Route guide · updated for 2026
Gilgit → Skardu
This is the hinge of every Grand Circuit: Hunza's green kingdom behind, Baltistan's mineral one ahead, and the adolescent Indus roaring in between. Sit left leaving Gilgit — the gorge does its best work on that side.
Distance
167 km
Drive time
3.5–4 h
Via
KKH to Alam Bridge → Jaglot → Skardu Road along the Indus
The road, honestly
The rebuilt Jaglot–Skardu road is the region's quiet triumph — a former 7-hour ordeal now a smooth 3.5-hour drive threading the Indus gorge. Rockfall crews work it constantly; short holds after rain are normal and brief.
Stops worth the minutes
Jaglot three-ranges viewpointIndus gorge galleriesRoundu valley views
FAQ
Questions, answered
How long is Gilgit to Skardu by road now?
About 3.5–4 hours since the road's reconstruction — nearly half its old time. Public vans run daily, but the gorge deserves a private vehicle's photo stops.
Skip the logistics. Keep the scenery.
Private convoys on this corridor with photo-stop discipline, or the full journey folded into a SafarGB itinerary at Skardu.
More ways to Skardu: from Islamabad · from Rawalpindi · from Lahore · from Karachi · from Multan · from Faisalabad · Skardu guide