The easiest way to plan a trip home from abroad is to build it in two halves: the family half, which is fixed by weddings, illnesses and who is where, and a short tourism half of five to ten days that you book around it. Most families who try to fit sightseeing between visits end up doing neither well. Decide the fixed dates first, then add one trip north or one trip to a single city, not four.
This guide is for overseas Pakistanis planning that trip, whether you hold a NICOP, a POC or a foreign passport with a visa. It covers what to sort before you fly, how to split your weeks, and the practical things that catch people out after a long absence.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Entry document | Pakistani passport or NICOP for citizens; POC for people of Pakistani origin who are not citizens; visa for others |
| Phone | Register with PTA within your first days if you use a local SIM |
| Cash declaration | Foreign currency of US$10,000 or more must be declared on arrival |
| Domestic flights north | Islamabad to Skardu and Gilgit, weather permitting |
| Sensible tourism block | 5 to 10 days, ideally within one region |
| Book early | Flights and northern hotels around Eid and the winter wedding months |
Sort the documents first
Which document you travel on decides most of the rest of the trip. Our guide to travelling to Pakistan on a NICOP or POC explains who needs which card, why children usually need their own, and what to do if a card has lapsed. Check expiry dates on every card and passport for the whole family months ahead, because renewing from abroad takes weeks.
Two points are worth repeating. First, if you enter Pakistan as a citizen, you are generally treated as one while you are there, which can limit what your other country's embassy can do. Second, a valid NICOP does not clear every area of the country: a few border zones still need permission whatever you entered on.
Fit family visits and tourism into one trip
The pattern that works is to put the family visits at the start and end, and the holiday in the middle. That way jet lag is spent with relatives, and the trip north is not squeezed by a wedding you cannot miss.
A workable structure for three weeks:
- Week 1: arrival city. Rest, see the closest relatives, sort the SIM, phone and cash.
- Week 2: one tourism block. Choose one region, such as Skardu and Deosai, Hunza, or Murree and Galiyat. Avoid moving hotels every night with children or elderly parents.
- Week 3: the remaining family visits and shopping, with a buffer day before the flight home.
Elderly relatives who want to come with you are better off at moderate altitude and short drives; our guide to trips for senior citizens covers what suits them. For a family with children, see the northern areas with family.
Keep a spare day for weather
Northern flights and roads are weather-dependent. Build a spare day into the tourism block and do not schedule an international departure within a day or two of coming back from the mountains.
When to travel
Timing is set by school holidays abroad and the wedding calendar at home, and both fall in the same months. December is famously the wedding month, and the season now often starts in October and November. Summer suits the mountains but is very hot in Punjab and Sindh, and July and August are the monsoon months, with Islamabad receiving the heaviest rain. We look at the trade-offs in our guide to the best time for overseas Pakistanis to visit and, for the seasons across the whole country, when to go.
If your dates are fixed by your employer, plan the trip around them instead: winter suits the plains and cities, summer suits the north. Neither is wrong.
Phones, SIMs and cash
Do not arrive expecting your foreign phone to work on a Pakistani SIM without registration. Pakistan registers handsets by IMEI number, and PTA offers overseas Pakistanis a temporary 120-day registration that is free of import tax. Register as soon as you have a SIM in your own name, because the 120 days count from your arrival date, not the day you apply. Our guide to mobile phone registration for overseas Pakistanis has the steps, and eSIM options for Pakistan covers the roaming alternative.
Foreign currency of US$10,000 or more has to be declared to customs on arrival, and Pakistan's airports have used customs declaration forms since 2022. If you are bringing gifts, gold or several phones, read the customs allowance guide before you pack.
For everyday spending, our guide to money in Pakistan covers cash, cards and ATMs. Carry rupees for small purchases in the mountains, where card machines and mobile signal both fail.
Getting north: flights and roads
If you have only a week for the tourism block, fly. Islamabad to Skardu has about 18 flights a week as of September 2026 and Islamabad to Gilgit about six, on PIA, Airblue and AirSial, mostly in the morning. Morning flights are the first to be cancelled when visibility is poor, so do not treat a ticket as a guarantee. Our guide to the best airport for northern Pakistan compares the options.
