A girls' trip to the northern areas is one of the most common group trips we hear about, and it works well: Hunza and Skardu are used to groups of Pakistani women travelling together, with homestays, guesthouses and hotels that book rooms for friends without a fuss. The parts worth planning properly are the drive, where you sleep each night, and how you keep the people at home from worrying.
This guide covers choosing where to go, getting there and around, where to stay, what to wear, and how to reassure family back home, without repeating the general safety and cost guides linked through it.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Best group size | 4 to 8 makes rooming and vehicle sharing easiest |
| Realistic first trip | Hunza (Karimabad, Passu) or Skardu, 6 to 8 days |
| Getting there | Fly to Gilgit or Skardu, or hire a car with a driver |
| Where to stay | Hotels and homestays that take advance bookings by phone |
| Best months | May to September |
Is it safe for a group of women to travel there?
Gilgit-Baltistan is not on the list of areas the UK government advises against, and Pakistani women travel in groups there every summer. Our travel guide and our safety FAQ cover the general picture in more detail; the short version is that the usual precautions (arriving before dark, keeping someone at home updated, not driving unfamiliar roads at night) matter more than gender.
One route note: if your plan uses the Karakoram Highway north of Mansehra towards Chilas (via Battagram, Besham and Dasu), the UK's current advice is against travel on that stretch. Most Hunza-bound trips from Islamabad avoid it in summer by using the Babusar Pass instead, which is worth asking your driver or tour operator about directly.
Choosing where to go first
Hunza is the easiest first trip: paved road most of the way, a compact town in Karimabad to base yourselves in, and enough to do (Baltit Fort, Attabad Lake, Passu) that you don't need a car every day. Skardu suits a slightly more adventurous group, with Shangrila, Upper Kachura Lake and, if you have the days, Deosai. Both are well within a normal group itinerary; save valleys that need a 4x4 and a local guide, like Shimshal or the higher Deosai tracks, for a second trip once you know the region.
Getting there and getting around
- Fly to Gilgit or Skardu from Islamabad where flights are running that season; it cuts a two-day road trip to under an hour, though flights are weather-dependent and get cancelled in poor visibility, so build in a spare day either side if you're flying.
- Hire a car with a driver. This is what most groups of friends do. See our guide to car with driver rates for what to expect to pay and what to agree before you set off.
- Join a guided departure. If nobody in the group wants to manage logistics, our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour and Skardu and Deosai tour handle the driver, rooms and route for you.
- Avoid self-driving through the night to save a hotel cost. It's the single biggest safety trade-off groups make, and it isn't worth it.
Where to stay
Book ahead in peak season (June to August, and any long weekend), especially for a group that wants rooms near each other. Hotels in Karimabad, Aliabad and Skardu are used to taking bookings by phone and holding a family or twin room for a group of women. Homestays are a good option in Hunza if your group wants a more local stay with home-cooked food, and they're usually arranged in advance through the host directly or a local contact rather than turning up.
Try to reach your accommodation before dark, particularly on mountain roads where landslides or a puncture can add hours to a journey.
What to wear
A loose shalwar kameez, or a long top over trousers with a dupatta, works in every valley on this kind of trip and is also the most practical option for the climate. Our guide to what to wear covers this by season and altitude, including what to add for a cold morning at Khunjerab or Deosai.
Reassuring people back home
Mobile signal drops out for long stretches north of Gilgit and above Karimabad, so agree a check-in routine before you leave rather than promising to "call every night." Share the day-by-day plan and hotel names with someone at home, and if the group is splitting off for any activity (a hike, a boat ride), agree a return time with whoever isn't joining. Keep a note of local emergency numbers before you lose signal.
Budgeting as a group of friends
Splitting a car, driver and rooms between four to eight people brings the per-head cost down sharply compared with travelling in twos. Our northern areas trip cost guide breaks down typical daily spending; the main adjustment for a girls' trip is usually paying a little more for private rooms rather than sharing with strangers, which most groups find worth it.
Is it worth it, and what to skip
For a first trip, yes, and Hunza in particular is about as easy as northern Pakistan gets for a group with no experience of mountain travel. What to skip on a first trip: long jeep-track detours without a local driver who knows the specific track, and any itinerary that has you arriving somewhere new after dark. Add those once the group has done one trip and knows what it enjoys.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hunza or Skardu better for a first girls' trip?
Hunza is the easier first trip because the road is paved for almost the whole way and Karimabad works as a single base. Skardu suits a group that wants to add Deosai or a longer jeep day once they've done one trip already.
How many days should we plan?
Six to eight days gives enough time for Hunza or Skardu without long travel days back to back. Shorter trips are possible but spend a larger share of the time on the road.
Do we need a male family member with us?
No. Groups of Pakistani women travel to Hunza and Skardu on their own every summer, and hotels and drivers there are used to it.
What's the biggest mistake groups make?
Starting the day's drive too late and arriving somewhere unfamiliar after dark. Leave early and build in a spare day for weather or a flight delay.
Is mobile signal reliable throughout the trip?
No. Coverage is patchy to non-existent above Karimabad and in parts of Skardu district, so agree how and when you'll check in with people at home before you lose signal.
