Entrance to Pakistan via Pak Afghan Border - Chaman, Balochistan.

I have been receiving mails regarding queries of the safety conditions of traveling in Pakistan. So instead of replying to all those mail i thought to draft out following points that can help you to travel inside Pakistan.

1. No country is safe or unsafe

One thing i would want you to understand regarding traveling is that No country is safe / unsafe. It all depends on you how rough you can travel. If you are comparing traveling in Europe with Pakistan then it is for sure you’ll  face some hurdles. However if you are an avid traveler and understand the circumstances that a country can bring to you (that is obvious part of traveling) then you need not to think if its unsafe or safe to travel.

1. Do Not Read the News Paper

Trust me, its useless to read the newspaper before traveling. I tell you why. You will read all about what negative is going on around the country. However, there will be lots of positive things going on which will not be mentioned and the negative news will take over your traveling. Its good to know whats happening in the country but not everything. There are things that you should not know as well.

2. Do Not watch the News

This goes similar with the news paper. Same things. It will never let you travel, or even not let you leave your house. Am i right?

3. Know about the place

When i say know about the place, that does not again refer to news but you should ask the people who have recently been there. Get their insights and reviews. They might have had good or bad experience, but your intention is just to get more information about the place where you have decided to go.

3. Think Less

This is one of the useful tool for me to travel. I think less about the place before traveling. I just take little information on safety precautions and then just leave without thinking more and it has always been helpful. The more i think about the place the more worry i get.

4. Hurdles are a part of traveling

Like every other traveler, be brave to face hurdles. Again i say that the hurdles are a part of traveling no matter of which country you are traveling too. But i always enjoy the hurdles and take them as a part of my journey.

When you are brave enough with a positive attitude, things that are not in your favor will not take over over and ruin your traveling.

5. How to avoid Terrorism?

Its funny but you have to believe, we are also suffering from it but we are leading a normal life. I find it really easy at the moment to travel across borders between different provinces of Pakistan. One thing that you need to make sure is not to travel to the troubled regions. When i say troubled regions, it means some specific places.  For example, I am not talking about whole balochistan but some regions where its not safe. That does not mean you avoid the whole beautiy of Balochistan etc.

6. Fight with your inner self

I must say this is one of the most difficult part. I always face difficulties fighting with my innerself to make the innitiative to travel. Whatever you plan for whichever place, when the time starts getting near to move, your innerself tells you not to move, stay at home and enjoy the tv. But there comes a time you need to fight with your innerself and take an innitiative to move. Trust me, once you innitiate to travel, everything around you molds a form in your favor.

Yet there are lots of other things you can do / avoid doing in order to travel. But you have to travel and explore your country. Just don’t find excuses not to see the beauty of your country. Pakistan really is a beautiful country full of hospitable people.

If you have any such tip you would want to share, or have a question regarding safety in Pakistan, just post it as a comment .

Happy traveling across Pakistan

A trekker crossing a small stream of glacier water at Tagafari, Rakaposhi Base Camp, Gligit-Baltistan - Pakistan

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Finding excuses for not doing work is the most easiest job ever. Why do we always think that not doing work, staying stagnant and finding excuses will lead us to something achievable?

People around me always ask to take them along if i am traveling anywhere. They would never have their own initiatives. And when i ask them to go, I’m bombarded with countless excuses. I’ve work at home. I can’t go that far. Do we get internet connection while we are traveling?. My Family won’t allow me. I cant sleep in low budget hotels. I’ve heard that area is not safe for travelers…arghhh and thousand more excuses, just excuses.

I strongly believe in Aristotle’s saying  “We are what we repeatedly do. excellence then, is not an act, but a habit”

So would you make an excuse again for not doing work, any work? travel? or would you take on the initiative and keep on doing it because that is how you’ll achieve excellence.You need to have this power of fearlessness, thirst to explore beyond measure. Not just in terms of traveling but for everything that seems hard.

