Tour Guides in Pakistan

Guide hire without transport suits visitors who already have a car, corporate hosts showing a delegation around, and families who want site commentary rather than a packaged tour. Guides in Islamabad work the city sites, Taxila and the Gandharan circuit, and the northern routes, and the good ones know both the history and the practical detail of tickets, timings and prayer schedules.

A licensed guide is Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000 per day for city and Taxila work, and Rs 12,000 to Rs 20,000 per day on northern trips where the guide travels with the group. Half days are around sixty per cent of the day rate. Guides working in Arabic, Mandarin or French cost thirty to fifty per cent more and need several days notice.

Ask whether the guide is licensed by the tourism department, which sites they specialise in, and whether they handle ticketing. A guide who is strong on Gandharan archaeology is not necessarily the right person for a Hunza trip. Agree the meeting point and start time clearly, and confirm whether their food and travel are included in the fee.