Our goal
To make Gilgit-Baltistan as easy to travel as it is beautiful — one price, one contact, and no surprises on arrival. A traveller should be choosing between valleys, not chasing six separate bookings.
Slide 1 of 5: Shangrila, Skardu
Based in SkarduWelcome to Pahardi Travels
Your gateway to the wonders of Gilgit-Baltistan
We are a tour operator based in Skardu, running small-group and private trips across the whole of Gilgit-Baltistan, plus the hotels, the transport and the paperwork that a trip north actually needs.
What we sell is the removal of hassle. Rooms held in advance in places that fill up, a driver who knows which road closed this morning, park fees and permits handled, and one number that answers while you are on the road.
- Local expertsBased in Skardu. Drivers and guides from the valleys you visit.
- Verified guidesLicensed, insured, and known to us personally.
- 24/7 supportOne WhatsApp number that works while you are on the road.
- Visa assistanceInvitation letters, NOC and trekking permits handled.
What drives us
Our goal & mission
Our mission
To run trips that put money into the valleys we travel through: local drivers, local guides, family guesthouses and porters paid the going rate. And to be honest about the north — its seasons, its roads and its limits — because the people who come back are the ones who were told the truth first.
What we offer
Our services
Tours, hotels, transport, trip planning, visa support and outbound ticketing — one company rather than five.
Domestic ToursScheduled group departures and private trips across Gilgit-Baltistan — the core of what we do.Learn more Hotels & StaysRooms held in advance at the places that fill up — heritage forts, lake-facing resorts, mountain huts and our own Deosai camp.Learn more Transport & FleetJeeps, Prados, Hiaces and coasters with drivers who know the road — including the tracks a rental car cannot go near.Learn more Trip PlanningTell us your dates and we build the route — including telling you when your dates do not work.Learn more Visa & DocumentationInvitation letters, NOC for restricted zones, trekking permits and the paperwork foreign travellers actually need.Learn more International ServicesAir ticketing, umrah packages and outbound trips for travellers based in Gilgit-Baltistan.Learn more
Popular destinations
Our travellers' favourite places
Every destination here is somewhere we run trips to ourselves, with our own drivers and guides.
Hunza & NagarHunza Valley Hunza · 2,438 mTerraced orchards under Rakaposhi4 toursfrom PKR 38,000
High PassesKhunjerab Pass Hunza (Gojal) · 4,693 mThe highest paved border crossing on earth3 toursfrom PKR 42,000
Hunza & NagarAttabad Lake Hunza (Gojal) · 2,450 mTurquoise water where a mountain fell3 toursfrom PKR 38,000
Hunza & NagarPassu Cones & Borith Hunza (Gojal) · 2,540 mThe most photographed skyline in Pakistan3 toursfrom PKR 42,000
Hunza & NagarRush Lake & Hopper Glacier Nagar · 4,694 mOne of the highest alpine lakes on earth1 tourfrom PKR 145,000
Gilgit & GhizerNaltar Valley Gilgit · 2,858 mPine forest, ski slopes and three coloured lakes2 toursfrom PKR 34,000Popular tours
Running this season
Per person, twin-sharing, departing Islamabad — transport, hotels, guide and park fees already inside.
Group Tour
Fairy Meadows & Nanga Parbat 4-Day
The short, sharp classic: jeep up the Raikot gorge, walk three hours, and wake up looking at an 8,126 m mountain.
PKR 38,000PKR 32,000$114 · per person
Group Tour
Hunza Valley 5-Day Tour
The classic first trip north: Karimabad, both forts, sunrise at Duikar and a boat on Attabad — by road from Islamabad.
PKR 46,000PKR 38,000$136 · per person
Group Tour
Skardu, Shigar & Kachura 7-Day Tour
Baltistan at a comfortable pace: the cold desert, both Kachura lakes, Kharpocho Fort and a night inside Shigar Fort.
PKR 61,000PKR 52,000$186 · per person
Group Tour
Hunza & Khunjerab Pass 7-Day Tour
Everything the 5-day covers, plus Passu, Borith and the drive to the Chinese border at 4,693 m.
PKR 64,000PKR 55,000$196 · per person
Group Tour
Hunza Blossom Tour (April)
Six days timed to the apricot and cherry blossom, when the whole valley floor turns pink for about three weeks.
PKR 58,000$207 · per person
Details
Group Tour
Skardu & Deosai Crossing 8-Day
Skardu, then two days on the Deosai plateau at 4,100 m — Sheosar Lake, brown bear country, and a night under canvas.
PKR 74,000PKR 62,000$221 · per person
Where you'll stay
Featured hotels
Heritage forts, lake-facing rooms and our own camp on Deosai — held in advance, with the room category specified.
Shigar Fort Residence
A 400-year-old raja’s palace — the Fong Khar — restored over seven years by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and now run as a heritage hotel.
Quoted with your package
Details
Khaplu Palace
The 1840 residence of the Yabgo rajas, above the Shyok river — Tibetan-influenced Baltistan architecture, restored and award-winning.
Quoted with your package
DetailsLuxus Hunza Attabad Lake
Cabins and rooms directly on the Attabad shoreline, with the turquoise water from the balcony.
