Babusar Top Guide: Crossing the 4,173 m Roof of Kaghan

Every summer, for roughly ninety days, a paved road climbs out of the Kaghan Valley to 4,173 metres and drops into another world. On the Naran side: alpine meadows, Lulusar's long blue, glacier streams. Over the top: the stark brown immensity of the Indus valley and the Karakoram Highway at Chilas. Babusar Top is both a destination and a door, and knowing which one you are using decides how to plan it.

The quick answer

Babusar Pass opens roughly July to September. From Naran it is 65 to 70 km and 2 to 2.5 hours to the top, past Batakundi, Besal and Lulusar Lake. Go in the morning, carry warm layers whatever the month, fuel up in Naran because there is nothing until Chilas, and check the pass status in Naran bazaar before committing. As a return trip from Naran it is half a day; as a crossing it is the summer shortcut to Hunza and Skardu.

The drive up

Above Naran the valley empties by the kilometre. Batakundi is the last real hotel stop, Besal the last tea and trailhead country, and then the road runs along Lulusar Lake, the long alpine water the Kunhar rises from, which alone justifies the fuel. After Gittidas the switchbacks begin: a well-graded paved climb that gains the last thousand metres in hairpins, with the valley falling away behind. The summit arrives suddenly: prayer flags, a crowd of stalls in high season, chai at four thousand metres, and a cold that ignores the July sun.

At the top

Treat 4,173 metres with mild respect. Most visitors feel nothing worse than breathlessness on the viewpoint steps; some feel a headache that is the mountain suggesting a shorter stay. Do not plan hours up here, keep children and elders warm and moving gently, and descend if anyone feels genuinely unwell. The views repay in minutes anyway: back over the Kaghan lakes one way, out toward the Indus deserts and, on clear days, Nanga Parbat's massif the other.

Crossing versus returning

As a return excursion from Naran, Babusar is the best half day in the valley: up in the morning light, lunch back in Naran. As a crossing, it is the move that reshapes northern itineraries: Naran to Chilas over the top saves the long southern loop and puts the KKH under your wheels by early afternoon, which is exactly how summer trips to Hunza and Skardu should be routed. The full valley context is in our Kaghan Valley guide, and the onward roads in the Hunza and Skardu route guides.

The mistakes to skip

Arriving at 4 pm and finding weather, queues or a closed gate: go mornings. Assuming fuel: there is none between Naran and Chilas, so leave Naran full. Dressing for Naran's weather instead of the summit's: bring real warm layers in every month. And treating the opening dates as fixed: the pass opens when the snow allows and closes when weather says so, and the only reliable source is asking in Naran the day before.

Local drivers cross Babusar all season and know the day's conditions. Browse Naran Kaghan trips, or plan the whole road with the Islamabad to Naran route guide.