The Deosai Jeep Safari — Skardu to Astore Traverse is a guided trip lasting 7 days in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan, topping out at 4,250 m. It is graded Easy to Moderate — high-altitude 4×4 — short day walks. 3 fixed departures are open from $890 per person, all-inclusive from Islamabad.
Deosai Jeep Safari — Skardu to Astore Traverse, 7 Days
Deosai is a 4,114 m alpine plateau between Skardu and Astore — the second-highest plateau on earth after Tibet, open only in summer, and the last stronghold of the Himalayan brown bear. Most operators tick it off as a day trip. This 7-day safari crosses the whole thing. From Skardu you climb over the rim past Sadpara, camp two nights out on the plains at Bara Pani and beside Sheosar Lake at about 4,250 m, and drop out the far side through Chilam into the Astore valley — roughly seventy kilometres of jeep track through a sea of green meadow, glacial streams and wildflowers, with Nanga Parbat on the horizon from the lake on a clear morning.
nBe clear that this is high country, not a picnic. Nights are cold even in July, there is no mobile signal, and the plateau is split by two river crossings — Kala Pani, usually shallow enough to drive, and Bara Pani, where the jeeps cross empty and everyone walks the little wooden bridge. That is standard practice here, not a stunt, and levels rise with the afternoon snowmelt, so timing matters. We run it with drivers who have made these crossings for years and a satellite phone in the vehicle. Local hands, real safety, fair price.
n- Duration
- 7 Days - 6 Nights
- Max altitude
- 4,250 m
- Grade
- Easy – Moderate
- Days on foot
- 0
- Best season
- Summer ( June - October )
- Group size
- Max 8
Deosai Jeep Safari Price
Join a Deosai Jeep Safari fixed departure from $890 per person, all-inclusive — Skardu hotels, 4×4 Land Cruiser with an experienced local driver, full camping and meals on the plateau, national-park entry fees and all transport. Seven days, maximum altitude around 4,250 m at Sheosar Lake, right across the world's second-highest plateau.
nFixed Departures
Fixed departures are scheduled dates you join as part of a group, rather than arranging your own trip.
Private & customised groups
These are private departures, priced by the size of your party rather than by a set date.
| Group size | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Solo (1 Person) | $1,950 | One traveller, private Land Cruiser, driver, guide and full camp. Your dates. |
| (2-3 Persons) | $1,350 | A private safari for a pair or a small group, on dates you choose. |
| (4-6 Persons) | $1,080 | The sweet spot — one full Land Cruiser, shared camp costs, still entirely your own trip. |
| (7-8 Persons) | $890 | Our best per-person rate across two vehicles, matching the fixed-departure price. |
Is this trip right for you?
Yes — this is one of the easiest trips to say yes to.
Graded Easy to Moderate — high-altitude 4×4.
Good to know
The highest point is 4,250 m, so altitude counts here. The itinerary is built around acclimatising and your guide sets a pace that gets you there comfortably.
One thing we do insist on: travel insurance that covers helicopter evacuation.
Travel Experience
Itinerary — Deosai Jeep Safari, Skardu to Astore
<p>Seven days from Islamabad across the whole Deosai plateau: fly to Skardu, climb over the rim at Sadpara, camp at Bara Pani and Sheosar Lake, then drop out through Chilam into the Astore valley and back down to the Karakoram Highway.</p>
Day 1Arrive Islamabad
540 m
Land in Islamabad, meet your guide and go through the plan over dinner. Deosai is cold at night even in midsummer, so we check layers and sleeping bags tonight.
Day 2Fly to Skardu
2,230 m
The morning flight up the Indus past Nanga Parbat — the same mountain you will see across the plateau later in the week. Weather can push it; if it does we drive and use the buffer. Afternoon free in Skardu.
Day 3Skardu — Lakes, Fort & Acclimatisation
2,230 m
A gentle day to let the body adjust before 4,000 m: Kharpocho Fort above the Indus, Upper Kachura and Shangrila, and the bazaar. Vehicles checked and loaded in the evening.
Day 4Skardu over the Rim to Bara Pani
3,900 m
South past Sadpara and up the switchbacks onto the plateau — roughly 1.5 to 3 hours of climbing before the world flattens out into green. Camp at Bara Pani beside the stream, marmots whistling from their burrows.
