Quetta to Karachi on the N-25: Nine Hours Through Balochistan
Quetta to Karachi is about 690 kilometres and nine hours on the N-25 RCD Highway, through Mastung, Khuzdar and Hub. It is a national highway rather than a motorway, so the pace is slower and services are sparse. Fuel at Khuzdar and carry water.
Updated 18 June 2026
The road
The N-25, still widely called the RCD Highway, is the main artery between Balochistan and Sindh. It is a national highway rather than a motorway — single carriageway for much of its length, with towns on the route rather than bypassed.
Nine hours for 690 kilometres reflects that. This is not a motorway pace and anyone budgeting seven hours has not driven it.
The surface has improved considerably in recent years but it remains a road that rewards an unhurried driver.
The stages
Quetta to Mastung is the first hour and is straightforward. From there the road climbs and descends through Balochistan's interior to Khuzdar, which is roughly the halfway point at four and a half hours.
Khuzdar is the main service stop on the route — fuel, food and a place to stretch. Take it whether or not you feel you need it, because the options thin out afterwards.
From Khuzdar the road runs down to Hub and then into Karachi. The last stretch into the city is the slowest part of the journey by some margin once you hit Karachi traffic.
Practical notes
Fuel in Quetta and again at Khuzdar. The gaps between reliable stations are long and this is not a road to be optimistic on.
Carry water and some food. Roadside options exist but are basic and sparse.
Mobile coverage is intermittent through the middle section. Tell someone your plan before you set off.
Vehicle and timing
We send a well-maintained SUV or a solid sedan on this route, and we are particular about the vehicle because breakdown options are limited.
Daylight running is strongly preferable. An early start from Quetta puts you into Karachi before dark, which is how we plan it by default.
The reverse direction is the same nine hours. Leaving Karachi early is worth it to clear the city traffic before the road proper begins.
The alternatives
There are flights between Quetta and Karachi and they take under two hours. For a single traveller with hand luggage the flight is the obvious answer and we would say so.
The car earns its place with families, with luggage, and when you want to stop — Khuzdar, or a detour towards the Makran coast — which no flight offers. It also removes the Quetta airport transfer at one end and the Karachi one at the other, which together account for a fair share of the flight's time saving.
The train runs the route via Sibi and Jacobabad and is slower than both. It is a fine journey if the travelling is the point, and the wrong choice if the arrival is.