Pakistan is one of the world’s best-kept travel secrets.

 Sahit Muja: Pakistan

  Sahit Muja: Pakistan  is one of the world’s best-kept travel secrets.
Pakistan has been on the brink of being tourism's ‘next big thing’. There is a huge potential in Tourism in Pakistan.

Pakistan  has so much to offer to visitors; drive the Karakoram Highway through the endless peaks of the Karakoram Mountains, or wander through the architectural glories of the former Mughal capital Lahore, the ancient bazaars of Quetta or the cosmopolitan streets of Karachi. 

Pakistan has fascinating diversity, its well-kept Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist shrines, the dizzingly high mountains or the impressive sheer glaciers.

Pakistan is a country of contrasts the brilliant colours of the painted buses, cars, trucks, the aromatic scent of rose, apple and apricot and the pungent to mosques and colourful bazaars.

Pakistan offers many fresh fruits that are most plentiful in the summer and autumn months.
Mangoes, papayas, bananas, watermelon, apricots, and apples are some examples. Chiku have the taste of a date and the texture of a kiwi fruit.

Many Pakistanis eat their fruit (especially watermelon) with a light dusting of salt to offset the sweetness or tartness.

While these dietary staples may seem bland, Pakistani cuisine is rich with sauces and condiments to spice up their dishes. A variety of spices (an Indian influence), such as chili powder, curry, ginger, garlic, coriander, paprika, and cinnamon, are at the heart of Pakistani cuisine.

A wide range of chutneys (a relish usually made of fruits, spices, and herbs), pickles, and preserves that accompany meats and vegetables give Pakistani cuisine its distinct flavor
Pakistan's top five places.
Taxila

Just a short drive from Islamabad, this is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.
There are 18 locations in the area which are world heritage sites, but only 5% have been excavated.

This is the region from where Buddhism travelled to the far east - and Persians, Greeks and Hindus all subsequently left their mark. You can watch the sun set from the remains of a Buddhist monastery or wander through the streets of an excavated Persian city in the knowledge that there are two older ones buried below.

Lahore
Every Pakistani you meet will remind you of the old adage that if you haven't been to Lahore you haven't lived. The old city looks like a medieval costume drama, with horses, donkeys and ox-drawn carts transporting everything from stacks of hay to blocks of ice. In the narrow streets of the spice market, huge hessian sacks contain all manner of extravagant herbal cures, including died hair from corn on the cob for kidney pain, gum crystals for back pain and tree bark for flu. There are also mounds of chalky green henna and blue clothes dye "to turn white shirts into school uniform."
The incredible Mughal buildings of Lahore Fort and Badshahi mosque - one of the world's largest - are must-sees; eat dinner on the terrace of the converted Haveli Cocco's Den for a floodlit bird's-eye view. Meanwhile, New Lahore, with its Liberty market and numerous coffee shops (albeit serving Nescafe), presents the vibrant, modern face of Pakistan.

The Karakorum Highway
Opened in 1986, the KKH, as it is fondly referred to, is the highest road in the world, winding through the Karakorum mountain range and connecting to China through the Khunjerab Pass at an altitude of nearly 5000 metres. It is the only way to the tourist attractions of the Northern Areas, but negotiating its twists and bends around unprotected sheer drops is an adventure in its own right.
The road connects many villages whose only sign of modernisation is the sponsored paintwork of Pepsi and Nestle that decorate the shops. Along the way you also pass several hundred spectacularly painted Bedford trucks. These are one of the defining features of Pakistan, costing up to three years' wages to adorn and featuring intricate designs of birds and trees. Several hundred metres below, the Indus thunders past grey silt beaches.

Karimabad
In the lush Hunza valley, the sleepy village of Karimabad is a tourist oasis. The street that winds up to the old Baltit fort is crammed with shops selling local handicrafts such as shawls and carpets, along with local dried fruit, antiques and gemstones.
The people here are Ismaili, which means they welcome music and dancing, and are partial to Hunza water - a spirit made from mulberries - or their homemade Hunza wine. There is also a cafe-cum-bookshop called Café de Hunza that serves real espresso: a treat for caffeine-starved visitors.
Come in spring for the blossom, or autumn to see the rooftops lined with huge rush trays of apricots, tomatoes, apples and spinach drying in the sunshine. A four-hour trek along the irrigation channel that winds up through the village and hugs the rockface up the mountains will take you up to Ultar meadow, where a small makeshift campsite offers views of Ultar peak and glacier.

Lake Saiful Mulk
An exhilarating jeep drive from the resort town of Narran (bear in mind that "resort" in Pakistan means a village with a few hotels), lie the still waters and snow-capped mountains of Lake Saiful Mulk.
It is no surprise that there is a story of fairies and princes associated with the area that can be recounted by a shawl-wearing guide for a few hundred rupees. And do give in to one of the horse-trek touts: it only costs a couple of pounds for an hour and you will feel as if you have been transported into another world.

Sahit Muja
President and CEO
Albanian Minerals
New York