During a recent trip to Amritsar in India and armed with a Pakistan visa, I decided to travel to Lahore for a couple of days. Both cities are only around 50 kilometers apart and as I was quite curious about the region’s other cultural capital, I decided to travel to Lahore by crossing the Wagah border from the India side.
The two countries actually share a border that spans almost three thousand kilometers but the Wagah border is the only point that is open for foreigners to cross. According to Foreign Policy (FP) magazine, the India-Pakistan border is one of the most dangerous in the world. My experience was actually quite pleasant and it’s one of the easiest international land crossings I have done so far.
Crossing the Wagah Border (India to Pakistan)
From Amritsar, it is relatively easy to get to the Wagah Border. While you may raise a few eyebrows by asking to be taken there for any other purpose than to watch the border closing ceremony, you can easily hail a cab to take you there for around INR 1,000.
From the Indian side, the border is open at 10AM. I arrived there at around 9:30AM and was asked to wait for a bit at a shed before being motioned to enter the building housing customs/immigration.
A quick glance at a logbook being maintained by the Indian army showed that only a handful of foreigners (those who are not from the subcontinent) cross the border each day (i.e. 10 or less). At the immigrations desk, the officer asked me what I was going to do in Pakistan. “Holiday,” I muttered and he let me through after commenting that I was the first traveler from Southeast Asia he had seen crossing the border.
From hereon, it was a simple bus ride to the parade grounds itself, which is about 100 meters to the actual gate. A no man’s land spanning no more than 10 to 20 meters separate India and Pakistan. After one final check, I finally managed to cross the no man’s land and found myself in Pakistan.
Upon entering Pakistan, the first thing you’ll see is their side of the parade grounds which is empty while the border is open. There were some soldiers stationed who looked at my passport before directing me to the immigration building at the Pakistani side.
Inside the immigration counter, I was again asked what my business was in Pakistan. The procedure was relatively painless but travelers are supposed to fill out an arrival card which they give out at the counter. I noticed more stringent checks for Indian travelers at customs.
After exiting the immigration building, it is around 1 kilometer to the parking lot/waiting area where any pre-arranged transport or taxis will be waiting. You can either walk it or wait for a trolley to take you there. By this time, it was around noon so I decided to wait for the trolley to come.
Watching the Border Closing Ceremony
it is possible to cross the wagah border and watch the border closing ceremony the same day
In case you are wondering if it is possible to cross the Wagah border and watch the border closing ceremony the same day, I would like to clarify that yes, it is indeed possible. I did exactly this. I crossed the border in the morning, arrived in Lahore past noon to grab lunch, visited a sight or two and then left my bags in the hotel. Just note though that you can’t bring your bags to the ceremony area so you’ll really need to drop them somewhere in Lahore.
How long does it take to cross the Wagah border?
Armed with the proper visas for India and Pakistan, it is a relatively quick crossing to make. It is advisable to cross once the border opens as there is not much of a crowd. It took me around 1.5 hours to get from the entrance of the border in the Indian side up to the exit of the border at the Pakistani side. There wasn’t much of a queue but most of the time is spent in waiting – i.e. for the trolley in Pakistan and the shuttle bus at the Indian side. But other than that, the actual immigration formality was quite quick.
Crossing the Wagah Border (Pakistan to India)
people mover at the pakistan side of the wagah border
After my trip to Lahore, I again made my way to the Wagah border – this time entering it from the Pakistani side. From the Pakistani side, the border opens at 9AM during winter and 8:30AM during summer. There are some nuances in the method of entry. First of all, there were noticeably more security checks. Even before entering the border itself, you’re subjected to this body scanning machine by the highway. After this, the closest your car will take you is to the parking lot / greeting area where you can either walk or take a trolley to travel the 1 kilometer to the Pakistan immigration building.
From this point on, the process is similar to my India-Pakistan crossing but in reverse. When I got to the India arrival side, I noticed that Pakistani travelers were subject to more stringent checks at customs (in the same way the Indian travelers were subject to extra checks at the Pakistan customs).
I arrived in India before noon and headed straight to the airport for my flight that same afternoon back to Singapore.
Other Things to Consider When Crossing the Border
In doing a trip like this, or even to visit either Pakistan or India regardless whether you’re making border crossings, I strongly recommend getting travel insurance. This will cover incidents ranging from hospitalization or doctor visits due to eating something bad to missing luggages and certain accidents. For this trip, I got my travel insurance from World Nomads which is used by many long-term travelers. The good thing about them is that they have a higher medical coverage and their insurance is valid for both Pakistan and India.
Conclusion
Crossing the border between India and Pakistan is relatively easy as long as you have the requisite visas. Compared to other border crossings I’ve been to (i.e. Singapore-Malaysia and Laos-Thailand), there are very few people who actually cross the Wagah border which makes it a lot easier to cross. The bulk of your time could be spent in waiting. Some of the “services” – such as the people mover, shuttle bus and even the bag scanning folks would wait for a number of travelers to gather before they operate so it would be wise to add in a bit of allowance to your schedule.