Quoted with your package
DetailsOur fleet
Vehicles, with drivers who know the road
Jeeps for the tracks, Prados for private trips, Hiaces and coasters for groups.
Toyota Land Cruiser (Jeep)
The workhorse for anything off tarmac — Deosai, Naltar, Fairy Meadows, Rama, Handrap.
See the fleetToyota Prado
Comfortable 4x4 for couples and small families on the Karakoram Highway and the Skardu road.
See the fleet
Toyota Hiace / Grand Cabin
The standard group vehicle: enough room to be comfortable on an eighteen-hour drive without becoming a bus.
See the fleetTravelling to Pakistan?
We help international travellers with documentation
Invitation letters for the e-visa, hotel confirmations, restricted-zone NOC and trekking permits — issued as part of your booking, not as an extra you chase.
- Visa assistance
- Invitation letter
- NOC & permits
- Airport meet-and-greet
When to come
Gilgit-Baltistan has four quite different years in it
Which one you get depends entirely on the month. Here is the short version.
- Mar – Apr
Blossom
Apricot and cherry flower across the Hunza valley floor. Passes still closed.
- May – Jun
Passes open
Khunjerab reopens, upper Hunza becomes reachable, everything green.
- Jul – Sep
High season
The only window for Deosai and Shandur. Warmest, busiest, fullest.
- Oct – Feb
Gold, then snow
Poplars turn in late October; by December Hunza is empty and white.
Why book with us
A local operator, not a booking portal
We run the trips ourselves — the vehicle, the guide and the hotel bookings are all ours. That is the difference you feel when something changes.
One price, everything inside
Transport from Islamabad, hotels, the guide, park fees and the jeeps where jeeps are needed. The number on the card is the number you pay.
We are from here
Skardu-based, with drivers and guides from the valleys you are visiting. Local knowledge is not a marketing line when the road washes out at Chilas.
Small groups, or none at all
Six to sixteen on group departures. Four or more of you and a private trip on your own dates costs about the same per head.
Honest about the road
The KKH closes for landslides in monsoon. Skardu flights cancel. Deosai opens in July, not June. We tell you before you book, not after.
Permits and NOC handled
Khunjerab registration, restricted-zone NOCs, trekking permits for the Central Karakoram park — arranged as part of the booking.
WhatsApp, answered
Same-day replies before you book and a number that works while you are on the road. Not a ticket queue.
From the valleys
Gallery
Who runs these trips
Muhammad Khan, who most of Pakistan knows as Pahardi
“Turning journeys into stories & landscapes into memories. Tour organizer & your companion to nature’s hidden gems.”
Pahardi films and organises trips across Gilgit-Baltistan, and the channels below are where most of our travellers find us first. If you have watched a reel of Attabad, Rama or the Passu Cones in the last year, there is a fair chance it was his.
From our blog
Worth reading before you book
Seasons, roads, permits and packing — written for people planning a first trip north.
Best Time to Visit Hunza Valley: A Month-by-Month Guide
Blossom in April, green valley in summer, gold poplars in October, snow from December. What Hunza Valley actually looks like in every month of the year, and when to book for each.
Read moreIslamabad to Skardu: Should You Fly or Drive?
One hour in the air or twenty on the road. An honest comparison of cost, reliability, scenery and what happens when the Skardu flight cancels — which it does.
Read moreFairy Meadows Trek: The Complete Guide
The jeep track, the three-hour walk, what the huts are actually like, and how to reach the Nanga Parbat base camp viewpoint. Everything you need before you go.
Read moreBooking
The questions everyone asks
Message us on WhatsApp or use the booking form. A 25% advance confirms your seat; the balance is due seven days before departure. We send a written confirmation with the full itinerary and the vehicle details.
Full refund if you cancel more than 21 days before departure. 50% between 21 and 7 days. Inside 7 days the advance is non-refundable because hotels and jeeps are already paid. If we cancel a departure, you get everything back or a free transfer to another date.
No. All prices are by road from Islamabad. Islamabad–Gilgit and Islamabad–Skardu flights can be added at cost — around PKR 28,000–35,000 return depending on the season. PIA cancels these flights readily for weather, so every fly-in trip is planned with a road contingency.
Not for Hunza, Skardu, Gilgit, Astore or the standard tourist areas — a passport and visa are enough. An NOC is required for restricted zones near the Line of Control and for some trekking areas. We arrange it as part of the booking where it applies.
Group departures run 6 to 16 people depending on the trip. Anything smaller runs as a private tour. If you are four or more, a private departure on your own dates usually costs about the same per head.
The valley tours — Hunza, Skardu, Naltar, Phander — are fine for children and for parents. Fairy Meadows involves a three-hour walk, and Deosai means altitude and camping. The trekking and expedition trips are for experienced walkers only.
We run mixed groups with female travellers on most departures and can arrange female-only room sharing. Tell us at the time of booking and we will confirm who else is on that date.
April and May for blossom, June to September for the high passes and Deosai, October for autumn colour, and December to February if you want Hunza in the snow. Deosai and Shandur are only open roughly July to September.
Ready when you are
Tell us roughly where and when
Send a message with your dates and group size. We come back with what is realistic for that window, a price, and no pressure.