Pakistan: When to Go

The best time for travelling to Pakistan depends on which part of the country you intend to visit. Generally speaking, Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and the southern North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) are best visited in the cooler months between November and February. After that it gets uncomfortably hot. Northern NWFP, the Northern Areas and Azad Jammu & Kashmir are generally at their best from around May to October (although occasionally stormy) The trekking season is from late April to late October, peaking from mid-June to mid-September. The weather may be a little stormy during this time, but the mountain districts are usually still accessible.

Try to avoid visiting Pakistan during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, which occurs in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar (not the Gregorian calendar). Check the web for Ramadan dates or you may find yourself involuntarily joining in the fast, because activity is kept to a minimum and food can be hard to find (and, if found, often considered offensive if consumed publicly) during daylight hours.

Weather

Pakistan is mostly hot everywhere in the middle of the year and some places can get quite cold from December to February. Basically the months in between are the best. On the coast, pleasantly warm days between 25°C and 29°C (77°F and 85°F), cool nights and little rain make for delicious weather between November and February. One of the hottest places in the world, southern inland Pakistan is quite extreme, with a torturous period between April and September of frequent mid 40°C (104-114°F) days. The northern regions also cook in the middle of the year, but are pleasant either side of the months between May and September, while things can get quite cool between December and February.