Car, bus or flight: what is the cheapest way to travel north?
Own car, hired car, bus or flight to Hunza and Skardu — the per-person cost for one, two, four and six people, and when each option makes sense.
Updated
The cheapest way north depends almost entirely on how many of you are going. Bus fares are per person; fuel, tolls and car hire are per vehicle. For one or two travellers the bus and your own car come out about even, and from four people a shared car is clearly cheaper.
Lahore to Hunza, per person
| 1 person | 2 people | 4 people | 6 people | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own car | Rs 171,500 – Rs 261,500 | Rs 99,800 – Rs 152,300 | Rs 83,100 – Rs 131,900 | Rs 87,600 – Rs 136,300 |
| Hired car + driver | Rs 244,500 – Rs 373,000 | Rs 136,300 – Rs 208,000 | Rs 101,500 – Rs 159,800 | Rs 101,100 – Rs 158,000 |
| Bus / coaster | Rs 156,000 – Rs 262,000 | Rs 99,500 – Rs 163,300 | Rs 90,400 – Rs 148,000 | Rs 87,400 – Rs 143,000 |
The bus is not as cheap as the fares suggest, because once you arrive you still need a local car or jeep each day — the sights in Hunza are spread along the valley. That daily hire is what lets a full car overtake the bus.
Your own car
- Cheapest for groups of three to five, and you can stop wherever you like.
- Get the brakes, tyres and coolant checked before you go — the mountain roads are hard on all three.
- A normal sedan is fine on the main roads to Hunza, Skardu, Naran and Swat. It is not fine on jeep tracks like Fairy Meadows or Deosai; hire a local jeep for those.
Hired car with driver
- The most relaxed option: someone else drives the Karakoram Highway, and drivers who know the north know where to stop.
- You pay for the car every day of the trip, including the days you are not moving, plus the driver's food and lodging.
- For six or more people, a Hiace van is usually cheaper than two cars.
Bus and coaster
- Cheapest for solo travellers and pairs on a tight budget.
- NATCO and private operators run from Rawalpindi to Gilgit and Skardu; coasters run to Naran and Swat.
- Long and tiring — expect a full day or night on the road each way to Gilgit-Baltistan.
Flying
Flying costs more but buys you time. A six-day Skardu trip for two from Lahore by air comes to about Rs 309,500 – Rs 531,000; driving gives you the same time in Skardu but needs about eight days, and costs about Rs 248,500 – Rs 383,000. If you cannot take the extra two days off, flying is the only way to fit the trip in. Skardu flights are the more reliable choice; Gilgit flights are frequently cancelled by weather.
Whatever you choose, keep one spare day. Weather and landslides do not care about your booking.