In This Post
Lal Suhanra National Park
Hingol National Park
Chitral Gol National Park
Kirthar National Park
Khunjerab National Park
Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park
Ayubia National Park
Deosai National Park
Machiara National Park
Margalla Hills National Park
The unique characteristics of the climate and natural landscape of Pakistan make it a wildlife-rich country. It is home to plenty of natural habitats for both migratory birds and local animal species. However, the increasing level of human activities can easily hamper biodiversity and ecosystems in these natural settings. This is why, for the preservation of flora, fauna and other geological features, most of these places have been converted into wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in Pakistan.
So, if you are willing to learn more about these natural reserves maintained by the government authorities, you have made it to the right post. In this blog, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about the most popular national parks in Pakistan and the natural habitats found in them.
Let’s begin!
Most Popular National Parks in Pakistan
Some of the most amazing national parks of Pakistan that are created and protected by the government authorities have been listed and discussed as under:
- Lal Suhanra National Park
- Hingol National Park
- Chitral Gol National Park
- Kirthar National Park
- Khunjerab National Park
- Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park
- Ayubia National Park
- Deosai National Park
- Machiara National Park
- Margalla Hills National Park
Quick Fact: As per the guidelines laid down by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a land that is recognised as a national park should at least span 1,000 hectares or more. It cannot be given under private ownership and can only be owned and managed by the state authorities. Any activities exploiting the natural resources in the area should also be strictly prohibited.
Lal Suhanra National Park
On the recommendations of the Wildlife Enquiry Committee, Lal Suhanra National park was established in 1972. It is located at around a 30-minute drive away from the city of Bahawalpur at the Lal Suhanra Zoo road. This natural reserve in Pakistan spans an area of 31,355 hectares and is one of South Asia’s largest national parks. It is naturally divided into 20,932 hectares of desert, 8,488 hectare of irrigated and natural vegetation and 1,934 hectares of natural and man-made reservoirs.
To promote tourism in the region, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) has recently established a resort with air conditioned rooms in the park. Moreover, it is one of those national parks of Pakistan that are famous for adventure activities like trekking and camping.
Lal Suhanra National Park is also very famous for its wildlife diversity. More than 160 migratory and local bird species have natural habitats in this wildlife reserve. Griffon vulture, Hen harrier, Laggar falcon, Honey buzzard, and Marsh harrier are a few noteworthy species to be mentioned here.
Wild animals like Chinkara gazelle, hog deer, Indian rhinoceros and Nilgai antelope can also be spotted here. Thousands of ducks and common coots make their way to Patisar Lake found in this natural park of Pakistan.
Hingol National Park
Hingol National Park is one of the most amazing places to visit in Balochistan. Known as one of the largest national parks in Pakistan, it is spread over 16,5000 hectares (1,650 square kilometres) and located at a distance of 243 kilometres from the city of Karachi.
This natural park of Pakistan is best known for its tourist attractions. Princes of Hope and Lion of Balochistan are some of the most noteworthy natural features of this place. Moreover, you’ll come across the most beautiful natural oases on earth, home to some amazing wildlife species.
Speaking of wildlife, the area features natural habitats for more than 200 species of amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. Names of some popular wildlife species in Pakistan found in this natural reserve include Golden Jackal, Sindh Leopard, Sindh Ibex, Marsh Crocodile, Green Sea Turtle, Pakistan Sand Cat, Balochistan Urial, Indian Fox, Egyptian Vulture, Golden Eagle and Dalmatian Pelican
Kund Malir Beach is another popular tourist spot that comes in the jurisdiction of Hingol National Park. We have also written a detailed post on Kund Malir Beach that may interest you if you have plans to visit this coastal destination anytime soon.
Chitral Gol National Park
As the name suggests, Chitral Gol National Park is located right in the heart of the beautiful valley of Chitral in the northern areas of Pakistan. This national park of Pakistan is based on a narrow valley in the area known as Chitral Gol.
