I know there are a million threads about this already so apologies in advance for yet another one, but I wanted to get your advice about the current tourism situation in Pakistan. I want to visit as part of a two-month long backpacking excursion I’m embarking on, and am looking at mid-May. I want to see cities and mountains and everything in between and learn about the culture and experience the food and am hoping you can give me some recommendations. I’ll be traveling there over land from India.
I’m female, 26 years old and I definitely won’t fit in: I’m blonde haired blue eyed. Is that going to cause trouble for me? I’m traveling alone, in a fairly light and rugged style (I won’t be dressed up with any jewelry, don’t worry!). I’ll be looking for very inexpensive guesthouse style lodging - no fancy hotels or drivers or tour packages. Can I find that in Pakistan?
What/where/how do you recommend traveling? Also, I am a vegetarian - is it going to be fairly easy to find vegetarian food in Pakistan? I’d be curious to hear info from locals as well as other travelers (but please specify which you are, so I know where you’re coming from). All I know thus far is what I’ve read in the news and seen on the wikitravel page - but I’d like to hear from a more direct source.
Whats the enxt country on your list after pak - China or Iran?
Ho wlong will you stay in Pakistan ?
You should be safe around the Punjab, Karokaram Highway from, Abbottabad to Gilgit. Gilgit, Hunza, Chitral are places most preferred by non-domestic tourists. The people there are more also aware of what tourisst require.
Lots if cheap hotels but you dont know whoowns them and what connections they may have - might be better if you stay in reputed places. You could very easily travel cheaply in pakistan.
Veggie food will be easy tofind - plain rice, lentils, peas, chick peas, lady fingers, courgettes are all quite popular. In the north and west veggie food is less popular.
IF you ever end up being a guest of someone mention before that you are vegetarian - Pakistanis give meat dishes to their guests. To give a veggie dish is seen as a sign of insult.
I remember meeting an online friend in Quetta and we had Sajji, a meat dish. I wanted a veggie dish just to blanace but he was shocked and said your a guest you cant eat that, you have to have meat.
im a British born Pakistani who travels to and in Pakistan quite frequently - I have been to almost all the four corners. I have started a blog on my travels too. Any questions im sure we willall try help you.
One more thing, you have to be a little tolerant as we Pakistanis stare ALOT at foreigners. Its usually not with harmful intentions, but just out of curiosity. Also, unfortunately in pk we have the (wrong) impression that western girls are very "friendly", so don't be too friendly with guys as it will convey the wrong impression. Bye the way, if you really want to see Pakistan, then please chose your cities and destinations carefully as things are not very well back in Pakistan. I would recommend Lahore and Islamabad and Murree (all in Punjab province) as some nice and safe places to see. I woudln't advise visiting Sindh, Balochistan or NWFP as things are kinda messy there.
Yes, you can easily find vegeterian food in every nook and corner of Pakistan, that won't be a problem. Actually Pakistani food is really, really good and I'm not saying that just because I belong to Pk. I would suggest Tripadvisor to find hotels and recommendations. Besides since our currency is weak compared to dollars, so it will be very very cheap for you to afford anything.
A few more tips, keep some backup money, a photocopy of important documents, notify your country's embassy in Pakistan and try to find some nice female friends online in Pakistan. Pakistani girls are very nice and friendly and you'd be safe with them. Good luck !!
**i am a local
i have a guest house in Lahore baytalhabib.wordpress.com
Traveling alone is not a good idea. you are blonde, female and alone, you are venerable. you could be kidnapped. i am not saying that this will happen but it could happen. so don't take a risk, either stay in good hotels and travel with tour operators like PTDC or travel with a friend or take someone local with you. (LOL,take me)
PS. You seem to be very strong, backpak traveling is adventures.
Thanks all - this information is great and just what I was looking for! I'll have to read up on all of those places mentioned. I already had my sights set on Lahore from this food blog I've been reading (the forum doesn't seem to let me link) which helps me get an inside view on the cuisine and where to try.
Very helpful tips on the vegetarian dishes and how it is tradition to serve meat - I had no idea! I'll definitely keep that in mind. I'd read elsewhere about being prepared for stares, too, so I think I'm ready for that. I encountered it in India - especially in the smaller towns with less tourism, and I never took it as an offense. Is it generally an acceptable practice to talk back and forth with people on the streets who are curious, or is it best to keep to myself? In India I encountered a couple people in particular who were just wonderful to talk to, and we spoke for hours over tea about each other's countries and cultures. I definitely enjoy learning more that way than I would at a museum. I loved it.
@thejoke: I'm going to be entering from either India or China, and exiting back into India. My flights are into and out of Mumbai, but I really enjoy train travel and would like to see as much of the countryside as I can. I wouldn't mind trying out a bus, too. I haven't decided on how long I'll stay in the country. Likely, I'll plan on about a week and adjust up or down from there based on how much time I have left before flying home, and how comfortable I feel.
