Karakoram in May, Help Needed

[Awais12]

Hi, All I'm planning a road trip till skardu in about one week from now, my concern is the road conditions uptill skardu, is it okay and easy to travel on, car in question is a 2005 Honda Civic.

[zahid135]

You may know that security situation in Kohistan areas is not good in these days.
You can avoid Kohistan areas by going through Naran - Babusar pass,
But it is also difficult to cross babusar on car, Even impossible in these days.
From Chilas to onward road will not be good for any car.
wait for experts opinions.

[asifcae]

Hi, All I'm planning a road trip till skardu in about one week from now, my concern is the road conditions uptill skardu, is it okay and easy to travel on, car in question is a 2005 Honda Civic.

road condition is not that good from chilas to jaglot but security is not much of a probem now as ppl r going for treks.....

yar koi achi clearance wali gari lay jao ..civic is too low i guess

[travelinghell]

you can make it but you have to keep in mind that your car will hit underneath the body for several times on kkh because of it's uneven surface on different places and these days kkh condition is very bad you get sick on it driving very slowly .

[Abdullah_sunny]

road is under construction from chilas to jaglot..... otherwise the road is very smooth and adventurous......... sequirity does not matter beacaus every tym buses and trucks are moving............all the tym they will meet u on karakoram.........

[imtishal]

If u own the civic and love her THEN don't take her to such trip. Otherwise she'll be cursing for the rest of her life. A better option is to fly into skardu if going is a must.

[asifm86]

i want to go skardu in toyota altis 1.8 2010 model plz tell me about all information i needed

[aarish]

If u own the civic and love her THEN don't take her to such trip. Otherwise she'll be cursing for the rest of her life. A better option is to fly into skardu if going is a must.

I agree! It all depends on how much you love your car. Civics don't have good ground clearance, and the potholes on the KKH are pretty serious. The security situation has improved. My neighbor just came back from Gilgit by road a couple of days ago and the convoy thingy is gone. Best of luck.

[aarish]

@asifm86: Same as above. Cars can make it all the way up to Skardu and even beyond, but you'll have to drive carefully because road conditions are not ideal.

[moonraider]

dont go on civic if u care abt it.. like a brother above said

One comment comes to my mind by someone who went to gilgit i think on a prado some time back that one should not take even one's prado there so let alone civic..
and we all know how roads are maintained and repaired in pakistan..kkh being difficult adds to this factor also..
BOL

that was just a comment, as i havent been there so i can say for sure.. wait for experts comments

[travelinghell]

@moonraider dear prado in perfect ride for roads like KKH. because they were made for this purpose.

[Awais12]

Thanks for the info everyone.... i guess i understand the risks associated, but we're going to go ahead with the plan, gonna get the shocks checked tomorrow and have spacers installed, now all i need is an itenary for 8 days( skardu is preffered although im open to a karimabad based trip aswell if its good too), we'll be departing from lahore, i want to avoid night travel and friends who just cam back told me to avoid staying overnight in chillas, i was thinking of staying the first night at barseen ptdc motel 100km further than besham, then going all the way the next day.

[lse1]

I like you spirit of using you civic for driving to all areas, something which I always do! that's what cars are meant for, you may break something, but then that can always be changed!

Remember: Your car does't own you, you own IT!

[aarish]

Best of luck brother.

[moonraider]

@travellinghell

sir ye mene nahin prado walay ne khud kaha tha..
some ppl dont want to abuse their 4x4's as well coz today's 4by4's r SUVs and
mostly used as daily runner and kind of executive in our part of the world..

peace!!

[moonraider]

@Poster
good spirit..may u have a great trip..

For itinerary, our guru Mr. Rana Sherdil and Mr. Asifcae are the ppl!!

[jeepaholic]

If the Civic has the CNG please remove the cylinder from the trunk for this trip and Best of luck. Post a lot of pics please.

[Awais12]

@ jeepaholic, yes it has, and yes got it removed just today... will be leaving tomorrow IA and yes will post all the pics soon

[jeepaholic]

My first road trip to Skardu was also on The Civic please feel free to call me for any discussion en-route anytime on 03005271101. (plz sms in case its not reachable)

[Yahyujee]

After going through entire thread, I felt like contributing for the guidance of all concerned:

1. KKH is in a real bad shape these days. Govt has awarded the contract of its reconstruction to Chinese, and therefore FWO is only doing minor patch works these days. In short, almost 75% of road between Besham and Gilgit is totally broken, just a graveled track. Driving a Civic on KKH and Skardu road would be ... 'courageous'!!
2. From Alam Bridge to Skardu, almost 80% of road exists in a very bumpy condition, meaning the black top is there but not leveled due to heavy patch works in the past. Max driving speed can never be more than 40kmph either due to road condition or safe driving.
3. If you are traveling from Lahore, staying at Besham is a better option overnight.
4. Travel timings between various points are:-
   A. From Pindi to Abbotabad - 2.5 hours
   B. From Abbotabad to Battagram - 3 hours
   C. From Battagram to Besham - 2 hours
   D. Besham to Pattan - 1 hour 40 mins
   E. Pattan to Dasu - 1.5 hours
   F. Dasu to Chillas - 3.5 hours
   G. Chillas to Jaglot Cantt - 3.5 hours
   H. Jaglot Cantt to Alam Bridge (on Skardu Road) - 45 mins
   I. Alam Bridge to Dambudas - 3.5 hours
   J. Dambudas to Kachura Lake - 2 hours (10 mins from Skardu)

Now you calculate your travel plan. Drive very carefully on Skardu Road, it is dangerous. Keep an eye on the oncoming traffic as you'll have to give way for crossings at selected placed only.
Try to keep SIMs of all networks, specially Zong, Telenor and Ufone.
Have a safe journey.