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Pakistan 🇵🇰

backpacking Asia Pakistan 🇵🇰Karakoram peaks, Hunza forts and Lahore’s tiled mosques and nihari breakfasts.

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Backpacking Pakistan in 2027

A complete guide including when and where to go, costs, transport, itineraries, and practical travel advice.
The big picture before you go

Backpacking Pakistan
By Johan Kruseman 🇳🇱 | Updated October 18, 2026

Most backpackers land in Islamabad and point themselves straight north. The Karakoram Highway runs roughly 1,300 kilometers from Hasan Abdal to Kashgar in China and tops out at 4,693 meters on the Khunjerab Pass, and its Pakistani stretch through Gilgit and Hunza is where nearly every first trip starts. My own first evening in Karimabad ended on a rooftop with a handful of chewy dried apricots and a scalding cup of milky chai, watching the last light turn Rakaposhi’s 7,788-meter face from white to copper.

The mountains pull hardest. Five of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, K2 among them, stand inside Pakistan’s borders, and you can hike to their glaciers from villages where the guesthouse owner also bakes your bread. Down on the plains, Lahore feeds you slow-cooked nihari at dawn and walks you under Mughal arches by afternoon. The challenges are real and fixable. Landslides close northern roads, some valleys require permits or police escorts, alcohol is scarce, and women traveling solo draw plenty of stares in crowded bazaars.

Compared with India, Pakistan has a fraction of the foreign travelers, so you swap ready-made backpacker infrastructure for conversations that start the second you sit down. Compared with Iran, the trekking is bigger and the cities louder. Pakistan suits travelers who improvise and say yes to tea. It frustrates anyone who needs tight schedules, nightlife or cold beer at sunset.

👉 Get the 📖 Travel Guide of Pakistan

Hunza Valley (Karimabad, Passu, Khunjerab Pass)

Backpacking Pakistan usually starts on the Karakoram Highway, and Hunza is where it hooks you. Walk the irrigation channels above Karimabad, wobble across the Hussaini suspension bridge near Passu, and swap stories with the Ismaili families who run most guesthouses. Flights reach Gilgit in about an hour from Islamabad when the weather allows, then it’s 2 to 3 hours by road. Overland takes 15 to 20 hours. Push on to Khunjerab Pass (open 1 April to 30 November), then return to watch sunset turn Rakaposhi pink from a guesthouse roof.

Skardu and Baltistan (Skardu, Shigar, Deosai Plains)

Skardu runs on jeeps and expeditions. Drivers haggle outside the bazaar, porters load gear bound for K2, and apricot orchards line the road to Shigar Fort. Above town, the Deosai Plains sit around 4,000 meters, a bone-rattling day of marmots and wildflowers in July and August. The Islamabad flight takes about an hour when it runs, and the road takes 18 to 22 hours. Trekkers and photographers thrive here, and the cold-desert dunes at Sarfaranga close out the day in strange, sandy light.

Chitral (Chitral, Bumburet, Rumbur)

Chitral sits beyond the Lowari Tunnel, 10 to 12 hours by road from Islamabad, and it feels farther. Polo matches pull in the whole town, Chitral Fort watches the river, and a jeep track climbs to Bumburet and Rumbur, home of the Kalash people, whose women wear embroidered black dresses and whose festivals follow their own calendar. Foreigners register with police on arrival. Patient travelers who prefer conversation to checklists do best, and you leave with tea invitations you never planned for.

Swat Valley (Mingora, Kalam, Mahodand Lake)

Swat is the quickest big mountain valley from the capital: the Swat Motorway gets you to Mingora in about 4 hours. Mingora is a busy market town, so keep moving north to Kalam, another 3 hours on a rougher road, for pine forest and trout lunches, then jeep up to Mahodand Lake. The Swat Museum and the Butkara stupa remains trace the valley’s Buddhist Gandhara past. Summer weekends fill with picnicking Pakistani families, which makes striking up conversations easy beside an icy river.

Lahore (Walled City, Badshahi Mosque, Wagah Border)

Lahore is loud, hungry and proud of both. Thread through the Walled City from Delhi Gate to the tiled Wazir Khan Mosque, reach the Badshahi Mosque courtyard at dusk, then eat your way down Food Street with the floodlit fort beside you. The motorway from Islamabad takes 4 to 5 hours, and several trains run daily. Rickshaws cover the city. Food lovers and history fans get the most, and the evening flag ceremony at Wagah Border, about 30 kilometers out, is pure theater.
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Why go?What sets this destination apart

Mountains

Lace up your boots and the Karakoram starts paying out fast. Trails climb from terraced villages in … read more 👉
Lace up your boots and the Karakoram starts paying out fast. Trails climb from terraced villages in Hunza and Baltistan through apricot orchards, past stone shepherd huts and onto glacier moraine within a day or two, so you reach serious altitude without a week-long approach march. The short hike to Fairy Meadows puts the north face of Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters) straight across the valley from your tent. From Nagar, a steep two- to three-day push to Rush Lake, at roughly 4,700 meters, ends on a ridge facing Spantik and Malubiting. For the big one, the Baltoro Glacier trek to K2 Base Camp runs 12 to 15 days and needs a licensed operator and permit. Spend two or three nights around Karimabad before going above 4,000 meters, and hire porters from Shimshal or Hushe, whose families have worked these routes for generations.

