Book in Gilgit

Gilgit is a functional town rather than a destination, and that is exactly its value. At around 1,500 metres on the Gilgit river, it holds the banks, hospitals, workshops and vehicle hire that the rest of Gilgit-Baltistan does not. Hotels concentrate along Airport Road and in Jutial, the newer district at the southern end with the better mid-range properties. Konodas and the bazaar area hold the cheaper stock. Danyore, across the river toward the Karakoram Highway, has a few quieter guesthouses.

Rooms run Rs 5,000 to Rs 11,000 for a clean mid-range double and Rs 14,000 to Rs 20,000 at the better Jutial properties. Rates rise thirty percent in July and August when domestic tourist traffic peaks and every vehicle in town is booked. This is the place to draw cash for the whole trip: ATMs above Gilgit are unreliable and often out of notes, and jeep hire, fuel and hotel balances up the valleys are almost all settled in cash.