Sandeman Tangi Ziarat: Gorge and Waterfall Walk

Sandeman Tangi is a narrow gorge with a small waterfall about 4 to 5 km from Ziarat town in Balochistan. A vehicle covers part of the way and the last stretch is a walk through a canyon lined with juniper. It is a short outing of an hour or two, with no ticket, no shops and no facilities at the gorge.

This guide covers where it is, the walk in, the story behind the name, what the water is likely to be doing when you visit, and how to combine it with Fern Tangi on the Quetta road.

Where it is and how to reach it

Sandeman Tangi is both the name of the gorge and of a village and union council in Ziarat district. The tourism guide published under the CAREC programme describes the turning: as you enter Ziarat town, a track to the left leads towards the gorge, and a vehicle can cover part of it. The rest is on foot.

There is no public transport to the gorge. Visitors either drive their own car as far as the track allows or hire a local vehicle in the Ziarat bazaar and agree a waiting charge. We found no posted fare, so settle the price before setting out.

Ziarat itself is about 125 km from Quetta by road according to routing data, and Wikipedia gives 130 km. Allow two and a half to three hours for the drive. Our Quetta to Ziarat distance guide covers the road.

The walk to the waterfall

The path narrows as the canyon walls close in, with juniper on the slopes above. The walk is short by the standards of hiking elsewhere in Pakistan, but it is not a paved footpath. We could not find a measured length for the trail or a height for the waterfall in any reliable source, so treat any figure you see quoted with caution.

Footing is the thing to plan for. The ground is uneven, with loose stones and rock, and it can be slick close to the water. Shoes with grip matter more here than fitness. Go slowly, and keep hold of children on the narrower sections.

Ziarat sits high, so the air is thinner than in Quetta or Karachi. Most people feel nothing more than shortness of breath on the uphill sections, but older relatives may want to turn back at the mouth of the gorge.

Why is it called Sandeman Tangi?

"Tangi" is the local Pashto word for a narrow gorge or defile. The gorge was earlier known as Droond Tangai, and local belief held that ghosts lived in it before people settled nearby.

The present name comes from Sir Robert Groves Sandeman, born in Perth, Scotland, in 1835. He negotiated the 1876 Treaty of Kalat with the Khan of Kalat, and from 1877 until his death he was the Agent to the Governor-General in Balochistan, the senior British official in the province. His method of paying allowances to tribal chiefs to keep order, with troops used only as a last resort, became known as the Sandeman system. He died at Bela on 29 January 1892.

Ziarat was a summer station for British officials, which is why his name is on the map here. The same period left the wooden Residency in the town, covered in our Quaid-e-Azam Residency guide.

When does the water flow?

We found no measured flow data for this waterfall. What can be said is general. The stream is fed by mountain springs and by runoff from the hills around Ziarat, which receive snow in winter. Small spring-fed streams of this kind usually run strongest in spring, after snowmelt, and following rain, and thin out through the dry months of late summer and autumn.

If seeing moving water is the point of your visit, ask at your hotel or in the bazaar before you set out. People in the town know whether the fall is running that week. If it is dry, the gorge and its juniper are still the reason to walk in.

Winter is the season to avoid. Ziarat gets snow and frost, the track can be blocked, and wet rock in a shaded canyon stays icy. Our Ziarat weather guide has the month-by-month picture.

Pairing it with Fern Tangi

Fern Tangi, also written Faran Tangi, is a similar spot about 10 km from Ziarat, near the main road towards Quetta. A small waterfall fed by a mountain spring makes it a picnic place, and it is reached by a walk of about 2 km from the main road.

The two make a pair for anyone with half a day. Do Sandeman Tangi first, since it is closer to town, and stop at Fern Tangi on the way back to Quetta. Fern Tangi involves the longer walk of the two, so keep it for a separate morning if your group includes small children.

Neither site has a shop, a toilet or drinking water. Bring what you need from Ziarat.

What to bring

• Shoes with a good grip, not sandals or smooth soles
• At least a litre of water per person
• A hat and sunscreen, since the sun is strong at this height
• A warm layer, even in summer, for the shaded canyon
• A stick or trekking pole if anyone in your group is unsteady on loose ground
• A bag to carry your litter back to town

Is it safe?

Sandeman Tangi is in Balochistan. The UK government advises against all travel to the whole province. Pakistani families do visit Ziarat every summer, but the situation on the Quetta road changes. Check local news and ask your hotel about the road before you travel, go to the gorge in daylight, and do not walk in alone.

If you hold a foreign passport, check your own government's advice, since travelling against it can void your insurance. Foreign nationals may also need permission to travel in Balochistan. Our guide on whether Ziarat is safe has more.

Is it worth doing?

If you are in Ziarat for a night or two and want something more active than the Residency or the drive to Prospect Point, yes. It costs little and shows the juniper country from inside a canyon instead of from the road. The Ziarat juniper forest is the largest in Pakistan, at about 110,000 hectares, and this is one of the easier ways to walk in it.

If you are on a day trip from Quetta, the Residency and the forest viewpoints come first, and Sandeman Tangi is worth adding only with an hour or two to spare. Do not come expecting a large waterfall. Our round-up of places to visit in Ziarat sets it beside the town's other sights.

Frequently asked questions