How to have Fun in Pakistan: 35 Ways
Choosing how to have fun in Pakistan depends on your personality type, but here is a list of things to do here and the leisure activities.
I’ll start from the top.
Adventure Trips
Pack up your stuff and travel to any of the mountain valleys in Pakistan like Neelum, Gilgit Baltistan, Rawalakot and Chitral.
Then there are unexplored mountain peaks and lakes in Chitral and Gilgit Baltistan that would more than satisfy your Adventurous streak.
If you are into exploring unchartered country, then Tirah Valley, Quetta and Khuzdar is the ideal place to visit, because not many people enjoy the venturing into lawless land.
The how to have fun part in this exercise is moving far away from the crowd.
Planned Travel Trips
If you want a leisure trip to popular travel and hiking destinations in Pakistan, join any of the tour event arranged by local Travel and Adventure companies. You can get the schedule from their website.
Hiking Trips
You can go on hiking trips on your own if you are acquainted with the local customs and nuances.
To really know how to have fun is to chose the right group to tag along with.
You can find several Travel, Hiking, Heritage visits in this blog here.
- Also see Answers to Travel and Tour Questions on Pakistan
- Top Travel and Tour Companies in Pakistan
Rock Climbing and Mountaineering Clubs
There are several Rock Climbing and Mountaineering Clubs to chose from to enjoy the outdoors.
Food and Restaurant
We Pakistanis love our food and have gotten pretty good at making it.
Food and eating out is the top fun activity for Pakistani families, because our fun starts and ends with the family. Pakistani people value Family above everything else.
Restaurant Food
Pakistanis have pakistanized high end Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Western food to suit our taste.
Even Chinese tastes like a local biryani.
To get more ideas on where to dine and what to eat, do go over these suggestions here.
How to have fun finding Street Food in Pakistan
The street food in Pakistan is way better than restaurant food, only if you know where to find the right stall. Phajjay ke Paye, Banni Karahi and Sabri Nihari are some examples of ultimate street food of Pakistan.
Night Clubs in Pakistan
There aren’t many official clubbing joints in Pakistan, but believe me, the underground scene is packed with drug fueled parties.
Pakistan has Open Air Rave Events too.
Underground Clubs
You’d have to build trust with local party animals to be invited into their gang.
If you are white, that is an automatic invitation, because we still have colonial hangover.
To know more about what it is like drinking, dancing and dating in Pakistan do go over this post.
Watersports
Three large dams in Pakistan, Khanpur, Mangla, Atabad and the Karachi coast line have several watersport clubs that you can enjoy with your family. Most of them have power boats, Jet Ski, paragliding and even mini cruises. Some even offer scuba diving and fishing trips.
Air Safari or City tour on Helicopter
All three of the large cities in Pakistan, like Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi have helicopter service that takes you on a 15 minutes spin to see various monuments for about $100. This is one such service in Islamabad 03335222800.
Pakistan International Airlines has an Air Safari round trip from Islamabad to see the Northern 8000 meter mountains that is worth every cent.
Illegal Sports Hunting
Although you can kill a person in the wild frontiers of Pakistan and probably get away with it, because the country is awash with illegal weapons, sports hunting is also available for all those interested in murdering a helpless Urial or mountain goat.
In Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan, you’d have to pay the game reserve owner to try your aim.
This illegal hunting is carried out in family owned game parks.
Legal Hunting.
For legal hunting in the northern areas, you’d need government permit
Skiing during winters
Malam Jabba Ski resort and Naltar are the two well established ski resorts in Pakistan, however there are several illegal ones that are way better than these two.
Heritage visit
The best stocked heritage museums in Pakistan are the Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi ones.
Here the historical artifacts have been stored so that no one steals them from their ancient sites around Pakistan. Not that it stops the artifact thieves from illegal excavations.
This territory of Pakistan had functioning cities on the bank of River Indus way back in the 7th century BC. It is a lot more fun in personally visiting the Forts, Buddhist monasteries, Hindu temples and Christian Churches, just to get a sense of the olden times
- Also see UNESCO Sites in Pakistan.
Architecture Trips
We Pakistanis love to adorn our Mosques and religious places. Some mosques are so beautiful in architecture and embellishments, it is really enjoyable for those who appreciate it.
Border Trips
Pakistan’s borders with all its neighbors, except China are disturbed. But that does not stop daredevils like me venturing their and enjoying the border gates closing ceremonies in the evening.
Its fun peering over the fence line and seeing what the other people look like.
Gaming Arena
Every major city has family gaming areas and theme parks that are fun to take your young kids to. Some even have mini zoos there.
Theme Parks
The theme parks are usually crowded on weekends, so it’s a better idea to go there on week days. Theme parks are mostly focused on kid’s entertainment but there are a few mechanical rides too for adults – but no roller-coasters.
Go Cart Racing track
I personally love the go-cart race tracks, because adults are allowed to beat kids in the race and that makes me feel good about myself.
Horse Riding Clubs
Horse riding club in major cities like Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi offer 30 minutes rides for Rs 4000.
Although the horses are lame, still it’s fun acting like a cowboy once a while.
