Travelling north with children: what actually works

Northern Pakistan is a rewarding place to travel with children, but the thing that ruins family trips here is almost always the same: too much driving.

Match the valley to the age

• Under 5: Murree and the Galiyat. Two to three hours from Islamabad, everything close together, and easy to abandon a plan when it is not working.
• 5 to 10: Swat, or Naran with two nights in one hotel. The Swat Expressway keeps the drive to about five hours and Mahodand is a genuine adventure without being punishing.
• 10 and up: Hunza. The long drives become manageable and the payoff is enormous. Fairy Meadows works from around twelve, given the walk.

Six hours is the limit

On mountain roads, six hours in a vehicle is a long day for an adult and a very long one for a child. Itineraries that reach Hunza in a single day from Islamabad exist, and we do not sell them. Break the journey at Chilas or Besham and accept the extra night.

Altitude

The valley floors — Naran at 2,400 m, Karimabad at 2,400 m — are fine for children. The high points need more care. Khunjerab Pass at 4,693 m and Babusar at 4,173 m are worth doing, but keep the time at the top short and come down if a child develops a headache or becomes unusually quiet. Deosai at 4,000 m is a long day and better suited to older children.

Food

Menus in the north are limited and repetitive — chicken karahi, daal, roti, eggs. Children who are picky at home will be picky here with fewer alternatives. Carry snacks you know they will eat, and do not rely on finding a shop after dark outside the main towns.

Packing, beyond the obvious

• Layers rather than one thick coat — mornings are cold, afternoons warm, evenings cold again.
• A power bank per family. Load shedding is routine and jeep days have no charging.
• Motion-sickness remedies. The jeep tracks to Saif-ul-Malook and Mahodand are rough.
• Downloaded films and audiobooks — mobile coverage disappears for hours at a time.
• A basic first-aid kit including rehydration salts.
• Wet wipes and hand sanitiser: roadside facilities are basic.

The thing most families get wrong

Trying to fit Hunza, Skardu and Naran into one week. Pick one valley, stay two nights in each hotel, and let there be an afternoon with nothing scheduled. Children remember the river they were allowed to play in far longer than the fourth viewpoint of the day.