Karachi and surrounds
Karachi is Pakistan’s largest city, its economic and trading hub, and a focal point for business. This enormous metropolis sprawls out in all directions, but despite its size has relatively few stand-out tourist attractions; most foreign travellers skip the city altogether, forsaking it for Lahore or the northern mountains. But to miss Karachi is a disservice both to the city and your itinerary, because what it lacks in icons it more than makes up for in verve and substance – although you’ll have to dig to find it.
In many ways, Karachi doesn’t even feel like Pakistan at
all; it’s much more cosmopolitan, liberal, secular and fast-paced than the traditional ethos of most of the rest of the country. The local Urdu-speaking population are a much more multicultural bunch than you’ll find in any other city, and it’s not unusual to see Hindus, Christians, or “Parsis” (Zoroastrians) practicing their faiths or celebrating their festivals relatively openly. There’s also a slight but palpable Arabic influence here, reflected in the names of hotels, aiming to attract traders from across the Gulf.
If you’re arriving from outside Pakistan, Karachi might bowl you over with its intensity – it’s by far the country’s noisiest, brashest and most crowded city. If you’re arriving from the northern cities of Lahore or Islamabad, you’re going to experience a modern slice of Pakistan (warts and all) that you never knew existed!
Around Karachi lie a handful of attractions: the Chaukhandi Tombs and Thatta are logical choices for day trips from
the provincial capital. One of Karachi’s defining features is the coastline, something of a treat in Pakistan where the majority of the population lives hundreds of kilometres inland. Karachi’s city beaches are not beautiful, but further afield there are options to swim, snorkel, and even scuba-dive in the clear waters of the Arabian Sea.