What this journey costs
Rs 13,000 to Rs 49,500
- Toyota Yaris or Corolla
- Rs 13,000
- Honda BR-V
- Rs 14,500
- Toyota Hiace Grand Cabin
- Rs 27,000
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Rs 49,500
Indicative only. The figure we quote for your journey is the one that counts, and once quoted it does not change. What moves a price: the exact addresses at each end, the vehicle the party and luggage actually need, whether the car waits or returns empty, and the motorway toll where one applies.
Jhelum is one of the few destinations on this corridor where the distance from the airport is actually documented. Wikipedia gives approximately 110 km by road from Islamabad International, and describes the town as a one hour thirty minute drive from the capital. A routing site puts the airport run slightly longer at about 125 km. We publish both rather than pick the flattering one.
The town sits on the Grand Trunk Road, which passes straight through it, and is linked to the rest of the country by the N-5 — the 1,819 km national highway that runs from Karachi to Torkham. Sialkot International is the other option, recorded as approximately 100 km by road from Jhelum, and for some flights it is the better one.
The drive
From the airport the route runs on the Srinagar Highway to Zero Point, then the Islamabad Expressway for 28 km to Rawat where it meets the N-5, then southeast on the Grand Trunk Road. It is a straightforward run on a good road, and the thing that varies is the Islamabad end rather than the highway.
One change worth knowing about: the Rawalpindi Ring Road, 38 km with five interchanges at Baanth, Chak Beli Khan, Adiala, Chakri and Thalian, was reported as opening from 15 June 2026, running from the GT Road at Baanth to the M-2 at Thalian. Officials projected that a quarter to a third of general traffic and around seventy per cent of goods traffic would divert onto it. On a good day that takes pressure off the old route through Rawalpindi.
Further out, the M-13 Kharian to Rawalpindi motorway is under construction: 117 km, eight interchanges, a bridge over the Jhelum river and twin-tube tunnels through the Salt Range between Dina and Sohawa. It has been building since September 2022 and it is not open. When it is, this journey changes character completely.
What is worth stopping for
Two things sit close to this road and people regularly ask to see them on the way. Rohtas Fort, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997, is about 18 km northwest of Jhelum and around 7 km from Dina. Mangla Dam is about 30 km from Jhelum. Neither is a detour of any real size from the GT Road, and both are worth an hour if you are not arriving exhausted.
Dina, 17 km from Jhelum, is the junction that matters on this corridor for a different reason: it is where the road for Mangla and Mirpur leaves the GT Road, and it holds the nearest railway station to Mirpur, which has none of its own.
Who makes this journey
Overwhelmingly, families visiting from Britain and from the Gulf. Jhelum district and the towns along this stretch of the GT Road have sent people abroad for sixty years, and the arrivals pattern reflects it: night flights, heavy luggage, and an address that is a village name rather than a street. Give us the village and the nearest landmark and the driver will find it; give us “Jhelum” alone and you will spend the last twenty minutes on the phone.
Jhelum is not a restricted destination
Unlike Kashmir across the river, Jhelum is in Punjab and carries no UK travel advisory. Neither does the Grand Trunk Road corridor between Islamabad and Jhelum. If your journey continues into Azad Kashmir, that leg does carry advice against all but essential travel, and we will say so.
Tell us the journey and we will price it. A submitted request is not a booking until availability, price and terms are confirmed.
The journey in figures
- Distance
- About 110 km by road from Islamabad airport, per Wikipedia. A routing site gives about 125 km
- Drive time
- Wikipedia describes Jhelum as a 90 minute drive from the capital
- Road
- Srinagar Highway, Islamabad Expressway to Rawat, then the N-5 Grand Trunk Road, which runs through Jhelum
- Worth stopping for
- Rohtas Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, about 18 km northwest; Mangla Dam about 30 km
- The other airport
- Sialkot International is about 100 km by road from Jhelum
Every way of making this journey
We are one row in this table, and not the cheapest one. Here is what the alternatives actually cost and what each of them asks of you.
| Option | Typical cost | Time | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train | — | — | Jhelum is on the main line. Booking online needs a Pakistani ID number and a Pakistani card, which rules out most overseas visitors. |
| Airport taxi rank | — | — | Negotiated at the kerb, no published tariff, and it assumes you have local cash on landing. |
| Onward to Mirpur | — | — | Dina, 17 km from Jhelum, is where that road leaves the GT Road. Azad Kashmir carries UK advice against all but essential travel. |
| iDrive.pk, car with a driver | Rs 13,000 to Rs 49,500 | — | A fixed price once quoted, a vetted driver whose photo and vehicle registration you see before the journey, and a car sized to your party and luggage. Booked before you travel, so it does not depend on having a local SIM when you land. |
Costs for other operators checked on September 1, 2026 and published from their own booking systems, official notices or named third-party sources. Fuel in Pakistan moved from Rs 264.61 a litre in September 2025 to Rs 343.10 by August 2026, so fares here move quickly. Treat these as a guide and confirm with the operator.
