Quetta 3-Day Itinerary: Hanna, Urak, Bazaar and Ziarat

Three days is enough to see the best of Quetta and Ziarat if you spend one day on the city's eastern edge, one in the town itself and one on the road to Ziarat. This plan puts Hanna Lake and Urak Valley on the first day, the bazaars, a museum and Hazarganji-Chiltan on the second, and a full day trip to Ziarat on the third, with the distances and timings that decide how much you can fit in.

Read the safety section before the plan. Balochistan is covered by UK travel advice against all travel, and the sensible way to use any Quetta itinerary is to confirm each day's road and area locally the evening before.

Before you plan: safety and permissions

Pakistani visitors do come to Quetta, Hanna and Ziarat, but the UK government advises against all travel to Balochistan, and there have been serious attacks in Quetta in 2024 and 2026, including a suicide bombing near Chaman Phatak on 24 May 2026 that killed at least 47 people. Check local news and police advice before every day out, and keep to daylight.

If you hold a foreign passport, your government's advice may say not to go, and travelling against it can void your insurance. Wikivoyage reported in February 2025 that foreigners needed police permission and an armed police escort whenever leaving their accommodation. Our guide to whether Quetta is safe to visit goes through the detail.

Plan your hotel and transport first. Our guide to hotels in Quetta covers where to stay, and a driver arranged through your hotel is the most practical way to cover the three days below.

Day 1: Hanna Lake and Urak Valley

Both places lie on the same road east of the city, so this is an easy half-day with no backtracking. Leave after breakfast.

1. Hanna Lake, about 17 km east of Quetta. The lake is a reservoir built in 1894 under British rule, set among dry brown hills with a stone dam wall between two mountains. Boat rides run around the island in the middle, and there is a restaurant under pine trees. Our Hanna Lake guide has more on what to do there.
2. Urak Valley, about 28 km from Quetta. The valley runs up into the Zarghun range beyond the lake, and is known for apple orchards and a small waterfall at its far end. It draws large numbers of Pakistani visitors, particularly on weekends and holidays, so go on a weekday if you can. See our Urak Valley guide.
3. Back in the city by late afternoon, with time to rest before dinner.

In a day like this, the main constraint is not distance but the crowd and the traffic on the way back at weekends. Aim to be heading back to Quetta before dusk.

For dinner, the dish people travel for is sajji, roast lamb or chicken cooked over coals. Our guide to sajji in Quetta covers what to order.

Day 2: The bazaars, a museum and Hazarganji-Chiltan

Spend the morning in the city and the afternoon in the hills.

1. Liaquat Bazaar and the dry-fruit shops. Liaquat Road is the main market, known for dry fruit, Balochi embroidery and handicrafts. Go in the morning, when the shops are open and the streets are quieter. Our dry fruit market guide explains what to buy.
2. A museum. The Command and Staff College Museum occupies the former bungalow of Field Marshal Montgomery and covers British military history, according to Wikivoyage, but it sits inside a military institution, so confirm access before you go. The archaeological museum has Stone Age tools and finds from Mehrgarh, with listed hours of 9am to 3pm on Wikivoyage; another site says 9am to 5pm, so check the day before.
3. Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park, about 20 km south-west. This park protects the Chiltan markhor, a wild goat, across mountain terrain of roughly 2,000 to 3,200 metres. It has marked tracks and a small museum, and markhor are most often seen at dawn on the upper slopes. Go in the early morning if you want a chance of seeing one, and take a local guide.

Do not count on seeing wildlife. If you only have the afternoon, the walk and the views are the reason to go.

Kahwa and Quetta's other food are worth working into the day too; see our guide to Quetta's famous food.

Day 3: Ziarat

Ziarat is about 130 km from Quetta, at an altitude of about 2,500 metres, in the middle of the largest juniper forest in Pakistan, which covers about 110,000 hectares. It is a full day, not a half-day. Leave early, because the drive each way takes a few hours, and our Quetta to Ziarat distance guide breaks it down.

1. The drive up, ideally leaving by 7 or 8am.
2. The Quaid-e-Azam Residency. This wooden building was built in 1892 as a sanatorium, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah spent the last months of his life here in 1948. It was badly damaged in a rocket attack in June 2013 and reopened to the public on 14 August 2014. Our Quaid-e-Azam Residency guide has more.
3. The juniper forest. Some of the trees are reported to be around 4,000 years old. Our guide to the Ziarat juniper forest explains what you can see on a short walk.
4. Lunch, then the drive back so you are in Quetta before dark.

Check whether Ziarat is safe before you commit, because conditions in the district have varied. If you want to stay overnight in Ziarat, you would need a fourth day. In that case our Ziarat itinerary is the better plan.

What to pack and when to go

Quetta is high and dry, so pack for big swings between day and night, with a warm layer even in summer evenings. Winter is cold and can bring snow; our Quetta weather guide covers the seasons. Sunscreen, a hat and water matter more than most visitors expect.

Carry your CNIC at all times. Checkpoints on Balochistan's roads routinely check identity documents.

Is this itinerary right for you?

It suits couples, friends and families who are comfortable with a daylight-only schedule, a hired driver and the odd checkpoint. It is a gentle plan: no trekking, short drives apart from Ziarat, and long meal stops.

It is a poor fit if you want to explore independently on foot after dark, or for anyone who is not comfortable with the security situation. If three days feels too long, drop Day 2's park and keep the bazaar and museum, or skip Urak and do only Hanna. Our places to visit in Quetta lists more options, and our experiences page shows other ways to see the country.

Frequently asked questions