Mohenjo-daro and Sukkur 3-Day Itinerary

Three days is enough to see Sukkur, Kot Diji Fort and Mohenjo-daro properly. This Mohenjo-daro and Sukkur itinerary runs as a loop: Sukkur and Rohri on day one, Khairpur and Kot Diji on day two before crossing the Indus to sleep in Larkana, and Mohenjo-daro early on day three before driving back to Sukkur. No single leg is longer than about an hour and three quarters at the wheel.

The trick that makes it work is the Larkana to Khairpur bridge over the Indus. Without it, getting from Kot Diji on the east bank to Larkana on the west means driving back through Sukkur.

The legs, measured

We routed each leg on OSRM, which gives driving time without stops. Add time for traffic in Sukkur and Larkana, checkpoints and the slow last kilometres into each site.

For comparison, going from Kot Diji back to Sukkur and then on to Larkana is about 135 km. The bridge saves roughly an hour.

Getting to Sukkur

• By road from Punjab: the M-5 motorway ends at Sukkur. Multan to Sukkur is about 418 km, and Lahore to Sukkur about 752 km, a long day of about eight and a half hours before stops.
• By road from Karachi: about 480 km on the M-9 and N-5, close to six hours of driving. If you start in Karachi, consider reversing the loop (see below).
• By train: Rohri Junction, across the river from Sukkur, is on the main Karachi to Peshawar line, so most long-distance trains stop there. Our Sukkur Express guide covers one option.
• By air: Sukkur Airport is about 8 km from the city centre. Domestic routes to it have changed often, so check current schedules with the airlines. Mohenjo-daro has its own airport, but it has seen very few flights in recent years, so do not plan around it.

Day 1: Sukkur and Rohri

Sukkur is a city of bridges and river views, and most of what you want to see sits within a few kilometres:

1. Sukkur Barrage, built between 1923 and 1932 and still the heart of Sindh's canal irrigation. Our Sukkur Barrage guide covers where to view it.
2. Lansdowne Bridge (1889) and the Ayub Bridge (1962) side by side between Sukkur and Rohri. The pair look best from the riverbank late in the afternoon.
3. Masum Shah's minaret, built in 1607 and about 26 metres tall, on high ground in the old town.
4. Sadh Belo, the Hindu temple island founded in 1823 by Baba Bankhandi Maharaj. Security is tight and entry needs permission, normally arranged through the Pakistan Hindu Panchayat, so it may only be possible to see the island from the bank.

Spend the evening by the river at Lab-e-Mehran, and eat in the old city; our Sukkur food guide covers what to order. The fuller list of sights is in our places to visit in Sukkur and Rohri.

Day 2: Khairpur and Kot Diji, then across the river

Leave Sukkur by 8 am. Khairpur, the old Talpur capital, is about 25 minutes south; the Faiz Mahal palace is the reason to stop, and our Khairpur guide has the details.

Kot Diji is another 23 km on. There are two sites here, and most visitors only see one:

• The fort on the limestone ridge, built around 1790 by Mir Sohrab Khan Talpur, with long walls climbing the hill. Allow one and a half to two hours, and wear shoes that grip on the climb.
• The archaeological mound at the foot of the ridge, settled around 3300 BC and excavated in 1955 and 1957. Its lower levels belong to the culture that came before the Indus cities, which makes it a good prologue to Mohenjo-daro the next day.

Our Kot Diji Fort guide covers the layout. After lunch, drive west across the Indus to Larkana, about 72 km. Arriving in daylight matters on this road; plan to be in Larkana by 4 pm. Our guide to hotels in Larkana covers where to sleep.

Day 3: Mohenjo-daro, then back to Sukkur

Be at the gate when it opens. Mohenjo-daro is 31 km from central Larkana, about 35 minutes, and the site is open ground with no real shade. The city was built around 2500 BC, abandoned around 1700 BC, and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, the first in South Asia.

Allow two and a half to three hours for the ruins and an hour for the site museum:

• The citadel mound, with the Great Bath (about 12 by 7 metres and 2.4 metres deep) and the building Mortimer Wheeler called the Great Granary.
• The Buddhist stupa on top of the citadel, much later than the Indus city, from roughly 150 to 500 AD.
• The lower town, where the street grid and drains show how the city was planned.

The best objects found here, including the Priest-King, are in the National Museum in Karachi, not at the site. Our Mohenjo-daro visitor guide covers the walk in detail, and our Mohenjo-daro ticket guide covers fees and opening hours. Leave by early afternoon; Sukkur is about 116 km and an hour and three quarters away.

Reversing or reshaping the loop

From Karachi, reverse it. Drive to Larkana first, about 477 km and six hours on the M-9, N-5 and the same Indus bridge, see Mohenjo-daro on the morning of day two, cross to Kot Diji and Khairpur that afternoon, and finish in Sukkur. You then leave northwards on the M-5 or by train from Rohri without backtracking. Our guide to Karachi to Mohenjo-daro covers the drive south.

With a fourth day, add the Indus river dolphins. The stretch between the Guddu and Sukkur barrages is a protected reserve, and our Indus dolphin guide explains where boats go out.

With only two days, base in Larkana, do Mohenjo-daro early on day one and Kot Diji in the afternoon via the bridge, then Sukkur on day two. It works, but you will see Kot Diji in the heat of the afternoon.

When to go

November to February. Upper Sindh is one of the hottest places on earth in summer: Mohenjo-daro recorded 53.5°C in May 2010. From April to September, start every site visit at opening time and be back in an air-conditioned car by 11 am. December and January mornings can be foggy on the roads, which is another reason not to drive after dark.

Is this route safe?

The UK advises against all but essential travel to Sindh north of Nawabshah, which covers Sukkur, Khairpur and Larkana. The main risk locals talk about is crime rather than terrorism: police in upper Sindh have run repeated operations against dacoit gangs in the riverine kacha areas. Pakistani families travel this route routinely. Stay on the main roads, drive only in daylight, use a local driver who knows the area, and check news on the morning of each drive. Overseas visitors should know that travelling against their government's advice can void insurance. Our guides on Sukkur and Larkana safety go into detail.

Who this trip suits

It suits anyone with an interest in history: in three days you see a pre-Indus village layer, the finest Indus city, and the Talpur and British works that shaped the river. It does not suit anyone who dislikes heat, early starts or long stretches of flat farmland between sights, and families with small children may find a full morning at Mohenjo-daro too much. For more help shaping a longer Sindh trip, start with our trip planning page.

Frequently asked questions