People

Sit down anywhere in Pakistan and the questions start within a minute: which country, are you married, … read more 👉
Sit down anywhere in Pakistan and the questions start within a minute: which country, are you married, how do you like the food. Shopkeepers wave away your money, students ask for selfies, and a bus seatmate may text his cousin to host you in the next town. The humor is quick and teasing, especially about cricket rivalries, so laugh along. Hospitality runs deepest among Pashtun families in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in the villages of Hunza, where invitations to dinner come almost daily. Learn a few words of Urdu, such as shukriya for thank you and “bohat mazay ka” for delicious, and faces light up instantly. Women travelers get a bonus: female relatives often pull you into the family rooms, where the real gossip and the best home cooking happen.

Uniqueness

Pakistan still gets a sliver of the foreign visitors India sees, so you often have a mosque courtyard, … read more 👉
Pakistan still gets a sliver of the foreign visitors India sees, so you often have a mosque courtyard, a glacier viewpoint or a mountain village to yourself. Trucks roll past painted in neon flowers and dangling chains, the Kalash keep their own gods in three high valleys of Chitral, and Ismaili, Shia and Sunni villages sit a few kilometers apart in the north, each with its own customs. The standout spectacle is the Shandur Polo Festival in early July, played on a pass at around 3,700 meters between Chitral and Gilgit teams, with almost no rules and a crowd that camps for days. Book a tent spot early and bring a warm sleeping bag, because nights on the pass drop near freezing even in midsummer.

Low cost

Most backpackers in Pakistan spend around US$15 to 30 a day, covering a guesthouse bed, three filling … read more 👉
Most backpackers in Pakistan spend around US$15 to 30 a day, covering a guesthouse bed, three filling meals, tea and local transport. Food drives the savings. A roadside dhaba plates up dal, sabzi and endless hot roti for very little, and chai stalls sit on every corner. Family-run guesthouses in Hunza and Skardu often fold dinner and breakfast into the room rate, which keeps your daily spend predictable. Your biggest costs come from private jeep hire, trekking porters and domestic flights, so team up with other travelers to split vehicles to places like Fairy Meadows or Deosai. Travel in shoulder months such as May or October and rooms in the north get cheaper.

Scenery

Few countries swing as wildly between landscapes. In one trip you can cross the sand dunes of the Thar … read more 👉
Few countries swing as wildly between landscapes. In one trip you can cross the sand dunes of the Thar Desert, drive the Makran Coastal Highway past wind-carved cliffs in Hingol National Park, and end up beside the Biafo and Hispar glaciers, which together form one of the longest glacial systems outside the polar regions. Up north, turquoise Attabad Lake, created by a landslide in 2010, fills a gorge between bare rock walls, and autumn turns Hunza’s poplars and apricot trees into a blaze of orange. For the best single viewpoint, climb to the Eagle’s Nest above Duikar village before sunrise and watch the light hit Rakaposhi, Ultar and Golden Peak in sequence. Late October offers the clearest skies and the boldest colors.

Wildlife

Pakistan’s wildlife story is a comeback. The markhor, the national animal with corkscrew horns, has … read more 👉
Pakistan’s wildlife story is a comeback. The markhor, the national animal with corkscrew horns, has rebounded in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan thanks to community conservancies that share hunting permit income with villages. Snow leopards roam Khunjerab and the Karakoram, though sightings stay rare, while Himalayan ibex scramble across the cliffs near the Chinese border. On the Deosai Plains, a protected population of Himalayan brown bears forages across the grasslands in summer, and marmots whistle from burrows beside the track. Down south, the blind Indus river dolphin survives mainly in the stretch between the Guddu and Sukkur barrages, numbering roughly 2,000. For the best markhor viewing, visit Chitral Gol National Park in winter, when snow pushes herds down to lower slopes; bring binoculars and go with a park ranger at dawn.

