Traveling Hints

Travel Within Pakistan

Safety

Is it safe to travel in Pakistan?
by Jill Worrall
New Zealand travel editor and writer

Common wealth Press Award finalist 1999 Multi travel award winner 1997-99
No country can totally guarantee the safety of its visitors - New Zealand can't, Pakistan can't. But the reality is that travel in Pakistan is much safer than Western media reports might suggest. Watch television news and the impression can be of nationwide violence and unrest - travel through Pakistan and the impression is quite different. Sure, you will see more guns than you do in New Zealand and some other western nations. But even though my last visit was during a potentially volatile time for Pakistani politics I saw nothing to make me even the slightest bit afraid for my safety. All travel comes with some element of risk - whether it be travel to another country or down to the road to the supermarket. Certainly Pakistan has its hotspots at times and there are some volatile people living there but this could be said of many other countries. Does anyone, for example, think twice about traveling to the United States despite the number of gun massacres there? Or how many people seriously thought about not visiting London during the times of IRA bombings? I would think very few. The question of travel to Pakistan deserves to be treated in the same rational logical way people weigh up the risks of traveling anywhere. And one of the main factors in weighing up Pakistan as a destination is that tourists are not targets of violence. On the contrary they are welcomed and in my experience, looked after exceptionally well. Visitors to Pakistan, are, almost without fail treated with kindness, respect and incredible hospitality. If you take sensible precautions (small group travel, especially for women is a good idea) respect local customs of behavior and dress, the rewards from travel to this exciting, beautiful, culturally rich and diverse nation will be stay with you forever.

Air:

Pakistan’s national carrier, PIA serves 38 domestic airports with scheduled connections, including multiple daily flights between major cities of Karachi, Quetta, Multan, Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar. Few private airlines, Shaheen, Aero Asia and Bhoja also serve Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Islamabad.

PIA has daily flights linking the northern tourist regions of Gilgit, Skardu and Saidu Sharif with Islamabad and Chitral with Peshawar. There is a weekly Air Safari over the northern mountains, leaving every Saturday from Islamabad. All flights to the northern regions are subject to good weather. w

Road:

Pakistan has an extensive network of roads and highways, linking every big and large town with each other. There are several highway like the Grand Trunk Road (G.T. Road) and newly built Motorway between Lahore & Islamabad. Super Highway and National Highway linking Karachi with interior of Sindh and Punjab. Indus Highway linking Peshawar with the Southern Punjab, RCD Highway linking Karachi with Quetta and on to Taftan (Pak-Iran border) and the Karakoram Highway joining Islamabad with Kashgar (China) through Abbottabad, Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab Pass. A landmark has been achieved with the completion of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway, which has opened the remote area of the Salt Range for visitors. New projects of Motorways are under construction, i.e., Islamabad-Peshawar, Faisalabad-Pindi Bhatian and Karachi-Hyderabad etc.
You will find all types public transport in Pakistan. Coasters & hi-ace vans, taxis, auto-rickshaws, vans, tongas (horse & carriage) and mini-buses are used for travelling within the city/town/village limits whereas air-conditioned, non air-conditioned and deluxe types of buses, vans and coaches regularly ply between major cities and tourist destinations.

Train:

Pakistan has over 12,700 kilometers of railways,. Main line runs from Karachi to Peshawar connecting important tourist places like Moenjodaro, Sukkur, Bahawalpur, Multan, Lahore, Rawalpindi/ Islamabad, Taxila and Peshawar. Another main line links Quetta with the rest of the country. There are several daily trains running on these lines, however, the faster trains like Shalimar Express & night coach (Lahore-Karachi) and Rail-car (Lahore-Rawalpindi) have more comfortable air-conditioned compartments for travellers.
Health Information:
Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is required for travellers arriving from endemic zone. Vaccination against Cholera, hepatitis, typhoid and polio is recommended. Malaria risk exists in Pakistan throughout the year in areas below 2000 m. Chloroquine resistant P.falciparum is also reported. All foreigners coming to stay in Pakistan for over one year, require AIDs-free certificate.


WHERE TO STAY?

Hotels:

Pakistan offers a wide range of accommodation. Modern, well equipped chain hotels are:
Sheraton and Avari (at Karachi & Lahore)
Pearl Continental Hotels (at Lahore, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Bhurban and Abbottabad)
Marriott (Karachi & Islamabad)
Holiday Inn (Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Islamabad)
Serena Hotels (Faisalabad, Quetta, Gilgit, Hunza and Saidu Sharif)
Pine Park Hotels (Balakot, Naran, Khannian & Shogran)
Green Hotels (Nathiagali, Abbottabad, Peshawar)
Shangrila Resorts & Hotels (Naran, Chilas, Skardu)
All these properties offer good services and facilities. A government tax/duty up to 20.5% is added to the services at most hotels, except Northern Areas. There are official Dak Bungalows and Rest Houses at most of the hill stations and valleys, maintained by either Provincial Forest Department, Public Works Department (PWD) or by the local administration. Advance booking is strongly recommended.

Most major towns and all tourist attrations offer accommodation facilities ranging from the basic to good standard.

PTDC Hotels & Motels:

Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) operates 02 hotels and 22 well furnished, moderately priced motels located through out Pakistan. For bookings in

WHAT TO BUY?
Pakistan is a treasure house of exquisite handicrafts, made by a people who grew up to weave, to pot, to work metals, wood and stone, to decorate, to build things small and great. Pottery here is a living history, a traditional craft that became an art, with its origins going back to 9,000 years B.C. Today, each region of Pakistan claims its own special jars and jugs, from sturdy terra-cotta to paper-thin ceramics. In vivid colours of mustard yellow, deep green, brick red and sky blue. For those keen on shopping, the prices are still quite reasonable. You will find yourself returning home with hand-woven carpets, marble pieces, copper and brass items, woodwork, embroidered “Kurtas” and “Khussas” and countless objects d’art.

WHAT TO EAT?

Having inherited the culinary traditions of the Moghuls, the Turks, the Central Asians and the Iranians, eating out in Pakistan is a rich and unique experience. Most local restaurants serve authentic Pakistani dishes straight from the oven, with the sights and sounds of a bazaar in the background. Meat, fish and vegetable dishes are seasoned with spices. Particularly palatable are the grills and barbecues; Seekh-Kabab (minced meat grilled on skewer), Shami-Kabab (minced meat), Tikka (barbecued mutton, beef or chicken) and Sajji (barbecued leg of lamb). Pakistani mutton and chicken curries and the oriental rice dish called, Pullao, are also popular with natives and foreigners alike.

Import/Availability of Liquor

Import of liquor is not allowed, however, if somebody brings in some quantity by mistake, he/she should declare it to the Customs Officer who shall detain the liquor against a receipt and return to the tourist on his/her departure from Pakistan. Non-Muslim foreign tourists can purchase liquor from an authorized vendor in Pakistan (usually a 5 or 4 star hotel) against a permit. This permit can be obtained from the Excise and Taxation Officer of the respective area. Hotels having a liquor vending license can also sell liquor to non-Muslim foreign tourists staying in the hotel. Please note that drinking at public places is prohibited.

Import of Tourist Vehicles

A tourist may import a motor vehicle without duty under a Carnet-de-passage en dounne for period of 3 months against an undertaking before the Customs Officer at entry point that he/she will not transfer the ownership of the vehicle during his/her stay in Pakistan.

Currency Regulations

There are no restrictions on import of any foreign currency in any quantity. Un-spent balance of Pakistani rupees can be re-converted at the time of departure from the banks at exit points or from any authorized money changers at any city.