10 Things You Should Know BEFORE Coming to Pakistan

10 Things You Should Know BEFORE Coming to Pakistan

Are you traveling to Pakistan for the first time? Or you’re a curious local, who wonders what is travel experience of a foreigner who came here? Today I’m going to give an honest review of It’s not going to be all compliments and praise so

If you like that please visit 10 things I love about Pakistan. This country is growing popularity amongst travelers who appreciate adventure, exploration and going off-the-beaten-track. I have traveled Pakistan solo for 40 days and here are 10 things you should know before coming here. If you come to Pakistan and would like to

Stick with your diet, than good luck. Maintaining diet is going to be tricky here. Hospitality is huge and food is a central part of it. Food here is not just nutrition, it’s a love language. In any kind of household you visit, you will be offered some chai with biscuits

And afterwards you would likely be offered a main meal. Refusing food in Pakistan, as in anywhere else, is not considered nice. When I travelled to Pakistan, I had to keep my weight low for the project because of those beautiful cheecks. And I have lost 5 kilos. How did I do it?

Well, I had to negotiate a lot and warn people that I’m not having any dinners. If you come to Pakistan, please allow yourself to truly enjoy food and gain a few extra kilos on your tummy. Have you ever been warned about how dangerous Pakistan is? Good news that in reality it’s home to

One of the most kind and protective people. In my personal experience I have never felt unsafe here even being a solo female traveler and a very experienced one. So what is the biggest threat in Pakistan? Local driving. Sometimes I felt like I was in Super Mario game with multiple

Lives. Drivers high on naswar in the North, five people on the motorcycle and the fear of helmets. Multitasking on the road is a common practice. Why don’t you steer the wheel, have a video call with a friend and drink some mango juice? All at the same time?! My advice – splurge

For travel insurance and say a little prayer for yourself. If you come from one of the following countries, you are eligible to apply for an electronic visa. But my experience with visa to Pakistan has never been easy. You need to supply a special invitation for your travel and the

Safest option to do so is doing it through a registered tour operator. The visa invitation costs around 100 US dollars, which with an added visa fee on top, makes Pakistan not a cheap country to enter. You can also ask a friend for an invitation letter, but then he or she

Would need to provide a range of personal documents and a notarized invitation letter. And please, this is such a hot tip. Don’t mention you are coming through Wagah Border. I did and I thought my entire documentary project might get cancelled because I did not get my visa for a very long time.

So, you know… up to you. But I would not do that again. Have you ever heard about Pakistan time? If you agree to meet someone at 10 am it can mean anything. You can meet them at 11 am, 12 pm or even 9 30 am. Punctuality doesn’t seem to be a common

Trait here and people take time approximately, not literally. You just have to learn a little bit of flexibility and I wasn’t very successful at it personally. In some parts of northern Pakistan people have limited access to electricity and hot water especially in the picturesque region

Of Hunza. As a tourist you can work around it, boil the kettle and use the good old trick of mixing the cold water with boiled water to have a warm shower. After some time I have even started enjoying having showers from the bucket. But the real problem is for

People who live in the north and have to survive cold long winters. People in Pakistan are super generous and their two main love languages are food and gifts. So make sure you repay the favour and bring some nice souvenirs from your home country. Because I tell

You, you will meet a lot of lovely people who will give you small gifts along the way. It’s a special sort of pleasure to see tribal people eat Australian chocolate. When I traveled back in 2022 I didn’t have extra space in my suitcase and I had to send a special

Pillow full of Pakistani gifts all the way back home by post. You must, must know about the peculiarity of Pakistani culture. A lot of people here out of the goodness of their heart will try to promise you all the best things. So fairy tale like promises are not entirely uncommon.

Would you like to solve the problem? Sure, I have a friend of a friend who has a solution for you. Would you like to find funding for your project? Sure, I know someone. It’s one signature away. Would you like to take a long drive for 300 kilometers? Sure, no problem.

I’m about to call my driver and he will take you. As you might have suspected, the outcomes of some of those promises might not be the best one. The friend isn’t a friend to them anymore… They can’t pick up your call or something suddenly goes wrong.

How do you deal with it? Simple. Check, Simple. Check, double check, triple check. However, in Pakistan over promising goes both ways. Sometimes people deliver so much more than they have eventually promised. Pakistan is a densely populated country of 220 million people with the three biggest cities being Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad.

However, there is so much more to explore than the hustle and bustle of big towns. I recommend you try going interior and explore a village or a small town. Don’t miss places like Hunza, Skardu or interior Punjab if you crave some authenticity and culture. If you want to visit a more interior

Place, I recommend you have a trusted contact who can help you find and build connections with the local community. Because it’s an extra nice experience when you’re welcome as a guest. Despite popular belief, traveling in Pakistan as a woman can be a safe and wonderful experience. Of course, you should always

Exercise common sense caution and keep a safe distance. From my experience, once you know someone you can trust, they will protect you with their dear life. As a woman, I have always been given space, private room and have never been harassed. fPakistani families are very protective towards their women and especially

Towards their female guests. So it’s usually a good idea to stay with a lovely family in Pakistan. If you visit Pakistan even once, congratulations, you have now contracted a Pakistan travel bug. It’s a feeling, an urge to come back to this country again. Whether it’s for warm hospitality, vibrant experiences,

Amazing landscapes, or simply an overwhelming rush of adrenaline and craving for adventure, Pakistan rarely says its final goodbye to brave travelers. It takes a part of your soul that you have to come back to to claim again the unexplainable magic of chai, charpai, and challo. Pakistan, (claps) Zindabad! Hi, I’m Iryna Yaminska

And if you liked my Pakistan videos, please like, comment, share and follow for more. Alright guys, this was my final and concluding episode of Pakistan Journey. Thank you so much everyone who tuned in, watched, liked, subscribed, shared, supported me with your words on Instagram. I appreciate each and every one of you.

I feel sad about ending this project, but life is long. And as I said in my number one about how addictive Pakistan is, I one day would love to come back to reclaim a part of my soul. See you later. Allah Affez.

🌎 As an experienced traveller, who trailed Pakistan solo 2 times, here are my 10 tips to learn before you visit the country. Pakistan has a lot to offer and this video will help you to prepare for your future travel.

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OVERVIEW:
0:00 Intro
0:45 Number 10
1:55 Number 9
2:51 Number 8
3:52 Number 7
4:27 Number 6
5:04 Number 5
5:49 Number 4
7:09 Number 3
7:57 Number 2
8:41 Number 1
9:37 Subscribe & Final Goodbye