⭐ HighlightsWhat not to miss along the way

  • Baltit Fort, Karimabad: Roughly 700 years old and restored by the Aga Khan Trust before reopening in 1996, Baltit Fort perches above Karimabad like a lookout with whitewashed walls and tiny wooden windows. Inside, floors creak and ceilings drop low enough to make tall visitors duck. From the rooftop the whole Hunza valley opens up: terraced orchards, poplars and the white bulk of Rakaposhi across the river. Come in early April for apricot blossom drifting into the lanes below.
  • Fairy Meadows: Getting here involves a jeep ride along a cliff-hugging track from Raikot Bridge, then a two to three hour uphill walk through pine forest. The meadow, at about 3,300 meters, faces the Rakhiot face of Nanga Parbat head-on. Wooden huts puff woodsmoke, horses graze outside your door, and at night avalanches rumble off the mountain like distant thunder.
  • Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore: Built between 1634 and 1641 just inside Delhi Gate, this mosque wears some of the finest kashi kari tile work in South Asia,
… read more 👉
  • Baltit Fort, Karimabad: Roughly 700 years old and restored by the Aga Khan Trust before reopening in 1996, Baltit Fort perches above Karimabad like a lookout with whitewashed walls and tiny wooden windows. Inside, floors creak and ceilings drop low enough to make tall visitors duck. From the rooftop the whole Hunza valley opens up: terraced orchards, poplars and the white bulk of Rakaposhi across the river. Come in early April for apricot blossom drifting into the lanes below.
  • Fairy Meadows: Getting here involves a jeep ride along a cliff-hugging track from Raikot Bridge, then a two to three hour uphill walk through pine forest. The meadow, at about 3,300 meters, faces the Rakhiot face of Nanga Parbat head-on. Wooden huts puff woodsmoke, horses graze outside your door, and at night avalanches rumble off the mountain like distant thunder.
  • Wazir Khan Mosque, Lahore: Built between 1634 and 1641 just inside Delhi Gate, this mosque wears some of the finest kashi kari tile work in South Asia, cobalt and saffron flowers covering almost every surface. The courtyard stays cool even when the surrounding bazaar is a wall of horns and spice dust. Arrive for late afternoon prayers, when pigeons scatter off the minarets and the call echoes across the square.
  • Deosai Plains: Averaging around 4,000 meters, Deosai is one of the highest plateaus on Earth, a rolling expanse of grass and streams with no trees and no villages. In July and August wildflowers carpet it purple and yellow. The wind cuts through any jacket, and Sheosar Lake sits so still that the surrounding peaks reflect perfectly in it. Pack layers and snacks, because there is nothing to buy up here.
  • Mohenjo-daro: Founded around 2500 BCE and listed by UNESCO in 1980, this Indus Valley city laid out grid streets, covered drains and the brick-lined Great Bath while much of the world still lived in villages. The site is flat, shadeless and baking by mid-morning, so go at sunrise. Running your hand along bricks fired over four thousand years ago, still neatly stacked, makes the scale of time land hard.
Off the map, Shimshal valley near the Chinese border, the Rama Meadows above Astore and the hilltop retreat of Gorakh in Sindh all repay the extra effort, and Shimshal, with its yak pastures and fiercely independent mountaineering families, is where I would head first.
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🧭 RoutesLogical itineraries covering the highlights

The 7-Day Mughal Punjab Route


One week of red sandstone, mirror-work palaces and late-night food streets, followed by a cooler finish in the green capital. It suits a first trip and needs no mountain roads at all.
  • The tiled lanes of Lahore’s Walled City
  • Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort at dusk
  • The ramparts of Rohtas Fort
  • Ridge trails above Islamabad

👉 explore this 7-day route

The 14-Day Karakoram Route


Two weeks of high plateaus, glacier walks and apricot-orchard villages, linked by jeep tracks and short mountain flights. Expect thin air, starry nights and 8,000-meter peaks seen up close.
  • The Deosai plateau at 4,000 meters
  • Fairy Meadows beneath Nanga Parbat
  • Forts and viewpoints in Karimabad
  • The Passu Cones and Gulkin Glacier

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Sea-to-Summit Route


Three weeks crossing the whole country, from Karachi’s seafront to the poplar-lined Hunza Valley, through Indus ruins and shrine cities. It combines trains, coaches and a pass crossing above 4,000 meters into one long … read more 👉

The 7-Day Mughal Punjab Route


One week of red sandstone, mirror-work palaces and late-night food streets, followed by a cooler finish in the green capital. It suits a first trip and needs no mountain roads at all.
  • The tiled lanes of Lahore’s Walled City
  • Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort at dusk
  • The ramparts of Rohtas Fort
  • Ridge trails above Islamabad

👉 explore this 7-day route

The 14-Day Karakoram Route


Two weeks of high plateaus, glacier walks and apricot-orchard villages, linked by jeep tracks and short mountain flights. Expect thin air, starry nights and 8,000-meter peaks seen up close.
  • The Deosai plateau at 4,000 meters
  • Fairy Meadows beneath Nanga Parbat
  • Forts and viewpoints in Karimabad
  • The Passu Cones and Gulkin Glacier

👉 explore this 14-day route

The 21-Day Sea-to-Summit Route


Three weeks crossing the whole country, from Karachi’s seafront to the poplar-lined Hunza Valley, through Indus ruins and shrine cities. It combines trains, coaches and a pass crossing above 4,000 meters into one long journey.
  • The Bronze Age streets of Mohenjo-Daro
  • The Makli necropolis and Multan’s blue-tiled shrines
  • The Babusar Pass crossing
  • Autumn color in the Hunza Valley

