With the hectic, fast-paced lifestyle most of us lead, a break is a must and what better place to escape from the harsh city life than a weekend getaway at Astola Island?

The only island along the pristine Makran coast of Pakistan, Astola is a paradise for the adventurer and nature-lover — one can engage in a number of activities from swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving and fishing to trekking, bird-watching and observing turtle breeding on the island. Since it’s uninhabited, travellers have to bring their own provisions and camping gear including washing and drinking water — a small price to pay to enjoy the untarnished natural beauty of Astola.

Known as ‘Jazira Haft Talar’ or Island of the Seven Hills, most of the small island (about 15sq km) is covered by a plateau 300 feet above sea level. It juts out on the north face in a series of seven cliffs, forming sheltered coves along the beach that make ideal nesting grounds for water birds and sea turtles. Although they do face some threat from bird hunters and fishermen’s nets, its remoteness makes the island a relatively safe haven for animals.

Astola Island provides the perfect escape from the grind of everyday life

The island is also home to scorpions and the Astola viper — associated so strongly in the public imagination with the island that we were warned about them by all and sundry when we set off. Luckily we did not encounter any on our trip.

One of the reasons Astola is still unpolluted — unlike some other nature spots that have become tourist hubs overrun by visitors — is that it’s a remote and hard-to-reach destination. For instance, to reach the island from Karachi, you first have to drive down to Pasni, (a subdistrict of Gwadar) which is a seven-hour 525km long drive along the scenic Makran Coastal Highway.

A pit-stop at the rarely visited Ormara Beach is something not to be missed. From Pasni, Astola is accessible by a three-hour boat ride, and a six-hour boat ride if approached from Ormara. 

To catch a boat to Astola and back to the mainland, one has to make prior arrangements with local fishing boat owners who coordinate their arrival and departure timings with the high tide at Pasni.

The ideal time of the year to visit the island is between September and May, when the sea is calmer. From June to August, the rough seas and high tides render the island inaccessible.

From city life to the bare basics

We left Karachi before dawn, making our way along the Makran Coastal Highway and reaching Hingol National Park just in time to enjoy the sunrise and the stunning views of the solidified mud hills flanked by a shimmering sea. The Hingol River lay motionless in random patches on the keekar-covered valley. 

At Ormara beach we made a pit stop to marvel at the scenery. When we finally arrived in Pasni, a small rundown town and fishing port, the tide had receded and we missed our boat. After an eight-hour wait at a nearby guesthouse, we boarded for our three-hour sail.

It takes a while to move the supplies, so add at least an hour to your itinerary for loading all luggage and equipment on the boat. We finally set sail at 8pm after the tide rose. Sailing on glow-in-the-dark waves under a dark sky that lit up sporadically with shooting stars was a heavenly experience. It was close to midnight when we finally reached the shore and set up camp.

There is no pier, so be prepared to get at least shin-high wet when you disembark from the dinghy on the boat. You may want to keep a change of dry clothes handy for this. Someone had arrived before us and set up a temporary camp to hunt peregrine falcons.

 It felt quite otherworldly to lie at the world’s end, on the shore of a small island with the sea gently lapping at our feet, and to doze off under an impossibly starlit sky.

The pre-dawn light appearing on the horizon was enough to wake us up in the morning. After an early breakfast we trekked up to the highest point of Astola Island and were rewarded by a surreal sight: the sea on all sides, beaches around us, craggy cliffs ahead, and birds soaring above and bobbing on the sea. After the sun came up, we headed back down for a swim in the deep blue sea.

To catch a boat to Astola and back to the mainland, one has to make prior arrangements with local fishing boat owners who coordinate their arrival and departure timings with the high tide at Pasni.

Soon after, we packed up so that we could head out and land at Pasni before noon. By 9am the sea had reclaimed most of the sandy beach strip and the rocky terrain was left dry. Whilst some of us enjoyed the sea gently lapping the boat, at least half a dozen of us battled sea-sickness with chewing gum and other antidotes.

 Khizar Rashid, a camping and diving enthusiast, suggests an itinerary of at least two nights and one whole day on the island to make the most of the trip. “Try to land at Astola by afternoon so that you have enough time to set up camp and acclimatise. There is a large patch of sandy beach at the foot of a mosque which is suitable camping ground. Then watch the sun set on the island.

“At night, enjoy a dark sky, ideal for star-gazing. In the morning, trek up to the top of the hill, see the remains of an ancient temple, and catch the sunrise. Explore the island’s beaches, hills, and wildlife. Scuba dive, snorkel and swim at different sites around the island where you will find a variety of marine life and coral reefs — you will need a speedboat for this. Early next morning, leave for Pasni in time to catch the high tide and avoid the strong sun.”

In short, Astola is said to be a tough call for travellers, but don’t listen to what they say. Go see for yourself.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 4th, 2016