Help.
Booking, payment, permits, altitude, cancellation and insurance. If the answer is not here, write to us — a person reads it.
Who am I actually booking with?
A licensed local company based in the valley the journey crosses. They employ the guide and run the trip; we handle the listing, the payment and the record of what was promised, and hold the balance until your departure date.
What is checked before a journey is listed?
Registration with the Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department, a valid liability policy, and identification for whoever runs it. We re-check annually. That is a fact about paperwork, not an opinion about quality — the reviews are for that.
When do I pay the rest?
The deposit is taken when you book. The balance is due 21 days before departure, or on the day if you book inside that window. The money is released 48 hours after your trip starts, not before.
Can I cancel?
Each journey lists its own terms — flexible, moderate or strict — on the page and in the comparison table. Flexible means a full refund up to 14 days out. Strict usually means the deposit is non-refundable. Read it before you pay; it is the one term people skip.
Do I need a permit?
Not for Hunza, Skardu, Deosai or the Karakoram Highway. You do for Khunjerab National Park (paid at the gate), and a No Objection Certificate is required for restricted zones near the borders and for peaks above 6,500 metres. Every journey page says which applies and who arranges it.
How bad is the altitude?
Most valley journeys stay below 3,000 metres and are unremarkable. Basecamp treks reach 3,300 to 5,000 metres, where a slow first two days matters more than fitness does. Every itinerary shows the altitude gained per day, which is the number that predicts how you will feel.
Is travel insurance included?
No, and no journey on the site includes it. For anything above 3,000 metres you need a policy that explicitly covers trekking at altitude and helicopter evacuation. Standard travel insurance usually excludes both.
I am a solo woman traveller. Is this sensible?
Yes, and it is common in Gilgit-Baltistan. Group departures are the easiest way in. Several journeys here are led by women guides, and the listing says so. Homestays in Hunza and Skardu are family-run and are usually more comfortable than hotels for solo travel.
What if the road is closed?
Landslides close the Karakoram Highway several times a season, usually for hours rather than days. Guides reroute or add a night. If a trip cannot run at all, you are refunded in full — that is a condition of listing here.
Can I pay in rupees?
Prices are shown in US dollars because that is what the trips are quoted in. Card payment settles in your own currency. Local wallets — JazzCash, Easypaisa — are next on the list.