Cycling the KKH — Gilgit to Khunjerab
Overview
A twelve-day supported ride from Gilgit up the Karakoram Highway to the Khunjerab Pass at 4,693 m. A support vehicle carries luggage, spares and anyone having a bad day, and the climbing is yours.
The climb
From Gilgit at around 1,500 m to Khunjerab at 4,693 m, spread over several days with acclimatisation nights built in, to the criteria we publish. The gradients are not severe for most of the route — this is a highway, not a mountain pass road in the alpine sense — but the final climb to the pass is long, exposed and at an altitude where everything is harder.
What the support vehicle is for
Luggage, spares, water, food, and a seat if you need one. Nobody is expected to ride every kilometre and nobody is made to feel they failed by getting in. On a route that climbs over three thousand metres, having the option is what makes the trip enjoyable rather than grim.
Surface and traffic
Sealed for most of its length and well surfaced on the Chinese-rebuilt sections. There are landslide stretches that are rough, and there are trucks. We ride early in the day when the road is quiet and we do not ride at night.
Bikes
Bring your own if you can — fit matters more on a trip like this than on anything else we sell. Rental is possible and quoted separately, and we will be honest about what is available locally.
When it runs
June to September.
What is inside the price
Support vehicle and driver, a guide on our payroll, all permits and park fees, hotels throughout, all meals, oxygen on the pass day, satellite comms and an evacuation plan for every stage. Bike rental is quoted separately. If you would rather an engine did the climbing, see the motorcycle trip. The rest of the Karakoram Highway and our other riding and cycling trips.
- Duration
- 10 – 12 days
- Trek days
- 0
- Maximum altitude
- 4,693 m
- Grade
- Hard
- Group size
- Max 8 riders
- Guides
- 1 certified, 1 WFR, support driver
- Season
- June – September
- Starts / ends
- Gilgit / Gilgit
- Accommodation
- Hotels throughout
- Gilgit to the China border under your own power, climbing over three thousand metres
- A support vehicle carrying luggage, spares, food and a seat if you need one
- Acclimatisation nights built into the schedule rather than bolted on
- Early starts, because the road is quiet in the morning and full of trucks later
- The Khunjerab Pass at 4,693 m, reached on a bicycle
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 4,050 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 3,400 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 2,850 | 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 Arrive Gilgit Hotel
Met at the airport or off the highway. Bikes built and checked, briefing, and a short shakedown ride.
02 Gilgit to Chalt Hotel
The first riding day, deliberately short, up the Hunza river.
03 Chalt to Karimabad Hotel · 2,400 m
Into Hunza, with Rakaposhi opposite for most of the climb.
04 Hunza — rest and acclimatisation Hotel · 2,400 m
Off the bikes. The forts, and height gained gently before the serious climbing.
05 Karimabad to Gulmit Hotel
Attabad, the tunnels and into Gojal. Short and spectacular.
06 Gulmit to Sost Hotel
Up the valley to the last town before the pass.
08 Sost to Khunjerab Hotel · 4,693 m
The climb to the border, taken over two days with a night high. The hardest riding of the trip.
10 Down to Hunza Hotel · 2,400 m
The descent, which is the reward and takes a fraction of the time.
11 Hunza to Gilgit Hotel
Ride it or take the vehicle. Kit return and debrief.
12 Gilgit, and onward —
By air or road, and on to whatever comes next.
What is included
- Support vehicle and driver throughout
- A guide on our payroll
- All permits, park fees and NOCs
- Visa sponsor letter
- Hotels and all meals
- Oxygen on the pass day
- Satellite comms and a daily message home
- A written evacuation plan for every stage
- International flights
- Visa fee itself
- Bicycle rental, quoted separately
- Travel insurance covering cycling and evacuation
- Helmet, clothing and 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
Real cycling fitness. You are climbing from around 1,500 m to 4,693 m over several days, with sustained riding days in between. If you do not already ride regularly and comfortably over long distances, this is not the trip.
The gradients are mostly reasonable — this is a highway rather than an alpine pass road — and the difficulty is the combination of distance, altitude and consecutive days. The final climb to the pass is long, exposed and at an altitude where everything is harder. The support vehicle means nobody has to ride every kilometre, and we would rather you used it than finished the day wrecked.
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
- Support vehicle, driver and spares
- Water and food on the road
- Group first aid and oxygen for the pass day
- Satellite phone
Personal — yours
- Your own bicycle if you can bring it — fit matters more here than on anything else we sell
- Helmet, gloves and riding clothing
- Thermal and windproof layers for the pass
- Sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen
- 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 Gilgit
By air when the weather allows, or by road up the Karakoram Highway. Bikes travel with the group.
The route
North from Gilgit through Hunza and Gojal to Khunjerab, with the support vehicle behind.
Back
Down to Gilgit by vehicle, or ride it if you want the descent.
Questions people actually ask
How fit do I need to be?
Really fit. You climb from around 1,500 m to 4,693 m over several days with sustained riding in between. If you do not already ride regularly and comfortably over long distances, this is not the trip.
How many days is it, and when does it run?
Twelve from Gilgit, including acclimatisation and buffer. June to September — the Khunjerab road is shut outside that.
Do I have to ride every kilometre?
No, and nobody is made to feel they failed by getting in the vehicle. On a route climbing over three thousand metres, having the option is what makes the trip enjoyable rather than grim.
How bad is the altitude on a bike?
Significant. Everything is harder above 4,000 m and the final climb to the pass is long and exposed. We build acclimatisation nights in and carry oxygen on the pass day.
Should I bring my own bike?
If you can. Fit matters more on this trip than on anything else we sell. Rental is possible, quoted separately, and we will be honest about what is actually available locally.
What is the road surface and traffic like?
Sealed for most of its length and well surfaced on the rebuilt sections, with rough landslide stretches. There are trucks. We ride early when the road is quiet and we do not ride at night.
Do I need a permit?
Khunjerab National Park charges an entry fee, which we pay. No separate permit for the highway. Your Pakistan visa is the paperwork that matters.
What does it cost and what moves the price?
Party size, then whether you rent a bike. The support vehicle, driver and guide cost the same for three riders as for eight. Deposit is 25 per cent.
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 easier Motorcycle the Karakoram Highway
You have already chosen the region, which is the harder decision. These run from the same roadhead.
- Gojal & Khunjerab · Day excursion Duikar, Eagle’s Nest and Borith
- Karakoram Highway · Jeep safari Karakoram Highway — Islamabad to Khunjerab
- Gojal & Khunjerab · Jeep safari Hunza, Attabad and Passu