The valley runs for around 18 kilometres before it finally broadens and turns into a basin, surrounded by high mountains of the region. Adding to the beauty of this natural reserve of Pakistan, a large number of tributaries drain into the Chitral Gol reservoir. It then flows into the south direction where it meets the Kunar River.
Chitral Gol National Park is home to hundreds of animals belonging to different species. Some popular wildlife species in the area include Snow leopard, Kashmir Markhor, Siberian ibex, Black bear, Himalayan Griffon vulture, Golden Eagle, Peregrine falcon, and Himalayan snowcock.
Kirthar National Park
Kirthar National Park was founded in 1974. It is one of the largest natural reserves in Pakistan. The park extends around 3000 square kilometres. This vast expanse of natural landscape has been further divided into three wildlife sanctuaries, including Hub Dam Wildlife Sanctuary, Mahal Kohistan Wildlife Sanctuary, and Kirthar Wildlife Sanctuary.
One of the key highlights of Kirthar National Park is that it is the country’s first-ever park that made it to the list released by the United Nations mentioning the most famous national parks in the world. The location of this gigantic natural reserve is about 160 kilometres from Karachi from the route of Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-9).
As per the claims of the park’s official, it hosts the largest cluster of natural habitats of some extremely rare species in the region such as striped hyenas, leopards, wild sheep, wolves, chinkara, gazelles, and Sindh ibex. Since this wildlife reserve falls in the jurisdiction of Sindh, it is maintained by the Sindh Wildlife Department.
Khunjerab National Park
Running along Khunjerab Pass, the highest mountain pass in Pakistan, lies a very beautiful natural reserve known as the Khunjerab National Park. The natural reserve is whoppingly located at a height of 17,000 feet (5.2 kilometres) above sea level.
This park is also among the largest and most popular natural reserves of Pakistan with a total area of around 2270 kilometres square. Khunjerab National Park was established in 1975 and is located adjacent to the Pakistan-China border.
The primary purpose behind the establishment of this wildlife reserve was the preservation of some of the rarest animal species on earth including Marco polo sheep and snow leopards. In the mid of the 1960s, their population significantly reduced due to the increasing rate of human activities in the region.
Natural settings for some other popular animal species like Brown bear, Tibetan fox, Alpine weasel, Euroasian cuckoo, and Lammergeier vulture have also been preserved in the park. It is one of the most conveniently accessible national parks of Pakistan since it is directly linked with the Karakoram Highway.
Hazar-ganji Chiltan National Park
Amid one of the remotest and most barren regions of Balochistan lies another beautiful national park of Pakistan known as Hazar-ganji Chiltan National Park. The area boasts amazing geological features. It is a mountainous region having precipitous slopes and formations, which are divided by ravines.
The park was established in 1980 in the suburbs of the city of Quetta, which is also the provincial capital of Balochistan. Hazar-ganji Chiltan National Park is conveniently linked with the RCD Highway (N-25 Highway) and also falls in the route of N-40 Highway.
The park hosts natural habitats for some of the rarest animals in the region. Suleiman Markhor Urial sheep , Indian wolf , Chiltan ibexes, Striped hyena, Houbara bustard, Griffon vulture, Monitor lizard, and Russell’s viper are a few fine examples in this regard. This national park covers 155 square kilometres.
Ayubia National Park
Ayubia National Park is found at a height of around 8,000 feet (2400 metres) above sea level. This makes it one of the highest wildlife reserves in Pakistan. Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Ayubia was declared as the national park in 1984. As of now, the total area of this park is 3312 hectares (around 33 square kilometres).
Since it falls in the jurisdiction of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ayubia National Park is owned and managed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department. Some of the most common tourists visiting this national park are from the cities of Abbottabad and Islamabad. From Abbottabad, it will take you 1.5 hours to get to your destination via Murree road, whereas, it will take you a couple of hours to reach Ayubia National Park from the capital city via Kashmir Road.
