Global Wanderer

25/3/24

One of my ‘bucket list’ items has always been to cross the Wagah Border, the only crossing between India and Pakistan that is open to third-country nationals. This is the site of the famous border parades, in which each evening, Indian and Pakistani soldiers face off against each other in a choreographed routine, surrounded by hundreds of supportive nationals on either side.

In the daytime, however, this space becomes quiet, and the gate which separates India and Pakistan opens for travellers who, with the right documentation, are granted passage.

Grand Trunk Road, headed to Pakistan – flagpoles of the Wagah border straight ahead!

I headed out from Amritsar in an Uber, at the cost of 700 rupees. I know that it is more than possible to take a cheap bus to Attari, the town on the Indian side of the border, but my crossing date coincided with Holi festival, and I wanted to avoid the streets for fear of being covered in coloured dust (especially given I was about to be entering Pakistan during Ramadan!). I was dropped off outside the first Indian border post, and began the tedious, hour-long procedure on the Indian side, which involved 4 different passport checks (and obligatory passport stamp), a quick luggage search, and then a short bus ride to the actual border.

The bus drops you off just to the side of the stadium where the nightly parades are held. After handing my passport to another border guard for a final check, I walked out onto Grand Trunk Road, and headed straight for the gate. There is actually a 2.5/3 metre stretch of no-man’s land between the two countries, and so I waited patiently there whilst a Pakistani soldier took my passport through the gate, inspected it, and then opened it with the help of a nearby porter. I must admit, this was one of the strangest experiences of my life!

Through the gates – looking back towards India

At this point, you ARE in Pakistan, however there are a few more steps to take before you’re properly IN. I was directed to an immigration office, where I handed over my ETA approval letter, and waited for the immigration agent to validate my visa-on-arrival. Handy tip, there are some people hanging around the immigration office who are happy to change money – whilst the rate isn’t fantastic at 3 to 1, it provides you with more than enough cash to get you from Wagah to Lahore.

Welcome to Pakistan!

Now armed with my visa, I headed through the customs check, provided my address in Pakistan to the customs agent, and stepped out into Pakistan. The final step of the process was to speak to the soldier manning the road exit – my accommodation in Lahore had sent a driver to pick me up from the border, and he was waiting at the first security checkpoint. After a quick back and forth about where I was from (and who was my favourite cricketer!), my driver appeared in the carpark, and I was on my way to the city often referred to as Pakistan’s cultural capital, Lahore!