Fall in Colorful Pakistan
Fall in Pakistan – can you say gorgeous? My previous two trips to Pakistan were in May so it was delightful to experience this beautiful country in a different season.
We started in Lahore visiting the Lahore Museum and then my favorite new activity, going to the Wagah Flag Lowering ceremony – oh my, what a HOOT! Normally when the India / Pakistan border is open, every evening at sunset, they perform the ceremony and close the border until morning. The border is closed (for now) but the ceremony still goes on daily. Stadium seating on both sides are filled with their respective citizens and tourists. The Pakistani border guards were very much into the ceremony with animated marching and hand gestures. I called it ‘trash dancing’ as it was so dramatic and entertaining. My guess is the border guards on both sides are friendly and enjoy putting on the daily show. (videos at the bottom) The Wander always takes us to Lahore’s best restaurant, Andaaz, where we dine and listen to Qawali music with a stunning background.
Day two started with a morning food tour where locals eat. As the only vegetarian in the group, every place had a chickpea dish as well as various breads for me and multiple meat dishes for everyone else. Then on to Kushti, otherwise know as mud wrestling which is always entertaining. After watching many of the same athletes for three years, I received a marriage proposal (green card alert) which was a source of amusement amongst our fam group. Wazir Khan is one of my favorite mosques, then on to the Lahore Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Badshahi Mosque.
En route to Islamabad, we did a brief stop at another UNESCO World Heritage, Taxila which is famous for its Buddhist history, then on to watch artists creating Pakistan’s world famous truck art – there’s nothing like it in the world!
We flew to Skardu and stayed at the lovely BR/OQ Hotel with its stunning views, including loo with a view. Weather wasn’t good enough to trek to Marusr Rock but the next morning we climbed the sand dunes in the Sarfaranga desert then onwards to Hunza where there is so much to do: the 1,000 year old historic village of Ganish, Altit Fort, Baltit Fort, CIQAM Women’s collective where 17 women (and 5 men) do amazing woodworking, including all the doors at the new Serena Hotel in Hunza. Lots of hiking, stunning mountain peaks, Passu Cones, Attabad Lake – no trip to Pakistan is complete without spending time in Hunza! This is also where we have a musical performance with local musicians and the shaman who communicates with fairies. Local men danced, our drivers danced, we danced!
Part of the group went to hike Fairy Meadows which I’ve done so I went to Shimshal Valley for a new experience. Considered a challenging drive (however not as intense as Fairy Meadows), it’s incredibly scenic as you drive through the Karakoram mountains. Shimshal is an isolated village where locals built the road over 17 years. Shimshal is known for its mountaineers and in fact one of my trip highlights was meeting Sultana Nasab, the 3rd Pakistani woman to ever summit K2, and most likely the only pregnant woman to summit. We met her baby, Lizna, and husband, Shebaz. In fact we were invited into their home and sat in their kitchen (the warmest place in the house), drank chai and listened to her climbing stories – riveting! She is planning to climb Everest this April and looking for sponsors. It was cold late October in Shimshal Valley and none of the small hotels have heat. The Wander takes up better linens, towels, duvets and hot water bottles for sleeping. While fall is beautiful, I would recommend going in the spring for a more comfortable experience. We did hike to Yazghil Glacier which ended up being about an 8 mile hike with 1300’ elevation gain.
We stopped in Gilgit, went to a polo match where we were invited to sit in the VIP section. I don’t know much about polo but apparently Pakistanis play polo with no rules! This would be my 4th polo match in Pakistan and each one has been very entertaining to watch.
As in my previous two trips, Pakistani peoples are very friendly and welcoming to Westerners. One of my favorite things to do is walk through tourist areas, the markets and ride in tuk-tuks where you get to interact interact with locals. Many want you to take their photos and then want a group photo or selfies with you. All photos were taken with permission – the women asked me to take their photo!
The Wander is family owned / operated and was invited to Pure in 2025 as Pakistan’s luxury DMC. We curate unique experiences to give you a glimpse of everyday life and the UNESCO World Heritage sites in this fascinating country.
kiki / October, 2025
Wagah Flag Ceremony videos are too large to incorporate into this blog. Please download and watch for your enjoyment: