11-Day Karakoram Highway Motorcycle Tour: Skardu, Hunza & Khunjerab Pass

Welcome to Pakistan. On arrival at Islamabad International Airport you are met and transferred into the capital. If your flight lands early, a short city tour takes in the vast Faisal Mosque set against the Margalla Hills, the leafy avenues of the capital, and a viewpoint over the city before hotel check-in from 2:00 pm. This is a day to unwind, meet your riding guide, and be briefed on the machines and the route ahead — the real adventure starts tomorrow.

Meals: Dinner

Road condition: Paved

Breakfast at the hotel, then transfer to the airport for the spectacular morning flight to Skardu — one of the great mountain flights in the world, banking past the icy wall of Nanga Parbat (8,126 m) before dropping into the broad Indus valley (2,230 m). Machines and gear are collected, and after settling in you saddle up for a gentle first ride to shake off the travel. You follow the Shigar road as it leaves the Indus and runs up the Shigar valley to the historic 400-year-old Shigar Fort, restored stone-and-timber seat of the old Raja. Nearby lies the surreal Katpana ‘Cold Desert’ — one of the highest sand-dune deserts on earth, silver dunes rolling improbably against a backdrop of snow peaks, a superb spot for photos and an easy ride to warm up on. Lunch en route; return to Skardu for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Paved + Dirt road

Breakfast at the hotel, then a relaxed acclimatization ride into the little-visited Basho Valley. Leaving Skardu you cross the braided Indus flats before the track turns to dirt and begins climbing through pine forest and alpine meadow, the surface loosening as you gain height. It is a gentle off-road warm-up — river-fed streams, grazing pastures and photo stops framed by snow peaks — that eases your body into altitude before the days ahead. Lunch is served picnic-style in the meadows or back in town. Return to Skardu in the afternoon for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Paved + Dirt road

Breakfast at the hotel, then retrace the Skardu gorge road back down to Alam Bridge and rejoin the Karakoram Highway heading north. The riding is spectacular — the road hugs the Indus and then the Hunza River, sweeping through Gilgit and on past Rakaposhi (7,788 m), whose enormous snow face fills the sky at the Rakaposhi viewpoint tea stop. Lunch is taken en route. As you ascend into central Hunza the valley opens into terraced orchards and stone villages crowned by ancient forts, with Karimabad glowing on the hillside. Arrive in Hunza (2,500 m) in the afternoon and transfer to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Paved

Breakfast at the hotel. Today the bikes rest and Hunza is explored at a gentler pace. You visit the 700-year-old Baltit Fort rising over Karimabad and the older Altit Fort perched above the river gorge, wander the old bazaar, and climb to Duikar / Eagle’s Nest for one of the finest panoramas in the region — a sweep of Rakaposhi, Diran, Ultar Sar and the Hunza valley far below. It is a well-earned rest and acclimatization day before the high country, with time to meet locals and soak up the culture. Lunch and dinner in Hunza; overnight at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Paved

Breakfast at the hotel, then one of the great riding days of the trip. You ride north along the KKH past the surreal turquoise of Attabad Lake, through the tunnels and over the Hussaini and Gulmit stretches beneath the Passu Cones. Beyond Sost the road climbs relentlessly through Khunjerab National Park — watch for ibex and marmots — up to the Pakistan–China border at Khunjerab Pass (4,700 m), the highest paved international border crossing in the world and the roof of this journey. After photographs at the frontier gate and a cautious watch for the thin air, you descend the same magnificent road, stopping at the Passu Cones viewpoint. Lunch en route; arrive Passu (2,500 m) for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Paved

Breakfast, then brace for the single most challenging and rewarding road of the tour. The Shimshal road branches east off the KKH and climbs into a tight, exposed gorge — a narrow ribbon blasted and cut into sheer cliff faces, hanging high above the churning river with almost no barrier. Progress is deliberately slow: loose rock, tight ledges and short river-fed crossings mean the 70 km can eat the whole day. This is a genuine adventure section, not a cruise — thrilling for confident off-road riders and unforgettable for everyone. The reward is Shimshal (3,100 m), a remote mountaineers’ village ringed by the peaks of the Shimshal Pamir. Lunch is taken on the way; arrive for dinner and an overnight stay at a local guest house.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Unpaved + Dirt road

Breakfast at the guest house, then ride the dramatic Shimshal gorge back out to the Karakoram Highway — a slow, spectacular unpaved descent that demands the same care as the way in. Rejoining the KKH near Passu, the surface improves and you turn south, retracing the Hunza River valley past Attabad and Rakaposhi with fresh light on familiar giants. A tea stop and lunch en route break the ride. You lose altitude steadily as the road unwinds toward Gilgit (1,500 m), the bustling hub of the Northern Areas. Arrive in the afternoon and transfer to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Unpaved + Paved

Breakfast at the hotel, then a long, immersive day back down the classic Karakoram Highway. The road follows the Indus through the raw heart of the range, passing the Nanga Parbat viewpoint near Raikot Bridge — the 8,126 m ‘Killer Mountain’ looming to the south — and the Jaglot confluence where the three great ranges meet. You ride on through Chilas and the deep Indus gorges of Kohistan, the mountains slowly softening into greener, steeper valleys. Tea stops and lunch punctuate the miles. Arrive in Besham on the banks of the Indus for dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Paved

Breakfast at the hotel, then the final riding day carries you out of the mountains. The KKH follows the Indus down through Kohistan before the land opens into the green terraces and forests of Hazara. You sweep through Battagram and Mansehra, drop toward Abbottabad, and roll onto faster roads for the run back to the capital — the saddle time easy now, a chance to reflect on the passes behind you. Lunch en route. Arrive Islamabad in the afternoon and transfer to the hotel for a celebratory farewell dinner and an overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Road condition: Paved

Breakfast at the hotel. Depending on your flight time, there may be a chance for last-minute souvenir shopping before you are transferred to Islamabad International Airport for your onward departure — engine noise still ringing in your ears and a lifetime of Karakoram memories in the bag.

Meals: Breakfast

Road condition: Paved