This article is for people who plan to go to Pakistan by themselves and are interested in much more detail how we made it and what challenges appeared on the way. Credit for all good advises goes to Adriano.

For our photo album and general trip experience, please read Pakistan. A magical place by Inga.

Safety

First important note – be aware that most foreign travel advice is out-of-date and contains imprecise information. Don’t let it discourage you. Probably most governments keep warning against travel in Pakistan just because all other governments do, and they don’t want to take responsibility and let their citizens travel to a Muslim country they don’t know much about.

The only impartial travel advice is the UK website. I still think that it’s a little exaggerated, but at least the information provided is correct and up-to-date.

The reality is that, except for the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Area), the rest of Pakistan is mostly safe for travel. I say “mostly” because Pakistan is a big and diverse country, and the situation differs from area to area. It also depends on what kind of traveller you are and what your standards of safety are. Many parts of the country are as safe as Europe, but others are controversial.

I suggest personally collecting information about the zone you are going to visit, try to learn a little about it and see if there have been any recent terrorist attacks. A very good source of information is this database of all terrorist attacks in Asia.

Don’t trust foreign travel advice, but neither trust travellers who have just been there and say everything is perfect, because they might be more experienced than you and have different safety standards; what they call safe may not correspond to your idea of safe.

Safety in Northern Areas

Specifically, my research has been focused on the northern areas (Gilgit-Baltistan, Karakoram Highway, Chitral district, Khagan Valley, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir).

Personally, I consider a place “safe” if the risk of being killed – harmed – kidnapped is the same as being killed – injured in the subway in London. Within this parameter, all the northern areas of Pakistan are safe.

The following zones have never seen any violence :

• Gilgit-Baltistan except for the Diamer district (this region is inhabited by a lot of different ethnicities, all belonging to the Shia minority; keep in mind that most troubles in Pakistan have been caused by the Sunni and Taliban)
• Azad Kashmir (this region is super-controlled by the army, never any trouble there)
• Khagan Valley (it’s a main tourist hotspot for Pakistanis from Islamabad – Lahore – Karachi, isolated from the rest of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa).

The following zones have seen some violence in the past but are now safe:

In the Kalash Valleys (Chitral) a Greek social worker was kidnapped in 2009 and released after a few months. Except for this incident, nothing has ever happened in Chitral, in spite of its proximity to the Afghan border, because the region is enclosed by mountains and very well controlled by the army.

• In the Diamer district and the southern part of the Karakoram Highway, there have been three major terrorist attacks between 2012 and 2013: two sectarian attacks on buses taking Shia home to the north from Islamabad, and one attack that targeted tourists in Nanga Parbat base camp. Then a minor attack in 2014 (a bomb placed on the bridge on the Gilgit–Skardu road that killed three people). That is it. That is the totality of terrorism-related episodes that involved the southern part of the Karakoram Highway; the total amount of deaths in the four attacks was 57, going as far back in the archives as I could, and no violence has been registered in the last three years. Now, compare this number with the number of people killed in Europe in the last few years, and reflect on what is the ACTUAL probability of being involved in a terrorist attack in Northern Pakistan.

A general fact that should be taken into consideration about northern Pakistan: first, you have to remember that we are talking about a region with very few rough roads, surrounded by mountains, and very easy to control by the army. This is why, even when other parts of Pakistan were troubled, the mountains remained isolated and peaceful. Second, the safety situation generally in Pakistan has improved dramatically over the last years, thanks to the generous funds received by the army from the Chinese and US governments to make the country safe. If you look at the statistics, even in the FATA there are fewer attacks now than in the past, which might make you think the tribal area is slowly becoming safe.

Last thought: please don’t confuse the Taliban with the Pankhtu people who live in Chilas and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The Taliban is a political movement, not an ethnic group. Pankhtu people are super-friendly and very nice. It’s an exciting experience to talk with them, as it’s the only way we have to get in contact with Afghan-like culture since currently Afghanistan is too dangerous to visit.

Arrival

We travelled to Pakistan overland, taking a bus to cross the Khunjerab Pass, the highest international border crossing in the world (altitude 4693 metres). It was not easy to collect all the information to arrange this transfer smoothly and efficiently. We had just one week in Pakistan and did not want to waste a single day. We hope that this detailed story will help you to arrange your own trip.

From Kashgar (China) to Sost (Pakistan)

First, you have to reach Tashkurgan. There is no direct bus from Kashgar to Sost, at least not anymore. To reach Tashkurgan from Kashgar, you have to go early in the morning to the bus station in Tashkurgan, which is not the one marked on Wikitravel. It’s located exactly here .You can walk from downtown; it’s 2km from there.

The station consists of a closed gate on the main road from which the bus exits. You have to wait outside the station at the bus parking, and the officers will start selling tickets just before departure. The bus costs 60 Chinese Yuan (CNY); there should be two of them, one at 8 am and another one at noon, but it’s a bit confusing with the double Urumqi – Beijing time, so just be there early in the morning.

