Bahawâlpur

See

thumb|Derawar Fort at night. thumb|A night view of the Nur Mahal.

Advance permission from the Army is required to visit the Darbar Mahal.

Do

Bahawalpur Golf course Derawar Fort is a beautiful desert tourist place for safari. It runs the off-road Cholistan Desert Jeep Rally or also known as "TDCP Cholistan Jeep Rally". The rally starts near the Derawar Fort in Ahmadpur East Tehsil.

Buy

You can buy local tie/dye clothes (Chunri) from the local markets. Silver jewellery is also very pretty. Handmade closed sandals (with embroidery) called khussas are also available at affordable prices (about US$5 for a pair). To shop for clothes you can visit Outfitters, Crossroads, Riverstone and Boom Fashion.

Sleep

Hotel one - This 2-star hotel near airport is probably the best hotel in Bahawalpur. New Bahawalpur Hotel, Inside Ahmad Puri Gate, Shahzadi Chowk. Single room Rs 350.

Stay safe

Follow a conservative dress code and try to dress as locals. It is better to have someone from the city as a guide. In the case of an emergency, call police by 15 from any landline phone. As of May 2023 your hotel will arrange a police escort if you wish to leave the hotel - you may have to specify your itinerary in advance and wait for the police to arrive. Ambulance Access To get an ambulance in case of an emergency, dial 115 from any landline or cellphone. If you found yourself in serious trouble and need any type of emergency rescue or help then feel free to dial 1122. The name of the emergency service is "Rescue 1122".

Go next

Ahmadpur Sharqia Hasilpur Khairpur Tamiwali Yazman

thumb|250px|Derawar Fort

Cholistan Desert of Bahawalpur - You can make an interesting excursions from Bahawalpur, a half day trip (no four-wheel drive vehicle required) to Derawar Fort (Qila Derawar), through the semi-desert of Cholistan.

Best to take a guide for Derawar fort - although with a GPS and a pre-planned route you could self drive. You also need permission from the present Amir of Bahawalpur to get inside the fort. The drive takes two hours on a sealed road through fascinating barren landscape. The Cholistan Desert covers 26,000 km2 (10,000 sq miles) and extends into the Thar desert to India. The whole area was once well watered by the river Ghaggar, now called the Hakara in Pakistan, and known in vedic times as the Sarasvati. All along the 500 km (300 miles) of the dried-up river are over 400 archaeological sites. Most of these date from the Indus civilisation, 45,00 years ago, and are clustered round Derawar Fort, the only perennial water hole in the desert.