Quetta is the provincial capital, set in a high valley surrounded by bare ranges, close to Hanna Lake, the Urak valley and Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park.
Quetta is known as the fruit garden of Pakistan, with apples, apricots, cherries and almonds grown around it. In spring the Urak valley is covered in blossom. Hanna Lake is a short drive away, and Hazarganji-Chiltan, a national park on the edge of the city, shelters the markhor, the spiral-horned wild goat of the mountains.
The bazaars sell dry fruit, carpets and local embroidery. Winters are cold and sometimes snowy.
Highlights
- Hanna Lake and the Urak valley
- Hazarganji-Chiltan National Park
- The fruit and dry-fruit bazaars
- Sajji, the local roast lamb