👉 explore this 21-day route

🌤️ When to go?When to go for the best experience

The best time to backpack Pakistan is April to May or September to October, when the plains are still bearable, the northern passes are open, and you dodge both the domestic summer rush and the monsoon. The country splits sharply by altitude: Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi are most comfortable from October to March, while Gilgit-Baltistan and the Karakoram Highway work best from May to October.
  • Spring (March to May): Hunza and Skardu erupt in apricot and cherry blossom from late March to mid-April, with cool days and almost no crowds. By May, Punjab and Sindh push past 40°C. Guesthouse rates up north are at their lowest, and the Khunjerab Pass to China reopens on 1 April.
  • Summer and monsoon (June to August): High season in the mountains. Babusar Pass, Naran, Fairy Meadows and the Deosai Plateau are all reachable, and the Shandur Polo Festival runs in early July. Pakistani families flood the north during school holidays and Eid, so room prices in Hunza and Naran can double. The plains hit 45 to 50°C, and monsoon rain arrives from July.
  • Autumn (September to November): Clear skies, crisp nights and Hunza’s poplars turning gold from late October into early November. Domestic crowds thin out after August. Treks wind down by mid-October, and Khunjerab closes around late November.
  • Winter (December to February): Lahore and Karachi are pleasant at 15 to 25°C. Up north, many guesthouses shut, Naran and Kaghan are snowed in, and nights in Gilgit drop well below freezing.
The risk people underestimate is the monsoon’s effect on the Karakoram Highway: from July to September, landslides can block sections for a day or more, and weather-dependent flights from Islamabad to Gilgit and Skardu get canceled often. Build two or three buffer days into any northern itinerary, and pack a down jacket even in summer, because nights above 3,000 meters stay cold year-round.

source: climatestotravel.comJANJanuary: good for travelingFEBFebruary: good for travelingMARMarch: good for travelingAPRApril: highly recommended for travelingMAYMay: highly recommended for travelingJUNJune: fair for travelingJULJuly: fair for travelingAUGAugust: fair for travelingSEPSeptember: good for travelingOCTOctober: excellent for travelingNOVNovember: highly recommended for travelingDECDecember: good for traveling
!2022-10-15c50

💰 Costs (as of 2026)Prices, expenses, and money tips

Backpacking Pakistan costs a budget traveler US$15 to 25 a day. That covers a dorm bed, three meals of street food, intercity buses and the odd entry ticket. It’s about the same as India, a little cheaper than Iran in most places, and less than half of what the same trip costs over the Khunjerab Pass in China. You pay in rupees, and outside the big cities you’ll need cash.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$5 to 12 per nightA dorm bed in a Lahore backpacker hostel costs about US$5 to 8, and Islamabad runs higher at US$8 to 12. In Karimabad in Hunza, dorms and basic guesthouse beds cost US$5 to 10, and you can often bargain the price down outside the June to August peak. A private double in a small family guesthouse in the north runs US$12 to 20, so two travelers sharing often pay what one dorm bed costs in China.
MealsUS$4 to 8 per dayStreet food beats self-catering on price. A plate of daal chawal costs US$0.70 to 1, a full chicken biryani US$1.50 to 2.50, and a cup of roadside chai US$0.20 to 0.40. At supermarkets a fresh naan is about US$0.10 to 0.15 and 1.5 liters of water is US$0.35 to 0.50, but a basket of imported snacks quickly costs more than a hot meal.
Local
… read more 👉
Backpacking Pakistan costs a budget traveler US$15 to 25 a day. That covers a dorm bed, three meals of street food, intercity buses and the odd entry ticket. It’s about the same as India, a little cheaper than Iran in most places, and less than half of what the same trip costs over the Khunjerab Pass in China. You pay in rupees, and outside the big cities you’ll need cash.
CategoryBudget RangeLocal Reality
Dorm accommodationUS$5 to 12 per nightA dorm bed in a Lahore backpacker hostel costs about US$5 to 8, and Islamabad runs higher at US$8 to 12. In Karimabad in Hunza, dorms and basic guesthouse beds cost US$5 to 10, and you can often bargain the price down outside the June to August peak. A private double in a small family guesthouse in the north runs US$12 to 20, so two travelers sharing often pay what one dorm bed costs in China.
MealsUS$4 to 8 per dayStreet food beats self-catering on price. A plate of daal chawal costs US$0.70 to 1, a full chicken biryani US$1.50 to 2.50, and a cup of roadside chai US$0.20 to 0.40. At supermarkets a fresh naan is about US$0.10 to 0.15 and 1.5 liters of water is US$0.35 to 0.50, but a basket of imported snacks quickly costs more than a hot meal.
Local transportUS$2 to 15 per day (averaged)The cheapest options are city metro buses at about US$0.10 to 0.30 a ride, and economy train seats such as Lahore to Rawalpindi for US$4 to 6. A Daewoo bus on the same route costs US$9 to 11. The NATCO bus from Rawalpindi to Gilgit runs US$15 to 20 for an 18 to 24 hour ride, which is about a third of the cost of hiring a private car.
ActivitiesUS$0 to 15 per day (averaged)City sights cost little. The foreigner ticket for Lahore Fort is about US$3 to 4, and the flag ceremony at the Wagah border is free. Your budget gets hit by jeeps and guides: a jeep from Raikot Bridge to the Fairy Meadows trailhead costs US$30 to 45 per vehicle, and a trekking guide charges US$25 to 40 a day. I’d skip private car hire in the cities and spend that money on a shared jeep in the north, because that’s where the money buys something you can’t get otherwise.
MiscellaneousUS$1 to 4 per dayA Jazz or Zong SIM costs US$2 to 4, plus US$3 to 5 a month for a data bundle, and you need your passport and a fingerprint scan to register it. Rickshaw rides of US$0.50 to 2 and US$1 to 2 tips for jeep drivers add up over a week.
Total Daily BudgetUS$15 to 25 per dayStaying in Lahore dorms and eating street food keeps you near US$15. Spending a few days in Hunza with one shared jeep trip pushes your average toward US$25. Either way it’s similar to India and a fraction of a day in Xinjiang.
⚠️ Prices can change and everyone travels differently, so take this as a rough guide. Hope it helps you plan your adventure!

