Pakistan's Karakoram Highway — Self-Launched

Arrive at Islamabad International and check into a budget hotel in the Blue Area or F-7/F-8 district (e.g. Hotel Hillview equivalent or a guesthouse near Aabpara). Spend the afternoon independently: Faisal Mosque is free to enter (cover up, remove shoes), the Pakistan Monument and adjacent Heritage Museum have a small combined ticket (~£2). Late afternoon, take a taxi or Metro Bus to Rawalpindi's Raja Bazaar and wander the old city lanes — free, but keep valuables discreet. Arrows Taxi, Careem and InDrive all work here.

🚌Airport taxi ~£6-8; Metro Bus ~£0.20 per ride

🛏Budget hotel, Blue Area/F-7, Islamabad (~£22)

• →Faisal Mosque (free)
• →Pakistan Monument & Heritage Museum (~£2)
• →Raja Bazaar walking exploration (free)

Buy a morning ticket for the NATCO/Faisal Movers bus from Islamabad to Mansehra or Balakot (~£5-7, 5-6 hrs), then a shared jeep or local minibus up to Naran (~£3-4, 3 hrs). Road conditions vary — build in slack. In Naran, grab a cheap hotel or guesthouse (plenty along the main bazaar), stroll the riverside market and eat at a local dhaba. If you want the Babusar Pass route to work tomorrow, confirm with your driver that it's open (it usually opens June-October).

🚌Public bus Islamabad-Balakot ~£6 + shared jeep to Naran ~£4

🛏Guesthouse/Hotel, Naran bazaar (~£18)

• →Kaghan Valley scenic drive
• →Naran town riverside walk

This is the classic Naran-Gilgit run. Reserve a seat on the daily NATCO or private minibus/coaster over the Babusar Pass (4,173 m) — ~£12-15, 8-10 hrs. You'll pass Lulusar Lake and the high-altitude Lulusar National Park, then descend onto the Karakoram Highway proper. Note: when Babusar is closed (Oct-May), the route detours via the longer Besham route (add a day). In Gilgit, check into a budget hotel near the bazaar and, if time allows before dark, walk to the old British Cemetery and Gilgit Bridge — the 158 m suspension bridge across the Gilgit River.

🚌Public minibus/coaster Naran-Gilgit over Babusar Pass ~£14

🛏Budget hotel, Gilgit bazaar (~£20)

• →Lulusar National Park lakes
• →Babusar Pass crossing (4,173 m)
• →Gilgit bazaar walk
• →Gilgit Bridge & old British Cemetery

Take a morning shared van/jeep from Gilgit to Aliabad or Karimabad along the KKH (~£4-5, 2.5-3 hrs). Check into a guesthouse in Karimabad (plenty of family-run places, ~£18-25). In the afternoon hire a local guide at the site gate for Baltit Fort and Altit Fort — combined entry and guided access is modest (~£6-8). Stop at the Ciqam Women's Carpentry workshop if open (small donation/coffee). Near sunset, take a short shared jeep or walk up to Duikar village viewpoint for the panorama of Rakaposhi (7,778 m). For the home-cooked Hunzakut dinner experience, ask your guesthouse to arrange a family meal — many do this for ~£6-8 pp.

🚌Shared van Gilgit-Karimabad ~£5

🛏Guesthouse, Karimabad (~£22)

• →Baltit Fort guided visit (~£4)
• →Altit Fort (~£4)
• →Ciqam Women's Carpentry workshop
• →Duikar sunset viewpoint
• →Hunzakut family dinner (~£7)

Hire a shared jeep and local driver for the day (split the cost with others from your guesthouse, ~£10-15 pp). Start early for Hoper in Nagar for the Hoper Glacier viewpoint (10 min walk from the road). On the way back, stop at the Hunza Sacred Rocks and Attabad Lake viewpoint. Continue to Hussaini Suspension Bridge — the tour's note is fair: view from the bank rather than crossing unless you're confident. Stop at Borith Lake for lunch (small local café or picnic) with Passu Glacier views, then walk the ~4 km/90 min track to the Passu Glacier viewpoint. Finish at the Korgah Women-Led Carpet Weaving Centre in Gulmit village. Order a shared jeep late or stay another night in Passu.

🚌Shared jeep for the day, split cost ~£12 pp

🛏Guesthouse, Karimabad or Passu (~£22)

• →Hoper Glacier viewpoint
• →Hunza Sacred Rocks
• →Attabad Lake viewpoint
• →Hussaini Suspension Bridge viewpoint
• →Borith Lake lunch
• →Passu Glacier walk (~4 km)
• →Korgah Carpet Weaving Centre

Return to Gilgit (shared van ~£5) and, before leaving, stop at the 7th-century Kargah Buddha rock carving — a short taxi hop from the bazaar (~£2). Then catch a shared jeep or public bus heading west into the Ghizer Valley to Gupis (~£6-8, 4-5 hrs) through increasingly remote snow-peak scenery. Book into a simple guesthouse in Gupis. It's quieter out here with far fewer travellers — plan food around what's available locally.

🚌Shared van to Gilgit ~£5; bus/jeep Gilgit-Gupis ~£7

🛏Guesthouse, Gupis (~£18)

• →Kargah Buddha rock carving
• →Gahkuch village stop
• →Ghizer Valley scenic drive

Hire a 4WD with driver for the day from Gupis (~£30-40 per vehicle, split between 3-4 people — ~£10 pp) to reach Darkot village and the Ghamubar Glacier snout. The short walk to the snout is easy; if you're keen and the guide agrees, the one-hour extension onto the glacier itself requires a proper local guide — agree a price beforehand (~£10). Have lunch in Darkot village and just watch daily life; this is one of the least-visited corners of the region. Return to Gupis by late afternoon.