If you have a blog, I'd love to read it! Can you send me the address?
Does anyone have a favorite hike they might recommend? I probably won't do any crazy hiking, but maybe a 4 - 6 hour journey one day would be fun.
I got a private message but it says I don't have enough posts (need 25) in order to respond! :( So I don't end up spamming the board to get my 25 posts, maybe that person could send me their email address and I can respond back over email? Thanks! :)
I know there are a million threads about this already so apologies in advance for yet another one, but I wanted to get your advice about the current tourism situation in Pakistan. I want to visit as part of a two-month long backpacking excursion I'm embarking on, and am looking at mid-May. I want to see cities and mountains and everything in between and learn about the culture and experience the food and am hoping you can give me some recommendations. I'll be traveling there over land from India.
I'm female, 26 years old and I definitely won't fit in: I'm blonde haired blue eyed. Is that going to cause trouble for me? I'm traveling alone, in a fairly light and rugged style (I won't be dressed up with any jewelry, don't worry!). I'll be looking for very inexpensive guesthouse style lodging - no fancy hotels or drivers or tour packages. Can I find that in Pakistan?
What/where/how do you recommend traveling? Also, I am a vegetarian - is it going to be fairly easy to find vegetarian food in Pakistan? I'd be curious to hear info from locals as well as other travelers (but please specify which you are, so I know where you're coming from). All I know thus far is what I've read in the news and seen on the wikitravel page - but I'd like to hear from a more direct source.
Many thanks!!
I'm blonde (sort of mousey naturally) and light eyed as well, I usually dye my hair brown when I go to an Asian country, it prob seems a bit drastic but it cuts down a lot on the attention cos the blonde hair is kinda like a beacon that can be seen from a distance lol.
I have a suggestion which can make life really sweet and easy for you in Pakistan. If you wear a head scarf then everyone will be atleast 10 times more respectful to you. It is considered bad manners in our society to stare or create troubles for any girl who wears a scarf. The stares and everything will be diminised to a minimum. Its just a suggestion, hope you don't mind it.
About talking to people on streets, if you find people especially couples who seem respectable, then there is no harm. In general, most people in Pakistan are very friendly and you will have a great time. People go out of their way to help you and thats something thats very refreshing to find in a metropolitan.
There are some really great places to hangout in Lahore. Do try the food street in Gawalmandi in Lahore in the evening, it has amazing food and very traditional buildings surrounding it. You must see the Lahore fort and Badshahi Mosque (both located in front of each other).
About trekking, murree is a hill station located near islamabad and a very friendly and open place with lots of tourists, so you will have a nice time and can do some trekking as well on hills nearby. There are some amazing places near murree. Some really gorgeous hills and valleys are located in places like Chitral, Gilgit, Hunza (all in NWFP province) but I am not very sure about the security situation there.
Finally, I must say that while in the recent years, there have been some problems in Pakistan, yet as you will see for yourself, Pakistan is an amazing and exotic place and Pakistanis are very friendly people, 100% opposite of the stereotype you've been seeing on TV in the recent years.
I love your post - thank you for that. I'm often ashamed of the stereotyping that our American news does. I can't wait to get a firsthand view for myself. The head scarf idea is a great one and I think I will definitely do that - hopefully I can find someone to show me how to tie it! :) Many thanks for all your advice - this has definitely put my mind at ease. I cannot wait to get there!!!
A word of advice. Travel with a male companion. NOT ALONE. This goes for both pakistan and india. Specially if you are going to travel off the beaten path.
Ummmm... can't say about India, but a head scarf wearing female can roam around easily atleast in big cities in Pakistan. As you will see for yourself, Pakistan has had some major cultural changes and it is common today to see girls going about their business all alone in Pakistan, though obviously visiting obscure places at night is not a good idea in any country.
I would also like to point out that wearing Jeans and shirts has become common for girls in Lahore and Karachi. A good dressing idea for a trip in Pakistan would be either to wear the traditional simple dress or a jeans plus a long, loose shirt. But as you will see for yourself, people wear all kinds of dresses in Pakistan so be at ease with it.
As long as you wear modest clothes you should be ok, like no shorts or tank tops. Using a shawl draped over your chest which you can also wrap on your head if needs be is also good idea. Even then people will still stare so just get used to it.
Always let someone know where you are going and when you should be back, e.g. the hotel owner so if you don't come back they can do something.
I would love to go travelling round Pakistan, so I'm quite jealous of you. Have a good time and do come back and share your stories.
Just do not pass a smile looking towards men. It will be like inviting honey bees. Cover your head with shawl while going out. If you take taxi, try to sit with old driver. There are plenty above 55-60 who drive taxis.
All men in Pakistan look at women as if they are from Mars! - even the ones in shuttlecock burkhas!
