Pakistan having one of the weakest passports in the world and a fast-weakening currency are not the only reasons not to travel abroad - domestic tourism actually has a lot to offer.
While the country’s security situation and high fuel prices are factors to keep in mind, let this article guide you if you are thinking of driving from Karachi to Islamabad and beyond.
It will certainly take much longer than air travel but it’s cheaper. You get to see a lot of the country you would never see otherwise. Stick to driving in the daylight, remember to break up your journey, and thank me later.
Travel breakdown
Car: Honda Citi (2019) 1,500cc engine
Total miles driven: Approximately 3,600 km
Total money spent on petrol: Rs70,000 (this cost will be nearly 8% higher after the latest increase in fuel prices)
Having never really taken a roadtrip before, and with ‘driving to Lahore’ on my bucket list, my husband and I ended up planning a route that would take us from Karachi all the way to Khanaspur, Ayubia (KPK), with a one-night stop in Multan. On the way back we stopped in Lahore and Daharki (Sindh).
After letting the tracking company know that we were going to be taking the car ‘out of city’ for 10 days and armed with more snacks than I care to admit (as well as a giant flask of tea, which as it turns out is crucial for such trips) we left Karachi at 4:30am.
The idea with leaving (ridiculously) early was to cross Sindh (on the Indus/National Highway) and be on the Sukkur-Multan motorway before the trucks hit the roads, which means a ton of traffic that you want to avoid like the plague.
Our first stop was to get an M-Tag at a point right before the Karachi-Hyderabad motorway.
Basically, you show them your car’s registration papers and CNIC to get a sticker that goes on your windscreen, and you top up your newly-formed M-Tag account either through an M-Tag stop (through cash) or their app. When driving through most toll plazas, the money will be automatically deducted from your account.
(Tip: Keep loose change for some toll plazas that only take cash).
In about 2 hours the sun was up and we were ready for breakfast. Stopping just short of Moro, which is about 300km from Karachi, we had tea and breakfast (Anda paratha) at one of the many roadside eateries. We also got our thermos cleaned and topped up.
(Tip: Keep travel mugs with you)
With plenty of cats to keep us company, we ate our food and were quickly back on the road.
(Tip: On the first leg of the journey, not all gas stations take card, so again, keep cash).
Pretty soon we hit the glorious motorway, which you get on right after the Rohri toll plaza.
There’s miles of road ahead of you on which you can do a steady 120km/hour, which helped us hit an average of 15 km mileage for the whole trip. With a constantly changing landscape - from date palm trees to sandy hills, as well as sheeps and cows to watch as we drove along - this was probably the most enjoyable drive of the whole trip.
Some tips to mention here: the toilets until you hit a motorway are questionable. It’s a must to keep your own soap, towel, wet wipes and hand sanitiser. Many of the rest stops have Stiller’s Cafe, and I can vouch for their iced coffee.
And finally: Rest stops are every 60-70kms but not all of them have petrol stations, so whenever you see one, make sure to top up.
Making minimal stops along the way, we reached Multan at about 5pm. We checked in, and were dead to the world by 8pm.
Karachi to Multan
Flight time: 1 hour 25 mins
Flight cost for 2 people: Rs40,000 approx one-way
Drive time: 11 hours
Petrol cost: Rs17,000
The next day we were back on the road at 5:30am. I’m not a morning person so watching the sunrise was a treat. The sun was ablaze behind a mosque - pictures don’t do justice.
Leaving early makes all the difference to avoiding traffic and we were in Islamabad way before we planned to be - at noon.
After lunch and shopping, we headed to Khanaspur. Not wanting to drive in the dark, we left around 3pm and we were there by 5pm.
After spending a week going on walks and binge-watching Obi Wan Kenobi and eating endless parathas, we headed back on 22 July.
Our first stop was Lahore, an easy drive that people do everyday so not much to say there. Last time we did this we took the Q-Connect bus, which is slightly overpriced but I would still recommend it for its comfortable seats and entertainment.
The next day we left at around 8am and reached Daharki by 3pm. The day after, we were ready to head back to Karachi, again at 8am, which was probably later than we should have. (My husband, an early riser, and I would spend at least an hour every night negotiating on what time to leave the next day).
(Side note: a road trip with a partner is a great way to check compatibility!)
We ended up getting a lot of traffic, mostly trucks, on the last leg home. These trucks often break down, or drive on the wrong side, and overall its a stressful drive. Leaving a couple of hours earlier might have saved us from some of it.
The Sukkur-Multan motorway is to be extended all the way to Karachi, which would make the journey a dream. But I have no idea how long that could take.
Admittedly, we lost some time trying to find the Indus Highway after we left Daharki. Google Maps is mostly your best friend through a journey like this, but it was simply unable to get us on the highway, suggesting we drive through fields of crops and cows. Eventually, a local took pity on us and showed us the way.
As a newbie to road trips I was very much expecting this to be a one-off experience, having already decided next time I went up north I would take a flight. But this holiday changed my mind and I would happily do it again, this time stopping in Bahawalpur instead of Multan.
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