Pillar guide
June 2026 · 12 min · By Zain Karim
Pakistan in 10 Days: The Itinerary We Actually Run
Ten days, north loop. The exact itinerary we run for first-time travellers, road timings, overnight stops, altitudes, and the trade-offs we tell clients about up front.
Ten days is the right length for a first trip to Pakistan if you only want to do the north. It gives you Islamabad on the front and back, one full mountain block (Hunza or Skardu), and enough air in the schedule that one bad weather day doesn't break the trip. This pakistan 10 day itinerary is the version we run most often. Numbers are the real ones from the trips we operate, not internet averages.
The shape
Fly into Islamabad. Fly up to either Skardu or Gilgit, with road as the weather backup. Drive the Hunza or Skardu valley over six days. Fly back to Islamabad. One night in Islamabad on the front, one on the back. The trick is to commit to one mountain valley properly rather than try to do both, a 10-day Hunza-and-Skardu loop is technically possible but spends two of the ten days on a single transit road.
Best months to run it
We run this itinerary April through October. Cherry blossom April; full green and accessible passes June-August (domestic peak, hot in Islamabad); autumn colour late September through mid-October (our personal favourite). November onwards the Khunjerab closes and Deosai is shut.
Day by day
Day 1, Islamabad
Arrive. Transfer to the Serena or Marriott. Light afternoon: Margalla Hills viewpoint, Faisal Mosque, dinner at Monal or Tuscany Courtyard. The point of day 1 is reset, not sightseeing.
Day 2, Fly Islamabad → Gilgit (1 hr) or road
Morning PIA flight to Gilgit; if the weather cancels, we pivot to the 14-hour KKH drive broken at Chilas (we book both options in advance). Gilgit transfer to Hunza (2.5 hours up the KKH). Sunset from Eagle's Nest above Karimabad. Overnight Hunza Serena or Luxus.
Day 3, Karimabad and central Hunza
Baltit Fort guided in the morning, Ganish heritage village walk, lunch at Café de Hunza, slow afternoon. Eagle's Nest sunset again if you missed it, otherwise Duikar viewpoint.
Day 4, Upper Hunza: Gulmit, Passu, Attabad
Drive up to Attabad Lake (1 hour), boat across, lunch at Luxus Attabad. Continue to Passu, the Cathedral peaks, the suspension bridge for the brave, the glacier viewpoint. Return Karimabad evening.
Day 5, Khunjerab Pass (seasonal) or Hopper valley
May-October: drive the KKH to Khunjerab (4,733 m, Chinese border) and back, long day, big views. Off-season: cross the river to Hopper Glacier and the Nagar side. Overnight Hunza.
Day 6, Hunza to Skardu
Long but stunning drive, Hunza to Skardu via Gilgit, ~8 hours on the rebuilt Skardu road. We break it with a lunch stop at Jaglot (Junction Point, Karakoram, Himalaya, Hindu Kush rivers meet). Overnight Serena Shigar Fort.
Day 7, Shigar and Skardu
Morning at Shigar Fort, walk through Chinpa village. Afternoon: Upper Kachura lake, Sarfaranga cold desert at golden hour, Kharpocho Fort sunset. Overnight Skardu Serena.
Day 8, Deosai or Khaplu
July-September: full day Deosai (4,100 m), 9 hours round-trip with lake stops. Off-season: drive to Khaplu Palace, overnight there. We adjust to season.
Day 9, Fly Skardu → Islamabad
Morning flight, ~1 hour. Afternoon in Islamabad, a real Pakistani lunch at Des Pardes, optional Rawalpindi old bazaars walk, hammam at Marriott. Farewell dinner.
Day 10, Depart
Transfer to the airport. Most international flights leave Islamabad late evening or early morning, so we add a day room if needed.
Logistics summary
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Flights internal | ISB-GIL or ISB-KDU + KDU-ISB (PIA) |
| Road backup | ISB-Chilas-Gilgit (14h, broken) |
| Vehicles | Toyota Hiace for 2-4; Coaster for 5-8; private 4WD for upper valleys |
| Max altitude | 4,733 m at Khunjerab (drive-up, brief) |
| Permits | POC for ISB; NOC handled if Khunjerab included |
| Pace | 2 long road days, otherwise 3-5 hour driving days |
Variants we run
- Hunza-only 10 days: deeper time in Shimshal or Chapursan instead of Skardu.
- Skardu-deep 10 days: K2 base camp first half (8 days trek) plus Skardu rest.
- Heritage 10 days: Lahore + Islamabad + Hunza, swapping Skardu for southern culture.
- Photography 10 days: same backbone, scheduled for golden-hour positions only.
What this costs, honestly
Private, fully bespoke, the itinerary above with 4-5★ stays, private vehicle, English-speaking guide throughout, internal flights and all meals: from roughly USD 4,500-6,500 per person for 2 travellers, lower per-head as group size grows. Trekking variants and Serena Shigar Fort heavy stays push higher. See our cost guide for the full breakdown.
Q. Is 10 days enough to see Pakistan?
Enough to see the north well, or the cultural belt (Lahore-Islamabad-Peshawar) well, but not both. We use 10 days as the standard 'first trip to the north' length and recommend 14 days if you want to add Lahore.
Q. Hunza or Skardu, if I had to pick?
Hunza for villages, cherry blossom, easy logistics and the most photographed view of Pakistan. Skardu for raw scale, fort-hotels, K2-country proximity and fewer crowds. We run Hunza more often for first-timers.
Q. Can I do this trip independently?
Technically yes, but the value of a private operator is in the things that go wrong: flight cancellation, weather closure on a pass, hotel double-booked. We carry plan B for every day.
Q. Best month for this exact itinerary?
Late September to mid-October. Clear weather, autumn colour, light crowds, every pass still open. Second choice: mid-April for cherry blossom in Hunza.
Q. How fit do I need to be?
Average fitness. The hardest day is the Hunza-Skardu drive (sitting, not walking). Even Khunjerab and Deosai are drive-up. The trekking variants are different, those need real preparation.
Written by
Zain Karim
Head of mountain operations
Zain has run private trips through Hunza, Skardu and the Karakoram since 2019. He spends about 120 nights a year above 2,500 m and writes about the routes he guides.
Has guided the Hunza-Skardu loop more than forty times.
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