Pakistan has its own pristine island in the Arabian Sea that is waiting for you to make it your next destination! Visit Astola Island as it offers the best option for you to start your exploration and familiarise yourself with marine life. Soak in the sun and bask in the calmness of a noise and pollution-free beach!
Astola Island or Jabl-e-Zareen (beautiful mountain) is a new island, located in the Arabian Sea about 39 kilometers southeast of the fishing port of Pasni. It is considered Pakistan’s largest offshore island with an approximately 6.7 square kilometer area. Administratively, the island is part of the Pasni subdistrict of Gwadar District in Balochistan. Balochistan has a host of tourist hotspots, waiting to be explored. Hingol National Park is another destination that should be on your bucket list.
The island can be accessed by motorized boats from Pasni, with a journey time of about 5 hours to reach the island. The water around Astola is a deep turquoise blue that speaks volumes of the health of its sea life. In June 2017, the government of Balochistan declared Astola Island as a ‘marine protected area’ in view of protecting, conserving and restoring species, habitats, biodiversity and ecological processes that may be adversely affected as a result of human activities, furthermore, prevent degradation and damage.
Recently, a team of environmental experts sanctioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) declared the island a “very healthy and productive marine ecosystem”. The experts found a number of ‘healthy’ indicators that all indicate we’ve been taking good care of this natural gem. These included, rich marine life in a shipwreck about four kilometres off the island and a number of green turtles nesting and laying eggs on the island’s beaches and juvenile turtles hatching and returning to the sea.
The island consists of a large tilted plateau and a series of seven small hillocks which gives it its name of Haft Talar, seven hills. The hills have deep chasms and crevices, which are several feet wide. There are several natural caves and coves on the island. The south face of the island slopes off gradually whereas the north face is cliff-like with a sharp vertical drop.
Isolation has helped maintain several endemic life forms on Astola. The endangered green turtle and the hawksbill turtle nest on the beach at the foot of the cliffs. The island is also an important area for endemic reptiles such as the Astola viper, and is reported to support a large number of breeding waterbirds including coursers, curlews, godwits, gulls, plovers and sanderling. Vegetation on the island is sparse and largely consists of scrubs and large bushes. There are no trees on the island. There is no source of fresh water on the island and the vegetation depends on occasional rainfall and soil moisture for survival. Astola is also home to coral reefs, giving its biodiversity a unique flavour.
In 1982, the Government of Pakistan installed a lighthouse on the island for the safety of passing vessels, which was replaced by a solar-powered one in 1987.
Between September and May of each year, Astola becomes a temporary base for mainland fishermen for catching lobsters and oysters. From June to August, the island remains uninhabited due to the fishing off-season, the rough seas and high tides.
Both boat and helicopter transfers are available from Agatti to Bangaram and Kadmat. The helicopter may be the only option in the monsoon season from May to September. Boats and ferries can be used for getting around from one island to the other. Once on an island, there aren’t too many options. You can travel on foot or hire a bicycle.
On a recent visit to Astola Island in Pakistan, ORP recorded more than 800 green turtle nests on the north beach of the island. Sadly, the beach and surrounding waters were also littered with ghost nets. These ghost nets pose great entanglement risk to nesting mother turtles and hatchlings scrambling to the the sea, something we saw firsthand. Astola Island is Pakistan’s first Marine Protected Area.
