Malaysian Overlanding Adventures: Pakistan - Travelling from Taftan to Quetta

The escorted drive from Taftan to Quetta of about 600 km took three days and two nights to complete.

On the first day, we crossed the border from Iran to Pakistan at noon but were not allowed to drive further. We stayed the night at the Levies Station in Taftan.

On the second day, we started very early in the morning to cover the 300km drive to Dalbandin. Newly paved, straight road , with barren land interspersed with sparse scrubs and a lone tree or two most of the way. No villages or hamlets only Levies posts or Army camps....where we have to register ourselves and get a change of escorts

Driving was not at furious speeds, averaging at 80km/hr.... making numerous stops to register at the check posts and change escorts along the route.

Contrary to what we imagined, the Levies are kind to us tourists, we never felt threatened or thought of any Taliban attacks etc, they welcomed us with open arms....served us drinks at major posts, chatted, allowed us to take photos. they were always polite and cared for our safety. never once hustled or hurried us to move on. what saddened me most is the condition of few small Levies Posts with minimum facilities.

Throughout our drive from Taftan to Quetta, we were escorted by the Pakistani Levies, a paramilitary gendarmerie in charged of maintaining law and order in areas between the cities and towns of Baluchistan Province.

Within city / town areas, the escort duties and safety of tourists were handled to the local Police.

Barren land ..beyond is Afghanistan ... This is basically the view for the drive to Dalbandin

A Levies jeep having seen its glory days... Our Sorento in the background.

We were further impressed by their humbleness despite the lack of facilities at the minor posts... only manned by two or three Levies.

Usually, we were kept to the main roads. At Nok Kundi a small village, about 150km west of Dalbandin, our escort pointed out a small Christian Church and barely 100 meters away a Mosque. We were surprised that Muslims and Christian live in harmony in conservative Baluchistan..... we changed our escort at the Nok Kundi Police Station. This gave us the opportunity to look at a typical desert village. Watch the video above

Palm dates trees near Nok Kundi Village.

At the entrance to Dalbandin.. a small welcoming party waited for us and dad was given a cap. After a couple of photos, we made our way to the city of Dalbandin.

All foreigners and Tourists travelling this route are required to stay at hotels designated by the Police. We were not allowed to leave the hotel compound. The Police escorts are nearby all the time. We had tea and spent some time chit chatting with them.

On the third day, we started at 9am. The aim is to reach Quetta by the end of the day, 340km away.

Similar to the day before, we went through countless changes of escorts and registration at various check posts. The registration process can vary - at some post, we gave them photocopies of our passports, posed with our Sorento for the Guards. At others, a photo of our passports held by us were taken.

Padag Levies Post in the Ras Koh Hills.

The night before, we learnt from the local Police that the drive from Dalbandin towards Quetta would be a scenic one interspersed with mountain ranges, cultivated plots, sheep and goats, make shift prayer plots off the main road and villages. This stretch has more green as the area is near to Ras Koh hills and fresh underground water. Water in the city of Dalbandin, 60km west, are channeled from these sources.