Day 5Bara Pani to Sheosar Lake
4,250 m
Across the heart of the plains, crossing Kala Pani and driving the open meadow west to Sheosar. The lake sits at about 4,250 m, roughly two kilometres long, and on a clear evening Nanga Parbat shows on the horizon behind it. Camp on the shore.
Day 6Sheosar Lake to Chilam & Astore
3,400 m
Sunrise on the lake, then out the western edge and down to Chilam at around 3,400 m and on into the Astore valley — green terraces, apricot ground and the first villages in three days. Hot food and a proper bed.
Day 7Astore to Islamabad
540 m
Down to the Karakoram Highway and the long road south to Islamabad. It is a genuine full day of driving, broken with stops at the Nanga Parbat viewpoint and the Indus-Gilgit confluence. Assalam-o-Alaikum.
What’s included in the price
Every fixed departure is all-inclusive from Islamabad. This is exactly what your $890 per person covers, and the handful of things it does not — so there is nothing to settle at the trailhead.
Included in the price
- Islamabad-Skardu flights (or overland transport if the flight is cancelled) and all 4×4 Land Cruiser transport across the plateau to Astore and on to Islamabad
- Hotels in Skardu and Astore on a twin-share basis
- Full camping on Deosai — tents
- Mats
- Dining and toilet tents
- Kitchen crew
- All meals on the plateau plus hotel breakfasts
- English and Balti-speaking guide
- An experienced local driver
- National-park entry fees
- A satellite phone in the vehicle
Not included
- International flights
- Pakistan visa fee
- Lunches and dinners in town
- Personal gear and warm layers
- Tips for the driver and crew
- Travel insurance
- Anything not listed under Services Included
- Wildlife sightings. The brown bears are shy and genuinely wild — we will not promise you one
- Any operator who does is selling you something they cannot deliver
Resources
Free guides from our local team, so you arrive ready.
- Trekking gear list what to pack
- Trekking medicine & altitude staying well up high
- Maps, books, visa & permits planning your trip
Why Karakoram Venture
Because the people who take you up this mountain are from it. Our guides grew up in these valleys, and they are our own team — not a booking desk handing you to whoever is cheapest that week. Every one of them holds a guide licence from DTS Gilgit-Baltistan and the Federal DTS, renewed each year, and worked at least five years in the region before applying for it. Most also hold Wilderness First Aid.
Because the safety is real, and we will name it rather than imply it. A satellite phone travels in every camp, we hold established helicopter-rescue contacts for this region, and we tell you exactly which travel insurance to carry. Budget operators cut precisely these things, because you cannot see them on a web page.
Because the price is honest. Local infrastructure is why $890 per person covers the trip from Islamabad rather than a stripped-down base rate. Exactly what it includes — and the handful of things it does not — is set out above.
How to book this trip
More About the Deosai Jeep Safari
Booking & Payment
A deposit of 10% of the trip price confirms your place. The balance is due 30 days before departure.
Book through our website, an authorised agent, or directly on WhatsApp.
Cancellation Policy
Cancel 30+ days before departure: deposit held as credit, balance refunded.
Cancel 15-29 days before: 50% of the trip cost is refundable.
Cancel under 15 days before: non-refundable. If the park road is closed by snow or the rivers run too high, we reroute or help you rebook.
Permits & Documentation
Deosai is a national park with an entry fee collected at the gate, which is included in your price. It sits in an open zone, so no NOC is normally required and a standard Pakistan tourist visa is enough — this is not a restricted trekking area.
Bring your passport (foreign travellers) or CNIC (Pakistani nationals) and keep the original with you for checkpoints. We confirm any current requirements with you before departure.
Health & Fitness
Easy to moderate. Almost all the distance is covered in a 4×4, with short walks at camp and around Sheosar Lake — but you sleep two nights at around 4,000 m and above, and altitude at that height is real. Nights are cold even in July.
Minimum age 12. Not suitable if you have an unmanaged heart or respiratory condition; talk to us first. Travel insurance covering high-altitude travel and evacuation is required — there is no mobile signal on the plateau.
Important Notes
Carry at least 2 recent passport-size photos for verification and documentation.
