Things to do in Gilgit
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Gilgit
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Cold winter, short days, nights below freezing, side valleys largely shut, but Naltar skiing possible and the town keeps working.
Blossom in mid March to early April around town and Bagrote, warm without summer heat. One of the two best town windows.
Naltar lakes open from May, Babusar usually opens during June, and Gilgit warms fast toward full summer heat.
Hottest and busiest, days passing 35 degrees, all valleys open, but monsoon landslides most likely on the southern highway.
Clearest skies, falling heat, gold orchards and Naltar in season into October. The connoisseur's window in Gilgit.
Gilgit polo tournament traditionally in early November, dates vary, then sharp cold and many side valleys closing.
Deep winter cold, minimal side valley access and the most fragile flight schedules. For specialist, open ended trips only.
What's on
- Navroz 21 March
The Persian new year celebrated across the region's communities, at the start of the blossom season.
- Shandur Polo Festival July, dates vary by year
Freestyle polo at Shandur Pass far west of Gilgit, a long jeep journey and local arrangement, not a town day trip.
- Gilgit Polo Tournament Usually early November, dates vary by year
Traditional polo tournament in Gilgit in early November by long standing local scheduling, confirm dates locally.
Best things to do in Gilgit
Kargah Buddha
A 15 metre Buddha carved into the Kargah cliff in the 7th or 8th century, Gilgit's most important historic sight.
Gilgit Bazaar
The working market for dried fruit, fabrics, gems and gear, and the practical heart where road news and jeeps start.
Danyor Suspension Bridge
A 510 foot hand built wooden bridge from about 1960, ending in a hand dug tunnel, now walked by pedestrians only.
Chinese Cemetery
The memorial cemetery in Danyor for Chinese workers who died building the Karakoram Highway in the 1960s and 1970s.
Chinar Bagh
A shaded town garden by the Gilgit River, valued for evening air, memorial ground and local family life.
Taj Mughal Monument
A roughly 700 year old monument about 30 km from town, an atmospheric half day out with thin on site interpretation.
Where to stay in Gilgit
Jutial
quiet, comfort and the Serena
Upper town above the bazaar noise, home to the Serena and the Embassy Lodge, a short drive from the airport.
River View Road and Babar Road
central mid range and motel base
River side and airport side roads with Indus Lodges, Park Hotel and the PTDC motel, central without bazaar crush.
Bazaar and Riaz Road
budget, transit and early flights
In the working town near Serena Chowk and the bazaar, with the Dumani Inn and every transport office on foot.
Think twice about
- Karakoram Highway, Mansehra to Chilas section
This highway section via Battagram, Besham, Dasu and Sazin carries serious security risk and is landslide prone. Do not drive it at night and take current local security advice.
- Gilgit town streets after dark away from main roads
Central streets quieten quickly, are poorly lit and have uneven or missing pavements. Use a hotel car or known driver for night moves rather than walking dark side streets.
Best restaurants in Gilgit
Dumani Restaurant
The Serena's garden view restaurant, regional and continental dishes and the closest thing to a formal top table.
Dawat Restaurant @ Indus Lodges
Town's best reviewed top table, for barbecue, grilled trout and kabuli pulao in a river and mountain setting.
Mawaid
A smart Pakistani restaurant near Helicopter Chowk, praised for chicken handi, dowdo soup and steam roast.
Gilgit Food Yard
A river side spot for laghman, mantu, chapli kebabs and trout at low prices, with river and mountain views.
Khomer Peace Point
A local family restaurant for simple Pakistani plates, samosas and tea at local prices, living on local custom.
Best coffee in Gilgit
Cafe 1972
A food led cafe in the Mall of Gilgit for coffee and a sit down after the bazaar, open afternoon to midnight.
Outdoor things to do in Gilgit
Naltar Valley
A pine forest valley about 40 km by jeep from Gilgit, with fields, streams and air far cooler than the town below.
Satrangi Lake
The seven colours lake above Naltar, first of a chain of alpine lakes reached by a very rough jeep track.
Naltar Ski Resort
Pakistan's best known ski slopes in winter Naltar, a modest novelty ski day rather than a full resort holiday.
Bagrote Valley
A quiet orchard valley near Gilgit with almost no tourist infrastructure, walked along village lanes and channels.
Haramosh Valley
Serious guided multi day trekking toward the Haramosh massif, with glaciers, meadows and big ascent from Gilgit.
Kargah Nala
The trout stream below the Kargah Buddha, a shaded walk and picnic valley a short drive from hot Gilgit town.
Rakaposhi View Point
The highway viewpoint where Rakaposhi rises in one immense sweep, about an hour and a half north of Gilgit.
Best hotels in Gilgit
Gilgit Serena Hotel
Gilgit's one true luxury hotel, in Jutial gardens above the bazaar, with staff who handle flight and road chaos well.
Gilgit Embassy Lodge
A quieter garden lodge on the Jutial side of town, a restful mid range base at well below Serena prices.
Indus Lodges Gilgit
A modern mid range lodge on River View Road with a garden, tour desk and the well reviewed Dawat Restaurant.
Park Hotel Gilgit
An established central mid range hotel with garden, terrace and restaurant, functional and well placed for touring.
PTDC Gilgit Motel
The classic government motel on Babar Road near the airport, spacious and low priced with variable condition.
Dumani Inn
A small, carefully run budget inn near Serena Chowk, a good solo and trekking base a short drive from the airport.
Is Gilgit expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | PKR 6,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | PKR 16,000 a person |
| Splurge | PKR 40,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Naltar Valley: a few days ahead
- Satrangi Lake: a few days ahead
- Haramosh Valley: weeks ahead
- Gilgit Serena Hotel: weeks ahead
- Gilgit Embassy Lodge: a few days ahead
- Indus Lodges Gilgit: a few days ahead
- Park Hotel Gilgit: a few days ahead
- Book Gilgit Serena Hotel days to weeks ahead in summer, and arrange Haramosh and other multi day treks weeks ahead through a local operator.
- Keep at least one, ideally two, buffer days before any international departure after a planned Gilgit flight.
Is Gilgit safe?
- The Karakoram Highway journey in is the main risk: allow buffer days, split the drive over two days, and never drive it at night.
- Check your insurance covers every road section you must use, including the Karakoram Highway, before booking.
- All foreign nationals must register with local authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan. Keep your passport accessible at highway check posts.
- Alcohol is essentially unavailable and there is no nightlife. Evenings are dinner, tea and early nights.
Gilgit travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not build a trip that only works if one Gilgit flight operates, and do not drive the Karakoram Highway at night.
- Buy gemstones in the bazaar as souvenirs you like, not as investments, unless you truly know the trade.
- Do not photograph check posts, the airport, officials or protest gatherings, or fly drones near them without permission.
Getting around Gilgit: public transport and more
- Fly Islamabad to Gilgit only with buffer days, because PIA flights are weather cancelled often.
- By road, allow 13 to 16 hours from Islamabad to Gilgit on the Karakoram Highway, split over two days, or use the seasonal Babusar Pass route in summer.
- Hire jeeps per vehicle in the bazaar or through hotels for Naltar, Bagrote and Kargah, and agree price, stops and waiting time before setting off.
- In summer, sightsee in the morning and after 4pm. Gilgit at 1,500 metres regularly passes 35 degrees at midday.
Who Gilgit suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Gilgit your trip
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