Visiting CKNP — Permits, Season, Getting There & Insurance

Most of the questions our team in Skardu fields by email come down to four things: do I need a permit, when can I come, how do I get there, and how do I pay for the helicopter if everything goes wrong. Here’s the working answer for each, current to the 2026 season.

Permits: what you actually need

Trekking permit (CKNP)

If you enter the Core Zone — the Baltoro, Biafo, Hispar, Snow Lake, the Hushe approach to Masherbrum — you need a CKNP trekking permit. Applications are processed at our office on Sadpara Road in Skardu, and at the Askole and Hushe checkpoints. Bring:

• Two passport photocopies per trekker.
• Visa page copy.
• Itinerary (operator-supplied or self-prepared).
• Operator authorisation letter (if booked with one).

The permit itself is free. The per-person park fee — which goes to ranger patrols and the SEED-funded campsite waste management on the Baltoro — is paid at the same office. Rate is set annually by the Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department; current 2026 rate is approximately PKR 2,000 per foreign trekker per trek, half that for Pakistani nationals.

Mountaineering permit (peaks above 6,500 m)

Issued by the Alpine Club of Pakistan in Islamabad and counter-signed by us if the peak is inside CKNP. Apply at least three months before your expedition starts. Fees vary by peak: K2 has been roughly USD 12,000 per team for foreign expeditions in recent seasons; the Gasherbrums and Broad Peak run USD 7,000–9,000; 7,000-metre peaks are around USD 1,500–3,000.

The permit comes with mandatory liaison officer attachment, an environment fee, and the climbing route stipulation. Free climbing peaks (under 6,500 m) inside CKNP are subject to the standard trekking permit only.

Research permit

For academic and scientific work inside park boundaries. Apply through our office or via the SEED programme office; processing takes 4–8 weeks. Required for: any sample collection, camera-trapping outside our own programme, drone use, GPS-tracking studies of any species.

Solo trekking

Not permitted in the Core Zone. You need at minimum one registered porter, and groups of three or more need a registered guide (Alpine Club of Pakistan certified for any technical pass like Gondogoro La).

Season: when to come

May

Snow still on the high passes and the upper Baltoro is closed. Lower trekking is starting up — the cultural routes around Gilgit and the Hunza valleys, day hikes in the Shigar valley, fishing on the upper rivers. Weather changeable; rivers high with snowmelt.

Mid-June to mid-July

The Baltoro opens. First teams onto K2 Base Camp and Concordia by mid-June; weather still unsettled, occasional storms. By the end of June the trail is well-established by porter traffic and most operators are running.

Mid-July to end of August

The peak window. Stable high pressure across the Karakoram, daytime temperatures at Concordia 5–15°C, nights below freezing. This is when 80 % of the park’s annual visitor traffic happens. K2 climbing season; Baltoro at its busiest. Book operators well in advance — June for July arrivals.

September

The shoulder. First snowfall typically hits Concordia between 10–25 September. Light traffic, golden light, the best photography. Risk: storms close the upper trail without warning. Bring the warmer sleeping bag.

October to April

Closed for high-altitude trekking. The valleys (Hunza, Shigar, Astore) remain accessible — in fact winter is when serious snow leopard tracking happens — but the Core Zone glaciers are no-go.

Getting there

By air to Skardu

Pakistan International Airlines flies Islamabad ↔ Skardu — about 1 hour, spectacular aerial views of Nanga Parbat. The flight is weather-dependent and famously gets cancelled. Plan two extra days into your itinerary on the return for cancellations. International visitors typically fly Islamabad first via Doha, Dubai or Istanbul.

By road on the Karakoram Highway

Islamabad to Skardu is roughly 22–26 hours by road via the KKH and the Skardu road off it at Jaglot. Long, but the views from Chilas onward are reason enough. Sleeper coaches run nightly Islamabad → Gilgit, change at Gilgit for Skardu (5 hours further). Self-drive is possible but the Skardu road has rockfall sections that close several times a year.

Skardu to the trailheads

• Skardu → Askole (Baltoro / K2 BC trailhead): 6–7 hours by jeep. Road is jeep-only, often closed. Hire a jeep and driver in Skardu (any operator can arrange; bargain).
• Skardu → Hushe (Masherbrum / Gondogoro La / cultural route): 5–6 hours by jeep, easier road than Askole.
• Skardu → Shigar → Gulabpur (Biafo / Hispar approaches): 3–4 hours.

Where to stay in Skardu

Skardu has gone from three guesthouses in 2010 to dozens in 2026, including the PTDC Motel, Concordia Motel, Mountain Lodge, and a number of community-run homestays in Sadpara and Shigar. Rooms range from PKR 4,000 (homestay) to PKR 25,000 (Serena equivalent) per night. Book July–August stays a month ahead.

Insurance and rescue

Read this twice. The only realistic high-altitude rescue option in CKNP is Pakistan Army Aviation helicopter rescue. They will fly to 5,500 m on the Baltoro for a confirmed casualty. The cost in 2026 is approximately USD 6,000–10,000 per flight hour and they will not lift you without payment confirmation in advance.

What this means in practice: your travel insurance must explicitly cover helicopter rescue at altitude in Pakistan. Generic “trekking” cover usually doesn’t. Global Rescue, Ripcord, and several specialised mountaineering insurers (e.g. BMC for UK climbers, DAV for German) cover Pakistan correctly. Check the small print before you fly.

Once past Paju on the Baltoro, you’re a minimum 4 days’ walking from a road. Without insurance, an injury becomes a survival problem.

Money, comms, basics

• Currency: Pakistani rupee (PKR). ATMs in Skardu (HBL, UBL, Bank Alfalah). No cash machines past Skardu — bring everything you need for the trek as cash, ideally in PKR but USD is widely accepted at hotels.
• SIM cards: Zong has the broadest coverage in Gilgit-Baltistan. Telenor and Jazz also work in Skardu. Coverage drops past Askole; nothing on the Baltoro.
• Power: reliable in Skardu; load-shedding in the villages; nothing past the trailheads. Bring a power bank rated to your trek length plus 50 %.
• Language: Urdu universally; Balti in the Baltoro region; Burushaski in Hunza/Nagar; English widely understood by anyone in the tourism industry.

Cultural notes

Gilgit-Baltistan is overwhelmingly Muslim — mostly Shia in the Baltistan side, mostly Ismaili in Hunza, mostly Sunni in Astore. Local etiquette: dress modestly (long sleeves, long trousers, hair covered for women in villages but not required in trekking areas); ask before photographing people; don’t bring alcohol into villages; respect prayer times. The local culture is remarkably welcoming to visitors who behave well. A few words of Urdu (shukria — thank you, salaam — greetings) go a long way.

One last thing

This is one of the most remote, beautiful and demanding mountain environments on earth. It rewards careful planning, good fitness, the right operator, and proper insurance. Get those four right and the rest looks after itself.

For the routes themselves see classic treks, adventure treks and cultural treks. For the wildlife you’ll meet on the way, our Karakoram wildlife guide.