Leork Hotels 23 September 2026
Your first 24 hours in Rawalpindi come down to five jobs: get out of the airport, get your phone working, get cash, eat something simple, and sleep properly. Most flights from the Gulf and the UK land late at night or before sunrise, so the trick is to handle the first two at the airport and leave everything else for the morning. This guide walks through each step as it works in 2026, including a few things that changed recently and still catch people out.
If you have been away for a few years, two changes matter straight away. Careem no longer runs rides in Pakistan, and Telenor has merged into Ufone. Old habits will send you looking for both.
Step 1: Getting Out of Islamabad International Airport
The arrivals hall is large and orderly, and immigration plus baggage usually takes under an hour outside the busiest waves. If you are carrying more than US$10,000 in foreign currency, or gold and jewellery, declare it to customs. FBR lets you do this online in advance through its Currency Declaration System. With nothing to declare, walk through the green channel.
Then you have three ways into the city:
- inDrive or Yango. These are the ride apps that work now. With inDrive you offer a fare and drivers accept or counter. Yango works more like the fixed-fare apps you may know from abroad and tends to cost a little more. Both are mostly paid in cash. You book from the pickup area outside the terminal, and the airport Wi-Fi does not reach that far, so have roaming or data switched on.
- The official taxi desk. Inside arrivals there is a desk with a fixed price list. Staff fill in a short form, and a driver meets you in the parking level. It costs more than an app ride, but there is no haggling and nothing to set up at 3 a.m.
- Family pickup. Still the most Pakistani option. If someone is collecting you, they can wait in the parking area rather than circling.
There is also a MetroBus connector from behind the car park for PKR 90. It is fine for a backpack. With two suitcases and a jet-lagged child, it is not.
From the airport to LEORK Hotels on Main GT Road near Defence Chowk is about 35 to 40 minutes on the Islamabad Expressway, longer at morning rush hour. Our hotel near Islamabad Airport guide covers the route and the late check-in side in more detail.
Step 2: Getting Your Phone Working
This is the part most people get wrong, and an unregistered phone simply stops working on Pakistani networks after a short grace period.
Phone registration (PTA). If you are an overseas Pakistani or a foreign visitor, you can register the phone you brought for up to 120 days per visit, free and tax-free, through PTA’s DIRBS portal (dirbs.pta.gov.pk/drs). It takes a few minutes with your passport details and the phone’s IMEI numbers (dial *#06# to see them). Do it on day one. Permanent registration, for a phone you plan to leave with family, is a different process with PTA tax attached, and the rates change often enough that it is worth checking on the day.
A local SIM. Pakistan now has three mobile operators: Jazz, Zong and Ufone (Telenor customers moved to Ufone after the July 2026 merger). Every SIM is sold against a biometric thumbprint, so you need to go to an operator store or authorised franchise:
- Pakistanis bring a CNIC or NICOP.
- Foreign nationals bring a passport with a valid visa or a POC. Foreigners are limited to two SIMs, and the SIM lasts as long as the visa does.
Do not plan on buying a SIM at the airport. Some travellers manage it, many do not. A travel eSIM bought before you fly gives you data the moment you land, which solves the ride-booking problem above, and you can get a local SIM the next day.
Step 3: Cash and Exchange
Pakistan still runs on cash for rickshaws, small restaurants, tips and market shopping, even if bigger shops take cards.
- Change money at a licensed exchange company or a bank and keep the receipt. Airport counters are handy for a small amount to cover the first ride, but the rate is usually weaker.
- ATMs at the airport often reject foreign cards. Do not rely on them for your first cash. City bank ATMs are more forgiving, but tell your bank you are travelling.
- Rough rates as of September 2026, for planning only: around PKR 275 to 285 to the US dollar, 370 to 380 to the pound, and 73 to 76 to the Saudi riyal. Check the day’s rate before you change anything large.
Carry a stack of 500s and 1000s rather than only 5000 notes. A rickshaw driver at 7 a.m. will not have change for a 5000.
Step 4: The First Night
After a long flight, a quiet room matters more than anything else. Two things in Rawalpindi are worth knowing before you choose where to stay.
First, power cuts are back in 2026. In early October the national shortfall pushed load shedding to three or four hours in many areas, on top of scheduled maintenance outages. Family homes often run on UPS, which keeps the fans and lights going but not much else. A hotel with proper backup power and fiber Wi-Fi means you can charge everything, call home and sleep through a cut without noticing it.
Second, late check-in needs to actually work. At LEORK Hotels reception and security run 24/7, so a 4 a.m. arrival is normal, not a favour. Send your flight number on WhatsApp before you board and the room will be ready. The Deluxe King has a proper seating area for unpacking and recovering, and the Family Room suits parents travelling with children. Free parking also helps if relatives are collecting you or dropping in.
A lot of overseas families do the first night or two at a hotel even when they will end up staying with relatives. Arriving at a family home at dawn, with the whole household awake to greet you, is lovely in theory. In practice everyone ends up exhausted.
Step 5: The First Meal and Getting Over Jet Lag
Keep the first meal plain. A paratha with chai, or eggs and toast, is kinder to a stomach that has just crossed four time zones than a full nihari breakfast. The heavy food can wait until day two, when it will taste better anyway.
A few other first-day rules:
- Drink sealed bottled water only, including for brushing teeth if you have a sensitive stomach.
- Get daylight in the morning. A short walk does more for jet lag than another nap. Ayub National Park is about 5 minutes from the hotel and quiet early in the day (see our Ayub Park guide).
- Do not book paperwork on day one. You will not be at your sharpest.
Paperwork While You Are Home
Many overseas Pakistanis use a trip home to sort out NADRA or passport work. NADRA’s Blue Area Mega Center in Islamabad is reported to run around the clock, and Rawalpindi has a Mega Center on Murree Road with NICOP self-service kiosks. Hours change, so call the NADRA helpline (051-111-786-100) before you go, and check whether your NICOP or POC renewal can be done online through Pak-ID first. It often can, and that saves a whole morning.
Getting Around After Day One
Once your phone works, the twin cities open up. The MetroBus runs along Murree Road between Saddar and Islamabad and beats traffic at rush hour. inDrive and Yango cover everything else. For where to go first, our Rawalpindi travel guide has the main sights and food, and the Saddar guide covers the bazaars, where you will probably end up buying gifts to take back.
A Few Etiquette Notes for First-Timers
Dress modestly, especially in markets and religious sites. Pass and eat with your right hand. Agree the fare before a rickshaw moves. Keep a photo of your passport or CNIC on your phone and the originals somewhere safe. And when crossing GT Road near Defence Chowk, take your time. It is a busy road and nobody is in a hurry to stop for you.
The Short Version
Register your phone on DIRBS, sort a SIM or eSIM, carry small notes, eat something plain, and sleep somewhere with backup power and a front desk that is awake when you land. Then start enjoying being home.
Landing soon? Book your room or WhatsApp your flight details to +92 333 9588862 and we will be ready whatever time you arrive.