🚌Shared 4WD hire (split) ~£10 pp

🛏Guesthouse, Gupis (~£18)

• →4WD to Darkot village
• →Ghamubar Glacier snout walk (free)
• →Optional glacier walk with local guide (~£10)
• →Lunch in Darkot

Travel south from Gupis to Astore by shared jeep or public bus (~£6-8). At the junction near Astore you can see the meeting point of three ranges — Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindukush — a good photo stop. From Astore, take a shared jeep up the rough road to Tarashing village at the foot of Nanga Parbat (~£3-4). Stay in a family guesthouse; the Tarashing Guest House-style places are simple, with meals cooked on site (~£20 including dinner).

🚌Shared jeep Gupis-Astore ~£7; shared jeep Astore-Tarashing ~£4

🛏Guesthouse, Tarashing (~£20 incl. dinner)

• →Three-ranges viewpoint
• →Astore Valley drive
• →Tarashing village evening

Arrange a local guide in Tarashing for the day (~£15-20 per group) and walk the ~5 km route to the Herligkoffer Base Camp on Nanga Parbat's south side, passing through meadow alongside the Bazhin Glacier. The path is steep in places with some exposed sections — not technical, but take it steadily and let people who aren't comfortable opt for the alternative: a 4WD drive up into the Upper Rupal Valley with a viewpoint and village walk. Either way, expect a long day; carry water and a picnic.

🚌On foot (guide included in activity cost)

🛏Guesthouse, Tarashing (~£20 incl. dinner)

• →Herligkoffer Base Camp walk (~5 km)
• →Bazhin Glacier meadow walk
• →Alternative: Upper Rupal Valley 4WD tour

This is the big scenic crossing. The Deosai Plateau road is only reliably open roughly July-September and generally needs a 4WD. Arrange a shared 4WD jeep from Tarashing/Astore to Skardu via Deosai (~£50-70 per vehicle, split ~£15-20 pp), stopping at Sheosar Lake, the Bara Pani river, and Deosai National Park (there's a small park entry fee, ~£2). Carry a picnic — there's no food up on the plateau. Descend to Skardu and check into a budget hotel (~£20); Satpara Lake and the Satpara Buddha carving can be squeezed in on the way down if there's daylight.

🚌Shared 4WD over Deosai (split) ~£18 pp + park entry ~£2

🛏Budget hotel, Skardu (~£20)

• →Deosai Plateau & National Park crossing
• →Sheosar Lake
• →Bara Pani River
• →Satpara Lake & Satpara Buddha

Hire a 4WD or shared jeep for the day to explore the Skardu Valley (~£30-40 per vehicle, split ~£10-12 pp). Visit Shigar village and Shigar Fort (entry ~£3), the 14th-century wooden Amboriq Mosque (a UNESCO-listed gem — small donation), and lunch on traditional Balti food in Shigar (try chapsuro, gittey and mamtu at a local kitchen, ~£4). Cross the Katpana Desert on the way back — high-altitude sand dunes, free to wander. Late afternoon, walk the ~2 hrs up to 16th-century Kharpocho Fort for views of the Indus/Shigar confluence (small entry). Browse Skardu Bazaar for apricots, dried fruit and handicrafts in the evening.

🚌Shared jeep for the day (split) ~£11 pp

🛏Budget hotel, Skardu (~£20)

• →Shigar Fort (~£3)
• →Amboriq Mosque
• →Balti lunch in Shigar (~£4)
• →Katpana Desert
• →Kharpocho Fort walk
• →Skardu Bazaar

Book the PIA Skardu-Islamabad flight in advance (~£70-100, 1 hr). Flights are notoriously weather-dependent and often cancelled — have a fallback plan to drive the KKH/Indus Highway (18-20 hrs, usually an overnight bus) if the flight won't go. On arrival, take a taxi to a budget hotel in Islamabad (~£22). Spend the late afternoon in Rawalpindi's Raja Bazaar and hunt out a truck-art workshop to watch the painters at work — free to visit, tips appreciated.

🚌PIA flight Skardu-Islamabad ~£85; taxi from airport ~£7

🛏Budget hotel, Islamabad (~£22)

• →Skardu-Islamabad flight
• →Raja Bazaar
• →Truck art workshop visit

Take a Careem/InDrive or shared taxi out to Taxila (~£8-10 round trip, 45 min each way). Entry to the UNESCO World Heritage Site — the ancient city dating to the 6th century BC — is around £2-3, and a local guide at the site is worth the small fee (~£8) to make sense of the Buddhist stupas and ruins. Back in Islamabad in the evening, treat yourself to a proper farewell meal at a decent local restaurant (Monal or a Rawalpindi kebab house) before flying home — this replaces the group farewell dinner.

🚌Taxi/shared car Islamabad-Taxila ~£9 return

🛏Budget hotel, Islamabad (~£22)

• →Taxila UNESCO site (~£3)
• →Local site guide (~£8)
• →Farewell dinner in Islamabad (~£10)

Last morning in Islamabad. Depending on your flight time, you might fit in a coffee at a F-7 café or last-minute souvenir shopping in Saeed Book Bank / Aabpara market. Take a Careem, InDrive or pre-booked hotel taxi to Islamabad International (~£6-8) for your onward flight.

🚌Airport taxi ~£7

🛏—

• →Free morning / last souvenirs