By road, the big decision is the route. See the safety section below before choosing.
Travelling with children and older parents
Long absences mean children who have never seen the north and parents who are less steady on their feet than you remember. Two things help. Keep driving days to five or six hours where you can, because mountain roads are slow and car sickness is common. And choose bases at moderate altitude, because places above about 3,000 metres can bring headaches and poor sleep even in healthy adults.
Ask a doctor before you go if anyone has a heart or lung condition or is on regular medication, and carry the prescriptions in your hand luggage, with enough for the whole trip plus a few days. Pharmacies in the big cities are excellent, but in the valleys they are basic and far apart.
Staying in touch with home and work
Mobile coverage is good in cities and thin in the mountains, and many valleys have none. Tell relatives your route and expected arrival times, and agree that no message for a day is normal in the north. If you are working remotely, do it from the city half of the trip, not from a guesthouse in a valley with one shared connection. Our guide to travel apps lists offline maps and ride apps worth installing before you leave.
Is it safe to travel in Pakistan now?
Millions of overseas Pakistanis visit every year, and most of the country's usual family and holiday routes see no trouble. But the security picture in 2026 is not uniform, and you should check it before you book, not after.
The UK government's Pakistan travel advice (updated 22 September 2026) advises against all travel to a long list of areas that includes Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, Peshawar, the Kalash valleys, all of Balochistan, and the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas. It advises against all but essential travel to other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and to Azad Kashmir outside the Line of Control strip, and to Sindh north of Nawabshah. Gilgit-Baltistan itself is not on the list, and neither is the Babusar route, which avoids the closed Karakoram Highway stretch in summer.
Recent incidents include the attack on a police station in Swat on 2 August 2026 and, in Azad Kashmir, weeks of unrest and phone and internet shutdowns from June 2026. Check local news, ask relatives in the area and confirm current police advice before setting out.
If you hold a foreign passport as well as a Pakistani one, check your government's advice. Travelling against it can void your travel insurance, and as a dual national you may get less consular help than you expect.
What to do before you go
- Renew expiring passports and cards first.
- Buy travel insurance that covers Pakistan, and read the exclusions.
- Get your vaccinations sorted; see our vaccinations guide.
- Plan the tourism block and book flights and hotels early for Eid and December.
- Agree who is driving and on what roads, and keep a spare day.
Is a self-planned trip right for you?
If you know the country well and your relatives can help with cars and drivers, planning yourself is fine and cheaper. A tailored trip suits families who have been away a long time, are travelling with older parents or children, or simply do not want to spend their holiday on logistics. We build trips like this, from the 9-day Gilgit, Hunza and Khunjerab tour and the 7-day Skardu and Deosai tour, both from PKR 90,000 per person, to tailor-made plans. See tours or how a tailor-made tour works, and our trip planner to start.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an overseas Pakistani trip be?
Three weeks is a comfortable minimum if you want family visits and a five to ten day holiday. Two weeks works if you keep the tourism to one region.
What is the best time for overseas Pakistanis to visit?
It depends on what you want: winter for weddings and the plains, summer for the mountains. School holidays abroad usually decide it in practice.
Can I use my foreign phone in Pakistan?
Yes, on roaming. With a Pakistani SIM you need to register the phone with PTA; overseas Pakistanis can register one device for 120 days without import tax.
Do I need to declare cash when I arrive?
Yes, if you bring foreign currency of US$10,000 or more. Airlines also hand out customs declaration forms on international flights to Pakistan.
Is it safe to travel to the north from abroad?
Gilgit-Baltistan is not on the UK's advice against travel list, but the Karakoram Highway between Mansehra and Chilas is. Check current advice and local news, and check your own government's advice if you hold a foreign passport.
Should I book flights north in advance?
Yes around Eid and summer. Keep in mind that weather cancellations are common, so keep your dates flexible.
