Pakistan is home to some of the most fascinating landscapes in the world: the vast sand dunes to savannahs, imposing mountains and glacial peaks, rocky cliffs, and forests. The different landforms are also reflective of the diverse climate in this country of 212.7 million people, making it the sixth most populous country in the world.
The nation is famous for its rich culture due to foreign influences. It was part of India when it was under British rule. There are also Afghan and Persian influences in Pakistan, along with 15 major ethnic groups. Around 75 languages are spoken in the country. But it doesn’t matter because beauty is universal and Pakistan has a lot of beauty within.
The country has a territorial area of 881,913 square kilometers (217.9 million acres), which is home to a high diversity of wildlife. But it wasn’t until the 1980s that Pakistan did something about the protection of its animal resources and their natural habitat. While the protection and conservation of the environment were added to the constitution in 1973, concrete laws regarding the protection of certain lands were not passed until the 1980s.
Currently, the country has established close to 30 protected areas referred to as national parks. Here are some of the unexplored national parks in Pakistan.
1. Broghil Valley National Park
As the name suggests, the park is mostly valley in the Chitral District. The valley is of course surrounded by mountains—large mountains with elevations ranging from 3,280 to 4,304 meters. A large area is also composed of peatlands and lakes.
Among the natural attractions in the park is the Broghil Pass, which is a high mountain pass with an elevation of 3,798 meters. There are three months in a year when this pass is not accessible because of winter. Another landform in the park is the high plain known as Chikaar, a common route used by locals. This high plain leads to Darkot Pass, which is a high mountain pass within the park.
Another attraction in the park is the Karambar Lake, which has the most amazing turquoise-colored water. It is also the second-highest lake in Pakistan in terms of elevation. But as for the length, the lake is 3.9 kilometers long with a width of two kilometers. The average depth is 52 meters.
2. Chinji National Park
The Urial has been threatened for years as they can easily survive in an environment fit for humans. However, human encroachment is also destroying their natural habitats. The urial is a subspecies of the wild sheep but with an elaborate horn, curling outwards from the top of the head. Good thing is that this species is sustaining comfortably at the Chinji National Park.
The park is in the Punjab District and it has an elevation of 680 meters. It is a deeply eroded landform, mostly comprising of sandstones and igneous rocks. There are also small deposits of rock salt from the neighboring Salt Range. The Soan River runs through the park.
As far as plant life is concerned, the park hosts some desert and xeric shrublands, which are characterized as the types of vegetation that survive low rainfall. But it is home to several plant species of importance to the biome.
3. Deosai National Park
This high-altitude alpine park includes the Deosai Plains, which stand at an average elevation of 4,114 meters. They are the second-highest plateaus in the world. The entire park also provides wonderful natural colors with the green of the plains, the blue of the massive streams, and the glacial mountains in the background.
While the entire area is worth protecting, part of the reason why there was a clamor for the establishment of this park was to preserve the bear population. The park has been successful in protecting the bears, as its population greatly increased. There were only 19 in 1993, but this has more than doubled in 13 years.
4. Ghamot National Park
Located in Neelum District, this park is a high-altitude landform. The park aims to protect the Himalayan brown bear, which is the largest mammal in the Himalayas. The male bear could reach a height of 2.2 meters. The population of this subspecies of brown bears has been dwindling at an alarming rate over the last few years. The park also hosts a good number of musk deer, which is considered a threatened species and is, in fact, a subject of the creation of another park in Pakistan.
5. Manglot National Park
Also known as the Manglot Wildlife Park, this park was established in 1990, which offers a natural refuge to the wildlife in the region. There are various habitats offered by the park: plains, hills, and the Indus River, which is Pakistan's national river and the longest river in the country. The plains and hills host acacia and olive trees. Other plants that thrive in the park are the following: Deodonia viscose, Monothica boxifolia, Olea cuspidate, and Zizyphus nummelaria.
The animals in the park are chinkara, chukars, common leopards, doves, hares, hog deer, jackals, partridges, porcupines, rock pigeons, snakes, sparrows, wild boar, wild lizards, and wolves. The development of the park has also benefited the neighboring communities like the bee traders, who have an abundance of healthy bees.
6. Musk Deer National Park
Musk deer, the only extant member of the Moschus species, is only found in the Himalayas. Although this species was originally founded in Europe millions of years ago, it is now extinct in that continent. The musk deer is different from regular deer because it doesn’t have the antlers. It also doesn’t have facial glands and only possesses one pair of teats. It is called a musk deer because it has a musk gland. The Himalayas, where the last few musk deer lives, traverses five countries: Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Musk deer can be spotted in this park, near the Neelum District in Pakistan. There was a need to protect this species because it was being hunted for their musk gland, which is essential for the creation of a diverse range of perfumes. According to reports, the musk gland from this particular species of deer can fetch up to $45,000 per kilogram. It was the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation that pushed for the creation of the park in 2007. It was meant to support not just the musk deer but also the communities living around the park.
