Best Places for Solo Travellers in Pakistan

The best places for solo travelers (or travellers, as we spell it) in Pakistan are Hunza, Lahore, Islamabad and Skardu. They share what matters when you are on your own: places to stay that are used to individual guests, walkable centres, other travellers to meet, and easy onward transport. Hunza and Lahore are the two most often recommended, because you can arrive, find a bed and a meal, and work out the rest the next day.

This guide picks places for how easy they are to do alone rather than how famous they are, and it says plainly which areas are a poor fit for a solo trip, including several that government advice tells you not to visit.

Hunza: the easiest place in the north to be alone

Karimabad and Aliabad sit on a short stretch of the Karakoram Highway, and almost everything you want is walkable: Baltit Fort, Altit Fort, the bazaar, the viewpoints. Guesthouses of all prices line the main road, and hostels operate in the Karimabad area, so it is easy to meet other travellers. Day trips to Attabad Lake, Passu and the Hussaini bridge can be shared in a hired car, which cuts the cost for a solo traveller.

Practical points for a solo visit:

• Season. Late spring to autumn is the easy window. In winter it is very cold and some guesthouses close.
• Walking. Short village walks are fine alone. For longer or higher routes, tell your guesthouse where you are going, or hire a local guide.
• Getting there. Fly to Gilgit and take a shared or private car to Hunza; overland, the route from Islamabad uses the Karakoram Highway. The UK advises against travelling on the stretch between Mansehra and Chilas, through Besham, Dasu and Sazin, and foreign-passport holders should check their own advice because it can affect insurance. Pakistani travellers by road generally use the Babusar route in summer.
• Permits. The NOC requirement for foreign tourists was dropped in 2019, but restricted zones still apply near borders and the Line of Control, so check the current rules for any remote area. See our guide to NOCs for foreigners.

For planning, see Hunza in summer, and our page on Hunza itineraries for a first-timer's route.

Lahore: a big city that is easy to enter

Lahore is the most common starting point for backpackers and independent visitors, and there is a dependable hostel and budget-hotel scene near the old city. It rewards wandering: the Walled City, Badshahi Mosque and Fort, and the food streets are all close together. Ride-hailing apps and rickshaws take you anywhere you cannot walk.

Solo tips: eat at busy stalls, keep cash in small notes, and be ready for heat from April to September. Winter brings smog from about November to January, which can spoil outdoor plans. Our Lahore itinerary shows how to spend two or three days.

Islamabad: a gentle start or finish

Islamabad is orderly and quiet. It is the easiest city to organise a trip from because it has the international airport, decent hostels and guesthouses, and ride-hailing that works reliably. The Margalla trails, Daman-e-Koh and Saidpur village make good solo days. Trails near the city can be busy at weekends, but in the early morning or late afternoon on a weekday, keep to the popular ones and tell someone your plan.

It is also the place to buy a SIM card, change money and pick up onward transport. See our Islamabad itinerary.

Skardu: a base for day trips

Skardu is a good base for day trips to Shigar, Khaplu, Sadpara Lake and, in summer, Deosai. Getting a seat in a shared jeep is easy in the season. The difficulty is arriving: flights from Islamabad are often delayed or cancelled by weather, and the road takes two days. Give yourself a buffer day at both ends. See our Skardu itinerary and Skardu in summer.

Multan and Bahawalpur: quieter, less polished

If you want a less-visited side of Punjab, Multan's shrines and blue-tile tombs and Bahawalpur's palaces are inexpensive and uncrowded. You will meet fewer other foreign travellers and find fewer English-speaking services, so they suit people who have already spent time in the country.

Places we would not recommend alone

• Balochistan. The UK advises against all travel.
• Swat, Dir, Peshawar, Chitral road and the Kalash valleys. The UK advises against all or all-but-essential travel to these, and Swat had a deadly bombing on 2 August 2026. Pakistani travellers still go, but a solo trip is a different proposition.
• Neelum valley and areas near the Line of Control. Advised against by the UK, and Azad Kashmir has seen serious unrest in 2026.
• The border zones. Within 10 miles of the Afghan border, and areas near the Indian border, are advised against by the UK.

Is Pakistan safe for solo travellers?

Solo travellers, including women, do travel the country independently, and Hunza, Lahore and Islamabad are the most common bases. The practical risks are usually ordinary ones: traffic, food and water, road closures and weather. The security risk is concentrated in specific regions, listed above. Check the news and your own government's advice before you go, and note that advice against travel can invalidate insurance.

We cover the topic in more detail in solo female travel in Pakistan and is Pakistan safe for tourists.

Should you go solo or with a group?

Going alone gives freedom but costs more per day, since you split nothing. A driver for a whole day in the north can cost as much for one person as for four. If that matters, join or form a small group for the expensive parts, such as Deosai or Khunjerab, and go alone in the cities. Our nine-day Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour starts from PKR 90,000 per person, and you can contact us about how it works for one traveller. Compare it with what you would spend on your own on our destinations page.

Frequently asked questions