Tour Guide, Hunza, Pakistan
| 6 mins read
How to get a Visa?
Visa length – Officially, you can get a visa for up to 3 months. The application says that you can get up to 12 months, but so far, there aren’t any reports from tourists who have been able to get one.
Multi-entry – You can also apply for a multi-entry visa valid for up to 1 year.
Price – I believe it depends on nationality and the length of your trip, but I hold a Spanish passport, and a single entry 2-month visa costs me 35 USD. Then, I tried to apply for a multi-entry visa, and it cost 52 USD.
Letter of Invitation – For most nationalities, an LOI is required for the visa application. Alternatively, the system also allows you to upload a hotel booking confirmation (instead of the LOI), but usually, they will reject it and tell you to upload an LOI, which you should get through a local tour operator.
After submitting your application, your embassy has the right to call you for an interview, which means that you would need to be in your home country. However, this only happens in rare cases.
How to make a visa extension
Would you like to spend more time in Pakistan? No problem.
Extending your visa while travelling in Pakistan used to be a confusing process, as everybody has different experiences and rules were constantly changing but, finally, you can get your visa extension through the regular e-visa portal, as long as you are already in Pakistan and possession of an e-visa.
If you travel to Pakistan with a regular visa, you can only extend it at the passport office of any major city, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Gilgit, and Skardu, but apparently, the easiest place is Lahore.
Travel insurance for travelling in Pakistan
DO GET proper travel insurance.
For Pakistan, IATI is the best because:
All types of plans for all budgets
One of the few that covers travel in Pakistan
It provides coverage for many adventure activities, including high-altitude trekking
Full COVID-19 coverage
Readers of this blog can get a 5% exclusive discount
Best time to visit Pakistan
Winter is the best time to visit the southern part of the country, especially Sindh province. Those lands may not have the mountains Pakistan is famous for, but this is the most religiously diverse region in Pakistan.
Summer(The best season for visiting the Northern Areas, especially if you like trekking in high-altitude mountains.)
Spring & Autumn travel to Pakistan in early spring, late autumn, the mountains may not be that accessible.
How to visit Pakistan
How to travel to Pakistan by air: Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad have international airports connecting with many Middle Eastern cities, especially Doha
How to travel to Pakistan by land
Pakistan shares a border with Iran, Afghanistan, India, and China. You can’t use the Afghan border to cross, but the rest are open:
China – The highest border crossing in the world. Read my report.
India – An easy one, despite the diplomatic relationship between both countries. Read this report
Iran – It goes through Baluchistan, and it is quite an adventure
What’s it like to travel in Pakistan today
Before 9/11, Pakistan used to be a tourist country.
Well, not that touristic, but its breathtaking mountains were a popular stopover for backpackers going along the famous Hippie Trail.
In fact, in the Northern Areas, you can find a few backpacker hostels, which somehow are the remains of what used to be a popular destination for intrepid backpackers.
The 9/11 attacks, however, along with a big bunch of unfortunate events, usually involving Taliban activity and loads of violence, put an end to the emerging tourism industry.
Cultural behaviour and facts when travelling in Pakistan
Remember, you are the guest
People tend to say that, in Iran, Sudan and Iraqi Kurdistan, you find the most hospitable people in the world. Well, clearly, they haven’t visited Pakistan. Whereas it’s true that these countries are very hospitable, Pakistanis bring it to the next level. In this country, you are the guest, which means that the locals strive for you to have the best possible time in their country or region.
Pakistan is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse countries
From the South Asian-looking people of Punjab and Sindh to the people of the Pashtun areas, closer to Iran or Afghanistan, the pagan culture of Kalash, the Shias from Gilgit and Nagar; the Ismailis of lower Hunza and the Wakhis (and also Ismailis) of upper Hunza. Travelling in Pakistan is like travelling in several different tiny countries. It’s fascinating.
The hospitality can even be overwhelming
During your trip to Pakistan, you’ll be invited for lunch, dinner, and even to stay at people’s houses so many times that, on many occasions, you will have to refuse.
After your refusal, they will insist once again, over and over. They will also insist on carrying your bag and offering you food one hundred times even if you say that you are full. These are their cultural rules, and you are the guest.
So overwhelming, but just don’t get angry
One day, some random men whom I had never seen before came to my hotel at 7:30 am in the morning, knocking at the door of my room, waking me up from a very good sleep.
Apparently, they heard that there was a foreigner in the village, so they just wanted to hang out with me. I got a little bit angry and continued sleeping, but then I kind of felt bad, as all they wanted was to show me around the village.
Paying for meals
For some reason, Pakistanis always want to pay for your meals to the extent that it gets awkward. I personally didn’t like it, especially when I could see that the local people didn’t have much money. If possible, try to back them up.
Wearing a Shalwar Kameez
The traditional Pakistani dress, which 80% or 90% of Pakistanis wear, is called shalwar kameez. Should you wear it? It’s not compulsory, but if you do, the locals will really appreciate it, especially in the Pashtun areas.
Pakistan is not dangerous, but you should be cautious.
You might have read from other blogs that Pakistan is one of the safest countries in the world. Personally, I wouldn’t say that. Whereas I think that Pakistan is not a dangerous country, in some areas, it’s better to be cautious, especially in the region bordering Afghanistan.
Police are there to help you
Throughout your Pakistan travels you’ll be continuously interrogated by dozens of different policemen and people from the army. Who are you? Why are you here? Where are you going? Unlike in other countries, in Pakistan, the police and military are pretty cool, and, for your own security, they are commanded to ask you these questions.
Women travelling solo is more common and safer than you think
Women say wonderful things about their experiences during their journeys through Pakistan, but they also say that this is a particularly challenging destination, home to a very conservative, patriarchal society who don’t really know how to deal with foreign women.