7. Kirthar National Park
Located in the Jamshoro District, the park is named after the mountain range within the area: Kirthar Mountains, which has beautiful rock hill ridges. The highest elevation is said to be around 2,150 meters. The park, as a whole, is the second-largest one in Pakistan at 3,087 square kilometers (763,000 acres). The park has one of the most serene and exhilarating mountain views in the country. On the other side, there are also unique rock formations within the park, some of them providing covers in some small natural pools.
The park’s best attractions are the animal residents. The rocky ridges are often strolling areas for Sindh wild goats, which are rare species of goats. These are native species to southern Pakistan and are the most commonly sighted animal residents of the park. The plains, characterized by sparse vegetation and rocky grounds are the stomping ground of the elegant-looking gazelles. The park is also a breeding place for the blackbuck antelopes, which is the extant member of the Antelope genus. The blackbuck is only found in Pakistan, India, and Nepal, but the population is alarmingly receding in Pakistan. This is why the blackbuck antelopes in the park are kept in enclosures. When the population stabilizes, there are plans to send them into the wild again.
The last leopard in the park was said to have been shot in 1977 because it was preying on the wild goats. But the park still provides a home to Indian leopards as well as Indian wolves, ratels, striped hyenas, and urials.
The park has some campgrounds and hiking trails for tourists looking for adventure. It is not going to be an easy hike, though, considering the rocky terrain. But the animals around along with the natural structures are worth the trouble.
8. Panjal Mastan National Park
This high plateau in the Bagh district has an elevation of 2,800 meters, making one of the highest plateaus in the area. The park is carpeted with vibrant green grass outlined with tall pine trees of dark green shade. The park is a great opportunity to just walk and enjoy the view of the park from a higher level while also enjoying nature’s breeze.
There is also high biodiversity in the park. There are dozens of species of plants in the park and some of them are endemic to the park. But the best time to visit the park is during spring when colorful wildflowers are abundant. For tourists who want to experience wildlife, then they can visit the park anytime they want. Among the common animals in the park are foxes, rhesus monkeys, and wild boars. There are some leopards in the park but they are rare. Among the birds commonly spotted in the park are the cheer pheasant and Kalij pheasant.
For those wondering how the park got its name, it is named after the Panjal vole, a rodent endemic to Pakistan.
9. Poonch River Mahseer National Park
In 2010, Pakistan created its first aquatic protected area through this park. The goal was to protect the globally threatened species of fish found in the Poonch River. The entire 62-kilometer river is being protected by the park.
One of those the park intends to protect is the golden mahseer, which is described as the largest freshwater fish in the world and they are only found in the Himalayas. This species prefers to stay in man-made bodies of water. Commercial fishing has threatened the population of the mahseer.
Just like the Musk Deer National Park, the Himalayan Wildlife Foundation was also instrumental in the establishment of the Poonch River Park in 2010. It was Rudyard Kipling who first created an ode to the mahseer. The English journalist and author once wrote about the fish: “There he stood, the mahseer of the Poonch, beside whom the tarpon is a herring and he who catches him can say he is a fisherman.”
Another fish species that the protected habitat aims to conserve is the Kashmir catfish. It has been listed as an endangered fish species, but a good number of the Kashmir catfish has been documented in the Poonch River.
10. Shandur National Park
The landscape in this Gilgit Baltistan park is truly majestic. It has high plateaus and rugged mountains. The valleys in between are wheat fields. Complementing the amazing landforms is the Shandur Lake, which has cool blue waters. One of the attractions of the park is the Shandur Pass, which stands at 3,700 meters. It is often referred to as the Roof of the World. This high plateau connects two Pakistani districts: Ghizer District of the Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The park hosts the Shandur Polo Festival every July. It is one of the biggest festivals in the country. While the park is not among the most visited protected places in the country, it turns into a happening ground during the festival. Most of the park is just hard soil but the polo grounds are covered with grass. Among the animals, visitors may see in the park are cows, horses, sheep, and yaks.
Foreigners are not allowed to camp at the park. However, there are some great hiking opportunities in the park, especially with its surrounding mountains. There are also shepherd trails that hikers can follow. But one of the best things to do is to just drive the expanse of the park. It is the best way to marvel at the great natural structure, especially when visitors follow the lake, which is flanked by the huge hills and mountains.