The second option is to use a private shared car, that is much, much faster than the bus and it’s available at all times. Private cars take 4 passengers paying 120 CNY each; they wait outside the bus terminal, and they leave when they have enough passengers.

Another option, probably the best if it’s the first time you’re visiting the mountains, is to arrange a private car with other tourists in one of the two main hostels in the city centre. The cost is still 120 CNY each, but the difference is that the car will stop in tourist hot spots for you. To arrange this, you have to find other people to go with you, which is not always easy. Anyway, even if you use the bus or a shared car, you’ll still see a lot of the beautiful landscape, as it’s all visible from the main road.

Karakul lake

Are there any limitations on or restriction of movement?

This was something that worried me a lot because of the lack of information. The answer is no. Currently, the only thing forbidden is to stay overnight in the Tajik yurts close to Karakul Lake. Everything else is allowed, you can go to Tashkurgan and stay there for as many days as you wish, and there are even tours up to the Khunjerab Pass and back. Of course, the area is sensitive to the Chinese government, due to the Tajik minority and the proximity to the Afghan border, so in theory, there might be unexpected restrictions in the future. But in my experience, after having been there myself, whatever restriction is put in place, nobody will ever block you if you have a Pakistani visa and want to cross to Sost. This border is crossed by many Pakistanis who have a business in China. Actually, residents of the Upper Hunza Valley have visa-free access to Xinjiang, and they can stay there for up to six months.

Of course, there are passport controls and checkpoints on the road to Tashkurgan, but unless you are doing weird things (like travelling by bike), you’ll be fine. If you have problems of communication at the checkpoints, seek the help of foreigners (Pakistanis usually speak both Chinese and English, while Tajiks speak both Chinese and Russian).

In Tashkurgan you can stay in the famous hostel, it’s still there even if it’s not on hostelworld.com anymore. A very good place is also the K2 Hot Spring hotel on the other side of the square, high quality and very cheap. We booked it on CTrip and paid 230 CNY for one night – if you are a couple it’s a very good option – and you can still go to the hostel for a beer.

Walking outside Tashkurgan

From Tashkurgan to Sost

You have to purchase the ticket the same morning you travel. They start selling tickets between 9am and 10am Beijing time in the office that is located on the road parallel to the main square (ask in the hostel, they’ll tell you precisely where).

After buying the ticket, you have to take a taxi to the douane, which takes 5 minutes, and costs 10 CNY. You complete the formalities, they stamp your passport and then you are ready to go.

 

What can go wrong?

Many people had warned me that it would be insane trying to cross this border with so little time, because so many things could go wrong. Afterwards, I don’t think it was so insane, but let me make a list of things that could go wrong and you’ll see that, if you organize things correctly, you should be able to cross the border exactly when you want, and in the worst case you might have to wait no more than two to three days.

• The Chinese government restricts the area to foreigners; this is definitely possible, but I think it’s very unlikely it will affect people with a Pakistani visa wanting to cross the border
• The bus doesn’t leave for lack of passengers; I don’t think this is likely to happen during summer, because I have seen many Pakistani businessmen crossing the border regularly
• The bus is full; this is not going to happen because the buses are provided by the Chinese government, and if there are too many people to fit on one bus they arrange a second
• The border is closed; be careful about this, because the border is closed on Saturdays and Sundays, so if you go from Kashgar to Tashkurgan on a Friday you won’t be able to cross the following day. The border is also closed during Pakistani public holidays, so be aware that at the end of August/beginning of September there is a long holiday of four days (Eid). Needless to say, the border is closed during winter
• Landfalls are blocking the road; this is the only real risk, but unless it’s The Landfall of the year, it will probably be fixed in a couple of days by the efficient Chinese.

Chipurson Valley

Unlike Shimshal valley, this one can be visited in one day starting from and returning to Sost. If you want to do that you have to arrange a private driver, because with public transport you will never make it in the same day (there is public transport to go to each lateral valley, also Shimshal).

We hired a guy called Karim, who is from Chipurson Valley. He knew a lot of families in the valley, invited us to four local houses, and he also obtained permission for us to reach the bottom of Irshad Pass (the border to Afghanistan) which lies in a military area. You can even reach the top of the pass, but you have to arrange it a couple of days in advance.

The contact number for Karim is (+92) 03155408455 / (+92) 05813430162.

Of course, if you are in Sost you can ask the locals and eventually find a driver even if you hadn’t arranged anything in advance We are sharing Karim’s contact number because he was very nice to us and we hope he’ll get some business.

Another very useful person I want to mention is Alam Jan Dario (http://www.pamirtrails.com/about-us.html, pamirtrails@gmail.com) who is the only “policeman” in the valley. He is a bottomless source of useful and interesting information about the valley. He can get permits to reach the top of Irshad Pass. He knows everything about the hikes you can do. He owns a small homestead in the last village of the valley (really nice and charming, if we had had more time we would have been glad to stay there for a week).

Alam claims to be the only person with an internet connection in Chipurson alley. Try writing him an email to get some more information.

