Road trip from Karachi to Islamabad

[mustafakm302]

Me and my wife have planned a road trip from Karachi to Islamabad by road on a Mira by the end of December. I'm not sure if it's a good idea.

How long is it okay to drive A Mira constantly?

Any experience or tips and tricks will be appreciated..

[farooq05]

its surely a good idea provided you like road trip.. there will be fog issues around your time so plan accordingly and as long as your car is mechanically fit you should not have any issue.. now Multan is quite easily reachable in less than 12 hours so you can break your journey at Multan service area where Region Motel is available and next day you can reach to Islamabad..

[mustafakm302]

Wow, Sounds so Perfect.. I was planning to Stay in Lahore and spend 2 days to see around ancient places like Lal Masjid, and Lahore fort and then move towards Islamabad.. I think it is just a couple of hours from Multan.

[behram.ali]

The only major concern is the dense fog you will face if you enter Punjab in the early or very late hours.
Petrol is available on almost all of the stops on Sukkur to Lahore Motorway.
Also, a suggestion bring your own food for the Sukkur to Lahore Motorway section. I have a very bad experience with quality of food being served.

[kn_khipk]

@mustafakm302 glad to know that you are planning a road trip from Karachi to Islamabad. @farooq05 and @behram.ali have provided their valuable suggestions. Here is my two bit.

Relax. I'm sure you will enjoy the drive in your Mira. The duration of the drive depends on you. Stop at a rest area every now and then to use the washroom and to freshen up. Nothing like a garma garam chai to refresh yourself. Good company and music you enjoy will make your road trip memorable. Make sure the car heater works. And check on weather updates at least a couple of days before you leave to get an idea of the fog situation in Punjab.

Here's my recent contribution...do check it out. https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/t/7-day-family-road-trip/1669823

And don't forget to take pictures...plenty of pictures.

[sleeper]

I am concerned a bit about the car model you have..... If its the EiS Mira, then its all good. Follow the guidelines other members have told above..... Drive safe, stay alert of ur surroundings.

[tintin1]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[sirajturk]

You plan sounds good but you have to keep the following points in your mind.

1. You might find the closure of various motorways, roads due to dense fog and this situation can lasts for more than 24 hours.

2. Beaware of the sugarcane trolleys. They drive like hell and do not hesitate to park their vehicles right ion the middle of the road (especially from Qazi Ahmed till Sukkur).

3. 660CC car is good but not recommended for long routes because once you find the clear motorway you wouldn't care about speed limits. Its all up to you how you drive your car ... It is recommended that you should drive a 660cc within 80 to 90km/hr and all will be good with your car.

[feika]

Just to give you some peace of mind: during my trip last month, I've seen lots of Mehrans, and a few Miras on the Sukkur-Multan (M5), and Isb-Lhe (M2) motorways. The fastest Mehran that I saw was the one driven on 130-135km/h but I can only assume that it was a passing, rush of blood kinda thing, and they didn't drive at this speed all the way till Sukkur.
Get the vehicle checked from a reliable mechanic prior to the trip, and take a pair of extra hose pipes just to be on the safe side. Give proper rest to yourself and your vehicle after every 2.5-3.0 hours' drive. However, please note that Multan to Lahore is not a couple of hours, but at least 3.0-3.5 hours (around 325km), add some more drive time till your destination within Lahore.

[mustafakm302]

feika Great advices, I'll make notes for these..

sirajturk Thank You Siraj, I'll try my best to be safe from sugarcane trolleys.

tintin1 I'll have company, so I might not get bored, but I'll be ready for this situation as well.

sleeper Yes It's EiS I guess.

kn_khipk You really gave me great motivation.. Thank You..

behram.ali, We might reach Lahore by 8 or 9 at night, Do you think that will be okay?

[brownrose78]

Dear All,
In which month, will we get fog free, smog free drive from Karachi to Islamabad & northern areas.

Your bhabi is also insisting for Pakistan tour this year in December but i am afraid of driving in December & January due to following issues:

1. Having 2 small kids in car

2. It seems risky drive in such fog. I prefer to drive in clear vision

3. I will be single driver with your bhabi & 2 kids so tiredness factor should be in mind( also i have recently recovered from Covid-19 so that weakness is also at its place)

4. It will be my 1st time drive on motorways so not used-to of routes, knowing cuts in advance etc.

5. My car is old & of manual transmission

@mustafakm302
Khalid bhai @kn_khipk has made detailed thread, you can take guide from there too. Make a list of hotels too and if possible, call and get advance booking in order to avoid any hassle or issue with family

[sirajturk]

Normally the Fog situation lasts till the end of February to middle of March but driving in a day time in January is doable.

