Where to go
Pakistan is most naturally discovered in two blocks: the cultural south (Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Mohenjo-Daro) and the mountainous north (Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu, Karakoram).
Lahore, the Mughal cultural capital
Lahore is often the revelation of the trip to Pakistan for those who only know the country's reputation for security. The Badshahi Mosque, built in 1673 by Emperor Aurangzeb, is one of the largest mosques in the Islamic world, with a courtyard that can accommodate 100,000 worshippers. A stone's throw away, the Lahore Fort (17th century, UNESCO) spreads out 20 hectares of Mughal gardens, marble pavilions and pietra dura frescoes rivaled by neighboring India. The city lives by its bazaars: the Anarkali Bazaar, the oldest covered market in South Asia, and the alleys of the old city form a labyrinth of silk, jewelry and copper craftsmen.
Islamabad and the Northern Gate
Islamabad is an atypical capital of its kind: designed from scratch in the 1960s according to a rigorous checkerboard plan, it contrasts radically with the living chaos of other major Pakistani cities. The Faisal Mosque (1986) is the emblem of this: its architecture in the form of a white Bedouin tent, surrounded by four 90 m minarets, is one of the most daring constructions in the contemporary Islamic world. It is above all the natural departure base to the north: the airport serves Skardu and Gilgit, and it is here that the Karakoram Highway begins.
The Karakoram Highway, a mythical road
The KKH is the central axis of any trip to northern Pakistan. From Islamabad to Karimabad (Hunza), it takes 8 to 10 hours to drive through breath-constraining gorges: the Indus below, steep walls of 2,000 m, and regularly a cliff cut with dynamite to accommodate two cars. The most spectacular stretch runs along Lake Attabad, a turquoise lake that appeared in 2010 following a landslide that engulfed an entire village and turned 20 km of road into a waterway. Further north, the Passu Cones, these ridged rock needles that rise to 6,100 m, are among the most photogenic geological formations on the planet.
Hunza, the legendary valley
Hunza is both a valley and a state of mind. The inhabitants here have long had the longest life expectancy in Asia, attributed to the diet of apricots, nuts and mountain air. Karimabad, the main village, perched at 2,400 m with a direct view of the Rakaposhi (7,788 m), is the focal point for travellers from all over the world. The Baltit Fort, restored by the Aga Khan Foundation, dominates the village from a rocky outcrop: it was the residence of the Mirs of Hunza for 700 years. From here, hikes to Eagle's Nest (360° views of five peaks over 7,000 m) or to the Ultar Sar meadows are among the most beautiful walks accessible in Pakistan.
Skardu and the Land of Giants
Skardu is the crossroads city of Baltistan, at an altitude of 2,228 m, from where expeditions to the highest mountains in the world depart. K2 (8,611 m), the second highest peak in the world, is accessible from Skardu by a 10 to 14-day trek to the Concordia camp, at 4,600 m. With no mountaineering ambitions, Skardu already offers extraordinary landscapes: the glacial plain of Shigar, the emerald waters of Lake Satpara, and the singular cold valley of Sarfaranga (high-altitude desert).
Peshawar and the Khyber Pass
Peshawar is one of the oldest cities in Asia, a crossroads of the Silk Road since ancient times. Its Qissa Khwani bazaar (the storytellers' bazaar) still resonates with the echoes of those who traded there for 2,500 years: silk merchants, chaplis kebab sellers, porters laden with spices. The Peshawar Museum houses one of the finest collections of Gandhara Buddhist art in the world, a testament to the time when this region was a major center of Buddhism. The Khyber Pass, 40 km away, can be visited with a licensed guide and the necessary permits.
Mohenjo-Daro, the ghost town
Mohenjo-Daro is a stupefaction: at 4,500 years old, this city on the Indus was already better planned than most cities in the ancient world. Perpendicular streets, a sophisticated drainage system, public granaries, a large collective bath: the Harappan civilization that built it had reached a level of social and technical complexity comparable to Mesopotamia and Egypt in the same century. The site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible from Larkana in Sindh province, is one of the few places to visit in southern Pakistan.
