A solo trip to the Northern Areas costs more per day than the same trip split between friends, because a room, a car and a jeep cost the same whether one person uses them or four. Travelling by NATCO coach, staying in hostels or shared guesthouse rooms and using local transport instead of a hired car, a solo traveller can still manage a week in Hunza or Skardu for roughly PKR 30,000 to 50,000, close to what a budget group pays per head.
The trick to solo travel here is avoiding the costs that don't divide: private cars, private rooms and private jeeps. This guide works through what changes when you travel alone.
| Solo trip, per person (2026) | Rough figure |
|---|---|
| NATCO coach, Rawalpindi to Gilgit or Skardu | About PKR 3,800–5,200 each way |
| Journey time by coach | About 16–18 hours, overnight |
| Hostel dorm bed, Hunza | From about PKR 800–1,100 a night |
| Budget guesthouse, single/shared room | About PKR 1,000–2,500 a night |
| Shared van along the Karakoram Highway | A few hundred rupees a seat |
| A week, budget solo trip | Roughly PKR 30,000–50,000 |
Getting there alone: coach, van or flight
The NATCO coach from Pirwadhai in Rawalpindi is the standard way north for a solo traveller without a car. Fares in 2026 ran from about PKR 3,800 for a standard coach to around PKR 5,100 to 5,200 on the pricier services, for the overnight run to Gilgit or Skardu, taking roughly 16 to 18 hours depending on the route and stops. It is by far the cheapest way up, and travelling alone doesn't change the fare at all, unlike a car.
Flying to Gilgit or Skardu costs far more per person but saves close to two days of travel each way, which matters if your leave is short. As a solo traveller you also don't have three other people to split a car with on arrival, so budget for a shared van or a hired car and driver once you land; our guide to flights to Gilgit and Skardu covers fares and schedules.
The single-room penalty
Most hotel rooms in the north are priced per room, not per person, so a solo traveller effectively pays double what someone sharing pays for the same bed. Two ways around this:
- Hostels and backpacker guesthouses, increasingly common in Hunza and Skardu, charge per bed in a shared dorm rather than per room. Dorm beds were listed from around PKR 800 to 1,100 a night in 2026.
- Ask hotels for a single-occupancy rate. Some smaller guesthouses will knock a little off the room price for one person, though not all will.
A solo trip built entirely around double rooms at PKR 2,500 to 5,000 a night adds up fast. Mixing in a few nights of hostel dorms keeps the room line close to what a couple pays each.
Getting around without your own car
Once you're in Hunza or Skardu, a solo traveller has three real options:
- Shared vans, running along the Karakoram Highway between Gilgit, Aliabad, Gulmit and Passu for a few hundred rupees a seat. Cheap but slow, and they don't detour for sightseeing.
- Joining a shared jeep to Khunjerab, Deosai or another site that a car can't reach. Ask at your guesthouse; drivers and other travellers often split a jeep that would otherwise cost one person the full fare.
- Hiring a car and driver alone, the most expensive option per person but the most flexible, worth it for a single day trip if you can't find others to share with.
Food and daily costs for one
Food doesn't have a group discount, so a solo traveller pays the same per-meal price as anyone else: roughly PKR 900 to 1,300 a day eating at local dhabas, more with the occasional restaurant meal. Our guide to food prices in the Northern Areas breaks this down meal by meal.
A week alone: the numbers
Putting it together for a budget solo week in Hunza from Rawalpindi:
| Line | Rough cost |
|---|---|
| Coach there and back | PKR 7,600–10,400 |
| 6 nights, mixing hostel and guesthouse | PKR 9,000–15,000 |
| Food, 7 days | PKR 7,000–9,000 |
| Shared jeeps, a Khunjerab day and small fees | PKR 4,000–8,000 |
| Rough total | PKR 28,000–43,000 |
That is close to what four friends splitting a car and rooms pay each on a similarly budget trip, which is unusual: solo travel almost always costs more, and it mostly evens out here because the coach fare and food don't care how many people you're travelling with.
Is a solo trip to the Northern Areas a good idea?
Yes, for a confident, organised traveller. Hunza, Gilgit and Skardu are among the more straightforward parts of Pakistan to navigate alone, with a well-worn tourist trail, English widely understood in guesthouses, and other solo and group travellers to team up with for jeeps and day trips. It suits someone who doesn't mind long coach journeys and shared transport more than someone who wants a fixed schedule. For advice specific to women travelling alone, see our guide to solo female travel in Pakistan.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a solo trip to the Northern Areas cost for a week?
Roughly PKR 30,000 to 50,000 travelling by coach, staying in hostels or shared rooms, and using local vans and shared jeeps to get around.
Is it cheaper to fly or take the bus alone?
The NATCO coach is far cheaper, at roughly PKR 3,800 to 5,200 each way against tens of thousands of rupees for a flight, but it costs close to two days of travel each way.
Can I find other travellers to share a jeep with?
Usually, yes, especially in the peak months. Ask at your guesthouse, which is also how most solo travellers arrange to share cars and jeeps for day trips like Khunjerab or Deosai.
Is it safe to travel alone in the Northern Areas?
Solo travellers, including women, do it regularly, and Gilgit-Baltistan is not on the UK's list of areas it advises against. Standard precautions apply: share your plans with someone, keep a charged phone, and check local advice before setting out, especially on the Karakoram Highway.
Is the road from Mansehra to Chilas safe to travel alone?
As of September 2026 the UK government advises against all travel on this stretch of the Karakoram Highway, though Pakistani travellers use it regularly. In summer, the Babusar Pass offers an alternative route. Anyone on a foreign passport should check their own government's advice before travelling, since it can affect insurance cover.
