Planning a Pakistan Trip from the USA

Official travel advice to read first

The US Department of State publishes a travel advisory for Pakistan at travel.state.gov, with advice that can differ by province and district. Read it for every place on your route and check again before you travel.

US citizens can enrol in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive updates and to be reachable by the nearest US embassy or consulate.

Time difference

Pakistan Standard Time is UTC+5 with no daylight saving. Pakistan is 10 hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time (9 hours during Eastern Daylight Time) and 13 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (12 hours during Pacific Daylight Time). Expect a large time change on arrival; most of our itineraries begin with an arrival day in Islamabad.

Visas and Pakistan's mission

Pakistan's visas are applied for online through the Pakistan Online Visa System run by NADRA (visa.nadra.gov.pk). Which visa category applies to US passport holders, and the current fee and processing time, can change, so check the portal and the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. before you book flights.

Planning from the USA

From most US airports, reaching Islamabad means at least one connection, so build a day of slack into your flights at both ends. The northern trekking season, roughly June to September in our programmes, overlaps the US summer vacation period, while the camel safari and the December Kalash festival suit winter breaks.

Where our trips start

Almost every programme starts and ends at Islamabad International Airport, so that is the airport to plan your flights around from the USA. Two exceptions: the Indus civilisation tour starts in Karachi, and the camel safari starts in Bahawalpur.