Gilgit · Landmarks
Karakoram Highway
The Karakoram Highway is the overland spine of northern Pakistan - Islamabad to Khunjerab through gorges, valleys, and high desert.
Plan this tripAlso known as KKH, Karakoram Highway (KKH), China-Pakistan Friendship Highway
Practical notes
- Facilities
- Services cluster in towns; long empty stretches between hubs.
These notes are not a safety guarantee. Conditions change; check closer to your dates.
Conditions to reconfirm
Status may be outdated · Reconfirm before departure
Islamabad–Gilgit flights cancel often in poor weather. Treat a flight as a hope, not a schedule, and keep a road backup.
Access
Getting there
450 km
Distance
~12 hrs
Drive
Last mile
The highway is the approach - branch jeep tracks start from towns along the route.
Road Open most of the year with seasonal closures at high passes and after major slips; always confirm current status.
When to go
Month-by-month access and crowding.
- Ideal
- Crowded
- Risky
- Closed
- Unknown
The Karakoram Highway is the overland spine of northern Pakistan - Islamabad to Khunjerab through gorges, valleys, and high desert.
On the ground
What to expect
Facilities
Basic
Permit
Not required
Entry fee
Confirm locally
Facilities Services cluster in towns; long empty stretches between hubs.
The story
Treat the KKH as a multi-day corridor, not a single pin. Plan fuel, landslide delays, and overnight towns (Besham, Chilas, Gilgit, Hunza) rather than racing the full length. Side valleys peel off the highway; use destination pages for those, and this page for the road journey itself.
Photos
1 photo
On the map
Karakoram Highway
Approximate coordinates — confirm the trailhead locally: 36.00000, 74.50000 · Open in OpenStreetMap
Trip reports
No trip reports yet. Be the first to share one.
How this guide was checked
Verified through official and published sources. Not a field visit.
Current road, permit, and weather status: confirm locally. Conditions change.
No named field editor is attached to this page yet — we do not invent bylines.