Skardu to Askole — the Braldu road
Overview
A four-day trip up the Braldu valley from Skardu to Askole, the last village before the Baltoro. Ninety-six kilometres that take seven to nine hours, on a road regularly closed by landslide, driven here as the destination rather than as the thing you endure before a trek.
Why anyone would do this on purpose
Because it is one of the most remarkable mountain roads anywhere and nobody looks at it properly. Every Baltoro party drives it at the start of a three-week trek, tired and preoccupied, and again at the end, more tired. Driven as its own trip, with time to stop, it is extraordinary — a shelf cut into gorge walls above the Braldu river with the Karakoram closing in at every bend.
Askole
The last village. Beyond it there is no road, no vehicle and no settlement until you come back out. Standing at the roadhead where every K2 expedition since 1954 has shouldered loads is worth the drive on its own.
The honest part
This is a hard road. Narrow, exposed in places, unsurfaced for long stretches, and blocked often enough that we build a buffer day in. If drops and rough ground in a vehicle trouble you, this is the wrong trip and we would rather you knew now.
When it runs
May to October, and condition-dependent within that. We will turn back rather than drive a bad section, which is a normal outcome rather than a failure.
What is inside the price
All permits and fees, our own 4x4s and our own drivers — this road is why we do not subcontract, and the crew work under our published charter — hotels and a camp at Askole, all meals, a guide on our payroll, satellite comms above Shigar and a written evacuation plan for every stage. See the rest of Shigar and Braldu and our other jeep safaris.
- Duration
- 3 – 4 days
- Trek days
- 0
- Maximum altitude
- 3,000 m [confirm]
- Grade
- Easy
- Group size
- Max 8
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- May – October
- Starts / ends
- Skardu / Skardu
- Accommodation
- Hotel in Shigar, camp or guesthouse at Askole
- Ninety-six kilometres in seven to nine hours — one of the great mountain roads, driven for itself
- Askole, the last village, where every K2 expedition since 1954 has shouldered loads
- A shelf cut into gorge walls above the Braldu river
- Our own 4x4s and drivers, which on this road is the whole reason it is bookable
- A buffer day built in, because landslide closures are normal rather than exceptional
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 Skardu to Shigar Hotel
North into the Shigar valley. A short day that puts you at the mouth of the Braldu for an early start.
02 Shigar to Askole Camp · 3,000 m
The road itself. Seven to nine hours with stops, the gorge, and the last village at the end of it.
03 Askole, and back down the Braldu Hotel
The roadhead in the morning, where the trekking parties set off, then the drive back out.
04 Shigar to Skardu —
Short drive down the valley, with the buffer day behind us rather than in front.
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 almost no walking. What this trip asks for instead is tolerance: seven to nine hours each way on a narrow, unsurfaced road that is exposed in places and rough throughout.
Declare back trouble and declare a fear of heights in vehicles. This is the road that finds both, and neither is a reason not to come if we know in advance — we can plan the stops, the seating and the pace around it. What we cannot do is fix it at the third hairpin above the gorge.
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
Met inside the terminal by a member of our team, not a driver with a sign outside it. Briefing the same evening, SIM and cash sorted.
Islamabad to Skardu
A short flight that is weather-dependent, or a long road that is not. We build a buffer day either way and quote both.
On the ground
Our own 4x4s and our own drivers from Skardu onward.
Questions people actually ask
Why would I drive this if I am not trekking?
Because it is one of the most remarkable mountain roads anywhere and nobody looks at it properly. Every Baltoro party drives it tired at the start of a three-week trek and more tired at the end. With time to stop, it is the trip rather than the approach.
How long does the Skardu to Askole road take?
Seven to nine hours for ninety-six kilometres, and that is with a good run. Landslide closures are normal, which is why we build a buffer day in.
How rough is it really?
Narrow, exposed in places, unsurfaced for long stretches. If drops and rough ground in a vehicle trouble you, this is the wrong trip and we would rather you knew now.
How fit do I need to be?
Not at all — there is almost no walking. The demand is tolerance for a long day in a vehicle on bad ground, not fitness.
How high is Askole?
Around 3,000 m. The figure is operator-level rather than surveyed, so it prints with a marker until we have something better. High enough that a few people notice it, not high enough to plan around.
Do I need a permit?
Not for the road itself. Park fees apply in the upper Braldu and we pay them. Your Pakistan visa is the paperwork that matters and we send a sponsor letter for it.
What does it cost and what moves the price?
Party size, and the vehicle, which on this road is a real cost rather than a line item. We cap the party at eight so nobody is in a middle seat for nine hours. Deposit is 25 per cent.
When can it be driven?
May to October, and condition-dependent within that. We will turn back rather than drive a bad section, which is a normal outcome rather than a failure.
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
You have already chosen the region, which is the harder decision. These run from the same roadhead.
- Khaplu & Ghanche · Trek Thalle La
- Khaplu & Ghanche · Cultural journey Baltistan forts and mosques
If this one is not right
Naltar valley
Phander and Ghizer
Babusar Pass
Easy
Shigar & Braldu · Jeep safari