Sea to Sky.

A morning on the Arabian Sea with the working fishing crews of Karachi, watching nets hauled and the catch landed. An evening on Burns Road is grilled meat, flatbread and tea along one of the oldest food streets in the city.

Out with the fishing boats

A long coastal drive west of Karachi reaches a pale beach and the carved rocks of Hingol National Park. Two days cover the beach and the park.

Kund Malir and Hingol from Karachi

Walk the excavated streets of a 4,500-year-old Indus city, with the Great Bath and granary. Three hours is the length of the visit.

The ruins of Mohenjo-daro

Derawar Fort is a vast brick fort on the desert edge, with the dunes of Cholistan and old fort wells beyond. A day covers the fort and the desert beyond.

Derawar Fort and the Cholistan desert

From the Hazuri Bagh, the Mughal mosque and fort turn gold as the sun sets over Lahore. The walled city food walk runs from Delhi Gate to Wazir Khan Mosque.

Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort at sunset

Pair the landmark mosque of Islamabad with Daman-e-Koh, a hilltop viewpoint over the city. Together they are a three-hour visit.

Faisal Mosque and Daman-e-Koh

Ratti Gali is a high alpine lake in Neelum Valley, reached by jeep track and a short walk above the treeline. The valley road follows the Neelum River to Keran and Sharda.

Ratti Gali lake

The Kalash valleys of Chitral are home to a distinct culture, with festivals, wooden temples and terraced fields. A visit takes two days.

A visit to the Kalash valleys

Lake Saiful Muluk is a high alpine lake above Naran in the Kaghan Valley, reached by a rough jeep track or a long day walk. The Babusar Pass road climbs from green valley to bare rock and cold air.

Lake Saiful Muluk

Lower Kachura holds Shangrila, and Upper Kachura is cold blue water with a short walk. Katpana is high-altitude sand dunes near Skardu, with views of the Karakoram and easy access from town.

Shangrila and the Kachura lakes

A jeep ride and a short walk lead to a meadow under Nanga Parbat, with a night in a log cabin. Dark skies below the mountain are reached by jeep and a short walk from Raikot Bridge.

Fairy Meadows, two days

Baltit and Altit are two royal forts above the Hunza valley, one restored and one older. A walk through apricot terraces links them.

Baltit and Altit forts