Northern Pakistan Listed as Top Travel Destination, as It Faces Sustainability Challenges

International

Interest in Northern Pakistan is soaring, with the BBC, CNN and Financial Times all recently naming the region as one of the must visit destinations for 2025.

In 2024 the Giglit-Baltistan region saw a 121% increase in international visitors compared to 2023, who were drawn to the area’s stunning mountains, lakes, wildlife, excellent trekking, climbing and unique culture.

This trend is expected to continue into 2025, with domestic tourism also sharply on the rise, but this presents ecological challenges in a fragile mountainous environment.

The increase in visitors to the north has been furthered by a streamlining of the country’s visa process, with 126 nationalities now able to apply online for an e-visa. Direct flights have also recently commenced between Dubai and Skardu in Northern Pakistan – the first of their kind, and talks are continuing to create regular services between the two locations, along with other destinations.

James Willcox is the Founder of adventure travel company, Untamed Borders, which runs group and private trips to Gilgit-Baltistan and across wider Pakistan:

“We have been guiding in Pakistan for nearly 20 years and the world seems to be waking up to what Pakistan, and especially Northern Pakistan, has to offer.

We’ve seen a steady increase in tourists over recent years, but the new visa system has created a relative boom in enquiries - not only from tourists, but from other professional requests too.

Last year we guided famous Belgian TV presenter Tom Waes and a film crew for their show Reizen Waes, which follows Tom around lesser visited destinations. The documentary will be airing later this year.

This is another sign of confidence in an area, which is among the most beautiful and awe-inspiring anywhere on earth.”

Meanwhile, there is a delicate balancing for the Pakistani government and Gilgit-Baltistan. The region suffers from high unemployment, due to its remote setting and lack of job opportunities. Tourism will offer a big boost to the local economy and an important source of employment.

However, it’s an important mountainous area, comprising of many glaciers, forests, endangered wildlife and historic settlements. Ensuring tourism doesn’t impact that important wilderness, is an ongoing struggle, with concerns over increasing deforestation, pollution and unregulated construction, along with potential future over-tourism.

Earlier this year the authorities introduced a small entry fee for tourist vehicles entering the region, with the proceeds going towards waste management and other infrastructure improvements in the mountains. Last year the regional government also announced a large hike in prices for mountaineering access to the country’s tallest peaks, including the world’s second highest – K2. However, this month the Pakistani courts suspended the 300% increase in fees, after it negatively impacted the tourism industry over the winter.

James Willcox says, “The North of Pakistan is a very special region, which needs to be both protected and deserves to be experienced by visitors.

We aim to have as little impact as possible on the destinations we visit and work closely with local community groups to put in measures to travel sustainably. This includes supporting tree planting projects in Pakistani villages, which aids with flood prevention, an issue some areas are facing due to continued construction and melting glaciers.

We also work closely with Gilgit-Baltistani teams, making sure the money we spend benefits local people and communities, working with guides from the region, spending money in locally run guesthouses, restaurants and using drivers from the area.

We also firmly believe small group travel, rather than large tour parties, is a way forward to benefit communities in Northern Pakistan, without causing overcrowding and disturbing the peace of the mountains and its wildlife.”

Untamed Borders’ next group trip to the region departs in May 2025, where guests visit Skardu, Giglit, Passu, Hunza, Attabad Lake and Khunjerab, while also moving further west to visit Chitral, the Kalasha Valleys and the Silk Road city of Peshawar.

The company also organises separate group trips along the Indus Valley from Karachi to Peshawar, via Lahore and Islamabad, group trips to Balochistan and trips to take part in the Islamabad Marathon. Untamed Borders also offers private guiding services across much of the nation.