Driving the Karakoram Highway Through Hunza
What the KKH is actually like to drive through Hunza — the condition of the road, how long it really takes, and where to stop.
By Villa Darya Team, Hosts at Villa Darya, Shishkat, Hunza · Published · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- The KKH through Hunza is sealed and in good condition, but mountain distances take longer than the map says.
- Drive in daylight. The hazards on this road are the ones you cannot see at night.
- Landslides and weather close sections at short notice — build slack into the schedule.
- Gilgit to Hunza is a half-day; Hunza to the Khunjerab Pass and back is a full one.
- The stretch north of the Attabad tunnels is the most photographed part of the whole highway.
The Karakoram Highway runs from Hasan Abdal in Punjab to the Chinese border at Khunjerab, and the section through Hunza is the one people build a trip around. It is worth being clear-eyed about what that drive involves.
The condition of the road
Through Hunza the KKH is sealed, two lanes, and in good condition. It is not a rough track and it does not require a special vehicle. What it requires is a different sense of time: mountain kilometres take longer than flat ones, and the figure a mapping app gives you assumes a consistency the road does not have.
The variables are roadworks, weather and rockfall. Any of the three can stop traffic for an hour or a day, and none of them announce themselves in advance. Build slack into the plan, particularly if you have a flight to catch at the far end of it.
Driving in daylight
This is the one rule worth treating as absolute. The hazards here — a rock on the carriageway, an unlit truck, a section where the shoulder has gone — are ones you see in time during the day and do not see at all at night. There is also no reason to be on this road in the dark, since the view is the entire point.
Plan arrivals for the afternoon. If you are running late, it is better to stop short and continue in the morning.
What the drive through Hunza looks like
Coming north from Gilgit, the valley opens at Rakaposhi and the mountain stands over the road for a long stretch. Karimabad sits above on the right, with Baltit Fort visible from the highway.
North of Karimabad the road reaches Attabad, and this is where the KKH changes character. The original highway here is under the lake — a landslide in 2010 blocked the river and drowned the road along with several villages. What you drive now is a series of tunnels built to replace it, and they come out onto the water at Shishkat.
Beyond that is the stretch most people photograph: the lake, then Gulmit, then Passu with the cones rising straight off the roadside. Then Sost, the border town, and the long climb to Khunjerab.
Where to break the drive
Upper Hunza is the natural overnight. It is far enough from Gilgit to be a real day's progress and close enough to the border road that the pass is a day trip rather than another hotel change. This hotel is directly on the highway at Shishkat, which for a driver is the difference between a stop and a detour.
Practicalities
- Fuel is available in the main towns. Fill up before long stretches rather than after.
- Mobile coverage is patchy and varies by network. Do not rely on it for navigation.
- Checkposts are routine, especially approaching the border zone. Carry ID; foreign nationals should carry a passport.
- Winter changes the driving. The Khunjerab Pass stays open year-round now, but snow can close sections of the highway at short notice.
Drive it slowly. The road is the destination on this one.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Karakoram Highway safe to drive?
The road surface through Hunza is good and the route is driven daily by buses, trucks and private cars. The real risks are altitude, weather, rockfall and driving after dark rather than the road itself. Drive in daylight, do not rush, and check conditions before long stretches.
How long does it take to drive from Gilgit to Hunza?
Allow about two to three hours to Karimabad and another hour beyond it to Upper Hunza, depending on stops and conditions. Roadworks and landslides can change that significantly.
Do I need a 4x4 for the Karakoram Highway?
Not for the highway itself, which is sealed. A 4x4 helps for the side tracks — the road up to Borith Lake, for instance — and in snow.