Overview

This is one of the more genuinely off-the-map routes in Gilgit-Baltistan — a jeep safari from Skardu across the Deosai Plateau and over the historic Burzil Pass to Minimarg, a small valley near the Line of Control that was once part of the old trade route between Srinagar and Gilgit, before the region’s borders closed it off after 1948. At around 2,845m, Minimarg sits in a pocket of dense pine forest, with Rainbow Lake and Crystal Lake nearby adding to its quiet, little-visited character.

Getting there means first crossing Deosai — stopping at Sheosar Lake as on the standard Deosai route — before continuing past Chilum Chowki and up over Burzil Pass itself, at roughly 4,100m, one of the oldest known routes connecting Gilgit, Skardu, and (in an earlier era) Srinagar. Because of its location near the Line of Control, Minimarg is a genuinely restricted area: visiting requires prior approval from FCNA (Force Command Northern Areas) headquarters in Gilgit, arranged in advance of the trip, and the route itself is only snow-free for a short window each year — roughly July to September.

This is a trip for travelers who specifically want the more remote, permit-and-effort side of Gilgit-Baltistan, not a casual add-on to a standard Deosai visit.