Kund Malir Beach

Kund Malir sits inside Hingol National Park at the point where the dry hills drop straight to the sea, and the contrast is what makes it: bare ochre badlands directly behind a clean crescent of pale sand and clear water, with no development beyond a few huts and stalls. It has become the standard overnight stop on a Makran coast trip, with visitors from Karachi camping on the sand and cooking fish bought from the settlement, and the beach is genuinely beautiful in the low light of morning and evening. The water is clear but the coast is open ocean with real currents, and there is no lifeguarding of any kind. Turtles nest on stretches of this coastline. Litter left by campers has become a serious problem, and clean-up drives run periodically.

What you actually see

• The sand crescent - pale beach curving below the ochre hills.
• Badlands backdrop - Hingol's eroded rock rising directly behind.
• Camping and stalls - informal huts and food at the settlement.
• Clear water - open Arabian Sea, best in the calm months.

When to go

November to February, when the sea is calm and the heat manageable; the monsoon months bring rough water and closed roads. Weekends bring Karachi campers in numbers. Sunrise and sunset are when the hills and sand are at their best.

Honest expectations

There are no facilities: no clean toilets, no reliable water, no lifeguards, and the currents are dangerous, with drownings recorded. Everything must be carried in and out, including rubbish. The drive from Karachi takes four to five hours. Camping is the norm and the only real accommodation.

Nearby

Hingol National Park surrounds the beach; the coastal highway runs west to Gwadar.