The park is best known for its biodiversity. It hosts natural habitats of some extremely unique wildlife species in Pakistan including Golden eagle, Himalayan Griffon vulture, Honey buzzard, Peregrine falcon, Indian Sparrow Hawk, Hill pigeon, Spotted dove, Asiatic leopard, Black bear, Yellow Kashmir Hill Fox, and Flying squirrel.
Deosai National Park
Located on the second-highest plateau in the world, Deosai National Park is found at an elevation of 13,000 feet (around 4000 metres) above sea level. It was officially declared the habitat of Himalayan brown bear in 1993.
The park approximately spans more than 3,000 square kilometres. It offers a delightful mix of amazing natural features including hills, plains, mountains, plateaus, streams, rivers, and lakes. At a distance of 30 kilometres, Skardu is the nearest city to this natural reserve in Pakistan.
When it comes to wildlife preservation, Deosai features dozens of local animal species, including the Himalayan brown bear, Himalayan ibex, Snow leopard, Grey wolf, Red fox, Ladakh urial, and golden marmot. The park is also a natural habitat of more than a hundred species of birds, for example, Peregrine falcon, Griffon vulture, Golden eagle, Eurasian sparrowhawk, and pheasants.
Machiara National Park
Situated in the Himalayan Highlands of Muzaffarabad, Machiara National Park is one of the most recently established wildlife sanctuaries in Pakistan. The region was declared as a national park in 1996.
It has Kaghan Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on its western side. Travelling by road, it is just 35 kilometres from Muzaffarabad, AJK, and around 160 kilometres from the capital city of Islamabad via the route of National Highway-75.
One of the key features of the biodiversity of this park is that it hosts the ecological habitat for Tragopan Pheasants, one of the most beautiful birds on earth. Other wildlife species found in the park include Snow leopard, Musk deer, Macaca Mulatta monkeys, Hog deer, Black bear, Russell’s viper, Monitor lizard, Bearded vulture, and Hen Harrier.
Margalla Hills National Park
Best known for its incredible hiking trails, Margalla hills National Park is one of the most beautiful wildlife reserves in Pakistan. The national park was founded in 1980. It covers a total area of around 12,500 hectares (125 square kilometres). It boasts a rugged topography with steep valleys and precipitous land formations.
The River Kurang and its tributaries also run through the area, which then merge into the River Soan. Tilla Charouni is one of the greatest highlights of this national park of Pakistan. It is the highest peak in the region, with a height of 5,263 feet (around 1600 metres) above sea level.
Located in the foothills of Himalayan mountain range, Margalla Hills National Park is just a few kilometres from the capital city. You can reach your destination with the help of a well-carpeted road, conveniently accessible by a car. When it comes to biodiversity, the place has a lot to offer to its visitors.
Like other wildlife sanctuaries in Pakistan, Margalla Hill National Park is home to many wildlife species including mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds. Some of the most prominent species of animals to mention in this regard include Asiatic leopard, Barking deer, Red fox, Grey goral, Golden jackal, Porcupine, Wild boar, Chinkara Gazelle, Fruit bats, Rhesus Macaque, Leopard Cat, Indian Cobra, Russell’s viper, Saw-scaled viper, Yellow Vented Bulbul, Pheasants, Hawks, Himalayan and Griffon vulture
These were some of the most popular national parks in Pakistan. We hope you liked reading about the biodiversity of our country. If you have visited any of the aforementioned natural reserves in Pakistan and have some useful information to share with us based on your experience, feel free to write to us at blog@zameen.com. Your feedback helps us improve and allow us to make our pieces more informative for our readers.
On a side note, you may also like reading our blogs about other prominent natural features of our beloved homeland. Here’s a list of them for your reference:
- Rivers System of Pakistan
- Famous Deserts of Pakistan
- Most Beautiful Lakes in Pakistan
- Highest Mountain Peaks in Pakistan
For more informative pieces on the natural landscape and wildlife in Pakistan, keep reading Zameen Blogs. Also, subscribe to our e-newsletter to get daily email alerts from our blog section. If you like this piece, share it among your friends and family to also make them aware about the amazing biodiversity of our homeland.
