Destination: Pakistan

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: Overland from Iran to India

ONE WEEK TO ONE MONTH / TAFTAN TO WAGAH

Take between a week and a month to follow the classic overland route for 1614km through the heart of the country from border to border.



After your Iranian sojourn, head for the Iran–Pakistan border post at Taftan, ensuring you arrive before the border is closed. Once you’ve hopped over from the mystifying Middle East to the scintillating subcontinent, make a beeline east for Quetta the first town of any size you’ll reach in Pakistan. Kick back for a couple of days in this chilled-out frontier town before making your way northeast to Pakistan’s cultural capital, Lahore. En route you could divert to Multan for a few days to explore its many historic mausoleums.

If you’ve got time on your side, make the trip south of Multan to Bahawalpur, jumping-off point to Uch Sharif – site of some notable shrines – before setting off to Lahore. Once in Lahore, allow yourself at least four or five days to appreciate this city’s fine Mughal architecture and multitude of sights. From Lahore, journey north for a few weeks to explore the unbeatable beauty of Pakistan’s Northern Areas. Or, if you’re itching to get straight to India, catch a bus from Lahore to the Pakistan–India border at Wagah, making sure you coordinate your crossing into India with the captivating closing-of-the-border ceremony.