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| Little Hikers and Haris Scaling Mud Volcano |
Dolphins Sighting
It was the highlight of the holiday. While boating around the channel in the morning, we noticed dolphins also in addition to usual small fish and preying birds. There were plenty of them showing off their acrobatic skills. Ali was the Lucky Charm and also captured one of those from close. Here she goes:
Hiking on Mud Volcano
Before reaching Ormara, we made a detour to see the active Volcano, called Chandragup, which bubbles out mud, usually gently.
Most of us hiked till the crater testing our fitness in "full noon". Kids outperformed and especially enjoyed the natural slide on the steep descend. I got there, almost, but had to come down due to nausea eventually bringing out the heavy breakfast; chai, paratha, omelettes, etc. which we had at a roadside hotel just before Winder city.
Click here for details of my previous camping night at Mud Volcano
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| Chandragup Volcano at Makran Coast Spewing Fresh Mud |
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| Live Crater of Chandragup Mud Volcano |
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| Sunset at Ormara Hammerhead |
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| Ormara Beach from the Top; Check Out the Rocks |
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| Relaxing after a Long Drive and Hiking |
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| Trip to Coastal Highway is Incomplete without Paying Homage to the Princess of Hope |
We left Karachi before 8 am, and reached Ormara around 2:30 pm, with enroute stops for breakfast, volcano hiking, and a couple of photo shoots. It was quicker on the way back, ~5 hours, with only one quick stop at the truck hotel located around Hingol River Bridge. There, Al-Hassan Hotel is a good option for fresh meal or tea break.
Makran Coastal Highway is as smooth a drive as it could be. It was conveniently possible to maintain well above 120 km, except for the ~40 km hilly patch between Kund Malir and Buzi Pass. That patch has sharp turns, attention grabbing natural rock carvings including the Princess of Hope and Sphinx like formation, and vast canyon views; so one has to be extra careful especially when emergency facilities are non-existent.
RCD Highway is now very well paved but a busy road demanding a lot of driving attention.
Keeping a can of extra fuel (15-25 liters) is recommended if driving to Ormara, or more if beyond, unless willing to use the suspicious quality smuggled gasoline. Being the last resort, there is one fuel station in Winder city, on the RCD Highway, which sells regulated one.
If you are planning to visit the Makran Coast and need information about traveling conditions, you can write me at muzamil79@gmail.com
Photo Courtesy: Ali, Haris, Hasan, Khurram, and Zeeshan
Nostalgia: It was 2008 when we first visited Oramara, again courtesy Haris. Then we were 5 in 1 car. Population has grown up significantly in the last decade, evident from the latest census results. So this time we were 20 people Mashallah; including spouses and kids, in 5 cars!
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| Makran Coastal Highway: near Buzi Pass |
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| It was 2008! |