How to Reach Skardu from Islamabad: Flights, Road Routes, Buses and Distances

The one-hour flight, the two-day drive on the Karakoram Highway or over the Babusar Pass, and the overnight bus: distances, times, 2026 prices and what to do when the flight is cancelled.

By Sania Babar · October 16, 2026 · 13 min read

Skardu sits at about 2,230 m in the Indus valley, the gateway to K2, the Deosai Plains and the Shigar and Khaplu valleys. Getting there is half the trip. You can be in town an hour after leaving Islamabad, or spend two days on mountain roads that cling to the Indus gorge. Which way you go depends on the season, your budget, how much time you have and, if you hold a foreign passport, what your government's travel advice says about the Karakoram Highway.

This guide covers all three ways in, flights, both road routes and the buses, with distances, driving times and 2026 prices, plus what to do when your flight does not go. We run Skardu trips every season, and our Skardu road trip is built around exactly these choices.

Islamabad to Skardu at a glance

Flying from Islamabad to Skardu

The flight is the reason most visitors manage Skardu in a week. PIA, Airblue and AirSial all fly from Islamabad International Airport (ISB) to Skardu International Airport (KDU), between them around 20 flights a week, roughly three a day in summer. The scheduled flight time is about an hour. On a clear morning you fly close past Nanga Parbat (8,126 m) and then down into the Indus valley, and with luck you glimpse K2 just before landing. Our guests still talk about it at the end of the trip.

Fares for a one-way ticket usually run from about PKR 25,000 to 35,000, with the highest prices in June, July and August and around the Eid holidays. Booking two or three weeks ahead normally gets you the lower end. Prices move constantly, so check the airline sites or a Pakistani booking site on the day.

Which seat to take on the Islamabad to Skardu flight

For the views, book a window on the right-hand side (the F seats) when flying from Islamabad to Skardu. That is the side Nanga Parbat appears on, often close and almost level with the plane. Flying back from Skardu to Islamabad, take the left-hand side (the A seats) for the same view. The other side is not a loss: on clear days K2 and the peaks of the central Karakoram can show on the left just before you land at Skardu, though they are often in cloud. Choose a window away from the wing if you can, and ask for your seat at check-in or online, because airlines do not always let you choose for free. None of this is guaranteed: what you see depends on the weather and the route the pilot is given that day.

Why Skardu flights get cancelled

Skardu is a mountain airport. If cloud sits over the ranges or the wind is wrong, flights are delayed, turned back or cancelled, sometimes for every airline on the same day. It happens in every season but most often in winter and during the July and August monsoon. The UK Foreign Office warns that flight schedules in Gilgit-Baltistan "may be unreliable and may change at short notice", and that matches what we see on our own trips. So build in one spare day at each end of the trip, and do not book an international connection for the same day as your flight out of Skardu.

Skardu also has direct flights from Lahore and Karachi (PIA, and Airblue from Karachi twice a week since May 2025), and the airport became an international airport in 2021, with seasonal flights from Dubai since 2023. For most visitors, though, Islamabad is the hub.

Islamabad to Skardu by road: the two routes

Both road routes take two days and both end on the same last stretch: the Jaglot to Skardu road (the S-1), 167 km down the Indus gorge from the Alam Bridge junction near Jaglot. The army's Frontier Works Organisation widened it from a single lane to 7.3 m between 2017 and 2021, cutting the Gilgit to Skardu drive from about ten hours to four. It was built without the planned tunnels, so landslides still close it for a day or two at a time, as floods did near Haramosh in July 2026.

Route 1: the Karakoram Highway via Chilas (all year)

This is the year-round route: Islamabad, the Hazara Motorway to Thakot, then the Karakoram Highway through Besham, Dasu and Chilas to Raikot Bridge, on to the Alam Bridge junction, and down the S-1 to Skardu. It is about 740 km and 20 to 24 hours of real driving, which nearly everyone splits over two days with a night in Chilas or Besham. The road through Kohistan is narrow, slow and prone to landslides and protest blockades, which closed it near Kamila for six days in June 2026.

