Peshawar was the highlight of Pakistan: no NOC needed, and the police escort is provided free — including out to the Takht-i-Bahi Buddhist ruins (UNESCO). Ask to visit a truck depot to watch the painted-truck artists work. Stayed at the converted Peshawar Barracks — recommended. Old city is intense in the best way.
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Pakistan
2 places · 6 routes · 2 experiences
Places
Routes
🎒Hippie Trail (modern revival)Istanbul → Tbilisi → Yerevan → Tehran → Lahore → Delhi → Kathmandu🎒India Golden Triangle + NorthDelhi → Agra → Jaipur → Jodhpur → Udaipur → Varanasi → Rishikesh → Amritsar🧭Istanbul → KathmanduIstanbul → Tehran → Lahore → Delhi → Kathmandu🚲Karakoram HighwayIslamabad → Gilgit → Hunza → Khunjerab Pass → Tashkurgan → Kashgar🏍️Leh–Manali & LadakhManali → Keylong → Sarchu → Leh → Nubra → Pangong → Tso Moriri🎒Pamir + WakhanDushanbe → Khorog → Wakhan → Murghab → Karakul → Osh
Recent experiences
Balochistan reality check: NOC in hand, then revoked mid-trip after an incident hundreds of km away — which meant polite house arrest at the Serena (multiple rings of armed, friendly security). Getting a fresh NOC ate a full morning of office-to-office signatures; clearly designed to keep you from wandering. Market walk allowed only with armed escort. Everyone was lovely; the system is the obstacle.