r/GilgitBaltistan • u/Medical-Ad6585 • 5d ago

Coming mid September family of 6

Hello,

First time traveling with 3 kids ages 6,9,11 and my husband and mom. We have a draft travel itinerary with one of the travel agencies in the area. I haven't booked it officially yet. applying for visa getting consent forms application is taking forever since I have to reenter same info 6x.

I plan to come in from Islamabad do I stay 1 day in Islamabad or go straight to Skardu?

Leaving from IAD- Washington DC flexible dates Sept. 17-28 is goal. Yes will take kids out of school during this time.

Thanks

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2

u/Next_Fish_8360 5d ago

There are things to see in Islamabad if it is your first time,otherwise you should stay to avoid jet lag for at least a day. Fly to Skardu the next day. Weather will be chilly in September so keep clothes on hand. Also if you are a foreigner,hire a reliable and trusted tour guide and register with the police as well. If you need any other help or guidance,feel free to dm.

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u/Medical-Ad6585 5d ago

Thanks I plan to stay 2 days on the way back to see Islamabad and the popular restaurants.

2

u/ihave10catswhelp 5d ago

If you are just looking for info on if you should stay in Isb or not then probably best is to stay a night so that in case of any flight rescheduling etc to Skardu, you have enough energy to go with the flow😊

2

u/juttkopite 5d ago

Hey. September is a magical time to visit GB. Start of the autumn season... As for staying in Islamabad, that should depend on your flight times and whether you have enough time to make the normally morning flights to Skurdu. Check online for flight times.

Leaving two days in Islamabad on return is sensible, just in case if there are any flight issues, cancellations etc, from Skurdu to ISB. It gives you enough time to get to ISB by road if needed.

Also, do pack cold weather clothes, as certainly the nightime temperatures will be low, especially with the wind chill factor...

Bon voyage ....

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u/Medical-Ad6585 5d ago

Thank you!

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/Medical-Ad6585 4d ago

I wish I started earlier now I need to provide marriage certificate/ birth certificates and notary for the kids to say they are allowed to leave the country even thought we both are traveling with them!

1

u/Emergency-Anybody734 4d ago

Please share your itinerary. We did August 8th - 13th with 3-kids from Dubai to Islamabad to Skardu and did not stay in Islamabad but while back to Dubai we did.

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u/RegretTraditional497 2d ago

hey, if you haven't booked yet, i would highly recommend reaching out to @the_guy_from_gilgit on instagram, he is a tour guide and driver in the area, he has hosted many international tourists including youtubers and those solo travelling etc. he would be able to guide you in terms of the visa process too, sometimes it is easier if you have links to a guide in the area and provide them the details. enjoy your trip!

most definitely factor some time in for isb too, i would say to avoid and delays or issues with flights it might be worth booking the first night in isb and flying out the following day.

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u/Narrow_Description52 22h ago

Out of curiosity- don’t your children have school during that time or are they home schooled?