Unique Places in Karachi

It is situated in Hingol National Park.
It came into existence when Vishnu cut up Sati's dead body into 52 pieces so that Shiva would calm down. These pieces got scattered all over the Indian subcontinent whilst Sati's head fell at Hinglaj.
According to ancient scriptures Rama had also meditated at Hinglaj. He killed Ravana who was a Brahmin and a great devotee of Shiva.

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Pakistan’s largest National Park is situated about 200 km west of Karachi. It is easily accessible from the Makran Coastal Highway, but to enter its surroundings, you will need a 4x4 and a guide.
Usually the local people living in the small villages around Hingol serve as guides.

Hingol reserve covers approx 600,000+ hectares. The park is renowned for its beautiful
terrains, vegetation, and wild life. In addition there is also an old Hindu temple, Nani Mandir
situated deep inside the National Park.
On the outer edge there are various active mud volcanoes which are visible from the main road.
The Hingol river is infested with Crocodiles!!! And because the terrain is untouched, its gorges can become dangerous during rainy seasons due to flash floods.

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Under the command of Rear Admiral Sir Frederick Maitland, the British captured Karachi on 7 Feb 1839 by first attacking a mud fortress present at Manora island (now buried under the Navy base). The fortress was completely smashed to smithereens by the bombardment of the British flagship 74-gun H.M.S. Wellesley, and the next day the commander of the fort, Wasul Ben Butcha, hoisted the white flag.

Soon afterwards Karachi capitulated (we did not had Paul Revere warning us that the British are coming, the British are coming).

Access to fort is restricted. You need to have connections in the armed forces or maritime agencies in Pakistan to enter, as the Fort remnants are now part of a naval installation.

Situated on the furthest end of Karachi approx. 35 km away, Mubarak Village is a 400 year old fishing village. The village itself is considered one of the oldest settlement of this fishing port.

The sea coast and the water are much cleaner than any beach in Karachi. However there are no huts or hotels here. Even entries may be restricted to visitors that the villagers may not know. This restriction came about when hundreds and thousands of revelers started coming to this village, disturbing their peaceful lives and leaving behind rubbish.

So the village elders decided to close entries to revelers; though it is open for regular fishermen, scuba diving enthusiasts, and families.

From Mubarak Village there is a great view of Chrurna Island about 2 km from the coast. Hub river delta is close to the Village and one can also see the Hubco power generation plant across the river.

Mubarak village is a launching pad for people who are interested in going out to open sea for sports fishing or to Churna Island for scuba diving. You can rent boats or launches from Mubarak Village or from a Sonehra Beach, few kilometers before the village.

How to get there: From Muripur road, you keep going straight past various shops till you reach a fork. The road going left (with a toll booth) takes you to towards Sandspit and Manora, and the road going right towards Hawksbay, French beach, Paradise point, Cape Monze and Nathiagali. Take right from this point till you reach a T. From here again take a right going towards French beach. Half a km from this T there is a road going towards Mubarak Village. From here it is an approx. half hour drive, and the road makes a very long U till you reach the village.

BEWARE: Only go on this road in day time, do not go alone, go with a group of friends or family members.

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Shah Abdul Latif (1690-1752) was Sindh’s greatest sufi poet. His teachings were about tolerance and co-existing peacefully. He also preached against social injustices such as feudalism and religious bigotry.

In 1713, the Sufi poet married Bibi Saidha Begum. It was a love marriage. His wife died at an early age, before she could have any children. Shah never married again.

In 1742, Shah Abdul Latif decided to settle in Bhit, meaning "The Sandy Mound". Thus the town is now called “Bhit Shah.” He was a music lover. One day he ordered the musicians to play music. They played continuously for three days. When they stopped playing from pure exhaustion, they found the poet dead. He died in 1752, and is buried in Bhit. A mausoleum (Darga) was later constructed there.

