{"id":39957,"date":"2023-03-22T18:31:53","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T16:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/?post_type=country&p=39957"},"modified":"2026-07-08T19:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T17:35:15","slug":"pakistan","status":"publish","type":"country","link":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/country\/pakistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you ever decide to go on a trip to Pakistan, I promise you that you will have the adventure of your lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From hitchhiking on tractors and psychedelic trucks to driving over extremely narrow mountain roads built on a cliff 1,500 meters high, soldiers who voluntarily give you their AK-47 for taking a photo, the most striking landscape and the fact that you can camp in the middle of a paradise completely by yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan is, definitely, the ultimate traveling experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For all the practical information, don\u2019t forget to check my Useful tips for traveling to Pakistan<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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need to know for traveling in Pakistan<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Quick facts<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Capital<\/strong>: Islamabad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Population: <\/strong>201 million (6th)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official language:<\/strong> Urdu<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Area<\/strong>: 881,913km\u00b2 (33rd largest country)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Visa<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

You can apply for an e-visa here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of September 2025, the e-visa is free of charge, and it’s issued within a few hours after you apply<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Money<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The official currency is the Pakistani Rupee<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 USD = 280 PKR<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find ATMs in Lahore and Islamabad, but do always bring cash for all your transactions and purchases<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget:<\/strong> starting at $20 a day for budget backpackers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Travel Insurance<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

With its Backpacker plan, IATI Insurance<\/a><\/strong> is the best insurance for any kind of adventurous destination, like Pakistan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GET A QUOTE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Best time to visit<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

May to October is the best season for visiting the northern mountains, with July and August being the best months for high-altitude trekking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter is best for visiting South Pakistan, which is more cultural.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Tours for Pakistan<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Against the Compass has several scheduled expeditions to Pakistan every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 17th to 27th, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Hospitality in Pakistan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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If you have been to Iran<\/a><\/strong> or Sudan<\/a><\/strong> and you found that people were really hospitable, then wait for Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hospitality in this country is what I call incredibly overwhelming. The locals are so hospitable that, after a few weeks, I sometimes preferred to stay in a hotel because it was just too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are likely to receive house and meal invitations every day. The downside is that, in their culture, some Pakistani people can\u2019t understand the element of privacy, so this is something that you have to get used to.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top experiences in Pakistan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Karakoram Highway<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driving the Karakoram Highway<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Trekking and wandering around the valleys<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Shimshal to Astore, north Pakistan is wonderful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Kalash Valleys<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attending a Pagan Festival in the Kalash Valleys.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sufi culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sufi culture of Multan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Read my 1-month Pakistan itinerary<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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tips for Pakistan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Accommodation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In cities, you can find all sorts of hotels. In the Northern Areas, you can find relatively good hotels in the bigger towns, but the more remote you get, the more basic accommodation you will find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FIND YOUR HOTEL HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Getting in<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad have the main international airports, with most connections coming from Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, as well as London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can travel overland from China<\/strong><\/a>, Iran, or India.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Transportation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

You can travel around South Pakistan by train, a heritage from the British colonizers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, you can travel by minibus and coach bus to most cities in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to the road conditions, public transportation in north Pakistan is very slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hitchhiking is easy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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ALL MY ARTICLES ON PAKISTAN<\/h3>\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":40866,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"}},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39957","country","type-country","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country\/39957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/country"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}