Regards safety, don’t be scared of the proximity of the Afghan border, because:

(1) On the other side of the border is the Whakan Corridor that is inhabited by Kyrgyz nomads, is really far from “mainland” Afghanistan and has never seen any Taliban

(2) The Pakistani army patrols the top of the Irshad Pass, just in case

(3) Voices say that even the Chinese army is present to safeguard parts of the Whakan Corridor.

Other useful information

It’s a shame we didn’t have time to visit Shimshal Valley, it seems very interesting; the road to go there is probably the scariest road in the world, the local people built it themselves because of lack of funds from the government.

If you visit Naran in Khagan Valley, absolutely don’t go to Saiful Malook Lake, as it’s a tourist scam (the only one we found on our trip). Naran is very nice with large open-air restaurants, so just spend time enjoying the city and chatting with the many tourists from Karachi and Islamabad. Upper Khagan valley (between Naran and Babusar Pass) is wonderful, and south of Naran , also Shogrun is very nice (but expensive– the cheapest room costs USD 50 a night).

Upper Khagan valley

Communication with locals

When talking to locals, show them friendliness in an evident way; smile, hold their hands with both hands. Pakistanis treat you as if you were their relative, and if you treat them the same way you’ll always have rewarding experiences.

Most people speak English.

Can you travel on your own, or is it better to use a travel agency?

If you just want to travel around and do regular hikes you can go on your own without any hassle at all. If you want to do long multiple-day hikes, such as K2 base camp or similar, in that case I suggest using a company so you can relax.

I suggest Vertical Explorers, a company we have used for a small guided tour of Khagan Valley, and we have met other travellers in Islamabad who had just returned from K2 base camp with the same company. They are the cheapest company out there, and they seem to be very well organised.

By the way,Vertical Explorers  claim to be able to obtain visitor permits for Neelam Valley in Azad Kashmir. I’ve read  many times that Neelam Valley is wonderful but apparently forbidden to foreigners (due to the proximity to the Indian border). However, when I spoke with Vertical Explorers, they claimed that they had just taken a group of South Africans to Neelam Valley.

Visa

Almost everybody needs a visa to enter Pakistan. Difficulty in obtaining one varies a lot from country to country.  From our experience, it is not complicated in Rome (Italy), as letters of invitation were not requested.

Flights

We took a Turkish Airlines flight from Islamabad to Rome. Be patient with Islamabad airport and arrive a long time in advance. It is incredibly slow.

Turkish Airlines were fantastic. Their service is superior as always. They offered two options of a fast connection or a half-day stopover in Istanbul when going to Rome. It was a great opportunity for us to walk in Istanbul for half a day on the last day of our vacation.

Hotels

Pine Park Shogran hotel in Shogran town

The average price was 500–1500 Rupees for the local standard, and 1500–3000 Rupees for the western standard double room. Quality varies greatly from hotel to hotel. During our travels in 2017, 1USD = 100 Rupees, (1 EUR = 125 Rupees).

We can recommend:

Shisper View Hotel in Passu Town.

Hotel de Manchi in Naran

Pine Park Shogran in Shogran Town

Public transport

From Karimabad to the south there is plenty of public transport, and it is very cheap.

The Upper Hunza Valley is more challenging. There is maybe just one car (public transport) per day and you have to find where and when it stops, or another way is to look for a private driver to take you.

In order to get to the outer valleys (key tourist interest points) such as Shimshal, Chipurson, and Naltar Valley by public transport, you should confirm the town at the starting point of the chosen valley and ask at the hotel when there may be a passing jeep. There is one each day. You should plan to stay in the valley overnight as it is likely there will be no transport to return the same day. It is possible to find simple guest houses on the way.

Money

The local currency is the Pakistan rupee (PKR). In North Pakistan, there are no ATMs. When coming from China, you can change Chinese Yuan at the customs office in Sost.

From Karimabad towards the south, there are ATMs everywhere, and you can change various currencies in the banks. The best exchange rate is usually offered for US Dollars.

During our travels in 2017, 1USD = 100 PKR (1 EUR = 125 PKR).

Travel insurance

We recommend Patriot America insurance at IMG Global. Adriano has been loyal customer of this company for the last eight years and his feedback is only positive.

Budget

Average cost per day: 20 EUR per person. This includes hotel (when travelling as a couple), food and public transport; but does not include private driver and guides.

• Hotels cost 12–25 EUR for a double room in western standard three-star hotels (with en-suite bathroom). Quality varies from hotel to hotel.
• Food in restaurants was around 4 EUR per person per meal.

Private driver with a car – around 80 EUR per day per person.

Flight Islamabad–Rome, 400 EUR.

Travel insurance around 10 EUR per day.

Visa 32 EUR in Italy. 132 GBP in the UK (plus 60 USD for invitation letter, which is requested in the UK).

Bus crossing from China to the Pakistan border was very cheap (10–20 EUR/person).

Recommended books

KIM by Rudyard Kipling

English edition

Italian edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOST HORIZON by James Hilton

English edition

Italian edition

 

 

 

 

 

THE GREAT GAME by Peter Hopkirk

English edition

Italian edition