Multan, Bahawalpur & Derawar Fort Winter Tour

Fly or take the train from Islamabad/Lahore to Multan (1hr flight or 4hr train). Afternoon: Multan Fort (Qasim Bagh) — the ancient citadel where Alexander the Great was wounded in 325 BCE, with sweeping views over the city and the surrounding plains. Evening visit to Shah Rukn-e-Alam Shrine complex at sunset — the blue and turquoise tilework lit by the setting sun is breathtaking. Dinner at a traditional Multani restaurant: Multani sohan halwa and tikka.

Full day in Multan. Morning: Shah Rukn-e-Alam Shrine (1320 CE) — considered the finest example of Tughlaq-period architecture in the world, with a 165-foot octagonal tower covered in blue and white glazed tiles and geometric brick patterns. Bahauddin Zakariya Shrine (1260 CE) — tomb of the Suhrawardi Sufi master whose spiritual lineage spread across the Islamic world. Shah Shams Tabriz Shrine — the companion of Rumi. Afternoon: Multan Blue Pottery Centre — watch master artisans hand-paint the distinctive blue-and-white kashi pottery that Multan has produced for 1,000 years. Purchase directly from the workshop.

Drive south to Uch Sharif (90km) — one of the holiest sites in Sindhi Islam. The ruins of Uch contain three extraordinary 14th–15th century tiled tombs of Sufi saints, crumbling but still magnificent, on a bluff above the confluence of three rivers. Drive onward to Bahawalpur (90km). Evening: Noor Mahal Palace — the 1872 Italianate palace of the Nawab of Bahawalpur, surrounded by Mughal gardens. Now a military heritage museum, its interiors of carved plasterwork, painted ceilings, and Belgian mirrors are exceptional.

4WD desert safari to Derawar Fort (40km from Bahawalpur across Cholistan desert tracks). Derawar Fort is one of the most spectacular sights in Pakistan — 40 perfectly intact mud-brick bastions, each 30 metres high, rising in a perfect square from the flat red desert with nothing else in sight. The attached Abbasi mosque (18th century) is a smaller version of Lahore's Badshahi Mosque. Explore the fort, walk the outer walls, and photograph from the red sand dunes. Return via Sadiq Garh Palace — the vast Victorian-Raj palace of the Bahawalpur nawabs, with 150+ rooms, now partly open as a museum.

Morning: Bahawalpur Museum (Nawab collection) and Bahawalpur Zoo (famous in Pakistan). Transfer to Bahawalpur airport or train station for return. End of tour.

Technically yes, but practically difficult — Derawar is 40km from Bahawalpur across desert tracks that require a 4WD vehicle and knowledge of the route. There are no road signs. We provide the 4WD, an experienced local guide who knows the desert, and pack a proper lunch. Visiting independently risks getting lost in the Cholistan.

November to March is the only comfortable season. Multan and Bahawalpur in April–October reach 45–50°C — impossible for sightseeing. The Cholistan Desert in summer is one of the hottest places on Earth. December–February (winter) is perfect at 15–22°C, clear skies, and no dust storms.

Yes — the major shrines in Multan (Shah Rukn-e-Alam, Bahauddin Zakariya) and Uch Sharif are open to all visitors regardless of religion. A respectful dress code applies (head covering for women, shoes removed at the entrance). The caretakers (khadims) are generally welcoming to foreign visitors.