Now obviously people have been passing through Pakistan for centuries. We drove down the original Silk Road after all. It facilitated trade between the East and West. Making it the oldest trade route in the world. The history that is seeped into the land of Pakistan is deep and long and beautiful.
However, its recent history can often complicate its status as a tourist destination. Pervez Musharraf seized power in a coup in 1999 and thus the military rule of the country began. After 9/11 Pakistan became a crucial ally to the US with its integral location next to Afghanistan.
This can cause the assumption that Pakistan is not a safe country to travel to. That their attitude specifically towards American’s is hostile. As I write this there was an incident only a week ago in Islamabad of a suicide bombing where 12 people were killed. It was the first attack against civilians in 10 years.
In the USA we experience a mass shooting daily. There are more shootings than days of the year in the United States. Is it any safer to travel to America?
In May of 2025 I was about a week away from heading to Islamabad when India started launching missiles into Pakistan. These countries have a long-standing feud over the Kashmir region. There is consistent fighting over this area.
Why do both countries want to claim the region? Well, it is a long nuanced answer but the short answer is strategic importance, resources like water, and religious reasons (a Muslim majority population yet it has a Hindu ruler). Writing about the Kashmir conflict would be it’s own book and would take far too much time to go into depth over.
Nevertheless, a ceasefire was put in place and I headed to Pakistan. Not bringing any peace of mind to my mother.
Islamabad
This not a city for tourists. Not because it is unsafe or there is anything wrong with it, there just isn’t much to see. It was a great starting point because flights were cheapest for me. Flight choices can be few and far between since this isn’t a country with a tourist volume.
Islamabad was not the original capital so when it was built it was broken up into neighborhoods that now don’t make a lot of sense for a capital city. Everything is very spread out. It is not walkable.
Safety wise I felt fine. No one paid us much mind as we walked around to shops, ate at restaurants and were uaccompanied by a man. This would not be the case in India.
The main sites can be seen in a day. I would recommend two days in Islamabad. Flying in, getting your bearings, working on your jetlag and then heading off to your next destination. One day to see the sights is more than enough.
Main Sites
Shah Faisal Mosque,
Is the 6th largest most in the world and the largest mosque outside of the Middle East. It can hold up to 100,000 people and has a unique architecture that blends traditional Islamic features with a contemporary style. It truly is gorgeous inside and out. A highlight were the hand drawn Koran’s placed throughout the inside of the mosque.
Non-Muslims are welcome to visit the mosque, and the prayer hall is open 24 hours a day. Modest dress is of course required. Women must cover their hair on mosque grounds.
Outside of mosques Pakistan does not require women to have their heads covered. Modest dress is required. Having your shoulders and legs covered. I wore loose fitted t-shirts and pants or long dresses and felt comfortable the whole time.
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Pakistan Monument
Completed in 2006 it was built to symbolize the unity of the people and is dedicated to the people who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence. The four large petals represent the major provinces of Pakistan.
There is also a small historical museum there that explains the history of Pakistan. This is worth a stop the art and architecture are beautiful, and its location offers panoramic views of Islamabad making it excellent for photos.
Saidpur Village
The buildings date back to the 16th century where it showcases a rare blend of Hindus, Muslims, Mughals and Sikhs living and worshipping together in the same community.
Now you can explore these 500-year-old buildings. In the early 2000’s it went thru a revitalization process to attract tourists. Now it has added shops and restaurants as well.
If you enjoy religious history or architecture, it is worth the visit. The tiling and paintings are a mix of the originals and modern additions to keep them vibrant.
And now you are done with Islamabad and can head to the real treat of Pakistan. It’s mountains. Which leads me to the biggest issue with visiting Pakistan.
The Infrastructure
Pakistan is not ready for a tourism boom. Islamabad has a much better airport than Lahore but Lahore would be the city to come visit. If Pakistan wants to catch on like India it would need to accommodate for that in Lahore. Which isn’t the biggest deal but the airport is too small to currently handle an abundance of flights. This can also make it more expensive to fly in and out of.
Pakistan’s roads can be the real issue. We were meant to fly from Islamabad to Skardu. There are loads of flights daily to Skardu but most don’t land due to the location of the airport in the mountains it can make landing quite difficult. I watched the plane try to land four times with no luck. We turned around and went back to Islamabad. Luckily its only a one hour flight.
Google map says 14.5 hours but it takes nearly two days to drive those mountain roads. I can’t even begin to explain the type of anxiety I started to feel as we progressed further into the mountains.
Now these roads offer some of the most stunning scenery you will ever catch a glimpse of. The scenery changes from glaciers, to greenery, to rocky mountains and everything in between. You travel down the original silk road and feel small inside these giant mountain ranges.
But these roads are narrow, with steep drop offs and no railings. The roads look like maybe one and a half cars should be on them but sometimes 2 or 3 cars are trying to get around eachother. They are not paved.
Now lets add the instability of landslides, rockfalls and avalanches which are all common and were happening as we were driving. In order to get there fast we were driving at night which is even more frightening because you can’t see anything. The roads are lit by nothing except your headlights and the lights of other cars.
