Pakistan travel guide

Pakistan is profound. It takes someone with a lot of curiosity about the world to overcome media and myths to go and explore this extraordinary country, but we are hoping that this Pakistan travel guide will help turn the tide of tourism just a little. We represent holiday companies that know Pakistan inside out. The people, the place and the politics. The wilderness, the wildlife and the wonders. Of which there are many.

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Pakistan travel guide

The snow leopard is Pakistan’s national heritage animal, with a few hundred of these rare beauties roaming its Karakoram Mountains. Travel in Pakistan is similarly rarified, in that few travel companies adventure there these days and, those that do, take you on journeys that will, like the snow leopard, surprise and make your heart leap. Not with fear, as many presume, but with joy, as you experience its natural and cultural greatness.

I thought I was going to need oxygen when I saw the sun rise over the Hunza Valley. Not because of the 2,500m elevation, but because I thought my heart was going to stop with the beauty of it all.

Be it on mountain treks enveloped by 7000m peaks, on the ancient trails of the Silk Road, in alpine pastures dotted with traditional villages where apricot growers dry their fruits, or traditionally clad Kalash people gather their goat herds. However, there are those who, like the snow leopard, strike fear in Pakistan. But thankfully the tide is turning. Pakistanis not only treasure their country but truly value visitors and so, with the combination of increased security and a population that rejects sectarianism, tourism here is, mercifully, changing its spots.

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Pakistan is...

for mountain lovers. But not necessarily mountaineers. The road access is second to none, enabling peak practice to be, thankfully, open to all.

Pakistan isn’t…

poverty stricken. Tourism was booming before 9/11, and beautiful boutique hotels, top service and top museums still astound and delight.

Things to do in Pakistan…

Although the mountains of Northern Pakistan are some of the most accessible in the world, views of the seven, 7,000m peaks of the Hunza Valley all drivable to, there is also plenty of adventurous hiking to be done. From the open pastures of Fairy Meadows, hike into the foothills of Himalayan great, Nanga Parbat. Or Dosai Plateau which leads to Skardu, the gateway to the Karakoram Mountain range. You can even hike a glacier, aptly named climate change-wise, Hope Glacier.The Karakoram Highway, or KKH, is the Pakistani section of the ancient Silk Road. Most holidays are small group tours, starting in Kashgar in China and passing through the Karakoram Mountains; they’re not for vertigo sufferers. Although even the most hardened travellers will be rendered weak at the knees by some of the stupendous sights en route to Islamabad or Lahore.Visit the Kalash people of the Kalash Valley for a most humbling and uplifting cultural exchange. Completely different from other Pakistani cultures, they are a pagan people said to be descendents of four Greek soldiers of Alexander the Great’s army. Their subsistence husbandry, fruit farming, bright traditional clothing and festivals that celebrate natural wonders are all, in themselves, wonders to behold. As is their wine.

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Things not to do in Pakistan…

Try and do it alone. You really need to travel with responsible tourism experts, who know the highways and byways like the back of their hands. Security is still an issue in Pakistan, but similarly policing and protection of tourists are high on the agenda for the country nowadays.

Presume everything is basic. You’d be wrong. Pakistani tourism was booming pre 9/11 and there are many tourism providers not only switched on to sustainability but also quality. From boutique hotels in the Hunza Valley, overlooking infinitesimal peaks, to impressive roads along the iconic Karakoram Highway, superb museums in the likes of Lahore, as well as exemplary local guides.

Ignore the fact that Pakistan is an Islamic country. Inform yourself of all the usual dress and behavioral etiquette before you go. At the same time, hospitality is a huge part of the culture, so be prepared to be showered with cakes, sweets and tea on arrival just about everywhere. Bringing some of your own gifts will go down well too.

Pakistan travel guide