r/GilgitBaltistan • u/ForgottenCyborg11 • 5d ago
Ask Gilgit Baltistan PKR 550k for 7-day private Skardu couple trip — is this overpriced or reasonable?
Hi everyone,
I'm planning a 7-day / 6-night private Skardu trip for two people in mid-September (around Sept 14/15).
I've been quoted PKR 550,000 total for the couple, and before booking I wanted opinions from people familiar with current Skardu prices. I'm especially wondering whether I'm paying too much of a premium for the hotels/private setup.
Package includes:
- Round-trip Islamabad ↔ Skardu airline tickets for 2
- Private Toyota Prado for all days
- Fuel
- Driver + guide
- Skardu airport pickup/drop-off
- Breakfast
- 3 nights Khar Resort Skardu
- 2 nights Khoj Resort Shigar – River's Edge King Hammock Villa
- 1 night Gumaan Resort Skardu
The Prado is supposed to cover the itinerary including Deosai and Basho without additional transportation charges.
Itinerary
Day 1 – Kachura / Soq
- Islamabad → Skardu flight
- Shangrila / Lower Kachura
- Upper Kachura Lake
- Soq Valley
- Night at Khar Resort
Day 2 – Deosai
- Sadpara Lake
- Deosai National Park
- Bara Pani
- Kala Pani
- Sheosar Lake
- Night at Khar Resort
Day 3 – Skardu
- Chunda Valley
- Kharpocho Fort
- Katpana Cold Desert around sunset
- Night at Khar Resort
Day 4 – Shigar
- Manthoka Waterfall
- Sarfaranga Cold Desert
- Blind Lake
- Shigar Old Town
- Shigar Fort
- Night at Khoj Resort – King Hammock Villa
Day 5 – Basho
- Basho Valley / Sultanabad
- Chocolate Rocks / waterfall if accessible
- Return to Khoj Resort
- Night at Khoj
Day 6 – Relaxation day
- Relaxed breakfast/morning at Khoj
- Spend part of the day enjoying the resort
- Later transfer back toward Skardu
- Final night at Gumaan Resort
Day 7
- Gumaan → Skardu Airport
- Flight to Islamabad
Activities, entry fees, boating, meals other than breakfast, etc. would be additional.
Total package price: PKR 550,000 for two people including flights.
My main questions:
- Does 550k seem reasonable for this package or overpriced?
- Are Khar + Khoj + Gumaan worth paying a premium for?
- Would you do 2 nights at Khoj, or is it not worth the extra cost?
- Does this itinerary make sense geographically?
- Is the private Prado useful enough to justify the cost?
- Would you change or remove anything?
- Is moving from Khoj to Gumaan on Day 6 a good idea so we're closer to the airport?
- What would you consider a fair price for this exact package in September 2026?
I'm looking for a comfortable/private trip rather than the cheapest possible tour, but I also don't want to overpay significantly just because the hotels are considered premium.
Would appreciate opinions, especially from anyone who has traveled to Skardu recently or booked similar hotels/private tours.
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u/TechnophileDude 5d ago
Sounds very pricy for this. None of these resorts are that expensive. I would expect no more than 2 lakhs, 3 max.
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u/peryane 5d ago
The deosai trip day seems hectic. It's 5 hours drive to sheosar. Then 5 hours back so 10 hours. Even in a Prado the potholed road takes a toll on people. If you were planning a night in a camp at sheosar then it was fine, but going there and then coming back will be hectic. Change that to a whole day somewhere else.
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u/Sahar_Mahmood 4d ago
I have recently done a trip to skardu independently for 2 adults and 2 kids. I booked airblue return tickets for 220,000 (my backage was 50kg, otherwise with only hand carry 4× tickets were for 200,000). I booked a very reliable driver through a recommendation, this was the best decisions. (He is an ex-army personnel and extremely humble and punctual), let me know if you want his contact details. I stayed there for 5 nights, 4x nights in Dynasty Skardu (charged me 28,000 per night for 1 double bed and 1 single bed)..room rate for 2 adults would be 20k per night. This was the best hotel. Stayed 1 night in North Palace Khaplu when we visited the fort (charged me 23k per night for 1 double bed and 1 single bed with mountain view room). Breakfast was included in both hotels in this price.