✈️ The backpacker research shortcutPakistan Travel Guide

An offline-friendly backpacking guide with optimized travel routes, ranked highlights, transport advice, and the best areas to stay.
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The digital guide (290 pages) contains:
✅ 97 highlights, ranked by travel appeal
✅ Optimized 7, 14 & 21-day travel routes
✅ Cities, national parks, landmarks, beaches
✅ How to get around
✅ Offline-friendly for travel without Wi-Fi
👉 Click to see all 30+ guide features

📅 Plan smarter in minutes, not weeks
✅ Month by month travel advice
✅ Festivals & national holidays
✅ Budget expectations

🗺️ Go to the right places, skip the overrated ones
✅ Honest pros & cons of destinations
✅ Top hikes, parks & viewpoints
✅ Lesser-known places most travelers miss
✅ Clear “worth it vs skip it” guidance

🛏️ Travel smoothly without rookie mistakes
✅ Best areas to stay
✅ Transport systems explained simply
✅ Common scams & safety advice
✅ SIM cards, money & practical tips

🌍 Understand the country, not just visit it
✅ Culture & traditions
✅ 52 Essential phrases & customs
✅ Festivals worth planning around
✅ Traveler-friendly historical context
✅ Insights that make places more meaningful

📱 Built for real travel conditions
✅ Fully downloadable PDF
✅ Works completely offline
✅ Optimized for phone use
✅ Useful in remote areas & buses
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🛏️ Where to stay?Accommodation types and options

But dedicated backpacker hostels in Pakistan are scarce, so most budget travelers sleep in family-run guesthouses at roughly Rs 3,000 to 7,000 (US$11 to 25) a night, with a small hostel scene in Lahore, Islamabad and the north. In Lahore, the area around Mall Road puts you close to the Walled City and Lahore Fort but is noisy and congested, while Gulberg is calmer and has the cafés and evening life, at the cost of long rides to the old town; in Islamabad, the leafy F-6 and F-7 sectors are safe, quiet and near the markets, but nightlife is close to nonexistent. Up north, Karimabad in Hunza has … read more 👉
But dedicated backpacker hostels in Pakistan are scarce, so most budget travelers sleep in family-run guesthouses at roughly Rs 3,000 to 7,000 (US$11 to 25) a night, with a small hostel scene in Lahore, Islamabad and the north. In Lahore, the area around Mall Road puts you close to the Walled City and Lahore Fort but is noisy and congested, while Gulberg is calmer and has the cafés and evening life, at the cost of long rides to the old town; in Islamabad, the leafy F-6 and F-7 sectors are safe, quiet and near the markets, but nightlife is close to nonexistent. Up north, Karimabad in Hunza has the densest cluster of cheap guesthouses with walkable valley views and a sociable traveler crowd, though many places close or cut back between November and March.

If you enjoy meeting fellow travelers, consider choosing hostels with high ratings for atmosphere. On the other hand, if you prefer having your own space, a hotel might be a better option.

