The Gilgit to Skardu road, honestly.

210 km, about six hours, paved the whole way. Leave Gilgit before six in the morning. Take a car if you are two or three people, a van if you are a family with luggage, and only take a Land Cruiser if you are continuing to Deosai or Askoli afterwards.

That is the whole guide. What follows is why each of those answers is what it is, because the road has changed a great deal in five years and most of what is written about it online describes a road that no longer exists.

For years the Skardu road was the reason people flew. It was unpaved in long stretches, it took nine to eleven hours, and a landslide could turn that into a night in the vehicle. The rebuilt road is paved, wider, and takes about six hours on a normal day.

What has not changed is the geography. The road follows the Indus east from Jaglot, and the river cuts a gorge that does not leave much room. Between Jaglot and Sassi there are sections cut directly into rock with a drop on one side. They are not dangerous at 40 km/h in daylight. They are unpleasant at night, and they are worse in rain.

Three reasons, in order of importance.

First, light. You want the narrow sections behind you while you can see the road surface and oncoming traffic on the blind corners. Second, traffic. Trucks and the shared vans move through the middle of the day, and passing on a single-lane section costs minutes each time. Third, weather. Rain in these valleys tends to build in the afternoon, and rain is what triggers the small slides that block one lane.

An early start also gives you the option to stop. Leave at six and you can spend forty minutes at Kachura lakes and still be in Skardu for a late lunch. Leave at ten and every stop becomes a calculation about arriving in the dark.

Everything between these is a tea stall with a kettle and a bench. Carry water and something for children to eat. There is no reliable pharmacy between Gilgit and Skardu.

Landslides after heavy rain. They are usually cleared within hours, sometimes a day. The problem is not the slide; it is starting the drive without knowing about it. Our captains call ahead before committing to a departure, and if the road is shut we tell you before you get in rather than after four hours of driving.

The other failure mode is a driver who does not know the road. This route rewards someone who knows which corners are blind and where the surface breaks up after winter. It is one of the routes where we are strict about which captains we put on it.

The flight to Skardu is 50 minutes and spectacular. It also cancels often, and a cancellation in Skardu means either waiting for the next window or making the road journey anyway with a day less in hand.

The pattern that works for most travellers: drive one way, fly the other, and keep the drive on the side of the trip where losing a day would hurt least. If you only have five days in Baltistan, fly in and drive out.

Every fare is agreed before you accept the booking. There is no meter, no surge, and no conversation about money halfway to Sassi.