Which vehicle actually fits
Seat counts are the manufacturer figures. The passenger and luggage numbers beside them are what the vehicle carries in practice, with the cases people really travel with. If your party is near the limit, tell us the number of bags rather than the number of people, because that is what decides it.
- Suzuki WagonR 3 passengers, 2 cases Short city transfers on a budget. The tall boot helps more than the engine does.
- Toyota Yaris or Corolla 3 to 4 passengers, 2 to 3 large cases The workhorse. City work, airport transfers and the motorway run between Lahore and Islamabad.
- Honda BR-V 5 passengers with luggage, or 7 with almost none Family airport transfers on paved routes. The third row eats the boot, so it suits children or short hops rather than seven adults with cases. Not a mountain vehicle.
- Toyota Fortuner 5 passengers with full luggage, 7 travelling light Rough road and mountain work: Skardu, Hunza, Naran, Babusar. Ask for the diesel four-wheel-drive, because the petrol version is two-wheel-drive.
- Toyota Land Cruiser 4 to 5 passengers with full luggage Protocol and expedition work, and a genuine choice for Skardu and Deosai. It returns 5 to 10 km a litre, which at Rs 343 a litre is the honest reason it costs what it costs.
- Toyota Hiace Grand Cabin 13 passengers plus the driver The group and family vehicle. Gulf arrivals into Sialkot and Peshawar with heavy luggage, tour groups, weddings, long intercity runs.
- Toyota Coaster 25 to 29 passengers with hold luggage Large groups, corporate shuttles and pilgrimage travel. Worth knowing that the motorway toll alone is Rs 3,350 each way against Rs 1,430 for a car.
How booking works
- 01 Tell us the journey Where from, where to, when, how many of you and how much luggage. Precise addresses matter more than you would think, because a Rawalpindi address and an Islamabad address twenty minutes apart are very different journeys.
- 02 We quote a fixed price One figure for the whole journey, with the vehicle class it assumes. If a motorway toll or a waiting period is part of it, you see that too.
- 03 You see the driver and the car Before the journey you get the driver photograph and the vehicle registration, so you know exactly who and what you are looking for.
- 04 You travel At an airport your driver waits inside arrivals with a name sign. Check the photograph and the registration plate against what we sent you before you get in.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Islamabad airport from Jhelum?
Wikipedia gives approximately 110 km by road from Islamabad International Airport. A routing site puts it at about 125 km. Wikipedia separately describes Jhelum as a one hour thirty minute drive from the capital.
Which road does the journey use?
The Srinagar Highway to Zero Point, the Islamabad Expressway for 28 km to Rawat, then the N-5 Grand Trunk Road southeast. The GT Road passes straight through Jhelum.
Would Sialkot airport be closer?
It is comparable. Sialkot International is recorded as approximately 100 km by road from Jhelum against Islamabad’s 110 km, so the choice usually follows the flight rather than the distance.
Can we stop at Rohtas Fort?
Yes, and it is a common request. Rohtas Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1997, about 18 km northwest of Jhelum and roughly 7 km from Dina, so it is barely a detour from the GT Road. Tell us at the quote stage so the time is planned in.
Can we see Mangla Dam on the way?
Yes. It is about 30 km from Jhelum. Add it to the request so the route and the waiting time are priced rather than improvised.
Do you continue into Azad Kashmir from Jhelum?
Yes, and Dina 17 km away is the junction where that road leaves the GT Road. Note that Azad Kashmir carries UK advice against all but essential travel, checked 1 September 2026, so if you hold a British passport check your insurance before you plan that leg.
Is there a train to Jhelum?
Yes, Jhelum is on the main line. Bear in mind that Pakistan Railways sells online tickets against a Pakistani national ID number and takes payment only from Pakistani-issued cards, which rules most overseas visitors out of booking one themselves.
Will the new motorway change this journey?
Eventually. The M-13 Kharian to Rawalpindi motorway, 117 km with eight interchanges, a Jhelum river bridge and twin tunnels through the Salt Range between Dina and Sohawa, has been under construction since September 2022. It is not open, so today it changes nothing.
Can you meet a late arrival?
Yes. Send the flight number and the scheduled arrival time with your request.
What should I include in the address?
The village or mohalla and the nearest landmark, not just “Jhelum”. Addresses along this corridor are local rather than postal and a landmark saves twenty minutes at the end of a long night.
How much luggage can you carry?
Tell us the number of cases. Arrivals on this corridor routinely carry more than a saloon car will take, and we would rather size the vehicle than surprise you at the kerb.
Is the price fixed?
Yes, once quoted and accepted, for the journey as described including any stop you asked for.
Tell us the journey and we will price it
Send the route, the date, the number of travelling and how many cases you have. You will get one price for the whole journey and the vehicle class it assumes. If we cannot cover it properly we will say so rather than take the booking.