The Makran coast is Balochistan’s southern strip, stretching for 754 km. Long sandy beaches, rugged promontories and tidal creeks characterize the coastline.
Three ranges of hills, rising to over 1,500 meters, run parallel to the coast: the Coastal Makran Range 30 km inland, the Central Makran Range 130 km inland, and the Siahan Range 200 km from the sea.
There is very little rain in Makran; the villages and towns along the coast and between the hills are sustained by spring water. Many Makranis trace part of their ancestry to East Africa, and they live by fishing, date farming and camel breeding.
The Makran Coastal Highway now runs west from Karachi along the shore, through Hingol National Park, with wind-carved cliffs on one side and empty beaches on the other.
Places to see
Hingol National Park
Pakistan’s largest national park, where wind and rain have carved the cliffs into strange shapes — among them the “Princess of Hope” and the “Sphinx”.
Kund Malir
A long, empty beach of golden sand beside the coastal highway, below the Hingol hills.
Hinglaj
In the hills of Hingol, an ancient cave temple and one of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites in Pakistan.
Astola Island
Off Pasni, Pakistan’s largest offshore island, where sea turtles nest on the beaches.
Gwadar & Jiwani
Picturesque towns flanked by cliffs and beaches. Gwadar belonged to Oman for about 200 years, a gift from the Khan of Kalat in the 18th century, before returning to Pakistan in 1958.
Turbat
Makran’s divisional headquarters, a small inland town near the hills famous for its 300 varieties of dates.
Panjgur
The principal date-growing area, further north.
Good to know
- Getting there
- Flights connect the coastal towns of Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar and Jiwani, and inland Turbat, with Karachi and Quetta. Panjgur can also be reached by air. The Makran Coastal Highway runs from Karachi along the coast.
- History
- Alexander the Great marched half his army home along the inhospitable Makran coast in 325 BC, and Muhammad bin Qasim came through Makran on his way to Sindh in 711 AD.
- When to go
- October to March. Summers are hot and humid along the coast.
- Food
- Fresh fish and seafood along the coast, and Makran’s famous dates.
Header photo: The Makran Coastal Highway — Furqanlw, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons