So I went to Pakistan this summer with fam and actually traveled to a lot of different places in it. The cities I stayed in and the provinces they're in were:
I also spent some time in the mountain areas north of Islamabad, in the Himalayas I guess, in the area around
Ayubua National Park and more specifically
Dunga Gali. Gonna start with the cities first before I talk about my time in the Himalayas
Spent about 3 weeks in the Islamabad/Rawalpindi area, 2 days in Peshawar, and 1 week in Karachi, in that order. Safety wasn't really an issue in Islamabad. It's Pakistan's newest and only planned city (plus its the capital) so its kept in good shape. Same with Karachi to an extent. Karachi has some bad parts and the overall infrastructure wasn't that great, i.e. potholes and stuff (my uncles blame corrupt politicians), but I was in the safer more metropolitan parts.
Islamabad has an HDI of 0.892 and Karachi's is 0.802 
Didn't take too many photos, but here are some in Islamabad:
Ancient Sikh temple in Saidpur Village
Saw this in a mall
Faisal Masjid (Mosque)
Also only a couple photos in Karachi:
View from Port Grand
A random shop
Peshawar was a little different. As you guys know it's been inflicted with terrorism in the recent years because of its proximity to the Afghan border. I actually went a few times when I was kid too, apparently it was dangerous back then but I didn't really notice. This time around I noticed a large army presence in the city to keep it safe. There were checkpoints in busy roads and there was added security for the neighborhood my relatives live in (they live in the Defence Housing Authority, which is administered by the army). Makes sense considering the
school massacre that killed 150 kids.
Photos I took in Peshawar:
An army fort
Graveyard some of my great grand uncles, etc. are in
Old large house my mom's side of the family all used to live in jointly (British ministers and shyt visited it and stayed it in when Pakistan was still under British rule) was bought by the government a few years ago and remodeled into a restaurant. Mom's relatives lived in it for decades
Overall visiting these 3 different cities was a dope experience. I'd say my favorite is Islamabad just because its the most modern but also because most of my relatives are there. Karachi is the one my parents are from and the one I've been to most; it's dope but a completely different vibe. More of the big city type, which is dope in its own way. Peshawar was kind of eerie and quiet honestly, and obviously not the safest, but I was only there for a few days. You should Google them if you want to see more of what the actual cities look like.
A note I'd add on safety is that I'm Pakistani, and though my Urdu sucks and has a heavy American accent, that was probably a factor in decreasing risk. But foreigners should be fine in Islamabad (there's a decent amount there) and Karachi in most parts. I wouldn't go to Peshawar unless a Pakistani friend goes with you though tbh
Going back to the Himalayas. As I said before, I stayed in the area around Ayubia National Park. A bunch of relatives and I all rented out some cabin/guesthouse in the area. Walked on trails, visited small sight-seeing places, etc. Here are some of the nice photos I took:
A small village
Hiking on a trail
Took a dope ass panorama on the trai;. Probably the best photo I took
A snow leopard (caged, in the wildlife park)
On another trail
Found some wild weed growing!
Should've taken some seeds
Driving down the mountains back to Islamabad
Amazing experience overall. The air was so fresh and everything was so green. Felt like such a pure place. I've been to the Northern mountain areas of Pakistan by Peshawar (that are considered dangerous now) when I was young and got to see some nice sights then too like glaciers and lakes, but this was my first time going to the mountains north of Islamabad and by Kashmir. Glad I got to go.
And there you have it. My experience in Pakistan this summer.
