A trip with friends to the northern areas runs best when the route suits the whole group's mix of interests, the costs are split by a clear rule everyone agrees before you leave, and there's at least one proper adventure built in rather than just driving and photos. Hunza is the easiest single valley to please a mixed group, since it has forts and old towns for people who want an easy day, a lake and glaciers for the middle ground, and treks, jeep tracks and a border pass for whoever wants to push further.
This guide covers choosing a route the group will actually agree on, splitting costs without an argument on day three, and the adventure add-ons worth building into a friends' trip. For routes and hotel rooms for larger families, see our guide to a family trip to the northern areas.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Easiest valley for a mixed group | Hunza: old towns, a lake, glaciers, treks and a border pass in one place |
| Shared transport | A Hiace or Coaster hired for the whole trip, split evenly |
| Rooms | Book by room, not by head, if room sizes differ |
| Group size that works well | 6 to 12; larger groups split logistics across two vehicles |
| A decider before you leave | Agree budget, route and who's paying for what, in writing |
| Add-ons worth the extra day | A trek, a camping night, or Khunjerab Pass |
Choosing a route everyone will enjoy
A group of friends rarely has identical interests, and the trip that works is the one built around a base that offers an easy option and a harder one, rather than a single headline destination.
- Hunza covers the widest range: Baltit and Altit forts and the Karimabad bazaar for an easy day, Attabad Lake for boating, the Passu Cones and Hussaini bridge for photos and a short walk, and Rakaposhi base camp or Khunjerab Pass for whoever in the group wants a harder day. It also has the most established backpacker and hostel scene in the north, useful if the group's budgets differ.
- Skardu and Deosai suit a group that wants space and quiet more than activity: the Kachura lakes, Shigar Fort, and the plateau itself, with Deosai as the one big day out everyone can do together.
- Fairy Meadows works well as an add-on to either route for a group with at least a few reasonably fit members, since the jeep track and the walk up are shared experiences that tend to become the trip's best story. Our Fairy Meadows page has the full picture of getting there and what to expect.
Whichever base you choose, agree the split between easy days and harder ones before you go, so nobody feels either bored or dragged along.
Splitting the costs fairly
Money is the thing most likely to cause friction on a friends' trip, and it's easiest to fix before you leave rather than argue about afterwards.
- Appoint one person to hold the shared kitty. Everyone pays in a set amount up front for shared costs — transport, fuel, tolls, shared meals — and it's topped up if it runs low, rather than everyone reimbursing each other item by item.
- Split transport evenly per head, not per room or per car. A hired Hiace or Coaster and its driver cost the same whether eight or twelve people are in it, so divide that cost by the number of travellers, not by family or friend group.
- Book hotel rooms by room, not by person, if room sizes or costs differ. Two people sharing a room with an extra bed shouldn't pay less per head than three people in a triple, unless the group agrees that's fair.
- Settle who pays for the driver's food and room. This is a real cost on a multi-day trip and is usually split evenly across the group rather than left to whoever books the hotel.
- Agree add-on activities separately. Not everyone will want to pay for a trek, a boat ride or a jeep safari; keep those as opt-in costs rather than folded into the shared kitty.
For typical figures on hiring a vehicle, fuel and hotel rooms, our guides to Hiace rental for the northern areas, fuel cost for a northern areas trip and the northern areas on a budget go through the current numbers in detail.
Rooms and who sleeps where
Decide room-sharing before you book, not at check-in. A group of eight or ten usually splits more smoothly into pairs or triples than one large dorm-style room, and it's worth asking hotels directly whether they have connecting or neighbouring rooms, which keeps the group together without everyone in one space. If budgets genuinely differ within the group, it's fairer to let people choose their own room type and pay accordingly than to force one standard everyone splits equally.
Adventure add-ons worth building in
A friends' trip is the natural place to add something you wouldn't necessarily do with family: something with a bit more effort or nerve involved.
- A short trek, such as Rakaposhi base camp from Minapin, which fits into two or three days and needs no technical skill; our guide to the best treks in Gilgit-Baltistan covers the options.
- A night camping, at Ultar Meadow above Karimabad or on the lodge grounds at Fairy Meadows, which is a different kind of evening from another hotel room. Our camping in Hunza guide covers where it's arranged.
- Paragliding, where and when it runs seasonally in the north; our paragliding in Pakistan guide covers the current spots and operators.
- Khunjerab Pass, a long day but a genuinely memorable one for a group who can handle an early start and a few hours at altitude.
- A jeep track, whether to Fairy Meadows, Naltar's coloured lakes or Deosai, which becomes its own shared experience regardless of the destination.
Agree which of these are for the whole group and which are opt-in extras before you arrive, so nobody is talked into, or left out of, something at the last minute.
Keeping a group of friends happy on the road
- Elect one point of decision, not necessarily the loudest voice, to settle small daily choices so the group doesn't debate every stop.
- Build in free time. Not every hour needs a plan; an afternoon to nap, shop or sit at a café keeps a group of different energy levels from wearing each other out.
- Plan for different fitness levels honestly. If half the group wants to trek and half doesn't, split for a day rather than force a pace that frustrates everyone.
- Keep one person's phone as the shared reference for the plan, bookings and the driver's number, so it isn't scattered across five group chats.
Is a group trip with friends worth it?
Yes, for a group willing to agree a few ground rules before setting off: a route that suits the mix of interests, a clear way of splitting costs, and honesty about who wants to do what each day. Hunza in particular rewards a group like this, since there's genuinely enough range in one valley for an easy day, an active day and a lazy afternoon, so nobody feels like they came along for someone else's trip.
It works less well for a large, loosely organised group with no agreed budget or decision-maker, where arguments over money or pace can dominate the trip. If you'd rather have the logistics handled so the group can focus on each other, our Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour includes transport, accommodation and a guide for the whole route, split evenly across the group; tell us your numbers and dates and we'll put a route together.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best northern areas destination for a group of friends?
Hunza, because it combines an easy first day around the forts and bazaar with boating at Attabad, photo stops at Passu, and harder options like Khunjerab Pass or a short trek for whoever wants them.
How should a group split the cost of a hired van?
Evenly per head, not by car or family, since a Hiace or Coaster and its driver cost the same regardless of how the group is otherwise organised. Agree it before you book.
Should hotel rooms be split evenly among a group of friends?
Split by room rather than forcing an equal per-head cost if room sizes or types differ. It's fairer to let people choose what they want to pay for their own room.
What adventure activities work well for a friends' trip?
A short trek such as Rakaposhi base camp, a night camping at Ultar Meadow or Fairy Meadows, paragliding where it's currently running, and a full day at Khunjerab Pass are all good group additions.
How many people is a good size for a group trip north?
Six to twelve works well for one shared vehicle and manageable room-sharing. Larger groups usually split more smoothly across two vehicles than trying to keep everyone in one.
