Best time to visit northern Pakistan: month by month, with pass opening dates

The best time to visit northern Pakistan is late May to September, when the high roads are normally open. Babusar Top (4,173 m, about 13,700 ft) reopened on 25 May 2026 after snow shut it from November 2025, and Deosai opens in June.

Go in late April for blossom without the passes. Leave spare days in July and August: monsoon floods closed roads in both 2025 and 2026.

What is the best month to visit the northern areas of Pakistan?

Each month has a trade-off. This table lists what actually happened, not average weather. We couldn’t get long-term climate averages from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD): its website did not load.

Visitor figures: GB Tourism Department, January to June 2026. As of 16 October 2026 it has not published July to December.

Foreign visitors follow the same pattern: 607 in January 2026, rising to 4,208 in June. In total, 13,715 foreigners visited GB in the first half of 2026.

If you want open roads with fewer people, the data points to late May, before June’s peak. July to December figures aren’t out yet. If you want blossom and don’t need the high passes, late April works: April 2026 had less than half of June’s visitors.

When is Babusar Top open?

Babusar Top links Naran in Kaghan valley with Chilas on the KKH. It is the shorter route north: in May 2025 Dawn put the Diamer to Mansehra trip at about 7 hours via Babusar, against 14 hours via the KKH.

The pass is closed for a large part of each year. Sources give slightly different months:

• The GB Tourism Department says the route is closed from October to June because of heavy snow, and calls it dangerous because of steep gradients.
• Dawn (May 2025) says it typically closes from November to June.

The real dates from the last two seasons sit between those two:

So, as of October 2026, plan for Babusar to be open from about late May or June until somewhere between October and November. We found no report on its status in October 2026. Before you leave, ask the Diamer or Mansehra district administration, or the police helpline 15.

When it closed on 30 November 2025, no snow had been cleared and security had been withdrawn from both the Diamer and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) sections. When Babusar is closed, the route north is the KKH through Dasu.

When it reopened in May 2026, authorities advised travelling over Babusar in daylight, checking the weather first and using a vehicle in good mechanical order. On 31 May they called travel after 6pm especially risky.

When is Khunjerab Pass open?

Khunjerab, at about 15,500 ft, is the border crossing to China at the top of the KKH. Under a 1985 agreement it was open only from 1 April to 30 November. In December 2024 China agreed to keep it open all year.

It still closes. Trade and travel stopped from 1 to 5 October 2026 for China’s National Day, and landslides closed the KKH between Sost and Khunjerab Top on 5 September 2026. A winter visit is now officially possible, but check before you drive up from Sost.

When is Deosai open?

Deosai is a high plateau averaging 4,114 m, between Skardu and Astore. Dawn reports it is open to tourists from June to November. The GB Tourism Department says only that it can be reached in summer.

We follow Dawn, but snow can come early: Babusar Top had its first snow on 5 September 2026.

Two things to know for 2026:

• No hotels inside the park. In December 2025 the GB Forest, Parks and Wildlife Department banned seasonal hotels and other commercial activity in Deosai for the 2026 season. Stay in Skardu or Astore.
• Floods hit the road. In July 2026 a section of the Deosai road was washed away when the Sadpara stream overflowed, though the Astore to Skardu road over Deosai stayed open.

Astore district’s visitor numbers show the season starting: 1,027 domestic visitors in March 2026, 13,266 in April and 32,310 in June. We found no report giving the exact date the Deosai road opened in 2026.

When is Shandur Pass open?

Shandur Pass, roughly 12,250 ft, is in Ghizer district of GB, which borders Chitral in KP. The GB Tourism Department lists it as one of three road routes into GB, with the KKH and Babusar. It is also home to what the department calls the highest polo ground in the world.

We found no official opening or closing dates for Shandur. What we found:

• Winter: snow blocked the Ghizer to Shandur road in late January 2026. A 2016 report in The News on Sunday said winter can cut off access for up to three months, and the lake freezes by early November.
• Monsoon: landslides and heavy rain blocked the Gilgit to Shandur road in July 2026. The National Highway Authority (NHA) said it was fully reopened on 24 July 2026, after building a diversion where a bridge at Yangal was washed away.
• Polo festival: the three-day Shandur Polo Festival opened on 11 June 2026, with teams from Chitral and GB. The GB Tourism Department says only that it takes place every summer, so check the dates each year.

Is the Lowari tunnel open in winter?

The Lowari tunnel is the road link between Upper Dir and Chitral. It is about 10 km long. As of 3 August 2026, Dawn reported the corridor was open round the clock.

Heavy snow can still close it:

• On 10 February 2023, a snowstorm in Upper Dir closed the tunnel at both ends, and an avalanche blocked the road on the Chitral side. Tourists were stranded on both sides.
• In January 2026, snow fell for over 36 hours across the Chitral valley. Traffic on the approach to the tunnel was stopped, and thousands of passengers were stranded for about 18 hours.

In August 2026 the NHA issued a notice for a rotation of three hours closed and three hours open, 12 hours of closure a day. Chitral residents rejected it. We couldn’t find out whether the plan was withdrawn or brought in, so ask before you travel.

Is it safe to travel north in July and August?

Expect flood delays. The GB Disaster Management Authority recorded 120 floods from cloudbursts and glacier melt between June and August 2026. In the 2025 monsoon a GB government spokesperson said 90% of advance bookings for July and August were cancelled.

What closed in summer 2026:

• 25 July: the Jaglot to Skardu road was blocked, and the Baltistan Highway had been closed for three days after a bridge was washed away. Hundreds of tourists were stranded in Astore and Skardu.
• 24 July: the Gilgit to Shandur road reopened after landslides.
• 5 September: landslides closed the KKH between Sost and Khunjerab Top.

July and August are also the main trekking season: Dawn says climbing and trekking run from June to mid-August. If you go then, leave spare days in your plan and buy travel insurance that covers delays. For general safety, see is Pakistan safe to visit.

What should I check before I set off?

1. The pass you need. Babusar, Shandur and Deosai depend on snow and the NHA. Ask the district administration or police helpline 15.
2. Floods and landslides. In July and August, check the news on the morning you leave.
3. Your route if a pass is shut. When Babusar is closed, the way north is the KKH via Dasu, which the UK FCDO advises against.
4. Help numbers. In GB, dial 1422 for the Tourist Police, or 05811-930055 from outside GB.

More guides: Hunza or Skardu, places to visit in winter, Murree in winter, is Pakistan safe to visit, travel insurance.