Best hostels in Pakistan


Best quality hotels in Pakistan

🚌 Getting aroundPublic transport and other ways to get around

A typical travel day in Pakistan means an air-conditioned coach on the motorway: Lahore to Islamabad takes 4 to 5 hours on Daewoo Express and costs PKR 2,800 to 3,800 (about US$10 to 14), with a snack and water handed out on board. Head into the mountains and a similar distance can take an entire day, as the road twists, climbs and stops for landslide clearance.
  • Intercity coaches (Daewoo Express, Faisal Movers, Skyways): these are the backbone of travel in Punjab and Sindh. Lahore to Multan takes
… read more 👉
A typical travel day in Pakistan means an air-conditioned coach on the motorway: Lahore to Islamabad takes 4 to 5 hours on Daewoo Express and costs PKR 2,800 to 3,800 (about US$10 to 14), with a snack and water handed out on board. Head into the mountains and a similar distance can take an entire day, as the road twists, climbs and stops for landslide clearance.
  • Intercity coaches (Daewoo Express, Faisal Movers, Skyways): these are the backbone of travel in Punjab and Sindh. Lahore to Multan takes 4 to 5 hours for PKR 2,500 to 3,500, and Karachi to Larkana takes 6 to 8 hours. Seats recline, the air conditioning works, and the bigger operators have onboard toilets. Book through each company’s app or website, or pay cash at the counter an hour before departure. Each operator runs its own terminal, so check which one you are leaving from. A comfortable ride means you can arrive and still have the energy to hit the evening food street.
  • Pakistan Railways: Karachi to Lahore takes 18 to 22 hours, costing PKR 3,500 to 5,000 in economy or PKR 10,000 to 15,000 in an AC sleeper. Lahore to Rawalpindi runs 4.5 to 5.5 hours. Book on the official Pakistan Railways app or at the station with your passport, and build in a buffer, because delays of 1 to 3 hours are normal. In return, you get the Sindh plains rolling past your window with a cup of chai bought through the bars at Rohri.
  • NATCO and coasters on the Karakoram Highway: Rawalpindi to Gilgit takes 18 to 24 hours for PKR 4,500 to 7,000, and Gilgit to Karimabad is 2.5 to 3 hours for PKR 500 to 900. NATCO is the state-run northern operator, so book at its Rawalpindi terminal with your passport, as foreigners’ details are logged at checkpoints. Coasters are cramped, with knees jammed against the seat in front, but Rakaposhi filling the windscreen above Ghulmet makes up for every bump.
  • Shared jeeps and Suzuki pickups: these cover the last mile. Suzuki hops between Hunza villages cost PKR 100 to 300, a jeep from Raikot Bridge to the Fairy Meadows trailhead runs PKR 8,000 to 12,000 per vehicle, and a full day on Deosai costs PKR 12,000 to 18,000. Split the cost between four to six people and agree on the price before you climb in.
  • Domestic flights: Islamabad to Gilgit or Skardu takes about 1 hour and costs PKR 18,000 to 35,000 one way. Book directly on the PIA website. These small planes only fly in clear weather, so morning cancellations are common. When the flight does go, 8,000-meter peaks slide past at eye level.
Fly north and travel back by road, so a weather cancellation costs you a single day rather than your whole Karakoram plan.
Islamabad International Airport (ISB) in Pakistan sits about 30 km (19 miles) west of the Blue Area city center, and the cheapest reliable way in is the Orange Line metro bus.
  • Orange Line metro bus (35 to 45 minutes to Peshawar Morr, Rs 30 to 50, about US$0.10 to 0.20): board at the station by the terminal, buy a token or card at the counter before the turnstiles, change at Peshawar Morr for the Red Line along Jinnah Avenue, and expect the last buses around 10 pm.
  • Airport taxi (40 to 50 minutes, Rs 3,000 to 5,000, about US$11 to 18): taxis wait outside arrivals around the clock, so agree the fare in cash before you load your bag.
  • Careem, inDrive or Yango (40 to 50 minutes, Rs 1,800 to 3,000, about US$6.50 to 11): book from the arrivals curb using airport Wi-Fi or a local SIM bought in the terminal, pay cash or by card in the Careem app, and confirm the plate number before getting in.
If you land after the metro stops, book a Careem ride or a prepaid airport taxi from inside the terminal and have your guesthouse address and phone number written down, since drivers often call ahead to find smaller places in the sectors.
⚠️ Prices and routes can change, so take this as a rough guide and ask for local advice when you arrive.
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🔒 Safety (risk Level: medium)Is Pakistan safe to visit?

Safety for solo travelers, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals
Pakistan is generally safe for solo travelers who stay on the main circuit, which includes Lahore, Islamabad, Hunza, Skardu and the Karakoram Highway, where police and locals tend to look out for foreigners. Avoid interior Balochistan, the former tribal districts and areas near the Afghan border, and check your government’s advisory before traveling to Sindh or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Solo women report frequent staring and occasional groping in crowded places, so modest dress, family sections in restaurants and women’s seats on buses make a real difference, and Hunza feels far more relaxed. Same-sex relations are criminalized under Section 377 of the penal code, so LGBTQ+ travelers should be fully discreet in public and on dating apps, which are monitored.


Full official government travel advisory (live updates)
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✈️ VisaEntry requirements and paperwork

Most nationalities need a visa to visit Pakistan, and you apply online through the government’s Pakistan Online Visa System run by NADRA. Since 2024, tourist e-visas have been free for citizens of more than 120 countries, including the US, UK, EU states, Canada and Australia, with decisions usually arriving within a few days to two weeks. Print your grant letter and carry it with your passport, since airline staff and immigration will ask to see it.
⚠️ Visa requirements can change over time, so always check the latest visa requirements with the official embassy or government website before you travel.

