Need travel advice to India and Pakistan :)

[DESERT FIGHTER]

only one friend of mine has ever been to pakistan and that was for scaling some himalayan mountain. I heard balochistan is one of the most beautiful places in pak.....its too bad. Omar, can you tell me about hiring cars in pakistan? I have a valid international license. I would enjoy driving around by myself on a rental.

Balouchistan is safe...... u wont have any problem in the cities... there r lots of places to visit here.

 

[BJP*]

Hi. I am planning on touring the subcontinent this june and july. I want to cover as much as possible. I would be obliged if the native pakistan citizens and indian citizens can tell me about the places worth visiting. I dont want to visit the usual tourist haunts. I want to absorb the real essence of the nations. Also, i would like to know the restrictions at airports.

(deleted firearms part) .I am not very proficient in english language...but i'll say it as best as i can. I like to wander around with my backpack....and interact with the local population as much as possible. Please advise on the local cuisine specialities that should not be missed. Thanks...i will ask the remaining questions later. Any help is appreciated.

Oh and any unique hotels to be tried?

as you will be my national guest in next few months I would like to suggest you

1) never trust on auto drivers and rickshaw wallas
2) never buy any thing from Pallika bazar in delhi, though window shoping would be fine
3) never travel on private buses in delhi.... always prefer govt. buses..... govt means of transport are always reliable
4) never give your penny(money) to street beggars just to show your kind heartedness.... remember your not helping them actually .. they are not what they appears to be.... you will find these beggars only in big cities
5) though people of small towns and villages may look funny to you..... but they will never try to hurt you, they will not expect any return favor from you... you can see true Indian hospitality in these areas


you are coming here in july which is rainy season in India.... It is not good season to travel in India... though we welcome you...good luck for your trip

 

[Omar1984]

Balouchistan is safe...... u wont have any problem in the cities... there r lots of places to visit here.

Pakistani Nationalist, I know you are a patriotic Pakistani and a proud Baloch but please dont make suggestions to others that they will regret afterwards. Dont you remember just a few months ago gunmen killed 16 bus travellers travelling to Quetta. I am 100% Pakistani Muslim and I myself would not travel to Balochistan as of now, and you are telling a foreigner to travel to Balochistan? You know the situation there is not suitable for foreigners or even some Pakistanis with target killings and insurgency, military operations going on there. I would even suggest my fellow Pakistanis to not travel to Balochistan now. Let the army clear out the terrorists like they did in Swat, and then everyone can visit the province, not now.

 

[Secret Service]

only one friend of mine has ever been to pakistan and that was for scaling some himalayan mountain. I heard balochistan is one of the most beautiful places in pak.....its too bad. Omar, can you tell me about hiring cars in pakistan? I have a valid international license. I would enjoy driving around by myself on a rental.

Ziarat is one of the most beautiful place in Baluchistan...you should go there..

 

[Omar1984]

only one friend of mine has ever been to pakistan and that was for scaling some himalayan mountain. I heard balochistan is one of the most beautiful places in pak.....its too bad. Omar, can you tell me about hiring cars in pakistan? I have a valid international license. I would enjoy driving around by myself on a rental.

Yes the Himalayan region is very beautiful and very safe. In Pakistan, the Himalayan mountains can be visited in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

I dont know too much about hiring cars. I think you can rent a car and rent even a driver for not that much money. I always had a driver and cars available given to me by my father, uncles, cousins when I was living and travelling in different places of Pakistan.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

as you will be my national guest in next few months I would like to suggest you

1) never trust on auto drivers and rickshaw wallas

I hope you are only talking about U.P. and Delhi ?!
Auto rickshaws in other parts of India have meters !

 

[BJP*]

I hope you are only talking about U.P. and Delhi ?!
Auto rickshaws in other parts of India have meters !

In Delhi, UP I actually dont have any problem with auto rickshaws.. as I am aware of the rates...

