A visit to Quetta is incomplete without a trip to Ziarat. Situated 133 kms (3 hours by car) from Quetta at an altitude of 2449 metres above sea level, Ziarat is a holiday resort amidst one of the largest and oldest Juniper forests in the world. It is said that some of the Juniper trees are as old as 5000 years.The name Ziarat means ‘Shrine’. A local saint, Kharwari Baba, is believed to have rested in the valley and blessed it. After his death he was buried here. People frequently visit the saint’s shrine, which is 10 kms from Ziarat.Extensive research is being done in the forest nurseries to replace the juniper forest with fast growing trees as the regeneration of the juniper is very slow.Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation has a Motel Complex with 18 comfortable rooms and cottages. Accommodation can be booked from the PTDC Offices in Quetta. There are other comparatively inexpensive hotels in the town’s center.The magic of Ziarat is its honey, its flowers which attain large size here, its lush green grass and cool weather even in the hottest months of summer “Shinshoab”, a lavendear like wild bush looks lovely in twilight.Nearly 4416 acres in and around Ziarat are under apple orchards.The apple grown in the orchards, particularly the black and red kulu variety are delicious. A fair amount of black cherry is also grown in Ziarat. The cherry season lasts from the 1st to 15th of June – Heritage