Its not a good idea staying in cheaper hotels - they are used a lot by prostitutes and drugs dealers -
Wear a chaddar when in Pakistan and try to have a companion to go round the country with - lone white female is unfortunately a phenomena which attracts a lot of attention - most of it undesirable - Never sit in a taxi in the front seat - Taxi drivers hand seem to wander a lot!
plenty of hikes in the northern areas and chitral. one of the above posters mentionned that gilgit and hunza are in the nwfp - no they are not. they are a part of the northern areas. chitral is a part of the nwfp.
chitral, gilgit, hunza are far more in tune with what western tourists prefer. hunza is a quite liberal place and i have seen chinese girls in very tight jeans and no head covers there. a lot of the people in hunza are agha khani/ismaili and their women do not observe purdah. hunza and gilgit are quite close to one another. chitral is 13 hours to the west of gilgit, by bus. chitral is not a pashtun area and has no problems with taliban. foreign tourists avoid the pictureesque valleys of swat, kaghan and the galiyat because they attract a lot of domestic tourists, in the case of swat - used too.
if you enter from china then of course you will arrive at hunza and gilgit. theres plenty of hiking there and you wont get any stares for being a woman there. then you can make your way down the karakoram highway - donot stop at INDUS KOHISTAN for a night or even CHILAS. There have been quite a few problems within that area and even at night the buses plying this route will have to form a convoy so that dacoits dont stand a chance of setting a trap. If you have to stay then it would be Besham or Abbottabad. besham is actually in the Swat district but I have not heard of any Taliban creating a disturbance there.
If you come in via China then there will be a lot to do in the northern areas. If you come in from India then of course you will have to stay in the Punjab - depends how long you want to stay for?
Parts of my blog are uploaded. Click on my name and you will see it there somewhere.
Food is a way of entertaining over there. Its like a social occasion.
Fashionikuri is right - men stare at all women over there. If they cant see a womans face in a burqa, they can at least see her feer in her foot wear lol
The only 2 cities I have ever heard of women being physically sexually harassed at least a few times are Lahore and Peshawar. Although this could be distorted because these cities may have attracted more tourists than say karachi.
I know there are a million threads about this already so apologies in advance for yet another one, but I wanted to get your advice about the current tourism situation in Pakistan. I want to visit as part of a two-month long backpacking excursion I'm embarking on, and am looking at mid-May. I want to see cities and mountains and everything in between and learn about the culture and experience the food and am hoping you can give me some recommendations. I'll be traveling there over land from India.
I'm female, 26 years old and I definitely won't fit in: I'm blonde haired blue eyed. Is that going to cause trouble for me? I'm traveling alone, in a fairly light and rugged style (I won't be dressed up with any jewelry, don't worry!). I'll be looking for very inexpensive guesthouse style lodging - no fancy hotels or drivers or tour packages. Can I find that in Pakistan?
What/where/how do you recommend traveling? Also, I am a vegetarian - is it going to be fairly easy to find vegetarian food in Pakistan? I'd be curious to hear info from locals as well as other travelers (but please specify which you are, so I know where you're coming from). All I know thus far is what I've read in the news and seen on the wikitravel page - but I'd like to hear from a more direct source.
Many thanks!!
Well i read all the posts here .. most of them are not true actully who don't know about tourism they reply to your post.. I am a tour operator in Pakistan, I can tell you whats happening in Pakistan, Pakistan is a very peacefull country the people are very nice and kind, things making it bad is only the forign and local media. There is no any problem for a solo woman traveller in Pakistan, you can travel anywhere in pakistan but these days there are some problem going on in Peshawar and swat so you must quit this if you are planning to visit there and the rest areas are all fine.. you can spend more days in the northern areas of pkaistan (hunza valley, skardu, gilgit, gulmit, passu, chitral etc) these are very peacefull places with kind and honest peoples..
hi all - just returned back to the states yesterday from my trip (going to need a few weeks to download all those pictures i took, though!!!) ... i ended up going thru lahore (spending quite a bit of time at the regale internet inn - a lovely guest house), islamabad, rawalpindi, gilgit, then to china, the back through karimabad. my highlights were definitely sufi night at a mosque in lahore (i went on two different thursdays i enjoyed it so much), the chaman ice cream parlor's peach sundae, hiking over a glacier about an hour outside of karimabad, and generally speaking the friendliness of everyone there. though i was a little hesitant going at first, mostly because of what the media has to say about it, as well as the US state dept, but i can now tell my fellow americans it's definitely a fine place to visit. i was in lahore for the 3 recent bombings - the govt bldg and the mosque, and even with those death tolls calculated, statistically speaking i believe there are more murders here in my home city over the same time span. it's all in how the media reports things, and i suppose talking about your country, sadly, sells our papers. anyway. i had an AMAzing time - it was my favorite country on my trip, and lahore my favorite city (it earns the rep of the city that never sleeps better than NYC...)... just don't tell india that!! :) many thanks for your advice along the way. i'll post back when my pictures are ready!