Fearing that people might ignore his poetry, he destroyed all his writings by throwing them in the Kiran Lake (which is now dried up). But at the request of one of his disciples, the sufi poet asked another disciple, who had memorized most of his verses, to rewrite them.

March in the hot and cold (weather)
There is no time to sit down
Lest there should be darkness
And you don’t find the
footprints of your beloved

Shah Abdul Latif’s Urs, which is the death anniversary of a sufi saint, is held each year on the 14th day of Safar (2nd Muslim Month, after Muharram). This is big affair, where devotees from everywhere transcends to this town. The Urs lasts for three days, where singers, playing only tamboora (string instruments looks like a sitar, but with few strings), recites his poetries from Risalo. There are other activities organized around this festival.

Bhit Shah is on the main highway, approx 45 km from Hyderabad (200 km from Karachi). Going north on the main highway, on your right you will see 4 crossed swords (archways), and approx 3 km in is the Darga of the Sufi saint.

Around 4 in the afternoon, some of his devotees gather around his tomb and sing Shah Latif's poetry from his collection Rsaloo using only tamboora as their instrument. The music and poetry was mystical. I wish I had my video camera to record the music.

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The newest trend in enjoying Karachi is a Mad Max style dash to Gawadar from Karachi (800 km+). You only stop to relieve yourself or eat. Takes you approx. 8 hours to reach Gawadar, spend one day in Gawadar, and than dash back to Karachi.

A convey of cars comprising of family members, friends, and other acquaintances, take trips to Gawadar from Karachi. This is done on the Makran Coastal Highway, following the coastline of Baluchistan.

Objective is to see the beautiful terrain on this highway, get out of Karachi, and experience a the newly constructed road. This is becoming a great get-away destination. The beauty is that there is no traffic or any establishment.

This also brings the dangerous element. You will be passing through inhabital, desolate locations, no petrol stations for miles, approx 400 km to be exact, mid-point at Omara. And the petrol/diesel you will get is smuggled from Iran.

You will need to make sure the car is in good condition, and you are stocked up for all eventuality. Do not do this trip solo. Make sure atleast 2-3 or more cars go along.

VIEWS ARE BREATHTAKING!!!! Especially in Buzzi pass, a stretch between Kund Malir and Ormara.

There are some amazing sphinx like natural rock formations off Makran Coastal Highway; a treat to watch along with a pleasurable long drive along the crystal clear coastal line. A rare sight, indeed, in Pakistan. This includes a naturally carved statute “Princess of Hope” as named by Angelina Julie and other mind-boggling formations. We were caught in a sheer surprise on our way to Ormara when watched these formations and kept on debating that whether they are natural or man-made.

This is an easy day trip from Karachi and can be clubbed with Malir Khand beach and Mud Volcanoes.

Click this for some out-of-the-world views.

Although there are many easy-to-reach beaches in the close vicinity of Karachi – such as Sea View, Hawks Bay, Sands Pit, Cape Mount, Gidani, Russian Beach, etc – but if you wish to go off-the-beaten-path with a pleasurable and long drive then Malir Khand, situated on Makran Coastal Highway on the way to Gwadar/Ormara, makes a really good case.

Unlike other traditional Karachi beaches, which attract hundreds of thousand visitors on a typical holiday or weekend, Malir Khand provides with a very peaceful and rush-free environment. The water is crystal clear, ideal for swimming, the landscape is really picturesque, with rocks and the highway in the background, and the ambiance is serene and tranquil.

The beach is located around 100 km from the Eastern entrance (Karachi side) of the highway and around 200 km from Karachi city center so adequate planning for logistics is a must. Keeping extra fuel gallons is highly advisable as there is no or very low quality fuel available on the highway. The direction is quite simple; first head towards North on the RCD Highway, then after passing the Hub Choki look for the Makran Coastal Highway sign on your left, take the left turn to join the highway, pay the toll and enjoy your journey, before you would have travelled 100 km on the highway you will see Malir Khan sign on the left with the coastal line, park your car off-the-road by helping yourself, and have a great trip.