From the mighty stretches of the Karakorams in the North to the vast alluvial delta of the Indus River in the South, Pakistan remains a land of high adventure and nature. Trekking, mountaineering, white water rafting, wild boar hunting, mountain and desert jeep safaris, camel and yak safaris, trout fishing and bird watching are a few activities, which entice the adventure and nature lovers to Pakistan.
Pakistan is endowed with a rich and varied flora and fauna. High Himalayas, Karakoram and the Hindukush ranges with their alpine meadows and permanent snow line, coniferous forests down the sub-mountain scrub, the vast Indus plain merging into the great desert, the coast line and wetlands, all offer a remarkably rich variety of vegetation and associated wildlife including avifauna, both endemic and migratory. Ten of 18 mammalian orders are represented in Pakistan with species ranging from the world’s smallest surviving mammals, the Mediterranean Pigmy Shrew, to the largest mammal ever known; the blue whale. Here are some astonishing places in Pakistan.
- These magical waters are not exactly from the Chronicles of Narnia, but this is the exotic Ghizer River in Gilgit-Baltistan. Wrapped around lush, green and pleasant landscapes, Ghizer is a diamond in the dirt.
- Definitely seem like taken out of a Hollywood movie, but actually these are the Rakaposhi-Haramosh Mountains, Karakoram. Amongst the largest in the world, these mountains are a trekker’s fantasy.
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- Astounding, lush green tourist spot is Arang Kel, Azad Kashmir. Located on an altitude of 8,379 feet, this striking sight is a 2km trek from Kel.
- Overcast weather in Dharam Sar Lake, Kaghan Valley. Resting in the Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, this attraction was largely rebuilt after 2005’s earthquake.
- The Neelam Valley, Kashmir. One of the tourist ranges in Pakistan, this valley is a 200km long bow-shaped, deeply forested region.
- Book-cover material. Appears to lie in the outskirts of Belgium, somewhere, but this heavenly shot is taken at the Attabad Lake, Hunza Valley. Created by a landslide in 2010, the locals like referring to it as the Gojal Lake.
- A location like in the Seven Kingdoms from Game of Thrones, but actually Kalash Valley, Chitral in northern Pakistan.
This is Kalash Valley, Chitral. Where the Nuristani people of Kalash speak ‘kalashamondr’. Breathtaking!
- A hospitable café by the river NOT in Switzerland, but in Kalam Valley, Swat in north Pakistan. A tourist hot-spot, labeled as ‘mini-Europe’ by many.
- Mud Volcanoes fascinate everyone. But this one is not Dante’s peak, but abundantly found in different regions of Balochistan. This particular one rests in Hingol, Balochistan.
- You opened your window in a Khatmandu resort; No! It is from the Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Balistan. The Burushaski speaking locals live a happy, peaceful life amidst cold weathers.
- This is not a temple for the faithful situated near the holy river Ganges, but the The Katas Raj Temple in Chakwal, Punjab. Remains of the Buddhist Stupa, the Katas site houses the Satgraha, a group of seven ancient temples.
- This is not the blue lines of Goa, It is Cape Monze or locally known as Ras Muari, the Cape Mount Beach floats near the Gadani Beach, Karachi.
- Appears like Stone-walls in the Grand Canyon or Mount Rushmore. The muscled formation of Hingol National Park in Hingol, Balochistan. Home to exotic wildlife, the Hingol National Park serves as a stupendous tourist spot.
- Looks like an artist’s imagination as he draws a landscape in Iceland, but this is nature’s artwork, a view of the frozen sunset captured in Shandur Lake, Gilgit-Baltistan.
- The double-bed waterfall rests in Sajikot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Stagnant in the Hazara region, Sajikot equals put any South American country in beauty and serenity.
- An insight on the dazzling caves of South Africa, but this is Moola Chotok in Khuzdar, Balochistan
- An awe-inspiring view of Pir Ghaib, Balochistan. Local myth is widely believed of the Invisible Saint (Pir Ghaib), who was saved by God.
