The north of Pakistan is where all the epic landscapes are, and if you are planning a trip to Northern Pakistan, you are likely to pass through Gilgit, the capital city of Gilgit-Baltistan province, and begin your journey from there. In this article, I will provide you with all the latest information you need to know to travel to Gilgit from Islamabad independently. There are mainly two ways you can travel to Gilgit from Islamabad
Rent a car Islamabad.
This is obviously the easiest and less troublesome way to travel to Gilgit, given that the flight doesn't get canceled. They are quite notorious for canceling flights due to the unpredictable weather in the mountains, so I do not consider this option to be reliable.
I had a flight from Skardu to Islamabad cancelled on me, and I had to scramble my way back to Islamabad by road (32 hours!). I still missed my flight out of the country, so if you are planning to fly, please leave at least 3-4 days in your schedule in case you have to find other alternatives.
Pakistan International Airways flies from Islamabad to Gilgit twice a day in the morning at around $113 USD. You might be able to find it cheaper through Expedia or Skyscanner as they may have some third-party discounts for you.
If the flight is canceled, another way you can travel from Islamabad to Gilgit is by bus.
NATCO is a government-owned bus company that connects northern Pakistan to the rest of the country, and you can board one from Islamabad to Gilgit. It is probably the most reliable mode of transportation for independent travelers planning to go up north from Islamabad.
I would recommend that you buy the bus ticket a day before. However, if you do not have time, you can also come to the terminal a few hours earlier and get your ticket then. The bus terminal is located at Pirwadhai Bus Terminal in Rawalpindi. You can take an Uber there.
Once you've got the ticket, be at the terminal 30 minutes before and wait in the room next to the ticket kiosks. The driver will call you when the bus arrives.
Due to previous incidents, the government is not taking any chances with tourists traveling through the Karakoram Highway, and there are certain things you need to prepare before you get on the bus.
Things do change a lot in Pakistan, may it be the bus schedule, documentation required, etc., if before your trip, be sure to consult NATCO official website, just in case.
Things to Prepare Before Your Trip
Overnight buses in Pakistan are pretty safe, and, like in most Muslim countries, men and women are seated separately unless they know each other. So, if you are a solo woman traveler, you will likely have the whole two seats for yourself and are unlikely to be seated with creepy men.
The presence of all these police checkpoints may seem a little excessive, but they are there to protect us. So, if there are any incidents, you can always report them to the police at one of these checkpoints.
As mentioned previously, there are certain areas where the government does not feel comfortable letting tourists roam freely at night, and one of those places is Chilas.
From my personal experience, I was traveling in the opposite direction with a shared taxi, and since I was the only non-Pakistani in the car, we were stopped at a checkpoint after Jaglot. It was around 11 PM, and they told us that we had to turn back and wait until sunrise because we had a foreigner in the car.
For security reasons, they wouldn't allow us to travel through Chilas at night. We tried to persuade them for half an hour, but they wouldn't budge. So, we had to sleep in Jaglot until 5 AM before they let us through.
I missed my flight because of these stupid rules, but at least I made a few new friends coming out of it. Many rules in Pakistan don't make sense, but the best you can do is accept them and go with the flow. The last thing you need is a problem with the police in a country like Pakistan.
Where to Stay in Gilgit?
I highly recommend staying at Madina Hotel 2. It is one of the most peaceful places in Gilgit. I always look forward to coming back here. It is located around the government building area, so it is much quieter than any other places in Gilgit.
They have a beautiful courtyard where you can order food and enjoy a nice meal while surrounded by flowers and mountains. They also have a working hot shower, which is always appreciated.
The owner is amazing. He drove me around Gilgit to find a working Western Union on his motorcycle, all while telling me how Pakistan used to be tourist-friendly and how it changed after 9/11, without charging me a single rupee. He is a good man.
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to start planning your trip! Here are some resources to help you get going:
Are you planning to travel independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Further Reading for Pakistan
I hope this guide will help you plan your trip to Pakistan. I have written a ton of more articles about Pakistan, and here's a selection of them to further assist you in planning your trip to Pakistan.
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