Taking a 6-Week Stroll in Pakistan Countryside

My American friends here were incredulous when I called out of the blue last August from my hotel in Rawalpindi, 100 miles away, and asked if I might visit.

“You mean you came to Pakistan just to have a look around?” they asked.

My friends, international relief workers, were even more surprised the next day to hear that I was planning to spend six weeks in the northern sections of the country, seeing cities and isolated villages and walking among the 25,000-foot and higher peaks in the Karakoram range.

Except for mountain climbers and Oriental rug enthusiasts, Pakistan has not ranked high on the world’s list of travel destinations. But if my impressions can be a guide, that low ranking is mistaken. It is related to misconceptions about life in this devout Muslim country and a lack of information about expanding travel opportunities.

The Pakistanis I met were warm and generous. Peshawar and Lahore have exceptional bazaars, where one could wander among the small shop stalls for hours. Most impressive for me, however, were the spectacular mountains and the sturdy people who live in their shadows.

As a nation, Pakistan is an umbrella over disparate ethnic groups, brought together as one nation after the partition of India in 1947. The country is still trying to solidify its national identity, using a common Muslim faith to unite groups who have historically not had very much in common.

My friends and their 1-year-old daughter were quite happy living here in Peshawar, a Central Asia city that is the center for millions of refugees who have fled Afghanistan since the Russian invasion. But they emphasized the drawbacks of the country as a tourist destination.

The shortcomings include chaotic roads, limited hotel services outside major cities, and the lack of wine, beer and liquor outside the major hotels. Pakistan can be very hot from March to mid-September and very wet during the monsoon season.

Strict Muslim Society

Many visitors are also disturbed by the restricted opportunities for women in this strict Muslim society, and by the recent political instability. Examples of the latter are the burning of the American Embassy in the capital city of Islamabad in 1979 and the imposition, until the end of 1985, of martial law by Pakistan’s President General Zia ul-Haq.

On the other hand, Pakistan is not a “discovered” travel destination, compared to, for example, India or Nepal. Visitors are rarely hassled in the streets by touts and the like. It is possible to be an observer, not the center of attention. Most foreigners I talked to, both residents and visitors, also felt secure in their person and possessions.

A trip to Pakistan remains an adventure, although there has been rapid growth in services for travelers in the last several years. These range from city tours and minibus services between major tourist sites and hotels operated by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corp. to the growth of hotel and restaurant facilities in the isolated northern mountain area of Hunza. Treks to the mountains can now often be outfitted in Pakistan, as opposed to the previous necessity of shipping in food and camping supplies.

A Cultural Center

Lahore, the second largest city, was a cultural and intellectual center during the Mogul and British periods. Its expansive architecture includes the exceptional Badshahi Mosque, nearby Lahore Fort and a variety of Mogul-Victorian buildings along the Mall.

Visitors to Peshawar, a city of 750,000, must content themselves with the delights of this ancient Pathan city, particularly the bazaar and the ancient Buddhist sculpture in the city’s museum; the nearby Khyber Pass remains off limits.

Most visitors spend some time in the twin cities of Islamabad or Rawalpindi, which are convenient for travel connections. They are about 100 miles from Peshawar and 275 miles from Lahore.

Rawalpindi, a city of 800,000, is a trading center that became prominent during the British period. Nearby Islamabad, a city of 250,000, is a planned community developed since 1961. It is a sprawling juxtaposition of modern architecture and open fields. Particularly striking is the huge Shah Faisal Masjid, one of the largest mosques in the world, which is nearing completion.

Mountains More Accessible

For me, Pakistan’s main attraction is the northern mountain area, which includes parts of the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges. The completion of the awe-inspiring Karakoram Highway has made the mountains much more accessible.

Starting near Rawalpindi, the Karakoram Highway snakes along the gorge carved by the Indus River to the regional center of Gilgit. It continues north through Hunza, finally crossing the Khunjerab Pass into China.

Hunza appears to be an idyllic mountain area, with orchards rich in fruits such as apricots and apples, grand vistas of exquisite mountain scenery, and creative people. Last September, China opened its border to overland travel by foreigners, which will bring more visitors to villages en route, such as Karimabad and Gulmit.

Those who like isolated mountain scenery will find few places on earth as spectacular as the trek up Baltoro Glacier to Concordia for views of K-2 (the world’s second highest mountain), Broad Peak, Masherbrun, the Gasherbruns and other renowned peaks.

The trek, three to four weeks of hiking, is not as exhausting as some routes in the Himalayas, but it is challenging because the trail is often non-existent and the footing frequently problematic. It is not a beginner’s trek.

Fortunately, everyone in our group of eight, including a mathematics professor in his mid-’50s, managed to keep their balance. We were rewarded with a fair number of days of brilliant sunshine, surrounded by 360 degrees of the exquisite saw-toothed Karakorams.

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There are few guidebooks to Pakistan. A good one is “Pakistan: A Travel Survival Kit,” published by Lonely Planet. Two books provide excellent perspectives on modern Pakistan: “To The Frontier” by Geoffrey Moorhouse, a British travel writer, and “Passage to Peshawar” by American journalist Richard Reeves.

Tourst information can be obtained from the Pakistan Tourism Development Corp., House No. 2, Street 61, F-7/4, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Pakistan is exactly 12 time zones away from California, or halfway around the world. The most convenient air connections are via London on British Airways or Pakistan International Airlines. Both carriers fly into Islamabad-Rawalpindi Airport, the best gateway to Pakistan’s northern areas. Round-trip air fare from Los Angeles on British Airways was $1,542 on a 15- to 120-day excursion ticket.

Air travel within Pakistan is inexpensive and reliable. However, flights to the mountain towns of Gilgit and Skardu are subject to weather delays and may be difficult to book.

Visitors combining a trip to Pakistan with one to India can fly from Islamabad to New Delhi, changing planes in Lahore.

Mountain Travel (1398 Solano Ave., Albany, Calif. 94706) offers a two-week overland tour including Peshawar, Swat and Hunza for about $1,600 and the five-week Baltoro/K2 Trek, on which I served as trek physician, for about $4,000. Air fare is additional.

A respected Pakistan travel company is Travel Walji’s; it has an American office at 104 East 40th St., Suite 505, New York 10016.