Travel in Pakistan

Returning to her Pakistani roots, Riazat Butt visits her home country as a tourist and discovers the unexpected highlights of Pakistan's northwest.

A thin sliver of land on the western edge of the South American continent, Chile offers a wealth of landscapes to explore. This country stretches across the Andes mountain range, to the Atacama Desert, and boasts 4000km of Pacific Ocean coastline. Caro Bohets says on Facebook that the colourful houses of Valparaíso are a must-see.

Bradford in northern England has been voted “Curry Capital of Britain” for six years running. Our very own spice-obsessed editor, Helen Abramson, went to find out where is the best curry in Bradford.

One of the world’s great railway journeys, the Ghan runs from Darwin in the far north of Australia to Adelaide in the south, a distance of 2979km – further than London to Moscow. Following the route of pioneering nineteenth-century “Afghan” cameleers, Shafik Meghji hopped on board to take in some of the country’s most dramatic landscapes.

It’s big, bold, and lays claim to so many world records it might even have the world record for the number of world records. But beyond the superlatives, skyscrapers and inexplicably squeaky-clean streets, there’s far more to Dubai then meets the eye. Here is our list of the best things to do in Dubai.

Put aside all images of Hugh Jackman in X Men: a wolverine is the largest member of the weasel family, though it looks more like a small bear. Most notable about wolverines is their strength – far greater than expected for an animal of its size – and though they can be found in considerable numbers in northern Canada, Alaska and Scandinavia, their prized fur has over the years made them a prime target for hunters.

It’s not just height that makes a mountain mean. Different routes can make one side of a mountain a cinch and the other side nearly impossible. The weather can turn a technically easy climb into a deadly expedition. Whatever the weather, many aspire to tackle the world's hardest mountains to climb. Here's our ranking of the 11 trickiest ascents. Glorious and gruelling, gorgeous and grim – these peaks are as dangerous as they are awe-inspiring.

Paratha rolls – tender, juicy kebab or bite-sized chunks of grilled meat smothered with tangy chutney, garnished with onions and rolled in flaky, crispy fried flatbread (paratha) – are to Pakistanis what hot dogs are to Americans; they are at the culinary core of the frenetically paced city of Karachi. In this ethnically and linguistically diverse metropolis, paratha rolls are one of the few creations the city can proudly claim as its own. It's not so much a question of whether you've tried them, but which one is your favourite.

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