Chakwal

Introduction

Chakwal is a city in Chakwal District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It serves as the district's urban centre, and your visit here places you in the Punjab rather than in one of Pakistan's other provinces.

Getting there

You can reach Chakwal by road in four main ways. From the motorway, leave at the Kallarkahar exit and continue through Bhaun, or use the Chakwal exit at the Balkasar interchange and pass through Thoa Bahadur. Either route brings you into the main city in well under an hour.

• Motorway via the Kallarkahar exit, crossing Bhaun — roughly 25 minutes to the city.
• Motorway via the Chakwal exit at the Balkasar interchange, crossing Thoa Bahadur — roughly 30 minutes.
• N5 GT road via the Mandra exit before Rawat, then follow the Chakwal road — about 1 hour.
• N5 GT road via the Sohawa exit, then follow the Chakwal road — about 1 hour.

Getting around

Chakwal is a small city with no metro, tram or suburban rail, so you get around by road. For short hops within town, the qinqi rickshaw is the main option; rickshaws run both as shared local transport and as private (special) hires, making them the most flexible way to cover short distances. Local buses and minibuses also serve routes within the district and to nearby villages — they are the cheapest choice but tend to be crowded and irregular, so they suit you if your schedule is flexible. Taxis and private cars handle door-to-door transfers, and app-based ride-hailing is available in places. Motorbikes can be rented by the day for exploring the district; rural roads are less safe after dark, and helmets are advisable even though they are not always worn locally.

The central bazaar and administrative areas are compact and genuinely walkable, so if you stay near the centre you can cover a fair amount on foot. Outside those areas, take care: roads are busy and the heat makes long walks uncomfortable for much of the year. October through March is the most comfortable window for walking and sightseeing, when conditions are cool and dry. For intercity trips, buses are the backbone — Sufi Bus Service and other operators run from the city to destinations across Pakistan, with regular bus and Hiace services from early morning until late at night, including Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Jhelum and Faisalabad. A local electric bus service also runs on announced routes such as District Complex to Dhudial and Tehsil Chowk to Balkasar. Buy tickets directly from the operator or at the bus stand; there is no unified city pass, so arrive with buffer time and confirm departure times locally.

Where to stay

Chakwal's accommodation is practical rather than plush, with a handful of hotels serving travellers passing through the district. On Talagang Road you'll find the Mecca Hotel and the Al Murtaza Hotel, the latter sharing its name with the Al Murtaza Restaurant on the same road, so a meal is close at hand if you stay there. Azeem International Hotel sits at Bhaun Chok, giving you another option in a different part of town.

Because the choice is limited, it's worth deciding where you want to be based before you arrive — near Talagang Road or around Bhaun Chok — and treating the hotel as a straightforward place to sleep rather than a destination in itself.

Food & drink

Chakwal's eating is spread along its main roads and bazaars rather than concentrated in one strip. Near Shah Multani on Bhaun Road, Haji's serves daal anda, a simple local staple worth seeking out. Chaparr Bazar is the place to head for traditional cooking: Pehlwan Hotel for chicken pulao, Tasty Haleem Center for haleem, and Madina Hotel, tucked on a street off the bazar, also for haleem. Rahat Bakery sits at Bhaun Chok, and Rahat Restaurant is over on Jehlam Road.

For something quicker, Talagang Road is lined with options: Sheraz Tikka House, Emporium's Shawarma, Pizza Hot, Italian Pizza, Al Mecca and Super Balochi Sajji Rice, while Pizza Time is on Bhaun Road and Unique Broast House on the bypass road. Hafiz Burger is on Rawalpindi Road, Zalmi Restaurant on Pinwal Road, and Al Mukhtar Royal Palace at Balkassar interchange; Al Qaim Hotel at Tesil Chowk keeps going around the clock. To drink, Pehlwan Juice House in Chaparr Bazar does milk shakes and fresh fruit juices, Punjab Juice House at Baab e Chakwal is known for its rubbery milk, and Nisar Hotel on Talagang Road serves lassi.

What to see and do

Chakwal district holds a spread of historic and natural sights worth building a day or two around. In the Salt Range, the valley of Kallar Kahar pairs mountain scenery with a lake at its heart, and the area also holds Pakistan's first fossil museum, the gardens of Bagh e Sufa, Takht e Babri, shrines and mountain ranges. At Katas Raj, the castle and its pond of tears form a sacred site for Hindu and Sikh communities, with a tall Shiva temple on top of the castle and a cluster of Hindu and Sikh temples around it. The remains of Malot Fort give you a viewpoint over the Jhelum and Chenab rivers and toward Sargodha.

Chakwal is known as a lake district, and its lakes have become picnic spots: among them are Dhok Taalian, Kot Raja, Khokhar Zer, Dharabi, Ghazial, Walana, Mial, Nakka, Dhurnal, Grebh, Khai and Minwal. For entertainment, karah, or bull racing, is the most popular pastime in the district, alongside kabadi and volleyball.

Three days in Chakwal

Day one: Arrive in Chakwal from Rawalpindi or Islamabad by Sufi Bus Service or Hiace, or from Lahore and Faisalabad via the Motorway and GT routes through Mandra, Rawat and Sohawa. Settle in, then orient yourself around Tehsil Chowk and the District Complex, using local taxis or motorbikes to get around. Eat at Al Murtaza Restaurant and stay at one of the town's hotels such as Mecca Hotel or Al Murtaza Hotel.

Day two: Take a day trip out into Chakwal District, using local transport to reach Kallarkahar, Bhaun, Balkasar or Thoa Bahadur. Return to town in the evening for dinner on Talagang Road.

Day three: Visit Dhudial or head out on Talagang Road before leaving. The best time for this itinerary is between October and March, when the weather is more comfortable for moving around the district.