Beautiful National Parks of Pakistan
Allah Almighty has decorated our earth in a
very beautiful and fascinating way. Where there are innumerable lakes,
waterfalls, rivers, valleys and the longest desert with all its beauty. The
blue waters of seas and high snow-clad peaks are just examples of its glory.
Due to the biological diversity in Pakistan,
there are thousands of species of trees, wild animals, aquatic life, birds and
plants. Every type of biological system is found here, be it glacial, desert,
plain, mountainous, wild, dry and plateau. Therefore, their protection and
growth also become important.
For this purpose, some protected areas i.e.
"National Parks" have been established in Pakistan for
protection of wild life, plants and resources.
A few protected areas called "National
Parks" have been created to conserve the resources.
What is National Park?
A national park is a suburban area in any
country which the government declares as a protected area and prohibits all
kinds of environmental activities. In other words we can say that it is a
protected area (forest, mountain, snow or desert) where we can witness the
treasure of biodiversity.
In these places, not only hunting of all kinds
of animals and causing any kind of damage to the flora is prohibited, but rare
and extinct animals are also bred here in their natural environment. Thus,
these "National Parks" are a valuable asset for any nation.
The outline of National Park in the world was
first given by William Wordsworth in 1810 and the first National Park (Yellowstone
National Park) was established in 1872 which was approved by the American
President Abraham Lincoln.
Total National Parks
Currently there are 6555 national parks around
the world. Greenland National Park is the largest national park in the
world with an area of 972,000 square kilometers.
When we talk about our country Pakistan, it has
about 28 National Parks. The largest national park is Hingol National Park
which is located in Lasbela, Awaran and Gwadar districts of Balochistan. The
area of which is 1650 square kilometers.
Ayub National Park is the smallest national park of
Pakistan which is located in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. About 22 national
parks of Pakistan are under the control of provinces while the rest are
operated by private sector. Ten (10) National Parks of Pakistan were
established between 1993 and 2005.
Let us know about these Beautiful National
Parks of Pakistan.
Hingol National Park
Hingol National Park is the largest national
park of Balochistan (the province of Pakistan) which is spread over an area of 619,000
acres. This park, 190 km away from Karachi, consists of the areas of Gwadar,
Lasbela and Awaran in three districts of Balochistan.
Hingol National Park named because of Hingol
River that flows through the area. It was granted National Park status in 1988.
Hingol National Park is distinguished by the fact that it contains four
different types of ecosystems.
The park is divided into mountains, sand dunes
and flood plains along the river. Hingol River flows through National Park and
forms a tidal estuary before falling into the sea, which is home to many
migratory waterfowl and swamp crocodiles.
This park includes Ibex, Ural, Chinkara, fox, jackal,
and wolf etc. Birds include pheasant, grouse, hobara, bustard, eagle, chicken,
tern, falcon, etc., while reptiles include swamp crocodile, long lizard,
thick-tongued lizard, viper and cobra snake and many other marine animals.
Kirthar National Park
Kirthar National Park is
the second largest national park of Pakistan. After its establishment in 1973,
it also got the honor of being the country's first national park, which is
spread over an area of more than 358,000 acres.
Kirthar National Park is
located in Kirthar mountain range in Jamshoro and Karachi districts of Sindh
province, Pakistan. Many rare and unique species of animals are found here,
including spotted deer (Chital), wild sheep, wildebeests, desert bats, wild
rats and crocodiles along with many species of snakes.
Similarly, in winter, one
can see king swans, golden eagles and many species of birds here.
Khunjerab National Park
It is the third largest
national park of Pakistan and is located on the Pak-China border on Karakoram
Highway. It is spread over an area of more than 226,000 acres.
The beautiful mountain
scenery here enchants the visitors, while area has been given the status of
national park to protect beautiful horned Marco Polo sheep.
Apart from this, snow
leopards, ibex, brown bears, Tibetan red foxes and rabbits are also found here.
Chitral Gol National Park
When we hear the name of
Chitral, the idea of a valley like a city of dreams emerges in our minds and
amidst these paradise-like views lies this national park with a total area of 7,745
acres.
Apart from snow leopard,
black bear, Markhor, bear and fox, many other animals exist in their natural
environment and are far from human reach.
Hazarganji Chiltan National Park
Hazarganji Chiltan
National Park is a very beautiful park located 20 kilometers south-west of
Quetta, Baluchistan (Pakistan). It has an area of 32,500 acres and is
situated at an altitude of 2021 to 3264 meters above sea level.