Not for the faint of heart. Certainly not for me.
Hunza
When you make it all the way into these mountains you must make it to Hunza. High in the Karakoram Mountains is the hippie enclave of Hunza. The slopping, tiny mountain town is made up of just a few main roads and then just endless views.
Part of the original hippie trail Hunza has had its fair share of visitors through out the decades. Making it’s culture a little different then the rest of Pakistan. Maybe what you would call Muslim light. Do they pray to Mecca? Of course, but not always five times a day. Do they drink alcohol? They might not sell it in stores but “Hunza Water”, a sort of bathtub moonshine, is widely accessible in town. What about Marijuana? You can easily find that too.
If you didn’t know Pakistan is a dry country. Unless you are in a western style hotel it is incredibly hard to find alcohol. You have to know someone, who knows someone, who then meets you in a car and hands you a bag of an unknown bottle and you get what you get.
While in Hunza I attended an Eid party and the Hunza Water and weed flowed all night. Water bottle after water bottle filled with this moonshine came into the room. A group of men played traditional music on their instruments as they sat on the floor enjoying a home cooked meal while we danced around them. The western women I came with were the only women in the room.
It was one of the most incredible travel experiences I have ever had. It felt like a peak into someone else’s life. Something you see in a movie about travel. Pakistani people have a welcoming warmth that I have yet to experience anywhere else.
The Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Karakoram
These three mountain ranges meet in Gilgit which is why the Mountains are the real show in Pakistan.
People come for legit mountain climbing. Which isn’t exactly what I do. I love to look at mountains and do light hiking but I am not a trekker. You need permits and gear for some of the real treks. K2 is located in Pakistan and for that you need guides and porters.
There are trekking levels for everyone. If you are interested in doing a day hike or multi days I suggest doing a lot of research for shorter or easier hikes like Baskochi Meadows you can do it on your own without a guide or permits but if you are looking to do more extensive trekking and more challenging hikes then you will need permits and guides are highly recommended.
Lahore
Lahore is the city you want to spend a lot of time in. It has all the alure and history. Lahore is where you can find the markets and speakeasies. The city that stays up and draws you in.
It would be easy to spend a few days here and still not see everything Lahore has to offer.
Although Lahore boasts a population of almost 15 million and the city can be quite congested, I felt at ease the whole time I was there. I was unsure what to expect as a woman traveling around. When I walked around the market no one bothered me or cat called me. Shop keepers greeted me, offering tea. People asked where I was from, it was obvious I was not local. Looking around I was often the only Western tourist in sight. This isn’t to say that Pakistan doesn’t have its fair share of human rights issues when it comes to violence against women. While I was there a prominent Tiktok influencer, Sana Yousaf, was brutally murdered in her home by a man who couldn’t take the rejection of her friendship.
This isn’t significant to Pakistan. Woman everywhere face this kind of violence from men when they don’t return their feelings or sometimes for simply existing.
Yousaf used her platform to promote her Chitrali culture and female empowerment specifically education. She herself was pursuing a career in medicine.
Spending at least three days in Lahore would be recommended, if you want to take your time I would advise more like five. There is a lot to see and do.
The Walled City could take days alone to explore. This is the core of the historic center of the city. The seat of the Mughal and Sikh empires. It is narrow winding streets and giant centuries old gates which only 6 of the original 13 remain.
There are a few notable monuments to see like the Wazir Khan Mosque and the Shahi Hammam bathhouses. I had a guide and I recommend either going on a tour or joining a day tour in order to get the most out of your time. It is a great look into the past and how the current culture of Pakistan came about.
The Lahore Fort is a sprawling UNESCO world heritage site. This is a half day experience as well. I also recommend joining a tour to get the full experience and information. If you go in the summer go as early or as late in the evening as you can. We went in the middle of the day and It was nearly 115 degrees. You have to take your shoes off and parts of the ground were so hot they were spraying water just so you could walk on it.
Pro tip: ALWAYS CARRY WATER ON YOU. I daily felt like I was going to pass out.
One of the most remarkable parts of the fort is the Sheesh Mahal or Palace of Mirrors. Built by Shah Jahan in 1632 the mirror mosaics and stone inlays reflect light in a way to create a starry effect. It really is quite something to see.
Wagah Border Ceremony
This is a daily military practice at the border of India and Pakistan that anyone can come down and watch. It is a choreographed routine between both sides that is quite a spectacle and worth going to see. Plus, it is a free event.
It feels like a sporting event the way both sides cheer and the energy is very high. There are vendors selling flags and snacks. You sit on bleachers just like at a game.
I really do think now is the time to go to Pakistan when it is still relatively undiscovered. Many destinations have stigmas attached to them but being there is nothing like going and seeing for yourself before passing judgement. Although I travel more often than most I still find myself getting caught up in pre conceived ideas of places. Then I challenge myself by showing up and being rewarded with remarkable experiences, welcoming people and learning something new.
The world can be a scary place if you want it to be. But it can also be an incredible place. Most people don’t want to hurt you, they want exactly what you want. Just to be.
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