A valid passport (foreign nationals) or CNIC (Pakistani nationals) is mandatory for booking and travel.
Keep your original passport or CNIC with you throughout the tour for security checks and hotel check-ins.
Foreign nationals need a valid passport and the correct visa; any NOC and trekking/restricted-area permits are arranged by Karakoram Venture.
Special Information
Professional and experienced Tour Manager available from start to end of the trip.
Delicious and fresh daily meals included from Day 1 until departure.
No complimentary meals provided on flights or during transit stops.
Follow updated state travel policies carefully for a hassle-free journey.
Transportation Details
Comfortable and spacious A/C Coaches for long trips and intercity travel.
Sturdy 4x4 jeeps for mountain roads and sightseeing (up to 7 pax per vehicle).
Reliable 4x4 vehicles (Land Cruiser / Prado) for off-road and high-altitude excursions.
Arrival & Departure Guidelines
Day 1: Report at the designated airport on time as per schedule.
Final Day: Depart after successfully completing the full itinerary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Deosai Jeep Safari cost?
Our fixed departures start from $890 per person, all-inclusive — Skardu and Astore hotels, the 4×4 Land Cruiser and driver, full camping and meals on the plateau, national-park entry fees, and all transport including the flight to Skardu. Private rates for smaller groups are higher per person; see the pricing table above.
What makes this different from your other Deosai tours?
Our Skardu Deosai tours visit the plateau and come back the same way. This one crosses it. You go in from Skardu over the Sadpara rim, camp two nights out on the plains, and come out the far western side at Chilam into the Astore valley — roughly seventy kilometres of jeep track, end to end, with Sheosar Lake in the middle. If you only have a day, take the shorter tour; if you want the whole plateau, take this.
How high does it go, and is the altitude a problem?
Sheosar Lake sits at about 4,250 m and the plateau averages 4,114 m, so you sleep two nights above 3,900 m. That is real altitude and it deserves respect — which is why we build in a full acclimatisation day in Skardu first. Most travellers are fine, but come with warm layers and tell us about any heart or breathing condition before you book.
When is Deosai open?
Roughly June to October. The plateau is locked under snow the rest of the year and the road reopens once crews clear the passes in June. Late June through September is the reliable window — early July for green meadows and wildflowers, late September for gold grass and the first snow on the peaks.
What are the river crossings actually like?
The plains are split by two streams. Kala Pani is usually shallow enough to drive straight through. Bara Pani is crossed on a small wooden bridge rated for limited weight, so the jeeps go over empty and passengers walk across. That is normal practice here, not a stunt. Levels rise with afternoon snowmelt, which is exactly why we time the crossings for the morning.
Will we see the brown bears?
Maybe, and we will not pretend otherwise. Deosai was made a national park in 1993 to save the Himalayan brown bear, and the population has recovered from about 19 animals to roughly 78 by 2022 — a fragile success. They are shy and you are not guaranteed a sighting. What you will almost certainly see are golden marmots, and with luck ibex, foxes, golden eagles and lammergeier; the park counts more than 120 bird species.
Is there phone signal on Deosai?
No. There is no mobile coverage on the plateau and the nearest help is hours away, which is why our vehicles carry a satellite phone and why we run this with drivers who know the crossings. Tell your family they will not hear from you for two days — it is part of the appeal.
Do I need a special permit or visa?
No. Deosai is an open zone, so unlike our Baltoro and Shimshal treks you do not need a trekking permit, an NOC or the Trekking & Mountaineering visa. A standard Pakistan tourist visa is enough. The national-park entry fee is collected at the gate and is included in your price.
Is it suitable for families or non-trekkers?
Yes — that is the point of a jeep safari. Almost all the distance is driven, with short walks at camp and around the lake. Minimum age is 12 because of the altitude rather than the terrain. If you want the Karakoram without a week of walking, this is the trip.
Why does it end in Astore rather than back in Skardu?
Because crossing the plateau beats doubling back across it. Coming out at Chilam and Astore puts you on the Karakoram Highway for the run south, past the Nanga Parbat viewpoint and the Indus-Gilgit confluence, so the last day is a scenic drive rather than a repeat of ground you have already seen. If you would rather return to Skardu, we can run it that way privately — just ask.