Important if you are a foreign national: the UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, through Battagram, Besham, Dasu and Sazin, and against driving the KKH at night. Other governments have similar warnings. Pakistani travellers use the road every day, but if you hold a foreign passport, check your own government's advice and your travel insurance before choosing this route. For our foreign guests we fly, or use the Babusar route in season.

Route 2: Naran and the Babusar Pass (summer only)

The summer route leaves the motorway at Mansehra for Balakot and the Kaghan valley, climbs through Naran to Babusar Top at 4,173 m, and drops to Chilas, where it joins the KKH north of the stretch the Foreign Office warns about. From Chilas it is about 290 km to Skardu. The whole drive is about 650 km and 18 to 20 hours, usually with a night in Naran: roughly 6 to 7 hours from Islamabad to Naran, 3 to 4 hours over the pass to Chilas, and 8 to 9 hours from Chilas to Skardu.

It is the prettier drive, with alpine meadows, Lake Lulusar and a view of Nanga Parbat on a clear day, but it only works when the pass is open. That is usually from late May or June to October or early November. In 2025 it reopened on 22 May and was shut by snow in early November; in 2026 it stayed closed for snow clearance until 6 June, and floods near Thak closed it again for a time in August. Check the National Highway Authority's updates before you set off. Our Babusar Pass guide covers the drive in detail.

Distances from Islamabad and on the way to Skardu

Distances are measured on the road network and rounded, and times assume a private car with stops. Landslides, roadworks and checkpoints can add hours, so plan the long days to finish in daylight.

Islamabad to Skardu by bus

The cheapest way to Skardu is the overnight coach. NATCO, the government-owned Northern Areas Transport Corporation, and Faisal Movers both run from Rawalpindi and Islamabad to Skardu on the Karakoram Highway, leaving in the afternoon or evening and taking 20 to 22 hours. Fares are roughly PKR 5,000 to 6,500 one way, with Faisal Movers' executive coaches at the top of that range. Confirm the boarding point and fare when you book, because both change.

It is a long, cramped night on a mountain road, and NATCO's older buses are often full. For Pakistani travellers on a budget it works well. Foreign travellers should remember that the coaches use the KKH through Kohistan, the stretch the UK advises against, and foreigners are routinely asked for their passport at the police checkpoints along the way.

Driving yourself or hiring a car and driver

Most visitors who go by road hire a car with a local driver, usually a Toyota Corolla or Prado depending on the group size and budget. The driver knows where the landslides tend to come down, which hotels in Chilas or Naran are worth stopping at, and how long the checkpoints take. If you drive yourself, start early, keep the tank full where you can, carry cash because card machines are rare beyond the motorway, and never drive the KKH after dark. A good plan is to fly one way and drive the other, which gives you the view from the air and the Babusar road in a single trip.

Which way should you choose?

• Short on time: fly, with a spare day in your plan for cancellations.
• Summer, and you want the scenery: drive over the Babusar Pass and stop a night in Naran, then fly back.
• Winter (December to March): fly. Babusar is shut and the KKH is cold and slow, though it stays open.
• Lowest budget: the NATCO or Faisal Movers coach.
• Foreign passport: fly, or use Babusar in season, and check your government's advice on the Karakoram Highway.

Once you are there, our guides to the best places to visit in Skardu and the best time to visit Skardu will help you plan the days, and our Skardu tours can include the flights, the driver and the spare day.

Frequently asked questions

How far is Skardu from Islamabad?

Skardu is about 320 km from Islamabad in a straight line, which is roughly the distance the one-hour flight covers, but much further by road because the routes follow the river valleys around the mountains. On the Karakoram Highway via Besham, Dasu and Chilas, then the Jaglot to Skardu road, the drive is about 740 km and takes 20 to 24 hours of driving, normally split over two days. In summer the route over the Babusar Pass via Naran is shorter, about 650 km and 18 to 20 hours, but it is only open from roughly June to October. Landslides, roadworks and police checkpoints can add hours to either route. Whichever road you take, the last 167 km is the same, from the Alam Bridge junction near Jaglot down the Indus gorge to Skardu, which takes about four hours.

