Need advice for trip to skardu

[a_devil_rockn]

Hey how'z everybody doing.. Guys i'm leaving for skardu on 23rd July. I'm a bit confused about how to reach there. I'll be traveling from Karachi to Lahore via train. After that I have 2 options:

Option 1: Take bus from lahore to Rawalpindi and then take the flight to skardu the next day.
Option 2: Take bus from lahore to Abbottabad and next day travel all the way to Chilas. Then the next day from chilas to Skardu.

Now the issue that i'm facing here is that if i take the second option, my one extra day will be wasted. But on the other hand if I go for option 1 and the flight gets cancelled then i'll loose one day too. And there is no guarantee that the flight is available for the next day. So which option should i go for. Please advice.

Another thing, can anyone tell me how much it'll cost to go from chilas to skardu. And how much distance is it (in HOURS).

PS: has anyone recently visited Skardu? lemme know.

[v8]

I'm also leaving for skardu on 23rd from Isb via PIA
Lets see whether the flight will get through or not!

[Shahzad727]

wish u all the best ! flight chances are very low.

devil 1 u dont have adv booking so no chance for u to go there by air !

khi to lhr by train. then lhr to pindi. then there u can get NACTO bus service which will take almost 22 hrs to gilgit from pindi and i think 26 hrs to skurdo because road condition is in bad shape.

[a_devil_rockn]

oh no way.. i cannot travel by bus for that long. i'll have to take some other route. i cannot rely on the weather. so i guess i better hit the road..

[aarish]

Hey how'z everybody doing.. Guys i'm leaving for skardu on 23rd July. I'm a bit confused about how to reach there. I'll be traveling from Karachi to Lahore via train. After that I have 2 options:

Option 1: Take bus from lahore to Rawalpindi and then take the flight to skardu the next day.
Option 2: Take bus from lahore to Abbottabad and next day travel all the way to Chilas. Then the next day from chilas to Skardu.

Now the issue that i'm facing here is that if i take the second option, my one extra day will be wasted. But on the other hand if I go for option 1 and the flight gets cancelled then i'll loose one day too. And there is no guarantee that the flight is available for the next day. So which option should i go for. Please advice.

Another thing, can anyone tell me how much it'll cost to go from chilas to skardu. And how much distance is it (in HOURS).

PS: has anyone recently visited Skardu? lemme know.

I came back from a road-trip to Skardu end of June. You're right that the flights get delayed at times but if you follow the weather forecast maybe you could guess better.

On your question about drive-time from Chilas to Skardu, its a little more than eight hours non-stop. The KKH is not in good shape, but the road from Jaglot to Skardu is better. No idea about bus-fares etc. because I drove.

[xardas]

What's the drive time from Islamabad to Chilas?

[aarish]

What's the drive time from Islamabad to Chilas?

Its about twelve-thirteen hours non-stop.

[a_devil_rockn]

i believe it is more than that. but i prefer going via naran-babusar to chilas.. its a pretty exciting trip as compared to KKH though a bit expensive..

[aarish]

i believe it is more than that. but i prefer going via naran-babusar to chilas.. its a pretty exciting trip as compared to KKH though a bit expensive..

That's a good option. Babusar Pass is open for traffic now.

[dani_kk]

That's a good option. Babusar Pass is open for traffic now.

how much is the distance from babusar to chillas and the road is opened nw all the way till chillas from babusar????????? isnt it risky or not????

[imran_1]

i Would Suggest Ya To Go In Plane....

If U wanna Go in Bus So u can Enjoy the Beauty Of Gilgat...And Many More... But By Travalling In Bus u Might Not Feel Well ... Till The Skardu Becuz All Way Road Sides Are Bumpy And Sum Time Sliding Cause A Big Problem On Road Vch May Cause Ya Alot Of Prob...

[aarish]

how much is the distance from babusar to chillas and the road is opened nw all the way till chillas from babusar????????? isnt it risky or not????

Its not a paved road, but not a very bad one. It should take you around three hours to Chilas. Let me add, however, that if you're not on a 4x4 vehicle please don't take this road.

[v8]

I'm also leaving for skardu on 23rd from Isb via PIA
Lets see whether the flight will get through or not!

damn, i doubt the flight chances on 23rd considering weather conditions

[aarish]

damn, i doubt the flight chances on 23rd considering weather conditions

Skardu has come home. Enjoy man!!!

[v8]

Skardu has come home. Enjoy man!!!

yea, lovely weather at the moment

[v8]

[dani_kk]

okay yes im on 4 by 4 vehicle but i m estimating the time if we go by babusar to skardu it would only elapse 15 hours

[aarish]

okay yes im on 4 by 4 vehicle but i m estimating the time if we go by babusar to skardu it would only elapse 15 hours

I've already given you the time-estimate from Babusar Top to Chilas. From Chilas to Skardu it would take you seven-and-a-half hours of non-stop drive. You can estimate the times to Naran and Naran to Babusar yourself. I've heard that Naran road is a lot better than last year (when I visited), so my time-estimate could be wrong on that. And it takes around nine-and-a-half hours of non-stop drive from Mansehra to Chilas on KKH. So calculate yourself how much time you would save via Naran Babusar and let me know too

[autoSlaVe]

@all, just came back from Skardu on Monday Night on my pajero mini with family.

The time it took from Islamabad to Chillas is around 12 to 13 hours and from Chilas to Skardu is around 7 to 8 hours with a few brief stops and if you are lucky enough not to have any land slides:)

[aarish]

@autoslave:

Did you drive to Chilas from Islamabad non-stop?