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" Pakistan is far better, safer than the reputation it gets in the news."
confidence, on the fragile trust that allows strangers to walk into each other’ s worlds.
Jeff Kirby, a riding traveller from the United Kingdom, experienced Pakistan not long after the conflict occurred, it hadn’ t altered his views but did instil a level of caution.
“ First, I didn’ t feel unsafe going, I was rather excited,” Jeff suggested.“ Nothing made me consider cancelling, even with the‘ war’ with India going on. It is a completely different country / culture to that I am used to, but I believe I do understand the need to be open minded on security and your possible welcome.
“ I do have a keen eye on international news, and all I saw and heard were negative views of the country and its people,” Jeff continued.“ However, Pakistan surprised me from day one, the welcome we got from all contacts made was immediate and welcoming.”
It’ s a view that many share, where the reality of reported incidents and reality can vary greatly. Jeff has an example that he believes mainstream media refuse to display,“ we stopped for our first purchase, chai, the guys serving could not get enough of talking with us, then lunch.
“ We sat, ordered, and started eating and a total stranger came over, asked us where we were from, how we liked Pakistan, and then promptly paid for our meal,” he explained, before adding,“ I would suggest that Pakistan is far better, safer than the reputation it gets in the news.”
The crisis of 2025 reshaped that trust. It showed how quickly travel can unravel, but also how deeply communities embedded in tourism value the presence of visitors. What endures now are the voices of people like Naeem and Farzana and Himanshu and Buddhi— their hopes, their anxieties, their quiet insistence that the beauty of their homelands is worth protecting and sharing, even when conflict shadows the mountains.
Travel to these regions has always required awareness, sensitivity and courage. In the aftermath of 2025, it requires something more: an understanding that every booking, every ride, every shared meal forms part of a much larger story, one in which tourism is not a luxury
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