 Clifton Beach
This is the most visited as it is the only beach that is
in the immediate city, close that is. All the other ones are farther
away. Although it is quite polluted, it is still beautiful, and is a
nice place to go, for a peaceful walk on the beach.
French Beach
This is the finest beach in Karachi. The water is clean
and the air is crisp. There are gorgeous rocks embedded in the ocean.
The waves splashing against them is quite a lovely sight. Right down the
road from there is Paradise Point, that sports a marvelous view of the
ocean from a eroded hill. A great place to go for a mixture of beauty
and excitement!
Hawks BayA wonderfully sunny and sandy beach. The water is clean
and if you need a tan, it is the beach to go to. The huts allow total
privacy and the view is magnificent. If you dont owna hut no matter,
they have huts for rent. It is definitely worth it. It is a non rocky
area portion of our coast so it is the best beach to take the family. A
must see in Karachi.
Sand Spit
Quite near hawksbay, it is pretty much the same. A good
place for turtle watching and a good view!! Completely unpolluted and
positively beautiful. If you go at night there are turtles all over the
place. If you are careful, you might even get a ride on one of them.
Paradise Point
Almost at the limit of the Sindh province, Paradise
point lives up well to it's name. It is afairly rocky region, so no
swimming can be done there, never the less it has a lot f other
things going for it. The fact that the water is very clear and you can
see to the bottom of the rocky pools there is just one of them. A
caution though. Because it is so rocky it can also be dangerous so be
careful if you are heading down there.
Academy of Performing Arts
This new academy is housed above the Hashoo Auditorium
and offers classes in Pakistani classical singing a variety of
instruments, and folk dance.
Arts Council of Pakistan
Sponsors exhibitions and concerts, British Council,
Goethe Institute, and Alliance Francaise. These organisations sponsor
films, lectures, and concerts. Each has a lending library. The last two
offer language classes. Ikebana International, Floral Arts Society and
Horticultural Society of Pakistan These groups offer flower arranging
classes and exhibitions for all flower and garden enthusiasts.
The British Council
The British Council has been established in Karachi for
over 40 years. It offers communication skills. The centre administers a
library of British books and videos, arrange cultural & scientific
visits and organizes sponsorship for major arts events. Location: 20,
Bleak House Road, Karachi, 75530 Ph: 520391-7
Goethe Institute
A German Cultural Centre holds Educational Programmes,
Conferences, Classical musical concerts, and Films Seminars.
Location: 256 Sarwar Shaheed Road, Karachi
Ph: 5684811, 5683124
Alliance Francaise
Alliance Francaise proposes French classes for all
levels and all ages. It also prepares for certificates (Delf-Dalf) which
give access to French Universities. As one of the leading cultural
centre in Pakistan, it promotes cultural events in theatre, painting,
music, discussion, cinema, from Pakistan and France
Location: Plot St 1, Block-8 Kehkashan, Clifton Karachi-75600.
Ph: 5873402 Fax: 5874302
PACC (Pakistan American Cultural Centre)
PACC was founded to promote understanding between
Pakistan and the United States. Some of the activities include arts and
craft exhibits, special film shows, lectures, concerts, plays in English
and Urdu, and a varied program of sports and games. Classes are offered
in cooking, dance, painting, and extensive language classes in English.
Although many programs are open to the public, membership is encouraged
to support the activities of the centre. To enquire about programs or
apply for membership can call at following number.
Call 516-275, 524-732. 11, Fatima Jinnah Rd.
Pakistan's commercial centre and largest city is a sprawling place of
bazaars, hi-tech electronic shops, scurf-infested older buildings and
modish new hotels. Its sights are spread far and wide, so a taxi or
rickshaw is necessary to travel between them.
A good place to start is the Quaid-i-Azam Mausoleum, a
monument to Pakistan's founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah, which can be
charitably described as distinctive. More impressive is the remarkable
white-marbled Defence Housing Society Mosque. The single dome,
claimed to be the largest of its kind in the world, will make your gum
cleave to the roof of your mouth. Above the mosque is Honeymoon Lodge,
birthplace of the Aga Khan.
Other sights include the Holy Trinity Cathedral and St
Andrew's Church (both good examples of Anglo-Indian architecture),
the city's zoo, and the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence,
hills where the dead are traditionally exposed to vultures. South of the
city is Clifton, a former British hangout and now an exclusive
coastal corner for the local wealthy, the popular but rather drab
Clifton Beach, and Manora Island, a less-crowded beach resort
Saddar, the city centre, is the main shopping area with
thriving markets selling carpets, fur coats, leather jackets,
snake-skin purses, silk scarves and the country's biggest range of
handicrafts. It also has a number of food stalls and cheap restaurants
and the majority of budget hotels. Nightlife in Karachi is an oxymoron.
If travel outside of Karachi is possible, then the archaeological
site of Moenjodaro - once a city of an Indus Valley civilisation
- and the Chaukundi tombs are well worth a visit.
Being the commercial and unofficial capital of Pakistan, flights in
and out of Karachi are numerous but it's worth checking the ETA of your
flight. Karachi is at the epicentre of political and ethnic tensions; a
tension that is cranked up to knife edge proportions when combined with
rival drug gangs, political assassinations and terrorist bombings. If
your flight touches down in the middle of the night, it would be wise to
wait until sunrise before catching a taxi. For the same reason catching
buses should be avoided for the foreseeable future. Buy a train ticket
instead: trains run from Karachi to most major destinations.
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