7-Day Pakistan Itinerary: Islamabad & the Karakoram — Hunza Valley

Day-by-day plan

1. 

   Day 1Islamabad →

   ISB arrival + Faisal Mosque + Margalla foothills

   • •Land at Islamabad (ISB); taxi to F-6 or F-7 sector hotel (~$15-25)
   • •Faisal Mosque — the Bedouin-tent silhouette against the Margalla Hills
   • •Daman-e-Koh viewpoint for the panorama
   • •Saidpur Village for dinner: Des Pardes for Pakistani-Mughlai grill
   • •Stock up at the local pharmacy: Diamox if you don't already have it for altitude

   Pakistan now has visa-free or e-visa entry for 50+ nationalities — confirm the latest rules at nadra.gov.pk or your country's foreign office before you fly.

   → Next: flight · ~1h ISB→GIL · ~$110 — Morning PIA flight Islamabad → Gilgit; weather-dependent. The road alternative is 16-20h via the Karakoram Highway.

2. 

   Day 2Hunza Valley →

   Gilgit → Karimabad — first views of Rakaposhi

   • •Land at Gilgit, private 4×4 transfer to Karimabad (~2h, $80-100)
   • •First view of Rakaposhi (7,788m) from the Karakoram Highway
   • •Stop at Rakaposhi View Point (Ghulmet) for tea + the postcard photo
   • •Settle in Karimabad — Eagle's Nest Hotel or the boutique Hunza Embassy
   • •Sunset walk through Karimabad bazaar; apricot kernel oil + dried mulberries to take home
   • •Dinner at Hidden Paradise — chapshuro (Hunza meat pie) and dowdo soup
3. 

   Day 3Hunza Valley →

   Baltit Fort + Altit Fort + Eagle's Nest sunrise

   • •Sunrise at Eagle's Nest — Rakaposhi, Ultar, Diran, Spantik all in one frame (5:30 AM in summer)
   • •Baltit Fort tour — 700-year-old Mir of Hunza's palace, AKDN-restored
   • •Altit Fort + the Royal Garden — older than Baltit, smaller and quieter
   • •Lunch at Café de Hunza for the legendary walnut cake
   • •Walk to Duikar viewpoint for the late-afternoon light
   • •Dinner at the hotel — Hunza-style organic spread, often communal
4. 

   Day 4Hunza Valley →

   Attabad Lake + Passu Cones + Hussaini Bridge

   • •Drive north on the Karakoram Highway (~1.5h with stops)
   • •Attabad Lake — the turquoise glacial-melt lake formed in 2010 after a landslide
   • •Boat ride on Attabad ($10) or paddleboard for the brave
   • •Passu Cones — the cathedral-like 6,000m peaks behind the village
   • •Hussaini Suspension Bridge — wooden planks over a roaring glacier-melt river (do not look down)
   • •Lunch at Glacier Breeze Restaurant in Gulmit
   • •Sunset back at Karimabad

   Going further north to the Khunjerab Pass (China border, 4,693m) is a long day-trip and depends on snow conditions and military permits — confirm with your driver the night before.

5. 

   Day 5Hunza Valley →

   Khunjerab Pass OR Skardu side excursion OR slow Hunza day

   • •Option A: Khunjerab Pass day trip (Pakistan-China border, 4,693m, photo at the marker, snow possible year-round)
   • •Option B: Long drive to Skardu via the Skardu Road (~7h) — Shangrila Resort, Upper Kachura Lake, Deosai plains in season
   • •Option C: Slow Hunza day — bicycle ride along the river, visit a local home for chai, walk the Ultar Glacier viewpoint trail
   • •Lunch wherever you end up: roadside chapli kebab is universal
   • •Last Karakoram dinner — Hunza dry fruit + apricot soup

   Skardu has its own airport (KDU) and full guides — but as a 7-day trip from Islamabad, the Khunjerab or slow-Hunza options are the cleaner picks. If you want Skardu properly, plan 10 days minimum.

   → Next: flight · ~1h GIL→ISB · ~$110 — Morning PIA flight back to Islamabad. Pad your schedule — weather cancellations are common; the road alternative is the 16h Karakoram Highway drive.

6. 

   Day 6Islamabad →

   Return Islamabad — Margalla hike + Saidpur dinner

   • •Margalla Trail-3 morning hike (2-3h, panorama back over the city)
   • •Lunch at Monal Restaurant on Pir Sohawa road for the Margalla-ridge view
   • •Pakistan Monument + Lok Virsa Heritage Museum afternoon
   • •F-7 Markaz cafés for coffee — Mocca Coffee or Burning Brownie
   • •Last dinner at Tuscany Courtyard or Saidpur Village (Andaaz)
   • •Souvenirs: Khaadi for textiles, Espresso for handicrafts

   → Next: car · ~30 min to ISB

7. 

   Day 7Islamabad →

   Departure

   • •Last paratha-and-doodh-pati breakfast at the hotel
   • •Taxi to ISB (allow 1h with traffic)
   • •Allow 3 hours for international departures

Want to swap something?

Add Skardu properly: extend to 10 days, fly ISB→Skardu (KDU), 3 nights Skardu (Shangrila, Deosai, Upper Kachura), then road or fly to Hunza for 4 nights. Mughal-history focus: cut Hunza to 2 nights and add 2 nights in Lahore (Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Walled City, Anarkali bazaars). Easier logistics: drop the GIL flight (frequently weather-cancelled) and instead drive ISB → Hunza on the Karakoram Highway via Naran-Babusar in May-October — 16-20h, but the road IS one of the world's great drives.

Practical tips

• •PIA Islamabad-Gilgit flights cancel on weather frequently — book for early morning, build a buffer day, and have a backup plan to drive (or accept losing a day).
• •Foreign tourists technically need an NOC for some northern areas — most Hunza routes are NOC-free in 2026, but confirm with your guide. A local fixer / driver is well worth $80-100/day.
• •Dress code is conservative outside Islamabad — long pants and covered shoulders are wise everywhere; in Hunza the local Ismaili community is very relaxed but visiting travellers still keep it modest.
• •Solo female travel is doable but easier with a local guide — Hunza is one of the safest regions in the country.
• •Best months: May-June (apricot blossom + greenery) and September-October (clear skies, apricot harvest). Winter Hunza is photogenic but flights and roads close regularly.