Babusar Pass
Overview
A four-day journey over the Babusar Pass from Naran in the Kaghan valley into Gilgit-Baltistan at Chilas. Road-based, easy, and open only for a few months each year — which is the whole character of the trip.
The back door north
Most people reach Gilgit-Baltistan down the Karakoram Highway through the Indus gorge. Babusar is the other way in: up the Kaghan valley past Naran and Lulusar, over the pass, and down to meet the highway at Chilas. It is shorter, greener and considerably more interesting than the gorge route, and it is shut for most of the year.
The pass
From the top the Kaghan side falls away south in meadow and the Gilgit-Baltistan side drops north toward the Indus. On a clear day Nanga Parbat is visible from near the pass, which is the reason most people stop longer than they planned to.
The season is the constraint
Babusar opens when the snow clears and closes when it returns, and both dates move. July to September is the reliable window. We will not schedule a departure outside it and we confirm the road rather than assuming, because a closed pass means a long detour back down to the highway.
When it runs
July to September.
What is inside the price
All permits and fees, our own 4x4s and drivers, hotels, all meals, and a guide on our payroll. Medical kit, satellite comms on the pass and a published evacuation procedure. It drops you at Chilas for Hunza and the north. See the rest of Kaghan and Naran and our other jeep safaris.
- Duration
- 3 – 4 days
- Trek days
- 0
- Maximum altitude
- 4,170 m [confirm]
- Grade
- Easy
- Group size
- Max 10
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- July – September
- Starts / ends
- Islamabad / Gilgit
- Accommodation
- Hotels in Naran and Chilas
- The summer-only road into Gilgit-Baltistan, open a few months a year
- Shorter, greener and more interesting than the Indus gorge route north
- Nanga Parbat from near the pass on a clear day
- Lulusar and the upper Kaghan valley on the way up
- A genuine crossing — in from Kaghan, out at Chilas on the Karakoram Highway
Private departures and group pricing
Your party, your dates. The per-person figure falls as the party grows, because the guides, the vehicles and the camp cost the same split more ways. Everything in the inclusions list applies, and the safety standard is the one published above.
| Party size | Price per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | USD 1,500 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 1,250 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 1,050 | Second guide joins at six |
Deposit is 25% of the trip price. The payment schedule and the cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote, before you pay anything.
Day by day
Buffer days are built in, not padding. If the weather takes them, nothing downstream collapses and you are not charged twice.
01 Islamabad to Naran Hotel
Up through the Kaghan valley. A long road day, green most of the way.
02 Naran and the upper valley Hotel
Lulusar and the head of the valley, with time to stop. Acclimatising without calling it that.
03 Over Babusar to Chilas Hotel
The pass in the morning, Nanga Parbat from near the top if the day is clear, and down to the Karakoram Highway.
04 Chilas to Gilgit —
North up the highway, and on to whatever comes next.
What is included
- Visa sponsor letter
- All permits, park fees and NOCs
- Met inside the terminal, all transfers
- Our own 4x4s and drivers
- Certified guides and insured crew
- All meals and accommodation throughout
- Medical kit, oxygen where the route calls for it
- Satellite comms and a daily message home
- International flights
- Visa fee itself
- Travel insurance covering evacuation and repatriation
- Personal equipment
- Tips
If our price is wrong for you we will move you to a lower tier or remove a named inclusion. We do not discount a published price, and we do not cut the crew.
Fitness and difficulty — read this honestly
No fitness requirement and no walking beyond what you choose at the stops. This is a driving trip.
The altitude at the pass is the only medical consideration, and it is brief — you are over the top and descending within an hour. Most people notice nothing. If you have a history of altitude illness, tell us, though a short crossing is a far gentler proposition than a day at Khunjerab or Deosai. Declare back trouble: the road is sealed for much of the way but rough near the top.
Kit list
The full list with quantities is sent with your quote. Rental is available in Skardu for most of it, priced separately. Your kit is checked item by item in Islamabad, not the night before the trek.
Group — we provide
- All vehicles, drivers and fuel
- Group first aid
- Satellite phone where there is no mobile signal
Personal — yours
- Layers for a wide temperature range; valley heat and pass cold on the same day
- Comfortable walking shoes for short walks off the road
- Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Power bank; mains power is intermittent outside the towns
- Personal medication and a declared medical history
Safety, evacuation and insurance
Helicopter rescue in the Karakoram is not guaranteed. Weather, altitude, daylight and clearance all decide whether a helicopter flies, so every stage carries a named drive-out or walk-out plan. Your insurance must cover helicopter evacuation and repatriation to the maximum altitude on your itinerary, and we verify the certificate before the trip starts.
A graded medical kit sized to the trip, oxygen, a portable altitude chamber, a satellite phone and a messenger, and a wilderness first responder in the crew.
The lead guide’s decision to turn back is final. Not a guest, not an agent, not this office — whatever has been paid.
Getting there
Islamabad to Naran
Up through the Kaghan valley by road, a long but straightforward day on our own vehicles.
Over the pass
Naran to Babusar and down to Chilas on the Karakoram Highway.
Onward from Chilas
North to Gilgit and Hunza, or the highway back south.
Questions people actually ask
When is Babusar Pass open?
Roughly July to September. It opens when the snow clears and closes when it returns, and both dates move. We confirm the road rather than assuming, because a closed pass means a long detour back down to the highway.
How many days does it take?
Four, Islamabad to Gilgit, with a night in Naran and a night in Chilas. It can be driven faster and the point of the trip is then lost.
How fit do I need to be?
Not at all. This is a driving trip and the walking is whatever you choose at the stops.
How high is the pass, and will I feel it?
Around 4,170 m — a figure we have not matched against a reliable second source, so it prints with a marker. You are over the top and descending within an hour, so most people notice nothing.
Why go this way rather than the Karakoram Highway?
It is shorter, greener and more interesting than the Indus gorge, and it is only possible for a few months a year. If your dates fall outside the window, the highway is the answer and we will plan it that way.
Do I need a permit?
No. The route is open and your Pakistan visa is the only paperwork that matters. There are checkposts on the Gilgit-Baltistan side and we handle registration.
What does it cost and what moves the price?
Party size and vehicle days. It is a one-way crossing, which means repositioning a vehicle — that is in the price rather than a surcharge. Deposit is 25 per cent.
Can we see Nanga Parbat from the pass?
On a clear day, from near the top. It is the reason most people stop longer than they planned. We will not promise weather.
If this one is not quite right
The commonest reason a trip is wrong is that it is too hard or too easy, not that it is in the wrong place.
- A step harder Deosai plateau and Sheosar Lake
If this one is not right
Naltar valley
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Easy
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Sarfaranga cold desert
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Karakoram Highway · Jeep safari