Pakistan Transport

Coming and Going

Most flights from European and Asian centres arrive in Karachi, though a few also go to Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Gwadar (Balochistan). Much more interesting is the overland route. A railway links Lahore with the Indian railway system through Amritsar, and another from Quetta crosses briefly into Iran. After the Grand Trunk Road, the most famous road into Pakistan is the Karakoram Highway, over the 4730m (15,514ft) Khunjerab Pass from Kashgar in China; roads also run from India and Iran. A bus service between Delhi and Lahore is also up and running.

Getting About

Getting around Pakistan is not always comfortable, but it's incredibly cheap. The state-owned Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has scheduled flights to many domestic terminals and daily connections between the major centres. One of the bonuses of flying is that some of the air routes, especially to the northern areas and Chitral, are spectacular. Buses go anywhere, anytime - but the treacherous mountain roads make the going very tough. Vans, wagons, pick-ups and jeeps are also popular forms of road transport. Train travel is slower and easier on the nerves but there are no routes into the mountains. City transport is dominated by buses, taxis, auto-rickshaws and two-wheeled, horse-drawn tongas.