Expenses in Pakistan

diplomacy

Am thinking of traveling to Pakistan by the beginning of next year whether everything goes as planned.

Could anyone enlighten me on the estimated expenses in Pakistan: in general, is the country cheap or expensive? What about hotels and transportation?

diplomacy

volga_volga

Hi

what is your reference point? I found Pakistan similar to India in terms of expenses. For example

(Pak rupee is slightly cheaper than Indian rupee!! 1 UK pound is Indian Rs 80 or Pak rupee 100 - roughly)

chai cup Rs5 (street)
dahl-chapati-chai meal Rs 30-40 (street)
kebab-chapati-chai meal Rs 60 (street)
"western" chicken soup in a budget hotel Rs 100

bus ticket Gilgit-Mastuj (about 14 hr journey but only may be 200-300km) Rs 250
bus ticket 5 hr journey under Rs 100

a single room with attached bath, hot water in the North or during winter (budget hotels in hot areas don't have hot water normally) Rs 250-300

plane ticket Islamabad-Skardu (1-1.5 hr flying) PIA under Rs 3,000

if you can be more specific i will gladly provide more info, while it is still fresh, i have just come back from three weeks' travel in Pakistan.

v-v

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diplomacy

Thank you for your answer volga!

So, Pakistan is actually cheaper than India?

What would you recommend me to see? I am probably flying to Islamabad and start from there. I heard something about Karach being the most Western-prejudiced city in Pakistan, did you go there?

diplomacy

volga_volga

diplomacy, why don't you get yourself a guidebook on Pakistan and start from there? honestly

the Footprint Guides are recognised as best for Pakistan. They published one for the whole country (1999) which might be slightly out of date, although things don't change so quickly in Pakistan as they are in India for eg, and another one, Northern Pakistan, is out this September. Northern Pakistan is where most travellers go.

I can't recommend places to go - i don't know where your interests lie!! what are you looking to get from your trip? pls be more specific.

there is an excellent thread started by maree where she recounted her three months stay in Pak - it was a starting point for my trip planning, but until i read the guidebook i still had no idea where i would go:

Pakistan

If you go to the Northern Pakistan you should fly into ISB; I have not been to Karachi, it is a recognised business hub in Pakistan although Lahore and Islamabad are catching up. I woudn't go to Karachi for sightseeing, only for visiting friends.

And, lastly, i strongly encourage you to go... am delighted you are interested in Pakistan... please GO!

v-v

volga_volga

i have just noticed, if you are gonna go to Pakistan, and given that the Northern part is the most popular with visitors, you'd better pick April to October rather than winter time.

to give you some idea what to expect, check out:

the official Pakistan TDC site


there is a lot of info on the web...

rastafari70

do you know if anyone can travel pakistan through the over land India? I will be coming from Dhaka, Bangladesh...and thanks for your info here...Volga...keep it up