But I recently visited Hyderabad(first time)..... I have written that line on the basis of my experience

 

[Tin Man]

Can anyone advise a good cost effective strategy to visit both countries ? Right now i am considering emirates which allow transit via dubai. So it can be like wurttemberg-pak-dubai-india?

 

[bhagat]

In Delhi, UP I actually dont have any problem with auto rickshaws.. as I am aware of the rates...

But I recently visited Hyderabad(first time)..... I have written that line on the basis of my experience

never trust auto valas in hyderabad

 

[red_baron]

Pakistani Nationalist, I know you are a patriotic Pakistani and a proud Baloch but please dont make suggestions to others that they will regret afterwards. Dont you remember just a few months ago gunmen killed 16 bus travellers travelling to Quetta. I am 100% Pakistani Muslim and I myself would not travel to Balochistan as of now, and you are telling a foreigner to travel to Balochistan? You know the situation there is not suitable for foreigners or even some Pakistanis with target killings and insurgency, military operations going on there. I would even suggest my fellow Pakistanis to not travel to Balochistan now. Let the army clear out the terrorists like they did in Swat, and then everyone can visit the province, not now.

lol i visit baluchistan every now and then and i dont see any law and order situation that is keeping u from visiting it....criminals are everywhere ...american has the highest homicide rate in the world..that dosent prevent people from going on a vacation there
army is for dealing with foreign threat not with fellow countrymen..Police operation is enough to curb criminal element

 

[bandit]

i have an international drivers license. I cannot hire for self drive even with that?

Yes, because the Insurance companies in India do not cover that. Which means that no reputable car hire company will do it. But you are better off not driving in the entire subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal), or Egypt or Syria or Indonesia or countries like that; speaking from my own experience.

My friend told me to not miss kerala and goa in india. I dont think i can get any freedom with a chaffeur driving us around along tourist designated areas.

Yes you can absolutely hire cars in India as long as you have a valid Driving License. I don't know how you got that idea since I've been doing this for quite long. You can hire in a number of cities in India and drop off anywhere. This is where I usually hire my drive from, good rates and quite a decent selection of vehicles.
Luxury Car Rental Services in India | Car Hire Airport | Rent Car - Avis India

Its the same company we have here in the US.

 

[forcetrip]

Bring a GSM phone with you.

 

[desioptimist]

As the captain said, buy a "Lonely Planet" guide on India.
As you are coming for the first time, Delhi-Agra-Jaipur circuit is a must( North India).
July is a good time to visit Ladakh, you can go via Srinagar on road(adventure) or delhi-Leh flight.
Check this site for more details, it has a lot of info about travelling in India.
India Travel Forum | IndiaMike.com

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

Pakistani Nationalist, I know you are a patriotic Pakistani and a proud Baloch but please dont make suggestions to others that they will regret afterwards. Dont you remember just a few months ago gunmen killed 16 bus travellers travelling to Quetta. I am 100% Pakistani Muslim and I myself would not travel to Balochistan as of now, and you are telling a foreigner to travel to Balochistan? You know the situation there is not suitable for foreigners or even some Pakistanis with target killings and insurgency, military operations going on there. I would even suggest my fellow Pakistanis to not travel to Balochistan now. Let the army clear out the terrorists like they did in Swat, and then everyone can visit the province, not now.

Tht didnt happened in quetta..... Also cities like quetta,ziarat,jhal magsi,gwadar,sibbi etc are safe the problematic areas r panjgor,turbat etc to some extend.....


Also the guy would probably visit hingol,gwadar,quetta n ziarat at max....So its no problem.

 

[Lord Of Gondor]

I assume that you are an adventurist so, When you are in India,please do try a trip to Ladakh on an Royal Enfield and interact with anyone you want to on the road.you will love it.If you are interested then please go through The Tourer - xBhp.com : The Global Indian Biking Community.Enjoy your stay and welcome....