Phones, SIM cards and getting online

Buying a SIM

Foreign visitors can buy a local SIM on a passport, at the airport or at any operator's franchise. Take the passport itself, not a copy — biometric registration is required and it is done on the spot.

Jazz and Zong have the best coverage in the north. Telenor is fine in the plains. Expect to pay around USD 8 for a month with a useful data allowance.

Do this in Islamabad on arrival. It is harder in Gilgit and effectively impossible in a valley.

Where the signal is

• Good 4G: Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Gilgit town, Karimabad, Skardu town, Mingora
• Patchy: Upper Hunza above Gulmit, Astore, Chitral, Kalam, Khaplu — signal in the town, nothing between
• None: Fairy Meadows, Deosai, the Baltoro, most of the Kalash valleys, Khunjerab above the checkpost

Every destination page on this site states which of the three it is.

What that means practically

Tell people at home before you go into a valley, not from inside it. On our trips your guide carries the itinerary and the office knows where the group is each night, so if someone at home needs to reach you urgently, they call our office number and we get a message to you at the next town.

Download offline maps before you leave Islamabad. Your itinerary in our traveller portal is available offline once opened.

Wi-fi

Hotels in the cities have working wi-fi. Hotels in the north have wi-fi that exists. Do not plan a work call from Karimabad without a backup.

A note on drones

Flying a drone in Pakistan requires prior permission and it is taken seriously, particularly near anything military — which includes stretches of road you would not think of that way. Do not bring one assuming you will sort it out on arrival. Ask us first and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth the paperwork.