Road travel to GB

It is extremely dangerous to visit alone to Gilgit. According to my friend who are journalist and he is also from Gilgit, told me that leaders of the both rivals groups reached in an agreement and both group will play role for the peace in GB.

In light of todays bombing in lower Dir, you might want to rethink any plans for travelling Chitral-Peshawar.

I was in Gilgit a few days ago. Very heavy police/army presence at every junction, but peaceful in town. There were a couple of maybe sectarian murders but no threat to tourists. It feels much more safe than Chilas and Dasu, where I was spat on whilst riding through on my motorbike.

South of the Skardu turn off, I had compulsory armed escorts. Luckily I didn't have to go with the coaches but was a range of boy soldiers on 125cc bikes, or pickups with machine guns mounted on the back. This was on and off for over 150kms.

Tonight i'm in Basham, and the checkpoints here wanted an NOC although I thought it wasn't needed for the KKH but maybe things have changed. Staying in the PTDC motel, and are curfewed, have to be collected by armed escort in the morning. Armed cops are staying in the lobby. I've lost count at the amount of checkpoints where i've had to enter all my passport details. Its slow going.

Tourists are being turned away from the Babushar pass, a couple I spoke to say the 7 vehicles in front were ambushed, although I know of one solo motorbiker who got through a few days ago.

Now there is a severe storm, wondering how many landslides I will find between here and islamabad in the morning!

You've done the worst bit roadwise ( Gilgit-Chilas), Besham-Islbd is pretty decent surface.I have to say, that in 6 weeks riding around NWFP, Besham was the only place that we felt nervous, regarding personal safety, even around Dir/Swat/Peshawar, we never felt threatened They'll escort you down to the Kohistan border,( about 80Klms ) then turn you loose on the road to Chattar plain, these are good roads. If you have a day spare, turn off at Abbottabad and take the road up to Nathia Galle, ( a lovely little hill station, up in the pine forests) it's a beautiful run and you can pick up the road back down to Islbd past Muree, avoiding the worst of the traffic. Also if you ask politely they should allow you onto the new Motorway from Islbd-Lahore (normally closed to motorcycles),as the old Grand Trunk (GT road) is a nightmare, at least we managed it, so it is possible !

Good luck. UB.

Does somebody have any info on flights Gilgit-Pindi? How much are those flights and are there any chances to get a seat in one?

We're going to KKH with my friend from China in 1-2 weeks but we're still uneasy about it. I think we go to Hunza to see the situation and decide after that. Fortunately we have double entry visas to China.

The flight re operated to Gilgit & it costs about 10600 pkr.