Trips: 2017 to May 2026 · Last checked: October 2026
I have been travelling to northern Pakistan every year since 2017. Looking back, the changes are bigger than I expected: better roads, many more hotels, and prices that have gone up two to four times. This post is a timeline of what I saw, year by year, and what it means if you are planning a trip now.
It comes from my own trips to the places I know best: Hunza, Fairy Meadows, Naran, Babusar and Shogran. Where a detail comes from someone else, I say so.
2017: my first trips
My first trip to Peer Chinasi was in 2017, and I went to Hunza for the first time in the same year. A budget room in Hunza cost me about PKR 4,000 a night. The valley was quieter, there were fewer attractions, and there were fewer places to stay. On that trip I also went to the Khunjerab border.
Around 2020: roads still under development
Around 2020, the road to Naran was still under development, and the stretch from Naran towards Babusar was very rough. I saw this myself.
2021: a clean road and a cheap group trip
In August 2021 I went to Hunza and Fairy Meadows with friends in a rented Hiace, starting from Faisalabad. We took the Babusar route, and the road was fully developed and clean, with no patches. There were also more hotels and places to stay than in 2017.
Prices were low. Petrol was about PKR 170 a litre, the Hiace with a driver cost about PKR 8,000 a day, and the whole 7-day trip came to about PKR 24,000 per person for a group of 10. Fairy Meadows was not popular yet: a jeep for 5 people from Raikot to Tato cost about PKR 4,000, a hut cost about PKR 6,000 a night, and a BBQ piece cost about PKR 1,000. The full numbers are in my trip cost comparison.
2022 to 2025: Shogran every October
In 2022, friends who stayed in Shogran told me a room cost about PKR 4,000. From 2023 I started going to Shogran in the first week of October, every year, because the rates are lower than in May, June and July, and there is no crowd.
In 2024 and 2025 I also stopped at Batakundi and Lulusar Lake. The Adventurers Resort in Burawai became a regular coffee stop for me. It was new, and most people who had not travelled beyond Naran since 2023 did not know about it.
About two years before 2026, the road from Kiwai to Shogran was developed. You can now drive all the way up in your own car, without a jeep.
May 2026: Shogran, Naran and a closed Babusar
In May 2026 I went with my wife for 7 nights. Petrol was about PKR 414 a litre, and I spent about PKR 35,000 on fuel. The whole trip came to about PKR 150,000. A deluxe room at Spruce cost PKR 27,000 and Cedarwood cost PKR 24,500, and I paid PKR 14,000 a night at Luxus in Naran. Babusar Top was still closed by snow.
For Hunza in 2026, my brother says hotels now range from about PKR 8,000 to PKR 45,000 a night, and that a meal costs about PKR 1,000 per person. I did not go to Hunza myself that year.
What got better
- The roads. The road to Naran is now a smooth, clean, proper highway, the road from Naran towards Babusar is fully developed, and the road from Kiwai to Shogran is developed too.
- The hotels. There are many more of them, and they are better. New hotels are still being built in Shogran, because it is easy to reach in your own vehicle.
- Access. It is easier to get around, and there are more attractions, so families can travel easily.
What got worse
- Prices. Most of the prices I tracked are two to four times higher than in 2021. The Fairy Meadows jeep went from about PKR 4,000 to PKR 14,000 to 16,000.
- Crowds in summer. Fairy Meadows is fully packed in May, June and July. Hunza gets crowded in June, July and August.
- Fuel. Petrol went from about PKR 170 a litre in 2021 to about PKR 414 in 2026.
What did not change
- The Fairy Meadows jeep track. It is still scary, and it is the same as it was in 2021.
- Babusar Top. It still closes after 15 October and opens again around May.
- The signal. There is still no network from Batakundi until Chilas or Jaglot, and none at Fairy Meadows.
- October. It is still the best month for quiet, cold nights and lower rates.
What I would tell myself in 2017
- Go in October when you can. The rates are lower and there is no crowd.
- Drive your own car. It costs less and lets you stop wherever you like.
- Check the road status on social media before you leave.
- Carry a jacket and some cash. There are no ATMs or banks in Shogran.
- Do not drive 23 hours in one go.
Quick answers
- How much have prices gone up? About two to four times for the things I tracked since 2021.
- What improved the most? The roads.
- What is the best month? October for quiet. May to August for Fairy Meadows.
Related: Hunza in 2017 vs 2026 · Shogran travel guide · How to reach Fairy Meadows · Things I would skip
This timeline is based on my own trips from 2017 to May 2026. Prices and conditions change, so please check before you travel and read my disclaimer. If you travelled recently and something is different, tell me on the contact page.