire a tour guide, in my personal opinion most tours are heavily overpriced. Western tour agencies charge 2,000–3,000€ for a 7–10 day trip. Yes, I understand that these agencies have higher costs for their staff and advertising, but I also realize that most travelers who come to Pakistan are looking for budget options. If you go with a Pakistani tour agency, you’ll end up paying around 500€ for a one-week trip, including accommodation, a guide, and transport.
Not sponsored: If you need contacts for Pakistani tour agencies, write a comment or reach out to me on social media.
😊 Culture and People in northern Pakistan
Northern Pakistan is not only stunning because of its mountains and valleys, it’s also remarkable because of the people who live there. The region is home to a diverse mix of ethnic groups, languages, and traditions. Literally every few kilometers, people speak a different dialect and follow their own customs.
The majority of people in Gilgit-Baltistan are of Balti, Shina, Wakhi, and Burusho ethnicities, each with their own language, customs, and history. Despite differences, locals share a common trait: extreme hospitality. You’ll be invited for endless Chai and many Locals want to take Selfies with you, just like in the other parts of Pakistan.
The Kalash people in Chitral maintain a completely unique culture. Their polytheistic religion, colorful festivals, and traditional clothing stand in contrast to the predominantly Muslim population of the surrounding areas. Visiting the Kalash Valleys offers one of the rare opportunities in Pakistan to experience an entirely different set of traditions and beliefs.
Also some people here like to take relaxing drugs. This is in no context to anything else, I was just surprised when I saw one of the Mountain Guides slinging bags of drugs to his friends.
⛅ Best Time to Visit northern Pakistan
The best time to visit northern Pakistan depends largely on which regions you plan to explore, but overall, the mountains and valleys offer incredible experiences year-round.
Spring (March – May):
Spring is one of the most beautiful times to visit. The weather is generally pleasant in most areas, and the valleys come alive with flowers and greenery. This is also a great time for trekking, as the higher-altitude trails are starting to open after winter snow. Fairy Meadows is opening up in late March to early Apri,. Nanga Parbat Basecamp at some time in April depending on weather conditions.
Summer (June – August):
Summer is the peak tourist season in northern Pakistan, especially for places like Hunza, Skardu, and Fairy Meadows. The weather in the mountains is warm and sunny, roads are mostly clear, and trekking routes are fully accessible. Heavy rainfalls however can also happen during this season.
Autumn (September – November):
Autumn is another excellent season to visit. The valleys are turning red and yellow and tourist crowds are smaller than in summer.
Winter (December – February):
Winter brings heavy snowfall to the northern mountains. Most remote roads and passes are closed, and most guesthouses in high-altitude areas shut down for the season. This also includes Fairy Meadows and Khunjerab National Park. Lower valleys and towns like Gilgit can still be visited.
🥡 Food in Northern Pakistan
One of the highlights of northern Pakistan is fresh fruits. The valleys, especially Hunza, are famous for apricots, cherries, plums, and apples, which are sold in the street markets.
Mountain tea (Gahwa) is a green tea that is brewed differently depending on the region you are in. Different Herbs but also Cardamom or even butter is added. It’s very different from the traditional pakistani Milk Tea.
Baked goods are absolutely iconic in northern Pakistan. Hunza, in particular, is renowned for honey cakes and desserts made with local dairy products like yogurt and cream. However be aware that those are actually kind of pricey. While Pakistan is generally very affordable two small slices of cake costed me over 5€, which caught me a bit by surprise. Maybe I just walked into a tourist trap though…
Local specialties include Chapshuro, a meat- and herb-filled pastry, and yak meat dishes, which are common in Gilgit, Hunza, and Skardu.
🚓 Police Escorts and Road Conditions
Police and military checkpoints are very common in northern Pakistan, and you’ll be asked to show your passport and visa multiple times along the way. That’s why you should have at least 50 copies with you, maybe even more.
If you travel during night time or in the region of the town of Chilas you might also get a police escort. Chilas is a bit of a sketchy town with little street lights during night time. When I passed through the area I had to wait half an hour for a Police Officer, who then sat down with us in the Car. He did not carry a weapon. Let me repeat that… we waited thirty minutes for security who had no means of defense if anything had happened. Once he finally left, my driver spent the next hour cursing about the police in the area.
Roads themselves are narrow and not in the best condition. Even the main road towards Gilgit can be rough, especially during rain fall. Secondary roads to remote valleys are even moree rough, unpaved, or damaged by landslides.
During my last day in the north, I experienced heavy rainfall and even witnessed a truck sliding down the side of the road, rolling several meters down a hill. Luckily, the driver was unharmed. Landslides can block roads for several hours or even longer than a day, so plan an extra day or two before any return flights to account for potential delays.
🤑 Budget Travel in Northern Pakistan
Northern Pakistan is an amazing destination for budget-friendly traveling. You can easily get around on 25€ per day if you don’t need a tour guide or have to cover long distances. In case you want to stay for a longer time, you should be able to find a local guesthouse to host you for ~300€ a month, excluding food.
Transportation is also affordable. However, if you come to Pakistan for only a week or two, it makes more sense to get a private driver or guide to get the most out of your time.
Conclusion about travelling northern Pakistan
Traveling around northern Pakistan might be the most amazing experience of your life, and even after 5+ years of traveling, it is still my favorite place on Earth. It’s a truly unforgettable destination, with some of the world’s most stunning mountains, valleys, and rivers. The region feels like a raw, untouched adventure, still untouched by mass tourism, allowing you to experience authentic landscapes and traditions that few other places in the world can offer.
🇵🇰 More on Pakistan
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Alex
Welcome off the beaten path!
I’m Alex, a 23 year old traveler who loves to explore the corners of the world, that still seem to be untouched. In this Blog I want to share my experiences with you.
