Tourism and Transport

Gilgit city is one of the two major hubs for all mountaineering expeditions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. Almost all tourists headed for treks in Karakoram or Himalaya ranges arrive at Gilgit first. Many tourists choose to travel to Gilgit by air since the road travel between Islamabad and Gilgit by Karakoram Highway takes nearly 24 hours, whereas the air travel takes a mere 45-50 minutes.

Road transport:

Gilgit lies about 10 km off the Karakoram Highway. The KKH connects it to Chilas, Dasu, Besham, Mansehra, Abbottabad and Islamabad on the South. In the North it is connected to Karimabad (Hunza) and Sust in the Northern Areas and to the Chinese cities of Tashkurgan, Upal and Kashgar in Xinjiang.

Northern Areas Transport Corporation (NATCO) offers passenger road service between Islamabad, Gilgit, Sost and Tashkurgan, and road service between Kashgar and Gilgit (via Tashkurgan and Sust) starts in summer 2006. However, the border crossing between China and Pakistan at Khunjerab Pass (the highest border of the world) is open only between May 1 and October 15 of every year. During winter, the roads are blocked by snow. Even during the Monsoon season in summer, the roads are often blocked due to landslides. The best time to travel on Karakoram Highway is Spring or early Summer.

Air transport:

Pakistan International Airlines flies two new TDR flights daily between Gilgit Airport and Islamabad International Airport and the journey offers one of the most scenic areal views of the world as it passes over Nanga Parbat and the mountain’s peak is higher than the aircraft’s cruising altitude. These flights, however, are subject to the clearance of weather and in winters, flights are often delayed by several days.