Hazarganji Chiltan
National Park was established in 1980 to protect wildlife. The park reflects
the natural mountain environment. There is Chiltan in the west and Hazarganj
mountain range in the east. The park has an excellent museum worth visiting,
while there are also beautiful places for recreation, so outsiders can enjoy
the beauty while staying here.
Hazarganj means the place
of thousand treasures. This indicates that there are thousands of treasures
buried in the layers of mountains here. The reason for this impression is that
it is a passageway of various historical forces and Baloch tribes.
Initially, the purpose of
establishing this park was to save the species of Chiltan wild goat and
Markhor. Now the Suleiman Markhor is also protected here, as well as striped
leopards and foxes.
With the establishment of
the park, these animals have been saved from illegal hunting activities,
besides many other rare animals and birds are also present here.
Margalla Hill National Park
Margalla Hills and adjoined
area of Islamabad has been given the status of National Park. Shakarparian and
Rawal Dam are also part of the park, from where the Ku-ring River flows into
the Soan River.
This national park is the
best shelter for leopards, monkeys, deer, newts, wild boars and cobra snakes. A
breeding ground for rare birds has also been constructed at Jabari, beyond the
popular recreational spot Daman Koh.
Ayubia National Park
Ayubia National Park is
located 26 km from Murree. This area was named Ayubia after former President
Ayub Khan. Ayubia National Park was created by combining four different hill
stations Ghoda Gali, Changla Gali, Khaira Gali and Khanspur.
Apart from picnic spots,
promenades and green areas, a chair lift is also an attraction for tourists. It
was the first entertainment activity of its kind in Pakistan. This chairlift is
a great way to tour the area.
Many species of birds such
as golden eagle, wild pigeon, vulture etc. are found in the park while black
bear, wild fox and wild wolf are found among the animals.
Deosai National Park
One of the highest
national parks in the world, Deosai National Park is no less than a paradise
for tourists. Spread over an area of more than 35000 acres, this national park
is located at a distance of 53 km from Skardu.
The place was given the
status of a national park in 1993, to save the Himalayan brown bear from
extinction, as bears of this species are not found anywhere else.
Apart from this, several
species of rare eagles are also found here, including snow leopards and eagles.
The park is completely
covered with snow for 8 to 9 months of the year and tourists can come here only
during June to August, but no accommodation facilities are available here.
Panjal Mastan National Park
Panjal Mastan National
Park is located at an altitude of 8500 feet above sea level in Bagh district of
Azad Kashmir. The park is spread over 300 square kilometers.
The park is covered with
snow from November to April. In the spring season the park presents a unique
sight with flowers and many species of butterflies.
Lal Suhanra National Park
Spread over an area of 87,000
acres, 36 km from Bahawalpur, this park consists of part of natural forests and
Cholistan desert.
The lake and thousands of
ducks in it, present a very beautiful sight. There is also a zoo with many
animals. While black deer, Chinkara, falcon, shikra and other species of birds
are found in the national park.
Broghil Valley National Park
This beautiful national
park located in Broghil valley, Gilgit-Baltistan at a distance of more than 250
km from Chitral city.
Broghil valley is famous
for its beautiful scenery, snow-capped peaks, the magnificent Cramber Lake and
three main passes with more than twenty-five small lakes.
These passes connect the
valley to the Wakhan Corridor through the Kankhan Pass in the west.
Lulusar-Dudipatsar National Park
Located in the eastern
part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kaghan Valley's natural resources, incredible
beautiful scenery and mind-blowing lakes attract thousands of tourists.
The locals go up the
mountains with their cattle in summer and come back down in winter.
In 2003, Lulusar and
Dudipatsar Lakes were declared as Lulusar-Dudipat National Park. In which an
area of more than 30,000 acres of Mansehra district was included. Its aim was
to protect the uniqueness and biodiversity of the area.
Saif ul Malook National Park
The most famous and
beautiful lake of Mansehra district is Saif ul Malook and its surrounding area
was given the status of National Park in 2003.
Spread over an area of
220,000 acres, this national park is located at an altitude of about 3244
meters above sea level. This place is known for its flowers, trees and birds.
Lake Saif ul Malook has
the reflection of Malika Parbat and other mountains which add to its beauty.
Especially when 14 kms journey from Naran to Saif ul Malook Lake is seen for
the first time, a magic takes place and it seems that Allah Almighty has
descended heaven on earth.
Please share your experience in Comments Box, if you visited any Tourist Place in Pakistan.