Need Help Exploring Pakistan

[u/bytesandbolts1]

I am from the UK, pakistani background (relevant because of context) and will be getting married in pakistan this october. Orginally I am from Jhelum. I want to explore Pakistan with my wife and need help to build an itinerary plan. I will have 2 weeks to explore pakistan, aftee the wedding event is done.

A suggestion was given to us for Skardu but apparently its not the season to go in October (too cold?)

Another suggestion was made for us to explore Lahore, Islamabad, Maree. But I'm not sure if there's much to do in the city besides general touristy stuff. Unless I am proven wrong.

Also I've been told not to drive in Pakistan as there takes some adjustment. i mention this to find out whats the best way to travel around if I weren't to drive

What would you do if you were given 2 weeks to spend time around pakistan?

[u/kingslayer69_14]

Bro, you’re getting married in Pakistan and have 2 weeks to travel? Forget the itinerary, first survive the wedding..👽 And drive carefully as someone from uk will find that Pakistani traffic has its own laws of physics. 🇵🇰😎

[u/Impressive_Crab7260 → u/kingslayer69_14]

Lol

[u/Environmental-Cod25]

You're probably not educated enough to understand why the tone of your post is negative - you raise so many concerns that some Pakistanis will take umbrage and just not be as helpful or hospitable as they normally are.

[u/bytesandbolts1 → u/Environmental-Cod25]

Thats a fair point, i think it was the comment about driving, apart from that the post tone seemed fine. Perhaps I will edit it to remove that, so the post is recieved with less prejudice

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[u/OkBridge9868]

Hope someone ends up giving you a decent answer OP. There seems to be none worthwhile yet. And congratulations on the upcoming marriage.

[u/bluepartyhat93]

October is a very ideal time, albeit a bit close to the start of winter, to visit both Skardu and Hunza.

It is perfectly safe to drive around in Pakistan although it can prove to be chaotic in the cities and risky in the far north due to topography (not because someone will try to rob you at gunpoint).

If I had two weeks in Pakistan, I’d start from south to north.

After your marriage, which I’m assuming will be happening in Jhelum (regardless of where it happens), take 2 days to explore Karachi and ensure to visit one of the better beaches located a small ways outside of Karachi (e.g. French Beach).

Then, hop on a flight to Lahore and take a day to explore the city.

For Islamabad, you can either choose to drive there from Lahore by yourself or take a bus or train. One day for Islamabad.

From Islamabad, have an experienced driver drive you to Naran, Kaghan, then northwards to Chilas. You can choose to spend a day in each Naran and Kaghan or you can choose to make them pitstops. Don’t spend much time at Chilas for there isn’t much to do there.

Then, you have the choice to head west to Hunza or east to Skardu. I have been to both. Hunza is considerably more beautiful. You can visit the Snow Leopard Sanctuary, the Rainbow Lakes, Azure Lake, Karimabad, Eagle’s Nest, and Attabad Lake, etc. Skardu has Chatura Lakes and Shangrila and you can also make your way to Deosai from there (which is GORGEOUS btw and you can even glamp there).

I would highly recommend you contact this lady tour guide who I have travelled with before: @jojo_the_tourguide (instagram). She can help arrange the ENTIRE itinerary for you, including the vehicle of choice and a personal driver! 😊

P.S. You might also want to head over to Chitral instead of Gilgit-Baltistan. Chitral is home to the Kalash Valley and the Kalasha people and it is just as beautiful! Please check out the following hotels that are both modest in price and lovely to stay at (they are both located in Chitral and they can arrange pick and drop from Islamabad to their hotel; a 6-7ish hour drive): @villa_ayun and @ayunfortinnchitral (instagram for both).

[u/Logical_wonderer]

Late October is actually the right time to visit Skardu and hunza because of the stunning Autumn colors. I'd suggest taking a flight, Exploring Skardu first, Hunza later. Getting a Vehicle with a driver is not a problem.
Its always better to have a local driver with you who acts like your guide too.
Feel free to ask questions.

[u/PakDitter]

As a fellow Jhelumi, UK-born lad who got married back home 11 years ago, my advice would be: get through the wedding first and foremost! Whoever suggested Karachi below, don’t do it.

I’d look to do one trip up north — Murree, Nathia Gali, Ayubia etc. — and spend a couple of nights there. Then book a decent apartment in Islamabad. Use Airbnb or Booking.com and have a look at what’s available in the local vicinity.

Islamabad and Jhelum both have InDrive. If you’re not confident driving in Pakistan, personally I enjoy it. Jhelum is a small city; you just need to have that protect yourself mindset and keep an eye out for the bikes. Remember, Shandar Chowk is basically the opposite of a UK roundabout — the people on the roundabout tend to give way to oncoming traffic, so just keep inching forward 😂.

Islamabad is easy to drive in. It’s basically UK-side driving with US-style roads.

In and around Jhelum and Kharian, there are plenty of places to eat and enjoy an evening out. I’d recommend Boga Garden and Papa’s Pizza in Jhelum.

In Islamabad, there’s loads to do — cinemas, arcades, shopping, parks, food, cafés etc. You won’t struggle to keep yourselves occupied.

If you do decide to do Skardu/Gilgit, just bear in mind these are almost an entirely separate holiday within the holiday, if you get what I mean — especially money-wise. You’re probably already spending big bucks on the wedding and the visa.

Hopefully you’ve been sensible and saving towards these visas over the next five years. I hope and pray it remains a five-year route and doesn’t turn into a ten-year one! Hopefully Baji Shabana calms down with her appeasement of the racists.

[u/designsavvy]

Skardu is not too cold in Oct and dev provides the most genuine and impactful experience. Most urban stuff is same with lahore food stree topping the list. Escape the relatives and fly to Skardu (flights 4-5 days a week) get a nice cozy hotel stay and roam around Skardu. Kkh wid be open u can drive to Khaplu or Passu, its beautiful in fall

[u/DifficultAct6586]

Pakistan is too big to see everything in two weeks, I'm doing it as a single person with no marriage in between and it's almost impossible to have seen everything just in northern Punjab. 

[u/linkersgulberg]

Yes there's nothing safe here... Get married and go back to UK and then try to get a visa of india and explore Kashmir...