PAKISTAN
The adventure traveller’s must-visit goes from strength to strength
Thwarted by tales of terrorism and
Taliban rule, Pakistan’s tourism industry has been stymied for the past two decades. But
ancient valleys, relaxed visa restrictions and a high-profile royal visit in the offing mean this remarkable country is finally getting the focus it deserves.
Because this is a place of exquisite landscapes, where green spaces are overlooked by towering mountains. In fact, Pakistan has more peaks taller than 22,965ft than China and Nepal combined, making it an almost
magnetic spot for adventure travellers and intrepid hikers. Visitors can follow in Michael
Palin’s steps while traversing the 12,250ft Shandur Pass, home to the world’s highest polo field, or meet with the Kalash people of the
Hindu Kush, famed for their cowrie-shell headdresses and brighter-than-bright embroidery. In Lahore, the sight of 100,000 worshippers crammed into the sandstone 17th-century Badshahi
Mosque will leave you breathless, while Mughal-era architectural masterpieces stand resplendent on bustling street corners.
‘Having operated tours in Pakistan since the late 1990s, I’ve had a ringside seat to its troubled tourism industry, but finally it seems to be improving,’ says Jonny Bealby, founder and CEO of adventure-tour operator
Wild Frontiers. ‘A focus on security measures, which
saw the British FCO lift its advice against travel to large parts of the north, and the election of
Imran Khan, who has vowed to increase international tourist numbers, has already had an
impact,’ he says.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are
also due to visit this Autumn to
witness the magic of the mountains first-hand, while many of the frustrating permits previously required to travel here have been dropped. Hardy visitors will
find that little has changed since Mughal times – with the peaks’ gemstone mines, fairy meadows and winding trails worn into the ground by heavy-laden yaks – while the Karokoram, stretching upwards from the north-west frontier and carved into the
ancient bedrock, is one of the world’s most astonishing highways.
Ref:
The best holiday destinations for 2020 | CN Traveller