Car Rental in Skardu — With Driver

Rent a car in Skardu with a driver for the airport run, a day out to Shigar or Khaplu, a Deosai crossing, or the full length of a Baltistan trip. Self-drive is not something we offer, and on these roads it is not something most visitors want. Every rate below is per day for the whole vehicle rather than per seat, so a couple and a family of five pay the same for the same car.

We are not a Punjab operator sending vehicles up the Karakoram Highway for the season. Our Gilgit-Baltistan office is in Sargrong Road, near City Police Station, Shigar — about an hour from Skardu city — alongside the head office in Rawalpindi and Lahore. That is the difference between a car that turns up and a driver who already knows whether the Basho track is passable this week. More about how we work in the region is on our Skardu tour operator page.

Our fleet in Skardu — vehicles, seats and day rates

These are live rates from our fleet and they update here whenever they change in our system, so nothing on this page can quietly go stale. All are per day with a driver. For rough-road work the 4x4s are the Land Cruiser, both Prados and the Revo; the sedans and Hiaces are for Skardu city, the airport and the paved valley roads.

Rates are for the vehicle for a full day in the Skardu region. Multi-day hires and vehicles taken as part of a full tour are quoted on the route rather than the day count — send us the itinerary and the dates. The same fleet, with photos and specifications for each vehicle, is on the main car rental page.

What is included in the rental

Every rental includes the driver, his food and accommodation on multi-day hires, road tolls and the vehicle’s own paperwork. Fuel is paid as per usage. We quote it that way rather than folding an estimate into the day rate because fuel for a Deosai day and fuel for a run to the airport are not remotely the same number, and a flat allowance would mean one of those two customers paying for the other. You see what the vehicle actually burns.

Where we drive in Baltistan

Skardu is the base. Everything in Baltistan is either a day trip from here or a leg of a longer route, and the drive times below are the ones our own drivers quote — not a mapping estimate, which is consistently optimistic once you are off the main road.

• Shigar — 1 hour. Shigar Fort, the Amburiq Mosque, and the road on towards the Braldu valley and the K2 trailheads.
• Kharmang and Manthoka Falls — 2.5 hours. South along the Indus. The falls are a short walk from where the vehicle stops.
• Khaplu — 3 hours. Khaplu Palace and the Shyok valley. The longest of the standard day trips, and better as an overnight if you want to see it properly rather than drive six hours to look at it for ninety minutes.
• Deosai, as far as Sheosar Lake — 3 hours, 4x4 only. Up past Sadpara and onto the plateau above 4,000 m. Open roughly late June until the first heavy snow.
• Basho Valley — 2 hours, 4x4 only. Pine forest and river camping. The last stretch is a real jeep track, not merely a rough road.
• Sarfaranga cold desert, Katpana, Shangrila and Upper Kachura are all close enough to Skardu city to combine into a half day.
• Skardu to Hunza — 7 to 8 hours via Gilgit. A full travel day, not a day trip.

If Deosai Plains is the reason you are hiring a vehicle at all, read the guide first — the plateau has a genuine season, and arriving in May means looking at a snow gate. Deosai National Park guide.

Skardu Airport transfer and pickup

Skardu Airport is a short drive from the city, and we meet the Islamabad flight there. The flight is weather-dependent and cancels or diverts at short notice, so we hold the vehicle rather than release it when a landing slips — you are not left arranging transport at the terminal on the one day everybody else is doing the same thing. Send us your flight number and we will track it.

Airport transfer rates are being confirmed with our Skardu office and will be published here. Message us for the current rate.

Jeep rental for Deosai and Basho — 4x4 only

Deosai and Basho are the two routes where the vehicle class is not a preference. The plateau road climbs past Sadpara onto open ground above 4,000 m with river crossings that move through the season, and the Basho track is unpaved for its final stretch. A Land Cruiser, either Prado or the Revo will do it. A Corolla, a Civic or a Hiace will not, and no driver of ours will take one up there.

Deosai and Basho jeep rates are being confirmed with our Skardu office and will be published here. Message us for the current rate.

Skardu to Hunza, and one-way car rental

Skardu to Hunza is 7 to 8 hours via Gilgit, and it is one of the most requested single legs we run — people fly into Skardu, spend three or four days in Baltistan, then continue up the Karakoram Highway rather than backtrack. We run it as part of longer tours and as a transfer on its own.

One-way drop rates and the return-leg policy are being confirmed and will be published here. Message us for a quote on your date.

Renting a car in Skardu without a tour

You do not need to book a package to hire a vehicle from us. A good number of people fly into Skardu, book their own hotel and take a car for three or four days — the airport run, a Deosai day, Shigar and Khaplu, and back to the airport. That is a normal booking and we quote it the same way.

If you would rather have the hotels, the permits and the route handled as well, our Skardu tour packages include the vehicle and the driver in the group price — and the group price is for the group, it does not multiply by how many of you travel.

Contact our Gilgit-Baltistan office

WhatsApp is the fastest route to a quote and we usually answer within half an hour. Tell us your dates, your group size and where you want to go, and we will tell you which vehicle you need and what it costs.

• WhatsApp / phone: +92 371 5303587
• Email: paktravellers01@gmail.com
• Gilgit-Baltistan office: Sargrong Road, near City Police Station, Shigar, Gilgit-Baltistan
• Rawalpindi: Office PD 447, Line No. 6, Rawalpindi
• Lahore: Johar Town, Lahore
• Hours: every day — in season the phone is the thing that matters when a plan changes.

Pakistan Travellers has been running trips in Gilgit Baltistan since 2013.