How much is a flight from Islamabad to Skardu?

A one-way flight from Islamabad to Skardu usually costs about PKR 25,000 to 35,000 in 2026, depending on the airline, the season and how early you book. PIA, Airblue and AirSial all fly the route, with around 20 flights a week between them, and the flight takes about an hour. Fares are highest from June to August and around the Eid holidays, when demand from Pakistani travellers peaks, and lowest in spring and late autumn. Booking two to three weeks ahead normally gets you the cheaper seats. Fares change daily, so check the airline websites or a Pakistani booking site before you commit. Remember that Skardu flights are often cancelled by weather, so choose a ticket you can change easily and keep one spare day in your plans at each end.

Which side should I sit on the Islamabad to Skardu flight?

Sit on the right-hand side of the plane, in a window seat (usually seat F), when you fly from Islamabad to Skardu. That is the side Nanga Parbat, the world's ninth-highest mountain at 8,126 m, appears on during the flight, often surprisingly close. On the return from Skardu to Islamabad, choose the left-hand side, usually seat A, to see it again. On clear days the left side on the way in can also give you a glimpse of K2 and the central Karakoram shortly before landing, although those peaks are often in cloud. Try to pick a window that is not right over the wing, and select or request your seat when you book or check in, since free seat choice is not always offered. The views depend on the weather and the route the pilot flies that day, so nothing is guaranteed, but on a clear morning the view of Nanga Parbat from the right-hand windows is worth asking for.

Are Islamabad to Skardu flights often cancelled?

Yes, Islamabad to Skardu flights are cancelled or delayed fairly often, because Skardu is a mountain airport and flights only operate when the weather over the ranges allows. Cloud, rain or strong wind can ground every airline on the same day, as happened in July 2025, and cancellations are most common in winter and during the July and August monsoon. The UK Foreign Office warns that flight schedules in Gilgit-Baltistan can be unreliable and change at short notice. Plan for it rather than worry about it. Keep a spare day at each end of your trip, never book an international connection on the same day as your Skardu flight, and know your fallback, which is either the next day's flight or, for Pakistani travellers and in the Babusar season, the two-day drive.

Is the Babusar Pass route open?

The Babusar Pass route from Naran to Chilas is open only in the warmer months, usually from late May or June to October or early November, and is closed by snow the rest of the year. In 2025 it reopened on 22 May and was closed by heavy snow in early November. In 2026 it stayed shut for snow clearance until 6 June, and flash floods near Thak closed it again for a time in August. At 4,173 m it is the highest point on either road to Skardu, and early or late in the season it can close overnight after snowfall. Before you set off, check the National Highway Authority's travel advisories and local news, and have the Karakoram Highway or a flight as your backup. When it is open it is the most scenic way to drive to Skardu.

Can foreigners travel to Skardu by road?

Foreigners can travel to Skardu by road, but they should check their own government's travel advice first. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel on the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, via Battagram, Besham, Dasu and Sazin, which is the year-round road and the one the buses use. Travelling against that advice can also invalidate your travel insurance. The Babusar route via Naran avoids that stretch, joining the highway at Chilas, but it is only open from roughly June to October. In winter the practical choice for foreign visitors is to fly. The Foreign Office also says foreign nationals must register with the local authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan, and you should carry your passport and visa, because you will be asked for them at checkpoints. We plan foreign guests' trips around the flight and the Babusar season for this reason.

What is the best way to get from Islamabad to Skardu?

For most visitors the best way to get from Islamabad to Skardu is the one-hour flight, with a spare day in your plan in case it is cancelled. It saves two long days on the road, and on a clear morning you see Nanga Parbat from the window. If you have the time in summer, the best combination is to drive one way over the Babusar Pass, stopping a night in Naran, and fly the other, which shows you both the mountains from the air and the alpine valleys from the road. Travellers on a tight budget can take the NATCO or Faisal Movers overnight coach for about PKR 5,000 to 6,500. In winter, when Babusar is closed, flying is the sensible choice. Foreign nationals should also check their government's advice on the Karakoram Highway before choosing a road route.