All Destinations

Where to
Go in GB

Gilgit-Baltistan covers 72,971 km². These are the places worth your time — with honest guides on what to expect, when to go, and how to get there.

🏔 3 mountain ranges
🗺 7 districts
⛰ 5 of world's 14 8000m peaks
🌿 Best: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
Home / Destinations
Main Destinations

Where to
Focus

Karimabad · 2,438m
Most visited · Karakoram
Hunza Valley
GB's most iconic valley. Cherry blossom in spring, golden poplars in autumn. Baltit Fort, Attabad Lake, Passu Cones, and the road to China. The postcard of Pakistan.
Full Guide Weather Best Time Baltit Fort Attabad Lake Hotels
Skardu · 2,228m
K2 Region · Baltistan
Skardu
Gateway to K2 and the world's highest peaks. Deosai Plains, Shigar Fort, Katpana Desert, and some of the most dramatic desert-meets-mountain landscapes on Earth.
Full Guide Weather Deosai Shigar Valley Katpana Desert Hotels
Nanga Parbat · 3,300m
Off KKH · Diamer
Fairy Meadows
A high alpine meadow with Nanga Parbat (8,126m) filling the entire northern sky. Accessed by the most terrifying jeep track in Pakistan, then a 1.5h hike.
Full Guide Trekking
Gilgit City · 1,500m
Capital City · Hub
Gilgit
The capital of GB and the KKH's logistics hub. Real city with bazaars, ATMs, and departure points for everywhere else. Kargah Buddha, Naltar Valley, Bagrot within reach.
Full Guide Weather
Naran · 2,409m
KPK Gateway · Via Babusar
Naran Kaghan
Lake Saiful Muluk, Lulusar Lake, Babusar Pass to GB. Pakistan's most visited alpine valley and the best road alternative to flying — dramatic terrain all the way.
Full Guide
ISB → Khunjerab · 800km
Route Guide · Silk Road
Karakoram Highway
The highest paved international road in the world. 1,300km from Islamabad to the Chinese border. Every stop from Besham to Khunjerab Pass, with distances and road conditions.
Route Guide
Within Hunza

Hunza
Sub-Destinations

2,438m · Central Hunza
Karimabad
The main town of Hunza. Baltit Fort, bazaar, viewpoints, guesthouses. Most travellers base here.
Guide Baltit Fort Altit Fort
2,600m · Upper Hunza
Attabad & Gulmit
Attabad Lake — the turquoise canyon lake. Gulmit village above it. The start of the upper KKH toward Passu.
Attabad Lake Gulmit
2,900m · Gojal
Passu & Borith
The Passu Cones. Borith Lake. Batura Glacier. The most dramatic section of the upper KKH before the Chinese border zone.
Passu Cones Borith Lake
3,100m · Far Upper Hunza
Chapursan Valley
One of the most remote inhabited valleys in Pakistan. Wakhi culture, yak herding, and zero tourists. The end of the road before Afghanistan.
Guide
3,100m · Shimshal
Shimshal Valley
One of the last villages in Pakistan with no road access until 2003. Extraordinary for trekking to Shimshal Pass and the high plateaus above.
Guide
4,693m · China Border
Khunjerab Pass
The highest international border crossing in the world. Open May–October. Marco Polo sheep and yaks on the approach. Views in both directions are stunning.
Guide
Within Skardu

Skardu
Sub-Destinations

4,114m avg · National Park
Deosai Plains
World's second highest plateau. Himalayan brown bears, Sheosar Lake, and wildflowers in July. 3,000 sq km of open plateau at 4,000m.
Guide Sheosar Lake
2,300m · Heritage
Shigar Valley
Shigar Fort (now a heritage hotel), traditional Balti villages, carved mosques. The most intact historic valley in Baltistan.
Guide Shigar Fort
2,600m · Eastern Baltistan
Khaplu
Khaplu Palace (Aga Khan restored). The last real town before the Siachen Glacier zone. Extraordinary valley scenery.
Guide Khaplu Palace
2,226m · Cold Desert
Katpana Desert
Sand dunes at 2,226m, 10 minutes from Skardu town. One of the coldest deserts in the world. The most surreal landscape in GB.
Guide Sarfaranga
2,500m · Lakes
Kachura Lakes
Upper Kachura (turquoise) and Lower Kachura (Shangrila Lake with the plane-restaurant). 35km from Skardu.
Guide Shangrila Resort
2,650m · Basho
Basho & Chunda Valley
Two quieter valleys near Skardu for the traveller who wants forest, streams, and no other tourists. Both reachable as day trips.
Basho Chunda
Off the Circuit

Beyond
Hunza & Skardu

1,500–3,800m · Ghizer District
Ghizer Valley
GB's greenest district. The Ghizer River cuts through pine-forested gorges. Shandur Polo Festival, Phander Lake, and Khalti Lake — almost no international tourists.
Full Guide Travel Guide Things To Do How To Reach Weather Hotels
2,900m · Gilgit District
Naltar Valley
Three colour-shifting lakes above 3,000m, a ski resort that runs in winter, and a jeep-only approach that keeps the crowds out. The most underrated valley in GB.
Full Guide Travel Guide How To Reach Weather
2,200–3,100m · Upper Hunza
Gojal (Upper Hunza)
The Wakhi heartland above Attabad Lake. Shimshal Valley, Passu Cones, Khunjerab National Park, and Misgar near the Chinese border. For serious explorers.
Full Guide Passu Cones Shimshal Chapursan Khunjerab Pass
2,200–4,500m · Astore District
Astore Valley
The southern gateway to Nanga Parbat. Rama Lake, Rupal Face base camp, and Minimerg meadow — one of the great alpine views in Pakistan with a fraction of the visitors.
Full Guide
3,000–4,200m · Ghizer District
Yasin Valley
One of the last truly remote valleys in GB. Ancient Silk Road crossing points, traditional Kho culture, and treks that see almost no outsiders. Genuine off-grid GB.
Full Guide Travel Guide Things To Do How To Reach Weather
1,300km · KKH Route
Karakoram Highway
The world's highest paved international road. Islamabad to Khunjerab Pass — through Kohistan gorges, Chilas rock carvings, Besham, and the full length of the Indus valley.
Route Guide