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| PC: Saifuddin Abbas |
1. Pack your bags the night before, inform family and friends about
your plans, and in the early hours of Saturday morning, drive down the N10 (Makran
Coastal Highway) in Balochistan to Hingol National Park
(a 260 km and 4-hour drive away from Karachi), one of the largest national
parks of Pakistan. Here you will find mud volcanoes, the Kund Malir beach, Nani
Mandir and the Buzi Pass.
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PC: Ali Waseem
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| PC: Ali Waseem |
2. Make a detour to the left, approximately 40 km before Hingol
River. Follow the dirt track for a few kilometres to see and possibly climb the
300 foot high Chandragupt, said to be the world’s largest and highest active mud volcano. Keep
a tight foothold when you climb up the steep volcano face as you can easily be blown
away by the strong winds or slip if the soft mud gives way. Go
into a trance at the sight of viscous mud bubbling and oozing out of the crater
in a hypnotic flow and streaming down the volcano. Sit at the crater’s edge for an
awe-inspiring bird’s eye view of the mud-crafted Hingol
plains, virgin beaches and glimmering blue water. If you are lucky you may even
catch a group of pilgrims perform their rituals at the crater.
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| PC: Ali Waseem |
3. When you
reach Hingol, use the restroom facilities and drop off your overnight luggage
at the rest house/information centre/museum located a few
kilometers away from Nani Mandir. (You need to pre-book the rooms here
to use the facility).
4. Drive down to
Nani Mandir at Hinglaj. Soak in the unique rock formation. The hills look like
an army of thousands of soldiers standing at attention.
5. At the
Mandir, check out the holy relics and ceremonial objects set inside cave and
spread around the area, including graffiti, figurines and vermillion string
knots in trees.
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| PC: Ali Waseem |
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| PC: Ali Waseem |
6. Trek to the
top of any of the numerous cliffs to improve your rock climbing skills.
Be careful though, as most of the terrain is solidified mud that can give way
any moment.
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| PC: Niaz Shahmir |
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| PC: Niaz Shahmir |
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| PC: Saifuddin Abbas |
7. Afterwards, get a relaxing fish pedicure in the cool waters of any of the several oases that have seeped up from an underwater stream.
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| PC: Lauren Xavier |
8. Stop at the
bridge to catch the sunset over the valley between the mountains.
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| PC: Niaz Shahmir |
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| PC: Niaz Shahmir |
9. Make a
stopover for a cup of chai and some daal and sabzi with
hot naan at the roadside dhaba near
the bridge.
10. Head back to the guesthouse and after dark climb up to the 360* viewing point to see the lights glimmering in the darkness.
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| PC: Saifuddin Abbas |
10. Head back to the guesthouse and after dark climb up to the 360* viewing point to see the lights glimmering in the darkness.
11. Set up camp under the night sky
and see it raining stars so profusely that not a speck of sky can be seen.
12. Wake up early morning to see
the sun rise over the valley.
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| PC: Ahsan Qadir |
13. Head to a deserted beach. Sadly
most of the once pristine beach strip is no more, because of irresponsible tourists.
If you can find a relatively clean spot, swim in the sea, sun and sand till
your heart is content.
14. Stop at the fishing village to
see boats bobbing at leisure, and sailors and seagulls waiting for the loads of
fresh catch coming in.
15. Marvel at the diverse topography
and landforms found within this small area: the Hingol River, patches of dry
river bed and its estuary; the underground streams and pools; the plateaus,
mountains and mud volcanoes; the date palms and sand dunes in the flat plains;
the powder beaches and blue seas of Kund Malir, and the fascinating rock
formations chiseled by the winds that include ‘Princess of Hope’ and
the ‘Sphinx’. The views from Buzi Pass are
especially spectacular; every turn on the steep Pass will reveal magnificent
landscapes and seascapes that will make you exclaim. The
patterns in the towering mountains showing every prehistoric layer of formation
are a geological wonder.
16. Spot any of the wide variety of
resident and migratory bird, animal and fish species in Hingol
National Park (home to at least 35 species of mammals, 65 species of amphibians
and reptiles and 185 species of birds.) Keep a look out for the famous crocodiles
of the Hingol River and the iconic ibex, urial and chinkara gazelle. Other
animal species include leopard, fox, hyena, jackal, badger, pangolin, porcupine, mongoose,Houbara bustard, pelican, eagle, vulture, owl, dolphin and giant sea turtle.
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| PC: Zahid Younus Habib |
17. Fill up on the deep fried tiny
fish served straight out of the karhai with piping hot naan. Don’t forget to
sprinkle the fish liberally with lemon and chaat masala.
18. Head back home refreshed and
rejuvenated.
*You will need:
-Camping gear including tent, torch and emergency kit
-Joggers/hiking boots
-Sunblock, sunglasses and sun cap
-Garbage bags for your trash
-Enough food and water to last you the weekend, though there
are small shops nearby selling bare necessities.
-Swim wear
-Your documents and ID for security checks.
* This itinerary is subject to your time management and
stamina
* Mid-October to mid-March is the best time to go.
* DO NOT LITTER
