Best time to visit Pakistan
Few westerners have shared winter solstice celebrations with the pagan Kalash people. Fewer have seen a snow leopard. The gods were looking after us – we saw both.
The elevation of northern Pakistan, where most holidays occur, mean that travel is influenced by snow. The best time to go to Pakistan is May-Oct. Cities can hit over 40°C in midsummer, as can the Chitral Valley; while the Hunza Valley might dip below 20°C at the same time. Most trips reach over 3,000m, so have fleeces ready. Shandur Pass, for example, can see snow in July. You’ll need many layers for the Kalash Winter Solstice Festival but, as visitors are rare, you will be well wrapped in the warmth of their welcome. And wine.
Pakistan Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
5
20
21
FEB
8
22
23
MAR
14
27
36
APR
19
34
17
MAY
23
39
19
JUN
27
40
35
JUL
27
36
203
AUG
26
35
167
SEP
24
35
73
OCT
18
33
11
NOV
11
27
5
DEC
6
21
13
Our Pakistan Holidays
Pakistan holiday, Summer Mountain Explorer
See some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth
From
£3395 to £3475
21 days
ex flights
Karakoram Highway holiday
Journey the Southern branch of the Silk Road
From
£4615
21 days
ex flights
Northern Pakistan holiday
Dramatic landscapes and unique traditional cultures
From
£2499 to £2699
16 days
ex flights
Concordia and K2 trekking holiday in Pakistan
One of the world’s most stunning mountain treks
From
£3599 to £3849
22 days
inc UK flights
Pakistan tour, Indus Valley explorer
Vast deserts, ancient civilisations and Indus River Dolphins
From
£2875
16 days
ex flights
Northern Pakistan overland tour
Visit this little travelled area of Northern Pakistan
From
£2545
21 days
ex flights
Pakistan holidays
Experience the spectacular scenery of the Hindu Kush
From
£2795
16 days
ex flights
Pakistan tour, small group
Visit this amazing and little travelled area of Southern Pakistan
From
£1995
17 days
ex flights
Northern Pakistan tour, small group
Get off the beaten track with jaw dropping vistas down nail biting roads!
From
£1785
15 days
ex flights
Pakistan holiday, Kalash winter solstice
Experience the Kalash winter solstice festival in Pakistan
From
£2145
11 days
ex flights
Central Asia holiday, Kyrgyzstan, China & Pakistan
Trip of a life time through Kyrgyzstan, China & Pakistan
From
£5015
21 days
ex flights
Pakistan food tour in Baltistan with Sumayya Usmani
Pakistan food tour with international published food writer
From
£3495
14 days
ex flights
Things to do and not to do in pakistan
Things to do in Pakistan…
Things not to do in Pakistan…
Our top Pakistan Holiday
Pakistan holiday, Summer Mountain Explorer
See some of the most breathtaking scenery on earth
From
£3395 to £3475
21 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2019: 25 Jun, 6 Aug
2019: 25 Jun, 6 Aug
Helpdesk
Hello. If you'd like to chat about Pakistan or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help. Rosy & team.
Pakistan travel advice
Tips on what to expect
Tips on what to expect
Jonny Bealby from our leading Pakistan holidays supplier, Wild Frontiers, named after Pakistan’s North West Frontier:
“One thing that surprises people is that there are very good quality hotels. Particularly in the Skardu area, there are two exceptional, palace style boutique hotels. What people forget is that if you go back to the early 1990s there was a large tourist population throughout the summer. And indeed, when I started running trips there, I had to book hotels and experiences a year in advance. Travelling between Chitral and Gilgit, you would find rafting parties, trekking parties, mountain bikers, horse riders, even people paragliding. You name it. I am not talking mass tourism, but large numbers of adventure tourists. But since the troubles and 9/11, it has really dried up. So, the brilliant thing about travelling in northern Pakistan at the moment is that you have all these wonderful experiences to yourself. And as a consequence, travellers feel more special and the people you are meeting haven’t been in any way changed by tourism.”
“One thing that surprises people is that there are very good quality hotels. Particularly in the Skardu area, there are two exceptional, palace style boutique hotels. What people forget is that if you go back to the early 1990s there was a large tourist population throughout the summer. And indeed, when I started running trips there, I had to book hotels and experiences a year in advance. Travelling between Chitral and Gilgit, you would find rafting parties, trekking parties, mountain bikers, horse riders, even people paragliding. You name it. I am not talking mass tourism, but large numbers of adventure tourists. But since the troubles and 9/11, it has really dried up. So, the brilliant thing about travelling in northern Pakistan at the moment is that you have all these wonderful experiences to yourself. And as a consequence, travellers feel more special and the people you are meeting haven’t been in any way changed by tourism.”
“Everyone who goes to Pakistan, the word that always comes back is ‘surprise’. Everyone is always surprised by how hospitable, how friendly and – I know it is a bit of a cliché – at just how welcomed you are made to feel by the Pakistanis. I think there is a sense of gratitude that you are going to their country and treating them normally. And experiencing their country and going home with good stories about it. And they’ll possibly come up to you and say, ‘wow, thank you for visiting, you are very welcome.”
Cultural tip
Cultural tip
“Pakistan is where our company started. I wrote a book about it, and it was from that book that I started the company. Wild Frontiers is named after the North West Frontier, which is the province that runs along the Afghan border. I even have a small log cabin in the Kalash Valley and I go up there every year. One of the big draws that people don’t know too much about here is the pagan tribe the Kalash, and we usually spend three days with them on most of our trips. It’s an extraordinary phenomenon that they are still around, really. And one of the main reasons why I started in the travel business.”
Tips from our fellow Pakistan customers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful tips on Pakistan's highlights that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday.
We have selected some of the most useful tips on Pakistan's highlights that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday.
...the food is great and not overly spicy... 8 out of 10, nothing wrong with that, the street food is particularly good, sometimes not a big range to choose from, but for isolated regions it is good...
– Jim Troy
“Think about what you want before you are there. In this fantastic environment, you can also white water raft, trek, climb, mountaineer... 4 wheel drive etc. I was more than content with the cultural touring, some walking/trekking, however there is so much more there if you are younger and more active than me. Because it is so beautiful and unique you need to plan the other activities in advance. There is no security problem, the food is great and not overly spicy, accommodation is good. I rate it - For beauty 10 out of10. For hospitality and friendliness 10 out of 10. For adventure 9 out of 10, (I took it easy..), could be 11 out of 10 with minimal effort. Comfort, 9 out of 10. Food 8 out of 10, nothing wrong with that, the street food is particularly good, sometimes not a big range to choose from, but for isolated regions it is good. Safety, 10 out of 10!” – Jim Troy
More about Pakistan
Pakistan is profound. It takes someone with a lot of curiosity about the world to overcome media and myths to go and explore this extraordinary country...
Why book with Responsible Travel
Photo credits: [Page banner: Shahid Khan] [Temp intro: Fasih Ahmed]
[Things to do: Tahsin A Shah]
[What to expect1: Wasif Malik]
[What to expect2: DFID - UK Department for International Development]
[Culture & history tips: manalahmadkhan]
[Tip intro: Wasif Malik]
[Tip - Jim: Mark Hodson]
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