Savoring Southern Pakistan: A Portfolio

By Vassi Koutsaftis | March 15, 2022

Renowned GeoEx trip leader Vassi Koutsaftis recently led a 20-day Pakistan group tour, Southern Pakistan: Confluence of Civilizations, through the Indus River Valley from Islamabad to Karachi, with an extension to Peshawar and the Swat Valley. Among the highlights of this Pakistan group trip were visits to extraordinary mosques, monuments, and monasteries, and encounters with a rich and illuminating mixture of people. Vassi always takes outstanding photos when he travels, and we’re thrilled to present this portfolio that offers transporting glimpses into the heart and highlights of Southern Pakistan.

The beautiful 17^th-century Badshahi Mosque is one of the most popular Sunni mosques in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

This atmospheric rooftop restaurant in Lahore offers spectacular views of the Badshahi Mosque; the scene at night is especially transporting.

At the Attari-Wagah border between India and Pakistan, patriotism runs very high on both sides as people gather to admire their troops and vow fidelity to their flags.

The Uch Sharif complex of 14th-century Sufi shrines is breathtaking and astonishing.

Our driver told us about a small Hindu village called Marwari Got, in the Cholistan Desert, and we spontaneously decided to visit it. This turned out to be fascinating; while all the houses were made of mud as in the other villages in the desert, here the streets were lively with women dressed in colorful saris and with numerous bracelets on their arms.  

Garhi Khuda Bux is the mausoleum for the Bhutto family, one of the most powerful political families in the country. Many Pakistanis visit daily to pay their respects.

Overloaded trucks and tractors are a common sight on the highway. They’re so renowned that they make a popular stop for tourists!

As in India, snake charmers can be found in southern Pakistan! Visitors at the Makli Hills on the way to Karachi may have an intriguing encounter.

A salesman in Peshawar sells freshly squeezed pomegranate juice; the treat is delicious and also has beneficial medicinal properties.

The Derawar Fort in the Cholistan desert is an imposing and strikingly beautiful 9th-century construction made of mud-bricks.

Sufi pilgrims gather at Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Shrine in Sehwan.

A truck driver on the highway to Karachi poses with his overloaded truck!

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Feeling inspired to create your own Pakistan portfolio? To learn more about our small group tours to Pakistan—and capture your own insightful images—contact our travel specialists at 888-570-7108.