Things to do in Balochistan
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Usmania Tandoori Restaurant
One of Quetta's plusher restaurants (with a hard-to-miss orange sign), Usmania has a wide selection of tasty dishes at reasonable prices. We particularly liked the mutton tandoori (Rs 375), a serving big enough for two with bread, salad and raita, washed down with green Pashtun tea. Service is good, and there's a handful of Chinese and Continental dishes if you need a break from local tastes.
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Archaeological Museum of Balochistan
This small but well-kept Archaeological Museum of Balochistan, also known as Quetta Museum, is tucked away just east of Mizan Chowk. The galleries display figurines from Moenjodaro in Sindh province, pottery pieces from sites in Balochistan, and Stone Age implements from the Zhob, Quetta and Kalat Valleys. Despite the name, the museum isn't just about archaeology. There's also a stock of militaria, including a sword - with bloodstains still visible - used in 1919 to kill a British commander.
Other galleries within the complex exhibit Qurans (one written in the hand of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb), manuscripts and calligraphy. Some dusty old photos give a fascinating glimpse …
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Geological Survey of Pakistan Museum
Adjacent to Balochistan University is the surprisingly interesting Geological Survey of Pakistan Museum. It houses a remarkable collection of geological and palaeontological items, with some particularly impressive fossil remains dating back as far as 500 million years. Prize exhibits include remnants of the giant Baluchitherium (a large, 25-million-year-old land mammal), a 47-million-year-old 'walking whale' and a collection of meteorite fragments.
Seven galleries run the gamut from gems and fossils to astrogeology. It's worth asking the staff for a guided tour, as not all exhibits are brilliantly labelled.
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Pir Gheib
About 24km beyond Mach, after passing several coalmines, a rough track running right off the main road leads to Pir Gheib. This beautiful rock pool is fed by a cascade and is surrounded and enclosed by cliffs and trees. There's another pool with calmer waters slightly downstream. Near the pool is a small shrine to a saint. Foreigners need a special permit to come to both the shrine and Pir Gheib - for the latest details ask at the PTDC office in Quetta.
With your own vehicle, a day trip from Quetta is just about feasible.
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Sibi Museum
In 1878, after an earlier assault on the town in 1841, the British captured Sibi and renamed it Sandemanabad, for Robert Sandeman. The most imposing of the extant buildings from the British era is the 1903 Queen Victoria Memorial Hall, now named Jirga Hall. It is so named because it was the assembly chamber for the British and the leading tribal notables during the annual jirga (council of tribal elders) held during the Sibi Mela.
It now houses the small archaeological and historical Sibi Museum.
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Command & Staff College Museum
The Command & Staff College Museum has a small private collection built up during the days when the then Indian Staff College was the Raj's answer to West Point. Field Marshal Montgomery, WWII hero of El Alamein, was an instructor here. The museum has a small but interesting collection of militaria, paintings and photos, but you need to be an army buff to get the most from a visit. Because this is a private collection you should arrange a visit through the PTDC office. Take ID along with you.
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Lehri Sajji House
Prime among the group of sajji restaurants clustered in this area, this place could hardly be more basic, with plastic tables and chairs spilling out onto the road. But the sajji is fantastic - great hunks of lamb spit roasted, with crackly skin and sticky fat. It's better if there's more than one of you dining as you get a leg of lamb to yourself; there's also whole chicken cooked in the same delicious way. It's just off Jinnah Rd.
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Quaid-i-Azam Residence
The British weren't the only ones to appreciate Ziarat - so too did Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the Quaid-i-Azam (Great Leader). Jinnah spent his last days here in 1948, suffering from the cancer that killed him. The Quaid-i-Azam Residence is the former residency of the agent to the governor general, built in 1882. The furniture is left just as it was when Jinnah stayed here before returning to Karachi to die.
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Fruit & Vegetable Market
There's a fruit & vegetable market by the main bus stand and a more convenient one just south of Mizan Chowk, where you can also buy nuts and dried fruit. The peaches, grapes, cherries, musk melons and mangoes are especially delicious, sold by mobile vendors when in season, along with fat pomegranates from across the Afghan border.
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Ziarat Coffee Shop
More than just a coffee shop, this is a proper restaurant and a good place for a splurge. Come for high tea (16:00 to 18:00) and an array of sandwiches, salads, cakes and pastries. If you visit after that the menu turns Italian, with everything on offer from lasagne to tiramisu. Expect to pay around Rs500 for the whole meal.
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Café Baldia
One of Quetta's oldest eateries, the Baldia attracts an interesting crowd who congregate here to chat, read the newspaper or just chill out. It's an atmospheric spot to sit back with a cup of tea or light bite (sandwiches from Rs20) and simply engage in people-watching.
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Dolphin
Quetta has plenty of bakeries but this is our favourite, with its mind-boggling array of crunchy cookies, sticky sweets and gooey cakes. Just browsing is enough to give you toothache, but there are a few savoury sandwiches and pizzas that make good snacking.
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Ziarat
Pilgrims come here to visit the Ziarat (shrine) of the famous Muslim saint Mian Abdul Hakim (who is also known as Kharwari Baba), who fled here from Kandahar in Afghanistan. The shrine is 3km from the Quaid-i-Azam Residence.
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Mir Chakar's Fort
The 15th-century ruins of Mir Chakar's Fort lie on the outskirts of Sibi. There's also an old caravanserai (traditional accommodation for camel caravans), the Sohbat Serai, constructed by tribal chief Sadar Sohbat Khan.
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Baig Snack Bar
A solid fast-food option where burgers and sandwiches won't set you back more than about Rs 40. There are big bowls of sticky ice cream, rose-water faluda (sweet vermicelli) and fruit juices for afters.
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Café China
A good place for Chinese food, where portions are generous. There are steaming bowls of noodle soup Rs50 and plates piled high with everything from beef chop suey Rs170 to a broad selection of vegetarian dishes.
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Xuelian
Pakistani versions of Chinese food often don't run to much more than sweet and sour and chow mein, but the Serena's more formal restaurant offers a much broader spectrum, in appropriately swanky surroundings.
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Askari Park
More a family theme park, you can get out of the city here and enjoy some open space and clean air. There's a jogging track and children's park along with the Gardenia Resort hotel and restaurant.
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Sheraz Bar.B.Q
A busy eatery if you just need to fill up and go. Sheraz is great for traditional Pakistani cuisine, with a decent selection on offer from tikka chicken and garlic naan to huge plates of biryani.
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Rug Market
If you're specifically looking for carpets, head to the wholesale rug market on Masjid Rd. Apart from the wide variety, the prices are also pleasing - but you'll still have to haggle.
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Balochistan Arts Council
The Balochistan Arts Council sometimes hosts cultural events such as art exhibitions and theatrical or musical performances - call to find out if anything is on during your stay.
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Broast
Away from the downtown action, the Broast is a fast-food joint that whips up beef burgers with cheese Rs35, full roast chickens Rs200, mango shakes Rs25 and more.
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Bookland
Has a reasonably good stock of English-language novels and Pakistan-related books as well as stocking The Economist, Newsweek and Time.
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Quetta Club
If you can get someone to sign you into this members-only club (off limits to the public), you can use the golf course, squash club and eat at the restaurant.
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Chiltan Government Handicrafts Centre
A reputable (fixed-price) place to start your search for local handicrafts and get an idea of quality and prices.
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