🎒 What to pack?A practical packing list

Pakistan covers two extremes, so pack for both: Sindh and Punjab regularly pass 40°C in summer, while nights at Fairy Meadows and Deosai can drop close to freezing even in July. Loose, long, breathable clothing works best everywhere, covering your shoulders and legs, and women will find a large scarf useful for mosques and conservative areas. Northern roads and trails are dusty and rocky, so choose sturdy shoes with good grip over light sneakers, and a warm layer that packs small. Bring a power bank, as load-shedding (scheduled power cuts) can still affect guesthouses in the mountains.

Apart from this country specific advice, I have also crafted a general packing list that should help on any trip. authorOver the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.

View the full list 👉

🙋 FAQCommon questions before visiting

Trip Planning

Planning a backpacking route through Pakistan can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Pakistan itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.



Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.


Travel Essentials

There are no compulsory vaccinations for Pakistan unless you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk, in which case a yellow fever certificate is required. Make sure your routine vaccines are up to date, and talk to a travel clinic about hepatitis A, typhoid and hepatitis B. Because Pakistan is one of the last polio-endemic countries, a polio booster is strongly advised, and visitors staying longer than four weeks may need proof of vaccination when leaving. Rabies vaccination is worth considering for trekking far from clinics, and dengue and malaria are present in the lowlands, so pack insect repellent.


vaccination requirements
When I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.

These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Pakistan, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.

There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.


HolaFly eSim

Culture & Customs

Dress conservatively throughout Pakistan: everyone should cover their shoulders and knees, women should cover their heads with a scarf inside mosques and shrines, and everyone should remove their shoes before entering. Eat, pass food and hand over money with your right hand, and accept offers of tea, as hospitality is a matter of pride, even if refusing politely once before saying yes is normal. Always ask before photographing people, especially women, and never photograph military sites, checkpoints or airports. During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight. Public affection between couples, including holding hands, attracts disapproval, and same-sex couples should avoid any displays at all. Alcohol is illegal for Muslims and limited to permit holders, so don’t drink in public. Avoid criticizing religion or the military, and walk around shrines with the respect locals show.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Pakistan.
  1. Biryani: layered rice cooked with spiced chicken or mutton, potatoes and fried onions. Karachi’s Sindhi version is fiery with plums and chilies, and it is the dish served at nearly every wedding and celebration.
  2. Nihari: a slow-cooked beef or mutton shank stew simmered overnight and eaten at breakfast with naan, ginger and lime. It began as a morning meal in Mughal Delhi and is now a Sunday ritual in Lahore and Karachi.
  3. Karahi: chicken or mutton cooked fast in a wok-shaped pan with tomatoes, green chilies and ginger, then ordered by the kilo at roadside restaurants. The highway versions on the road to Peshawar are legendary.
  4. Chapli kabab: a flat, wide minced-beef patty with pomegranate seeds and coriander, fried in fat. It is the signature dish of Pashtun cooking in Peshawar.
  5. Haleem: wheat, lentils and shredded meat pounded into a thick, savory porridge, topped with fried onions and lime. It is especially popular during Ramadan and Muharram.
  6. Saag with makki ki roti: slow-cooked mustard greens with a cornmeal flatbread and a lump of white butter. It is Punjab’s winter village food and tastes best between December and February.
  7. Chapshuro: a Hunza meat pie of minced yak or beef baked in thin dough. It is the comfort food of the north, sold hot from cafés in Karimabad.
Tap water in Pakistan is not safe to drink, and most urban families boil it or use home filters rather than drinking it straight from the tap. Travelers should stick to sealed bottled water, which costs around PKR 60 to 120 for 1.5 liters, or carry a filter bottle. Mountain streams in Hunza and Baltistan may look pure, but they carry glacial silt and runoff from villages upstream, so filter them before drinking.
The main language in Pakistan is Punjabi. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Punjabi skills have become a bit rusty.

Want to understand locals better?
The complete Travel Guide for Pakistan includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.

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English is an official language in Pakistan, so in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi you will find signage, menus and hotel staff who handle it comfortably, and university-age Pakistanis and guesthouse owners in Hunza and Skardu often speak it well. Outside cities and among older drivers and shopkeepers, English quickly thins out to a few words. Urdu is the language that helps most everywhere, even in regions where people speak Punjabi, Pashto, Balti or Burushaski at home. Download Urdu for offline use in Google Translate and learn a few phrases like “shukriya” (thank you) and “kitne ka hai?” (how much is it?), which go a long way in bazaars.

