Aoa,
Alhamdulillah we had a wonderful 5 day Hunza tour. We got back to Islamabad on time and as planned.
Many folks had mentioned of horrible driving experiences and bad road condition from Dasu to Chilas. We wanted to try it and Alhamdulillah it was a great experience. Here is a summary of the Islamabad-Besham-Dasu-Chilas route.
Islamabad to Besham - 4.5 hours non stop. Road is absolutely carpeted and clear. However, The last 30KM patch from Hazara expressway to Besham is just like GT road.
Besham to Dasu - 3 hours including 30 minutes break. Road is as good as GT road. No problems at all during this patch.
Dasu to Chilas - 5.5 hours including 1 hour break. Road is really bad. Dasu to Chilas is around 120Km and it takes an experienced and careful driver to navigate through the route. We had a Grande and a Civic. Civic undercarriage got scratched twice, Grande once. But nothing serious.
Honestly speaking, We didn't find it as tiring or hectic as it was mentioned. We enjoyed the journey and drove slow and easy. We were lucky that there was no landslides at all and the road was clear all the way. The landscape was barren, weather was dry and hot. But if it had been raining, the whole route would have become a mud track and our cars would have stuck for sure. 4x4 would have no issues at all.
Chilas to Raikot Bridge - 1.5 Hours with 30 minute commulative break. 60% road is carpeted. 20% is like GT road. 20% is as bad as it can get. However, road work was underway.
Raikot Bridge to Luxus Ataabad - 4.5 hours with multiple breaks. Road is clear and carpeted.
