Travel guide for northern areas of Pakistan can help local and international travellers in exploring the beauty of spectacular nature that we possess.
The northern areas of Pakistan are world-famous for spectacular mountain ranges spreading across various regions. From green meadows to magnificent snow-covered mountain peaks, these areas are full of picturesque tourist destinations. Every year, thousands of tourists visit to enjoy the beauty of the northern areas of Pakistan.
Moreover, most Pakistani families plan their trips here during the summers to relieve themselves of the extreme heatwaves. Hundreds of group tours are arranged by local tourism agencies.
However, the local authorities and tourism agencies often advise preparing thoroughly before leaving for these destinations. To make sure you don’t run into any problems on your trip, Graana.com, Pakistan’s smartest property portal, has compiled a travel guide for the northern areas of Pakistan. Get to know famous souvenirs of Pakistan.
Travel Guide for Northern Areas of Pakistan
On trips to mountainous areas, the weather can be very unpredictable. Days can be sunny and warm, but nights are usually very chilly. Moreover, there can be chances of land sliding. Therefore, you have to be mindful and prepare for any such eventualities. The following is a checklist of all essential activities that you must do before you leave:
- Plan your expenses
- Research major tourist attractions
- Ensure vehicle maintenance
- Make arrangements for accommodation
- Pack the right clothes
- Gather necessary equipment
- Carry sufficient cash
Plan Your Expenses
A good trip can be organised only if the expenses are properly planned. In case you are leaving for the journey with only a rough estimate of your budget, you might face problems once you reach your destination. A smarter and better approach before starting your trip is to have a precise budget for every activity during the trip.
For instance, you should make a checklist of the following things:
- The number of people travelling with you
- Total days of travelling
- Pre-departure expenses e.g. buying supplies, vehicle maintenance charges etc.
- Expenses for accommodation facilities
- The preferred mode to travel
- Special experiences (visits and amusements)
After creating the list, mention the percentage of your budget that you will spend on each activity. It will give you a close-to-accurate figure of how much money you will spend on your trip. It will help you at each step of your trip and will enable you to enjoy yourself without any stress.
Research Major Tourist Attractions
The northern areas of Pakistan are blessed with countless tourist destinations. Therefore, these areas are quite easy to explore. Most people know about all kinds of essential service points in these areas. However, various places are hard to explore and tourists cannot find essential services.
Therefore, it is essential to research the areas properly before leaving. It is better to make a list of hotels for accommodation, nearby restaurants, amusements, places of attraction, and vehicle maintenance points. In case you encounter any problems during your journey, you can count on this list.
Ensure Vehicle Maintenance
Most people leave for their dream trips with just a few preparation trips and a vehicle. They think it is enough for them to enjoy the most beautiful days of their life. However, it is proven wrong in most cases as they face problems with vehicle maintenance on the roads.
Finding these vehicle problems on roads is a very daunting problem. On most road trips, you will hardly find a mechanic along the way. So, you need to take your vehicle for a check-up beforehand.
This will help prevent any worst-case scenarios like getting stuck in areas with no network or areas with land sliding. You can start with the following basic maintenance tasks:
- Check the oil and change it if required
- Inspect the batteries
- Check tire pressure and tread condition
- Check headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and taillights
- Inspect the brakes
- Fix broken wipers
By fixing these basic problems, your vehicle is 80% ready to make a safe journey to the northern areas. However, you must keep all the essential equipment in your vehicle as well. This equipment might include:
- Extra oil
- Spare tire
- Jumper cables
- Portable jump starters
- Tire pressure gauge
- Chains
- Spare keys
- Map of the route
- Flashlight
This checklist will keep you safe in most emergencies. Do not forget to test drive your vehicle to make sure everything is in perfect condition.
Make Arrangements for Accommodation
People travelling from Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan will find it difficult to get accommodation at reasonable rates in the northern areas of Pakistan. As these visitors are mostly unaware of the areas, hotels will charge them more than the normal rates. Get in touch with the local hotels or friends who had visited the northern areas previously. They will guide you about the best and the most reasonable places to live. Booking your accommodation in advance has the following advantages:
- It will save you from the last-minute hassles of finding a room.
- You can get the best deals on your accommodation.
- It provides the flexibility of travelling schedule.
- Get a better choice of rooms.
- You can plan your vacation budget accordingly.
- Make arrangements for facilities as per your family’s needs.
Pack the Right Clothes
The temperature in the northern areas of Pakistan is very low for most of the year, plus it keeps raining from time to time. People from far-off areas such as Punjab or Sindh need to be aware of the weather conditions beforehand so that they can pack the right clothes.
You can also pack some light summer clothes because when you travel to low altitudes, the temperature rises. Moreover, you should back:
- Sweaters
- Jackets
- Coats
- Shawls
- Socks
- Raincoat
- Pair of gloves
- A woollen cap
- Waterproof boots
- Sneakers
These things will help you to keep warm and enjoy the trip.
Gather Necessary Equipment
Apart from clothing and necessary items for vehicle maintenance, you need to have other support equipment as well, for instance, a mobile phone charger, camera, extra batteries, flashlight, power bank, hiking stick, hat, sunglasses, etc.
Carry Sufficient Cash
As most tourist destinations are remote, you will not be able to find any ATMs or banks easily. Urban areas do have ATMs and banks, but they are very limited in number.
Therefore, when you are leaving for your journey, you should carry enough cash with you. You should be mindful of your expenses according to your budget.
Activities to Do
Once you have safely reached the tourist destinations after all the preparations and planning, you should not waste your time. To make better use of your time, you should plan your day and night activities.
The following are some of the activities that you can do on the trip:
- Go trekking
- Go camping
- Try local foods and delicacies
- Go fishing
- Visit historical places
To get more information on northern areas of Pakistan such as Galiyat or how to travel on a budget?, visit Graana Blog