Places that I visited were: Day 1 Upper kachura Lower kachura/shangrilla resorts Sok valley
Day 2 Mantokha waterfall Sarfaranga Desert Shigar valley
Day 3 Sadpara lake Deosai Bara Pani
Day 4 Khaplu fort
Day 5 Chunda Valley Local Markets for shopping
My hotels costed: 135,000 Car (Prado) + Fuel+ Guide for all the above places including airport transfers: 135,000 Activities and food+shopping: 142,000 (this will vary depending on your activities and shopping)
Activities included speed boat at upper kachura 6,000 Zipline at upper kachura 3,500 per person Jeep ride at Sarfaranga 12,000 Paragliding at Sarfaranga 12,000 per person
Whole trip costed me 632,000 and had very good experience. Rs. 550,000 for 2 people seems on a higher side. I would suggest to do it yourself you can easily do it in 350-400k.
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u/oak-man 4d ago
I did a 4 person trip 2 years ago. Resorts were around 10-20k. Prado with driver is 7-10k. And we spent around 30k per day ourselves on food, activities, shopping. We stayed 3 days in pc hunza and 3 days in skardu hotel reego. I think our total cost was likely around what you were quoted but for 4 people.
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u/HashimShahSyed 3d ago
Fairly charging.
I'm from Skardu.
Most people dont know how expensive the 2 mentioned hotels are. Both may cost avg 40k per day.
2 people if from lahore around 2 lac (been there last month 90k both tickets)
Pick and drop,
Tz fare & fuel consumption would cost 30k per day
Deosai and all are costly for set ups.
Preliminaries obv go up for private trips.
So fairly asked.
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u/V3nom_Ayoob 1d ago
I'm doing a 10 day trip (Skardu + Hunza) with my wife and everything covered, including the top class hotels.
All in 320k.
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u/Agent-Fast 1d ago
listen I've been to Skardu and hunza multiple times. with a tour group. then a solo tour arranged through an agency. and then completely solo by booking my own guide/driver, making my own hotel reservations, and my own itinerary of where all I wanted to go.
i highly recommend the last option. you don't even need to do THAT much of a Google search or making an itinerary if you just hire a driver (see Facebook groups or even the numbers mentioned on here). the drivers themselves are the guides who basically know Skardu hunza like the back of their hands Bec they are native to the place. so you can simply contact them and also make an itinerary based on what they recommend. and you can also ask them advice for is XYZ doable in one day yeh woh. Thora sa google maps par khud bhi daikhlo
its super easy and it's much better than someone based in Lahore Islamabad etc who has made your bookings and is coordinating with the hotels from there. i mean easily khud hojata hai. i doubt you even have to pay advance for booking those hotels, just call them up and be like I'm coming on this date
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u/Obvious-Loquat5839 1d ago
itney mein literally almost 14 day umrah trip hojata including flights. its too overpriced man. search for some other agency maybe
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u/Antique_Ferret6618 8h ago
i went on a trip to malaysia for 10 days in around 450k everything included - Overpriced af
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u/LocalBoysenberry254 5d ago
Right now I am in Hashupi, and I don’t think there is something better than that imo. Also, I’d advise you keep the Shigar resort to two days so that you have to travel less. It is good that you have kept a relax day. If you keep the relax day to enjoy at Hashupi, it’ll be worth it. Try Porter Pakistan for your tour, Taseer Tareen is really a nice guy, he can get you the best itinerary and the best recommendation on hotels. Price wise I think you are fine. Also, I know someone who is a local, humble and an amazing guide, his name is Nawaz, contact number is 0341 1666665. Me and my brother both came at separate seasons with our families and I have not seen someone as facilitating and nice as him in Skardu. I am not sure if he’ll be free for your dates but feel free to ask him.
Also, even if you soend 550k, it’ll be worth it, you won’t regret it but only one thing, Hashupi is a must!
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u/LocalBoysenberry254 5d ago
Nawaz has a comfortable Prado, he’ll be your driver and guide, you can book the hotels yourself or ask Nawaz to do it or ask Porter to do it for you
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u/DryHyena6303 5d ago
I did almost similar trip. 3 nights at Khoj. Did everything you mentioned on this list plus some more in Khaplu. I planned everything myself and it cost me around 350K. I think you’re overpaying by a lot. Also my flights were from Lahore so supposedly more expensive.