Gilgit-Baltistan is one of the more affordable mountain regions in the world if you travel like a local: shared transport, guesthouses, and local food keep costs low without missing the views.
Gilgit-Baltistan can be done cheaply, and the trick is simple: travel the way local people do. Use shared vans and public Natco buses instead of hiring a private car, stay in family guesthouses and homestays rather than hotels, and eat the local food at roadside dhabas. Do those three things and the region becomes genuinely affordable, while still delivering Hunza, Skardu, and the high passes in full.
Costs sit on a wide spectrum. At the cheap end, a bed in a guesthouse or homestay, a seat on a shared van, and a plate of local food are all inexpensive. At the expensive end, private jeep hire, chartered tours, and the air ticket from Islamabad cost many times more. The single biggest budget lever is transport: a private jeep for a day can cost as much as several days of shared travel. Prices shift with season, fuel, and demand, so treat every figure as a range and always confirm rates locally before you commit.
| Transport | Use shared vans (Hiace/Suzuki) and public Natco buses between towns instead of a private car. This is the largest single saving. A private jeep makes sense only for off-road spots no public transport reaches, and even then sharing it with other travellers splits the cost. |
| Accommodation | Guesthouses and family homestays are far cheaper than hotels and often more memorable. Many include simple breakfast. In peak season book ahead; in shoulder season you can usually negotiate on arrival. |
| Food | Eat at local dhabas and try regional dishes — dal, chapli kebab, mantu, chapshuro, and apricot-based specialities in Hunza. Local food is inexpensive and excellent. Tourist-facing restaurants cost more for similar fare. See our food guide. |
| Tours & jeeps | For places that need a jeep (Fairy Meadows access, Deosai, high side-valleys), group up with other travellers at your guesthouse to share the per-vehicle cost. A jeep priced per vehicle is cheap split four ways and expensive solo. |
| Season | Travel in shoulder season (late spring or autumn) rather than peak summer. Rooms are cheaper and easier to negotiate, transport is less stretched, and the scenery is arguably better. |
| Getting there | The flight from Islamabad to Gilgit or Skardu is fast but pricey and weather-dependent. The Karakoram Highway by bus or shared van is far cheaper, though it takes the better part of two days. Budget travellers usually take the road. |
A simple, cheap route looks like this. Take a public bus or shared van up the Karakoram Highway from Islamabad to Gilgit — long but a fraction of the airfare. From Gilgit, hop a shared van to Karimabad in Hunza and base yourself there in a guesthouse for several nights. Hunza rewards slow travel: walk the old forts and lanes, and use shared transport up to Attabad Lake and Passu rather than chartering a vehicle. For a day trip toward Khunjerab Pass, fill a shared jeep with other travellers to keep the per-head cost down.
From Hunza you can continue to Skardu by shared transport for Shigar and the Kachura lakes, or loop back down the highway. Keep the itinerary loose: shared vehicles leave when full, weather closes roads, and chasing a tight schedule pushes you toward expensive private hire. Build the trip in our trip planner, and read the dedicated Hunza and Skardu guides to decide where to spend your nights. Carry plenty of cash in rupees; ATMs are limited to Gilgit and Skardu and guesthouses are cash only.
Quite cheap if you use shared transport, sleep in guesthouses or homestays, and eat local food. The region is affordable by mountain-travel standards. We avoid exact figures because fuel, season, and demand move prices constantly. Confirm rates locally and you will find the daily cost low.
Transport. Riding shared vans and public Natco buses instead of hiring a private jeep is by far the largest saving. A private vehicle for one day can cost as much as several days of shared travel.
The road is much cheaper. The flight to Gilgit or Skardu is fast but expensive and frequently delayed by weather. Budget travellers usually take a bus or shared van up the Karakoram Highway, which takes close to two days.
Yes. Family guesthouses and homestays cost a fraction of hotel rates, often include simple breakfast, and tend to be friendlier. In peak summer book ahead; in shoulder season you can usually negotiate on arrival.
Group up. For places that genuinely need a jeep, share the vehicle with other travellers from your guesthouse. A jeep priced per vehicle is cheap split four ways and expensive on your own.
No. Outside Gilgit and Skardu almost everything is cash only, and ATMs in those two towns can be offline or empty. Carry enough Pakistani rupees in cash for your whole trip.