1. I suggest you should not drive with kids during the fog because normally the NHA closed down the motorways and you got no choice but to take longest route of N5 where you can find sugarcane trolleys and many times they broke down right in the middle of the roads and it hours to clear the traffic. I once got stuck in traffic for more than 5 hours just because a sugarcane trolley roll over after hitting a tractor on the highway.

2. Driving alone is not a big issue on the motorways. I suggest you should plan your trip in the month of March. I went on a similar trip this year in the month of March and enjoyed even when the lock down were imposed. You may check the forum I created regarding my trip below ...

Lock down to Paradise

A sudden plan was made and I decided to spend some of my annual leaves with family as the school of my Son got closed in view of the Covid19 pandemic and there were rumors that the Government will lock down the I City of Lights Karachi. So I took a chance (by ignoring all the news and anger of my elder brother) and hit the road on 14th March 2020. The plan went well and we enjoyed a lot and no problem was faced on the route. Ok so lets began with some of the highlights of my trip. Departure …

[brownrose78]

Jazak Allah bhai

[nome670]

I would like to add a little more information for my Brother from Karachi.

Keeping the fog condition that start from midplane i.e rahim yar khan to lahore to bhera

The suggested plan would be like

1) Get your rest at night (always).

2) try to keep you car tank full and keep food for at least 12 hour (snacks / pizza etc )

3) Plan it as a trip with due stops i.e Multan , lahore , khewra mines , rotas . Dunga gali/ nathia gali .etc you get my point.
Note : Haven't travel in Sind so you guys need to update on this for places, hotel and stops.

4) Travel by motorways where possible (Cost more but reduce wear and tear -> your and car)

A trip would be like

Move early from karachi like 5 or 6 am .... A stop at Rahim yar khan would due for night rest unless you can make it to multan (highly unlikely as single driver)

next morning leave to multan for sight seeing but make sure to leave by 2 pm to avoid fog in the evening . Hoping your stop would be lahore.

Once in lahore there are lot of thing you can see so it up to you. (Fog would be a travel issue from 8 am to 8 pm but it depend on rain and weather but you can alway moves inside lahore)

(Motorway M2 or GT road (bumpy cost less) your choice )Leaving for Islamabad would suggest a stop at khewra mines for the kid (on M2 ..3 hours stop) so better leave by 8 am from lahore. Once you are at kallar kehar the fog effect significantly reduces but at place it there.

From here you can either go to Islamabad and sight see faisal mosque .pir sohawa ..etc
Alternatively you can keep on going on M2 and connect to Hazara motorway and goto Abbotabad. to see snow you may need to go to nathia gali. (If it snow you need snow chain other wise don't go if there is snow on the road Very very dangerous).

and on on else need to create your return trip plan

So here are my 2 cents hope this help

[mustafakm302]

@nome670

Thanks for these priceless information and advices. We too decided to stay on motorways. I'll keep in notice of all the timings you have told. Thank you once again for the advices.

[sdqz1192]

Assalam o Alaikum
Have you finalized your trip yet?
I too am planning to travel InshaAllah on 19th Dec. But this will be my first travel in my car in this peak winter season so was a bit shaky as well.
By the way have done this trip last year Alhamdulillah but it was in end August.
Suggestions from other experience members is much appreciated

[tintin1]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[sdqz1192]

wagonR - local

[tintin1]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[sdqz1192]

Yes you are absolutely right in this regard and I think its the baby tires that are mainly responsible in this car.
Anyways I drive slow and peacefully. The primary concern for me in this trip is the fog. Also I am not sure till where I will be able to drive comfortably. I also have an option to rent a car with local driver from Islamabad onwards. But if conditions are suitable I will prefer to travel in my own car.
Do i have to take any measures for the snowy conditions especially with respect to radiator and battery. The battery is not giving any issues here in Karachi but its almost 1 and a half year old. So should i replace it anyways. Also mileage is at 30k so should i be particular with regards to tires?
JazakAllah for addressing my queries