I have just one question? If you won’t take a single step out, how would you reach your goal? People who are successful and have achieved something in their life keep on struggling till their life last. If you don’t struggle, you won’t survive in the battle with yourself.

So now you have only two options, either sit back home, turn on the AC, enjoy your favorite TV show along with your ordered pizza and keep dreaming. Or, you leave all that, pack you back, take a ticket of a place you’ve never been to or you always dream of going to, experience the odds that are going to happen to you while traveling, see the last beam of sun hitting the mountain top, experience twilight at the beach, take a bumpy road trip in the north, take some adventure, experience the worse. Simply Travel to Explore….

Hanna Lake, Quetta - Balochistan, Pakistan

You won’t believe it but this picture of Hanna Lake was taken back mid 2005 with a very simple 6mp Olympus Point and Shoot Camera. I was just going through my old archives and came across one of my trip to the lake .

I remember that year it rained a lot in Balochistan and eventually the lake got fresh water stored, and the turquoise blue water along with the white shiny clouds made it a really beautiful and soothing scene to eyes.

Hanna Lake is one of the most visited and accessible lake in Balochistan.

For those who have not yet been to Hanna Lake, its pretty close to Quetta City hardly 25 minutes drive.

How to Get There:

You can drive your own vehicle or take public transport that takes around Rs. 15 per person and leaves the Quetta Main Adda from Circular Road every hour daily. But be careful to get back before sunset since you won’t get transpart after that.

The place is totally safe to travel. The Lakeside hotel has good tea to serve.

Staying there:

There is no particular place to stay although there are Huts that can be booked from Armed Forces of Pakistan. I would suggest you to stay in Quetta City and go for a day to the lake

Danial Shah capturing a family moment at the Tomb of Jahangir in Shahdara Bagh, Lahore. (Photo by Abeer ul Haq)

Traveling is pleasure for me. I take traveling as an opportunity to learn and observe different forms of nature, how people live in different places and what do they eat. My experience has taught me 3 most important things to consider while traveling in Pakistan.

1. Respect The Culture

When you are traveling in Pakistan, be it the town of Bhit Shah in Sindh or the Valley of Kalash in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, you have to respect the culture of the place. You should learn about their culture, few phrases from their language, know about their dress and try not to wear cloths which might happen to be offensive to them.

When it comes to culture, it means their values and traditions. Ask for the permission before taking photograph of people, especially women and senior citizens. If they do not allow, DO NOT take the picture. It’s easy to take picture and run away but that will be then totally unprofessional and you will not be able to make a long term relationship. I usually dress up in Shalwar Kameez during my travels to interior places of Pakistan like in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It feels good and comfortable.

That way, you won’t become a point of attention and a stranger to locals.

2. Communicate

Since you have learnt few phrases from their language, it shows that you want to be a part of their family. Talk to them. Do not take picture at once. Hang around. Visit Bazaars. Visit the market, have few conversation with the locals. Introduce yourself and then shoot next day. They will then know who actually is wandering around.

I stayed in Kalash Valley last year and learnt few phrases from the Kalasha Language. I used to greet them every day with “Ishpata” which is a greeting in their language. They loved me taking their photographs. I didn’t shoot at the very first day. I talked to them and visited their houses and then shot whole next 2 days.

Talking to the locals and communicating will give you the real charm of traveling. You will make good memories when you get back to your routine life.

3. Be rough & Tough

When it comes to traveling, forget all your luxuries. Pack up with your equipments, water bottle, clothing, pair of shoes and a nice book to read because that’s what I do during my travels. You’ll have to face difficulties, things would go unplanned, but those difficulties are an important part of your traveling in order to bring back good memories home. Remember, traveling is when you buy a one way ticket to a place you have never been to, rest is all unplanned.

Go on, take the initiative. Take you camera out and shoot the people, the environment and everything around. Bring lots of memories back home.

There are obviously other things as well to consider while traveling but being a travel photographer i have concluded the above 3 things as important to travel in Pakistan.

What about you? what do you consider the most while traveling in Pakistan?