Pakistan Army Horse riding clubs have the best breed of horses.
Swimming in Luxury Clubs
Another great way to have fun in Pakistan is to register with any of the luxury clubs in the city.
Most of the quality clubs in Pakistan provide facilities like
· Swimming
· Gyms
· Yoga and even
· Self-defense training
Then the all have excellent coffee shops and dining restaurants to enjoy after a workout.
The club fees are not that high either.
How to have fun playing Golf
Although golf club membership is usually expensive, the training range is very cheap. If you have your golf kit, hitting a bucket or two full of used balls across the fairway, and having coffee later on is a supremely enjoyable activity.
All major cities have golf and country clubs.
Cinema and Opera
Pakistan doesn’t have opera houses, and that is a shame. The alternative is watch a movie on hi resolution Cinema Screen.
Theater and Drama
There are theater and drama halls that do arrange interesting shows, but not that frequently.
The top crowd pullers are the comedy theater shows in Lahore.
Festivals in Pakistan
Just a superficial glance over the local events app will give you a list of scheduled music, arts and food festivals that take place in Pakistan.
Visit the Gun Shops of Darra Adam Khel
Darra Adam Khel was once the gun factory of the now defunct Federally Administered Tribal Areas and boy do they make super weapons.
Just visiting the place and firing a drum magazine from a Pakistani modified Russian AK-47 on full automatic is exhilarating.
No, you can’t take the gun out of the country, but the Darra people can deliver your gun of choice along with a bag of complementary hashish, anywhere in Pakistan.
Get into the Talk Show scene
We Pakistanis love to talk sh*t on national television about every country and how we have been short changed by a global conspiracy.
The local TV channels need a steady stream of good looking people who can hold people’s attention and know a little bit of Pakistani politics vis a vis World.
Just brush up on articles by local political news bloggers like these and join the talk show band wagon.
It’s free money for parroting the government’s line.
Dress Shopping
Pakistani women are probably the best dressed in the world, because the modesty-infused Pakistani dressing with local fabric has evolved in this incubator.
Foreigner can’t have enough of Pakistani dresses and designer wears.
Handicraft Souvenirs’ in Pakistan
Then there are the local handicrafts that bring ethnicity and class to your drawing room.
The most popular things to buy in Pakistan
The most popular thing to buy in Pakistan would be hand-crafted onyx figurines, gem stones like aqua marine, local cotton designer suits, Chanusa Mango, and hand-embroidered cushion covers with various village themes on it.
Hanging out at the open air tea shops along major roads
I love having tea and fresh paratha with my buddies in the open air tea stalls.
The flies and the unhygienic kitchen adds an authentic taste to my Chai that I cannot find anywhere.
Some people call them Dhaba.
Cycling
Mixed gender, cycling in the cities is a relatively newer trend in Pakistan.
Then there are mountain bike groups that take to the hills on the weekends.
Either way, it is a fun sport.
Off road Driving and mud biking
As most of the mountain road in Pakistan are more of dirt roads, off-roading on these narrow paths is exciting.
Read a book
Most of Pakistanis have not read any book besides their Course work.
I had read one other book – the holy Quran.
But I recently discovered the joys of joining a local library and getting yourself a book to read.
This beats boredom anytime.
Book Festivals in Pakistan are very enjoyable too.
Finding guys to date
Finding a handsome guy is no problem in Pakistan, as there are many dark and handsome guys running about in motorbikes with nothing better to do than hook up.
Finding women to date
Finding female company can be tricky because most of the good looking girls in Pakistan are already married and the ones that are available don’t want to be seen with an uncommitted guy.
The dating and hanging out stuff has to be kept under wraps.
Pakistani women love to get acquainted with white men though, as it gives them a status boost.
Hook up culture in Pakistan
Hook up culture is mostly limited to dating apps and people you meet in underground clubs.
High end gated communities are notorious pickup spots.
Outdoor Games and Activities in Pakistan
Pakistani people mostly play cricket and football in the outdoors. There are several outdoor sports and fitness parks that are open till 12 pm for sports.
All other outdoor sports field games like Kabaddi, Gilli Danda and Pakran Pakrai, are traditional and not that popular anymore.
Indoor Games and Activities in Pakistan
We Pakistani just play video games, snooker, Cards and Ludo in doors.
For other indoor field games like squash, Tennis and badminton require a court to play them inside, so you’d have to join a club.
The most popular entertainment in Pakistan
The most popular entertainment in Pakistan is making babies, that’s why we are 220 million by now. I don’t need to tell you how to have fun in Pakistan for this entertainment.
The second most popular entertainment is eating out.
So, if you are Caucasian white, all the fun things will come to your doorstep, but if you are not white, you will have to pay to enjoy them.
- Also see things to do in Islamabad
Weird things about Pakistan
People in Pakistan are hospitable to a fault. Don’t be astonished if an impoverished family offers you their last morsel, while they stay hungry themselves.
Visitors find that weird about Pakistanis.
And Pakistani men love to stare at women that are not dressed up modestly.
So, this is how to have fun in Pakistan, our way.