Pakistan on Shoestring

You’ll be grateful for packing your walking boots, today we’ll take you on your second hill trek. Later, you’ll have time to pick up some souvenirs or simply browse and take photos as we explore the Saddar Bazaar at Islamabad’s twin city, Rawalpindi, or Pindi as its known to it friends. You have the option to visit a local village or enjoy some personal time in the afternoon.We hope you’re hungry after your trek as today we’ll be dining at Pindi’s food street where you can tuck into Nihari, Karahi and Pakistani tikkas, to name a few.

It’s an early start and a big day today as we take our first train trip of the tour; all aboard and onwards to Lahore. As the second largest city, Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab.We’ll take a full day to explore the old city, also known as the Walled City, which used to be accessible via13 Mughal era gates, 10 of which are still standing. Beginning at Delhi Gate, we will call into the ancient Mughal Hammam and visit the Ranjit Singh Gurdwara, which houses the funerary urns of this former Sikh ruler. You’ll have the chance to tour both the Wazir Khan and the Badshai Mosques, and marvel at the Moghul beauty that is Lahore Fort.A trip to Lahore won’t be compete until you’ve eaten at the famous Food Street! After dinner there is the option to take a stroll to the largest Sufi shrine in South Asia, Data Darbar, which looks stunning at night when it’s lit up.

Continuing to explore the many marvels of Lahore, today we’ll walk amongst the Shaalimar Gardens. Designed as a paradise garden this Mughal garden complex features fountains, pavilions and of course, plenty of flowers. Booklovers will enjoy a mooch around the public library of Quaid-e Azam. If you missed it last night, we’ll head to Data Darbar today and take in the grandeur of Mall Road. This 4-mile road is lined with tourist attractions including the Lahore Museum as well as colleges and other significant offices within Mughal and colonial-era buildings.This afternoon, we travel east for a real highlight of the trip – watching the daily flag-lowering service at the Wagah border crossing. You’ll see representatives from both nations perform ceremonial marching and dancing as music blares, marking the closure of the border for the day. A unique spectacle – you’ll be amazed at how high the soldiers can kick!Be sure to have your ear buds and sleeping mask to hand, tonight we’ll be taking an 18-hour snooze on the night train.

On arrival at the coastal city of Karachi, we’ll shake off the evening’s night train experience by plunging into the Arabian Sea. Our own private boat will dock at the uninhabited Charna Island, which is rich with marine life. Snorkellers and scuba divers have the option to swim with the fish in the clear, warm waters and explore the coral reef.This evening, we’ll sit down to a seaside dinner back on dry land in Karachi.

For our final day together, we’ll embark on a full-day private city tour of Karachi to take in the beautiful and extremely varied sights of this charming, vibrant city. Make sure your camera is charged, there are a lot of photo ops today.We’ll pay our respects at the Quaid-e-Azam Mazar, the mausoleum of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and admire at the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi, St Patrick’s Cathedral. We’ll take a tour of the elegant Frere Hall from the days of the British Raj which is currently used as a library. Originally built as a summer home for a wealthy businessman, the Mohatta Palace is now a museum where we can get our final culture fix. Stock up on tasty snacks at Port Grand and if you’ve forgotten to buy a souvenir for anyone back home – today also includes a stop at the Empress Market!To conclude Karachi and our final meal together, we’ll soak up the atmosphere over scrumptious local food at a seaside restaurant.

Today concludes Pakistan on a Shoestring, so you can make your own onwards travel arrangements and revisit any favourites from Karachi.