All direct flights to Karachi from the UK & Ireland

Mark Says

Yes, there are still a few wrinkles to be straightened out: most visitors agree the roads could do with a good macadam, and the lack of any real nightlife can prove something of a chore for the unimaginative. Otherwise, Karachi offers one of the most modern travelling experiences in Pakistan. That’s partially due to its relatively recent history. The city as it currently stands grew out of a small fishing village in the 18th century, and the expanded harbour continues to serve as a hive of local activity. Coastal breezes keep the temperatures down, but can whip up some of the dust that simply hasn’t had time to settle in the years since Karachi’s inception. For those with an interest in what stood on this ground before Karachi itself, the remains of Thatta, a key Mughal stronghold in the area, will prove fascinating. The area’s subsequent history is shaped by one of the most influential figures in Asian life: Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of modern Pakistan, remembered here with the Mazar-E-Quaid monument. Still, it’s not all ruins and mausoleums. Karachi is one of the few cities in the world to number a Safari Park amongst its top attractions, while Hill Park, Pakistan‘s mid-range equivalent to Alton Towers, finds the city’s youth taking time out on the dodgems and rollercoasters. The evening offers much less, when compared with, say, Faisalabad or Lahore. True, bazaars like the colourful Empress Market continue to hawk their collective wares until the early hours, and cinemagoing remains as popular here as it is elsewhere on this continent. But night owls in search of a less passive experience might have to content themselves with a filling (and decidedly cheap) meal in one of the area’s top restaurants followed by a brisk stroll along picturesque Clifton Beach to the aptly-named Paradise Point. Getting lost is no problem, as the locals - at any time of the day - prove a more than welcoming and ever-helpful lot.