Where I stayed in Lahore: My priority while in Pakistan was safety so in Lahore, I decided to forgo large hotels and opted for small and unassuming boutique hotels instead. That’s how I ended up choosing Luxus Grand Hotel – a surprisingly modern lodging in a conservative Islamic republic. Think: see-thru bathroom glass panels (that can be covered with the blinds) as well as relatively plush bedrooms. I was even given 2 tickets to the adjacent movie theater as a welcome gift. You can compare the best prices for this hotel HERE
That people mover is absolutely cute.
Haha it’s like an amusement park ride!
90 minutes isn’t too bad, considering airport security nowadays can take hours in places. So you did well on that. The idea of the walk is good too, you’re able to get more of a “feel” to the thing.
Out of interest. What happens if you want to hike on, instead of taking the people mover? It is a long walk?
You can choose to hike on as well but the distance is around 1km (approx. 15 minutes walk). I decided to wait it out as it was getting quite warm when I arrived in Pakistan.
Hey great article! Could I ask what type of visa you had for Pakistan? A transit one?
Hi Jane, I had a tourist visa!
Did you have to get the visa for Pakistan beforehand or could you do everything directly at Wagah?
It’s not possible to get visa on arrival there. You have to get your Pakistan visa beforehand.
Nice to know your travel .
Can I ask i have conference visa of India which I mentioned my visa application about entry and exit by air from Delhi but I wish if I can cross border from Wahga to Lahore . Then from Lahore to I can back to my destination.
Do you think it’s possible or I must leave by air as I mentioned in my visa application form.
I don’t think it’d matter if you suddenly change your method of exit as long as you don’t overstay in India or exceed the number of trips to India. What’s trickier is getting the Pakistan visa.
Hi Bino. It’s so great that I stumbled upon this page. I have made a plan to visit Lahore from Amritsar as well next year. I will travel solo. My question is it “safe” or do the guards allowed for a solo woman to cross over. People around me are giving many insight. Is there any public transport going to wash border from Amritsar? For me to spend 1500 Indian rupee it’s kind a lot. Or any nearest bus stop and I just walk to the border.
Thank you for your time
Really appreciate it.
Regards,
Mala
Kindly ignore that “wash” this all comes from the technology of a smart phone now days. 😅
What I mean is that any public transport going near to the border.
Yes, it’s fine for a solo woman to cross. If I am not wrong, there is a bus that goes from Amritsar to Lahore via the border but departure is not daily. If you want to go to Wagah Border to cross (not to watch the ceremony), don’t think there is public transport that can drop you off at the border itself outside of the border ceremony timings.
Wow Nice article and Nice exprience Bino My question is do you feel scared while doing all this or not. does you were expecting that you will get a chance to cross wagah border. What was the behaviour of both side guards towards you And how was the taste of food of pakistan? Spicy or non spicy how pakistani people treated you in their country?
Not scary at all! The guards were friendly but they were all checking my passport. I didn’t find Pakistani food to be very spicy.
BINO
DID YOU GET A TOUR COMPANY LOI for pakistan.If so which one..I am a Canadian of Indian origin.I have India visa but yet to get a Pakistan Visa.I want to see Lahore.How many days do you suggest so I can see Lahore.
Hello I was in Lahore for 3d/2n. I got my LOI from Vertical Explorers.
how much money required to go from india to pakistan as we know that pakistan had different currency means pakistani rupees whats the criteria to exchange money?
Wonderful post, Bino! Very insightful. I hope I can follow you some day.
Thank you for this article. It helped! I just crossed from Pakistan to India on this border. It was a breeze! The India side of transport is Rp100 to Attari bus stop (shared between 2), and Rp35 bus to Amritsar.
Hi, very nice and informative article.
If u don’t mind I just want to know fee things.
1. Do they do opening ceremony as well or just closing ceremony.
2. Did you travel form Pakistan-india-Pakistan or India-Pakistan-india? As I can read you travel form amritsar but in return you said you left your bag at hotel in Lahore. Little confusing, sorry.
3. Did you said you for safety you stayed in a small hotel so are they very very bigger than Lexus grand hotel in Lahore.
And I wonder why it’s more safer in small hotel compare to large hotel?
4. And last. Now a days Is wagga border gate is in every day practical use like transporting goods and passenger every day or it serve more like a army custom??
Thanks and appreciate your reply.
I am greek passport holder and I am planing to visit pakisatan from India and I have no idea if it is possible for me to enter Pakistan by foot from wagha border
Yes it is as long as you have the requisite visas.
How did you get from the border to Lahore ?
I had pre-arranged a car to pick me up (although it was late and I waited in the border taxi stop for a while).
Is the border open all days of the week or just weekdays?
Howzit,
You may be aware that Pakistani e-visas are now easily available. I would like to ask if you used an Indian e-visa, and if so, were there any issues when returning back into India at Wagah?
Indian gov website suggests no entry INTO India with their e-visa at Wagah (although one can exit India here)). But other trekkers online note they can return into India as is not their initial entry into country.
Hi Bino,
Did you hold India e-visa (double or muliple entry) to cross this Wagah border?
I am planning to visit Lahore from Amritsar and back to India again via this border.
Thanks,
Jack
My Friend, To visit Índia and exit from wagah border O cAn have a return ticket to and from India?
Or I can with in my case Lisbon-Dheli / Islamabad-Lisbon ?
Thanks