When to go
It is hard to find a period that fits for all of Pakistan.
The best time to visit central and southern Pakistan (where Karachi is located) is
winter, from December to February. You can visit the northernmost lowland area (Punjab, where Peshawar, Lahore and Islamabad are located) from November to March, and if you want, you can avoid the coldest months, choosing March and November.
In Quetta and in the mountain regions of the west, you can choose April and October, bearing in mind that it can get cold at night.
For the mountains of the north too, you can choose
spring and autumn, but since spring on the south side is rainy, you may prefer autumn, in particular, October and November. For the north side, in the high mountain areas of the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram, you may prefer the summer, from June to September.
As previously mentioned, the
sea is warm enough to swim in throughout the year. However, given that the air temperature can be a bit cool from December to February, the best months to go to the beach are March and November.
What to pack
In
winter: for the north at low altitude (Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Rawalpindi), bring spring/autumn clothes, a sweater and a warm jacket for the evening; a raincoat or umbrella especially in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Above a thousand meters (3,300 feet, see Abbottabad), bring warm clothes, such as a sweater, a warm jacket, and a raincoat or umbrella. In Kashmir, above 3,000 meters (9,800 ft), bring mountain clothes, a down jacket, a hat, a scarf, and gloves. In the center and south (Jacobabad, Sukkur, Hyderabad), spring/autumn clothes, a sweater and a jacket for the evening. On the southern coast (Karachi), spring/autumn clothes (light for the day), a light jacket and a sweater for the evening. For Quetta and the western mountains, around 1,500 meters (5,000 feet), warm clothes, such as a sweater, a down jacket, and a hat.
In
summer: for all areas at low altitude, from Islamabad to Karachi, bring tropics-friendly, loose-fitting clothing, a sun hat, a desert turban, and possibly a light raincoat or umbrella, which are more useful in the north, at the foot of the mountains. Above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet, see Quetta, Abbottabad), add a sweatshirt for the evening. For Kashmir, around 3,000 meters (9,800 ft), bring spring/autumn clothes (light for the day), a sun hat, sunglasses, a sweater and a jacket for the evening; for higher altitudes, warmer clothes depending on altitude.
It's better for women to avoid low-cut dresses.
When visiting mosques, men must keep their shoulders and knees covered, and take off their shoes, while women should also cover their hair.
Back to the climate of
Pakistan