Charming Pakistan, Revisited
Friendly people! Music! Polo! Stunning mountains! History!
I was excited to visit new places from my 2023 trip and enjoyed revisiting Lahore, Gilgit and Islamabad. In Lahore, I went back to UNESCO World Heritage sites, Shalimar Gardens and Lahore Fort, as well as the Badshahi Mosque and the Wazir Khan Mosque. The new experiences included visiting Sur Taal music academy which is unique in that it is coed and free to kids through young adults – they were very talented! Professional musicians donate their time along with a music professor who runs the program. It’s a heartwarming experience to listen and watch these kids who love singing and all have professional aspirations. We also went back to watch mud wrestling which everyone loved.
Music is very important in Pakistan and different throughout the country. Our next musical experience was Qawali night at Lahore’s best restaurant, Andaaz. Eating delicious food on their rooftop with the beautiful night skyline, listening to Qawali music was enchanting! They actually remixed a Justin Bieber song to Qawali which I like better!  Music truly is the universal language and connects peoples of different cultures and religions.
Enroute to Islamabad, we saw several of the Buddhist sites of Taxila, another UNESCO World Heritage site. Then the magnificent truck art workshops – Pakistan has the world’s most fabulous trucks! My travel advisor companions all bought rugs at a most delightful shop here.
We flew to Skardu this year and drove to Hunza. Shigar Valley and Kachura are lovely mountain areas. The drive to Hunza is stunningly beautiful as the mountains are magnificent. There are 3 main mountain ranges – Himalayas, Hindukush and Karakorum. Pakistan has 7, count them, 7 peaks over 7,000 meters / 22,965 feet. Simply amazing!
Passu Cones are beautiful, especially in sunny weather. We did the suspension bridge, zip line, Eagle Nest viewpoint, Ondra Poygah, Attabad Lake, – there are many hikes and outdoor experiences between Skardu and Hunza along with the CIQAM Women’s collective, the Baltit Fort and Altit Fort.
One evening, we ate at Hunza’s best restaurant, Odyssey, where The Wander had arranged another musical performance with a local group and the local shaman came. The shaman burns juniper and breathes it in to go into his trance and dance. He did receive a vision from the fairies but even the locals couldn’t understand the “proclamationâ€. What I liked most about this experience is when The Wander arranges the musical group, they invite all the locals to come enjoy so it’s not just a “tourist thing†and it’s great fun to people watch as some of the locals get quite dressed up. Dancing is encouraged. Throughout Pakistan you will see men dancing everywhere, not women. At this performance, we women were invited to come up and dance but none of the local women did. We also went to our first polo match in Hunza and were invited to the VIP area. It’s important to have local guides who know what’s going on!
Back in Islamabad we went to the Faisal Mosque which is large and impressive, a must see for sure.
Karachi was a new city for me. It was very hot which made the amazing UNESCO World Heritage site, Makli Necropolis, uncomfortable to experience. It’s an amazing site; I highly recommend this during cooler weather. On the drive back to Karachi, the Shah Jahan Mosque is beautiful and a worthwhile stop. Karachi is more of a shopping and art gallery city if you’re interested in that. I bought textiles here.
I wanted to check out wildlife, so The Wander had us fly from Karachi to Peshawar. Yes, it’s close to Afghanistan. Yes, it surprised me with its Buddhist history, beauty, more friendly Pakistanis and a cool hotel formerly a military barracks. We walked the Qissa Khwani bazaar at night and felt completely safe, again with lots of requests for selfies.
From Peshawar we made the long drive to Kalash Valley where we fortunately were in time for the well-known, very colorful and joyful Chilam Joshi festival! We had an amazing guide who got us the best viewing spots and told us all about their unique polytheistic culture.
Unfortunately, we had to backtrack the same long curvy mountain roads to Chitral Valley. Until there is an airline that starts regular service to this area, I don’t think most people will want to drive 8+ hours for 2 days. Another thing Pakistan needs to figure out is driving from one district to another as foreigners must stop at each police station to register. It’s very annoying and some stops can take up to 20 minutes as the police try to figure out what they’re supposed to do. It’s where a police escort can come in handy.
We drove on steep, narrow, mountain S-curve roads to Gol National Park which is beautiful and at 16,404 feet! A ranger showed us a distant ibex through a scope. You can do a few hikes, picnic here but I wouldn’t count on wildlife in good weather. The male markhor with its beautiful horns are visible in winter but I’m not sure I’d recommend the drive up on those roads in snow – definitely for the more adventurous. We went to our 2nd polo match while in Chitral when an intense windstorm blew in – we left; they continued playing! We drove along a river where markhors tend to come down around 6pm most evenings. We did see 3 females and a juvenile but far up the mountain side. It was cool to watch them run and jump across the steep rocks. Sadly no great photos….
We drove from Chitral to Swat Valley where we learned more about Pakistan’s Buddhist history at the Swat Museum then visited the Butkara remains. On the way from Swat to Islamabad, we visited the impressive UNESCO World Heritage site, Takht-I-Bahi monastery complex.
We did a lot of driving this trip – from Lahore to Islamabad in a nice 12-seater coach then in new, clean SUVs in the mountains. Pakistan offers all international tourists a police escort while driving throughout the countryside. During my 2023 visit, we didn’t use one. We didn’t use an escort most of this trip until I discovered it was available and wanted to experience it. One of the owners thinks it makes people feel unsafe. It is NOT needed for safety! It does help with traffic as the police wave other cars over and it does cut down on time spent at the province checkpoints. It’s incredibly efficient as different police vehicles wait at their predetermined spot to take over from one vehicle to another. On the one drive we had, there were 6 different police vehicles all on time which made for a seamless drive. Again, let me stress that in both of my trips to Pakistan, I have never felt unsafe, anxious or nervous.
In addition to the fabulous truck art, you will see a few unexpected sights as you drive through the country.
Pakistani people are incredibly happy and excited to see Western tourists and will want to take selfies with you…everywhere. We were in a tuk-tuk while cars, motorcycles and other tuk-tuks filled with locals drove up behind us honking, taking our photo and screaming, “Welcome to Pakistanâ€, not knowing where we were from, only that 2 of us were blonde and wearing western clothes. It was really sweet, and fun! People are genuinely curious and welcoming – there’s no “tourist fatigue†here.
Let’s talk about people. There is a large community of transgender people, mostly in Lahore but other areas also which always surprises visitors. There are women who wear hijab (head scarf), women who wear a burqa or niqab (full covering including a veil with only eyes exposed). You might see a woman with no head covering at all, which is rarer but permissible. You will see women in a hijab and burqa walking together. Apparently it’s as much cultural as it is religious.
There are luxury hotels with huge chandeliers, boutique properties with local art and sometimes more rustic places way up in the mountains. We’ve given our feedback to the owners.
I loved my 3 weeks in Pakistan. I must caution that it’s not a foodie destination for vegetarians. You won’t go hungry as there’s plenty of rice, bread, beans and cooked vegetables. I’ve suggested to the owners that while in Islamabad there are a few places where you can order tofu and there are Italian restaurants for a little variety. There’s a good possibility for gastrointestinal upset which I had.
The Wander, founded and owned by two Pakistani men who were both educated in the States, one on a Fulbright scholarship and one for his master’s degree. One learned the tourism trade with the largest DMC in Pakistan, the other has traveled to over 70 countries. Together they bring their love of Pakistan, passion for adventure, commitment to authentic experiences and determination to bring fresh ideas for exploring Pakistan. The Wander delivers an exceptional Pakistan experience!
kiki paris / may, 2024