Pakistan for International Travellers

Pakistan opened up for travellers in 2019, and the mountain north has been the quiet success story of Asian travel ever since. The visa moved online, the old permit regime for Gilgit-Baltistan was scrapped, and valleys that once needed paperwork and an armed escort now welcome independent visitors. What remains is the planning: the visa, the timing, the altitude, and a security picture that is far better than the headlines suggest but still worth understanding.

This page is the practical brief we give our own guests. As a licensed Pakistani tour operator we can issue the invitation letter that the visa application needs, which for several nationalities is the difference between an approval and a refusal. The rest, the seasons, the safe areas, the cash and connectivity realities of the north, we have laid out plainly below.

For the mountain north, yes, and the gap between reputation and reality is wide. Hunza, Skardu, Gilgit and the Kalash valleys see thousands of foreign visitors a year and record essentially no tourist security incidents; these are among the safest places to travel in South Asia, with a famously warm welcome. The areas that genuinely warrant caution, Balochistan, much of the Afghan border, and the Line of Control in Kashmir, are nowhere near the tourist routes.

One honest caveat shapes how we route trips: several governments advise against road travel on the stretch of the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas, which is the main overland approach to Gilgit-Baltistan. We plan around it, flying Islamabad to Gilgit or Skardu when the weather allows, or using the Babusar Pass bypass in summer, so you skip the flagged section entirely.

The main season for the northern mountains runs May to October. June to August is warmest and gives the fullest access to the high valleys and lakes, at the cost of domestic crowds in the honeypots. Late September into October is the connoisseur's choice: clear skies, golden orchards and thinning crowds. Winter belongs to skiing at Malam Jabba and snow leopard tracking, while most high passes and upper valleys close under snow. Festival travellers should aim for the Kalash spring rites in May or Shandur polo in July.

Carry cash in the north. Card acceptance is thin and ATMs in Gilgit-Baltistan are unreliable, so draw the rupees you will need in Islamabad before you head up. For a local SIM you need your passport and visa and a quick biometric registration; SCOM, sold only in GB, and Jazz give the best signal in the mountains, though any signal vanishes on the higher treks. The gateway airport is Islamabad, and the domestic flights to Gilgit and Skardu are spectacular but weather-dependent and cancel often, which is why every itinerary we run keeps a road plan in reserve.

Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccinations are commonly advised, hepatitis B often added, and because Pakistan remains polio-endemic you may be asked for proof of polio vaccination on exit. Altitude is the real day-to-day health factor on mountain trips: we build in gradual acclimatisation, keep climb rates sensible and watch for symptoms, but you should arrive rested and hydrated. The one non-negotiable is travel insurance that explicitly covers high-altitude trekking and helicopter evacuation. Standard policies exclude both, and in these mountains a helicopter is sometimes the only way down.

Pakistan is a conservative, hospitable country, and a little respect goes a long way. Dress modestly, especially away from the liberal Hunza and Kalash areas; a scarf is useful for women at mosques and in bazaars. Ask before photographing people, and never photograph women without clear permission. Alcohol is restricted and best left alone outside the Kalash valleys, where it is part of local custom. During Ramadan, eat and drink discreetly in daylight. None of this is onerous, and the warmth you get back for observing it is the thing most visitors remember.