Money & Payments

The local currency of Pakistan is PKR (₨).
ATMs are easy to find in Pakistan’s cities and most accept foreign Visa and Mastercard cards, with HBL, MCB, UBL, Meezan and Standard Chartered machines being the most reliable. Expect a per-withdrawal cap of roughly PKR 20,000 to 50,000, and a local fee of around PKR 0 to 1,000 on top of whatever your home bank charges. In the north, machines thin out fast: Gilgit, Skardu and Aliabad or Karimabad in Hunza have a handful that sometimes run dry or go offline, so carry enough cash before heading up the Karakoram Highway or into smaller valleys. Cards work in upscale hotels, malls, supermarkets and chain restaurants in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, but guesthouses, dhabas, bazaars, buses and drivers almost always want cash. Bring a backup stash of US dollars (crisp, unmarked, recent-series notes get the best rate, and euros and pounds also change easily) and swap them at banks or licensed exchange companies in places like Islamabad’s Blue Area or Lahore’s Liberty Market rather than with street changers or at the airport counters, which give weaker rates.
Tipping in Pakistan is appreciated but rarely obligatory: leave 5 to 10 percent in sit-down restaurants without a service charge, and round up or add PKR 50 to 100 for rickshaw drivers. Hotel porters and housekeeping usually receive PKR 100 to 300. In the north, guides, porters and jeep drivers expect a tip of around 10 percent of the trip cost, paid at the end.

🧩 Nearby countriesOther countries to combine with Pakistan

📸 PhotosTravel photos from Pakistan

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Photographed by: Johan Kruseman

Experiences from time spent here

The most hospitable people in the world

The most hospitable people in the world

Pakistan | Pakistan surpasses all expectations. Only a good week into my journey, Pakistan and its people have done every effort to make it one of the best (if not the best) places on the globe I ever visited. Without doing any people I have met before a disservice and realising I haven’t met all Pakistanis yet, I do come to the conclusion that Pakistanis ar...
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Off the beaten track

Off the beaten track

Pakistan | Walking at 3.500m high in a desolated valley high up north in the mountains of Pakistan, 5km away from the Afghanistan border, surrounded by immense 6K high peaks, disowned from any network signal, yes, this must be the most remote place I have ever been. It took a 14 hour bus ride from the capital, followed by another 2 hours in a minibus, 6 hour...
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Invited to a traditional Pakistani wedding

Invited to a traditional Pakistani wedding

Pakistan | I had no clue what to expect but changed my travel plans to be able to accept the invitation and just see what happens. Clearly from the start it was already different as in my country we would never invite a person who just happened to be in town that day. Also it wasn’t just one day but three, but I was up for the final day. I was told that the ...
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Flat tyre at 5.000m high

Flat tyre at 5.000m high

Pakistan | After the wedding, back in the main valley, I asked if somebody could drive me up to the Chinese border, the highest border crossing of the world at almost 5.000m. Exactly the place where you don’t want a flat tyre, for sure not when the border is closed to Covid. The last km we walked up in the hope somebody at the border had gears to fix the flat...
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Culture shock in Lahore

Culture shock in Lahore

Pakistan | After two weeks of mountain villages and snowy basecamps, there couldn’t be a larger contrast than Lahore. A 14 million people metropole, an alarmingly high smog level (you could smell it and even though there were zero clouds the sun could hardly come through) and with one of the most chaotic traffic situations I had ever experienced. That’s why ...
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We 💚 feedbackIs Pakistan worth visiting?

Come for the moment a stranger in Gilgit flags you down, pours you chai and points out which peak is Rakaposhi, with the country’s five 8,000-meter giants waiting deeper in the Karakoram and Himalaya. Nowhere else pairs mountains of that size with hosts that eager to share them.

The drawback is time. Flights to the north cancel in bad weather, landslides close roads for a day or more, and plans bend constantly, so build two or three buffer days into any itinerary.

The lingering fear is usually safety. Security problems concentrate in specific border districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan that travelers rarely visit, while Gilgit-Baltistan and the main Punjab cities see a steady stream of foreigners. Check current advice, follow local police guidance, and you’ll mostly worry about overeating.

✈️ When did I visit Pakistan?
Even though the media portrays Pakistan often as a dangerous country, it has its great spots, and for a mountain lover like me the mountain regions in the north are just heaven. Visited Pakistan in October 2022. Since then, this guide is regularly updated based on feedback from locals and recent backpackers (last update: 18 October 2026)

✍️ Help improve this page!
The information on this page is based on my own backpacking experience in Pakistan, supplemented with up-to-date research and feedback from other travelers. Travel details can change, so if you notice anything outdated or incomplete, feel free to let me know.



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👋 Meet the founderWho’s Behind Take Your Backpack?

Johan, backpacker and founder of TakeYourBackpackHi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.

This site is built on a combination of firsthand travel experience and carefully curated insights from other backpackers. Many guides are based on places I’ve personally visited, while others bring together tips, observations, and practical advice shared by trusted travelers I’ve met along the way.

The goal is to provide realistic, experience-driven guidance — not generic itineraries — so you can explore destinations with better context, clearer expectations, and more confidence.

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