STFP Bulletin Page 2 of 5

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1 Nov- Dec, 2013 ` Volume 2, Iss sue ST TFP promotess tou urism practice es tha at are environmentallyy susstainable, eco onomically beneficial to the e loccal communitiies, and educational exp perience for tou urists. New wsletter Highllights: T to ANP 1 Day TTrip to Salt Rangge 2 T to Thatta, Makli, M and 3 Keenjjhar Lakes T to Takht e B Bahi Buddhist Monastery 4 STTFP P Bu ulletin Day Trip p to Ayub bia Natio onal Park- Nathia agali Ayubia Natiional Park iss 33sq.km in area on the e Murree-Abb bottabad road d between Changlagali and Nathiagali in the Himalayan H m moist tempera ate coniferouss zone, at roughly 2,70 00m elevation. Blue Pine dominates, but the foresst is mixed Fir, F Spruce, Deodar, Him malayan Pop plar, Elm, Wa alnut, Maple and Oak trrees. Troops of rhesus monkeys we elcome you, and a beg food at many placces. Several female still ha ave babies clinging to th heir backs. Two T species of o flying Squirrrels glide from tree to tree e give their good view with w a torch lig ght at night. Palm P civet and d Yellow Thro oated Martin iss a chance sighting. A large populatiion of Koklas Pheasants calls c from their roosting tre ees early in the morning. We will drive e to Nathiaga ali on the morn ning of Sunda ay. After some rest on arrival, we will go for naturre walk from Dongagali D to Mushkpuri Top T (2817m) and a return to Nathiagali after coverin ng about 7 km k distance. We W will be back in Islama abad on the evening of Sunday. Date: 10 No ovember Day: Sunda ay Duration: 1 day Departure Time: T 0700 hrs Base: Islam mabad Per head Fe ee: Rs. 1,600 0/Booking De eadline: 5 No ovember To register for f this trip ple ease send uss an at: stfp.info@gm mail.com For further in nformation co ontact: Arif Tu ufail at ,

2 STFP Bulletin Page 2 of 5 Day Trip to Explore Central Salt Range The Salt Range comprise two rows of low lying rugged hills that run east to west between the Soan and Jhelum rivers from the Grand Trunk Road near Jhelum city to the River Indus near Kalabagh. This area is said to record 600 million years of the earth s history. Its name comes from the vast deposits of rock salt exposed and mined at Khewra. The salt was left behind when the sea, which extended over the Indus plains and the Potohar plateau, evaporated 600 million years ago. The rocks and fossils fund around the salt range provide a complete record of the history of the Earth. The Salt Range Wetlands Complex comprised of a series of adjacent lakes Kallar Kahar, Khabbeki, Ucchali, Jhalar and Namal. These lakes provide an important wintering ground for migratory birds and are core habitat for the endemic Punjab Urial. Historically this region is also very rich. Alexander the Great passed through the Salt Range on his way to fought battle with Porus on the banks of the Jhelum River in 326 BC. In the 3 rd century BC, this area became part of Ashoka s Buddhist Empire. Towards the end of the Buddhist period, in the 6 th century AD, there was a kingdom in the Salt Range called Singhapura, probably centered at Ketas. From 7 th to 10 th centuries, the Salt Range was part of powerful Kashmiri Hindu kingdom. Mahmood Ghazni invaded the region in the early 11 th century. The local tribes were converted to Islam at this time. We have planned a day trip to explore this interesting area. In this trip you will visit historical sites of Malot and Ketas temples, Khewra Salt Mines and Kallar Kahar Lake. Date: 23 November Day: Saturday Duration: 12 hours Departure Time: 0730 hrs Base: Islamabad Per head Fee: Rs. 1,900/- Booking Deadline: 18 November To register for this trip please send us an at: stfp.info@gmail.com For further information contact: Arif Tufail at ,

3 STFP Bulletin Page 3 of 5 Day trip to Thatta, Makli, Haleji and Keenjhar Lakes At a distance of about 102 km to the east of Karachi, on the main highway, lies the ancient town of Thatta. It was, once the capital of Sindh. It is now famous for some of the most picturesque and interesting specimen of indo-muslim architecture. Makli, the biggest necropolis of the world is also located near Thatta. One can see thousands of old graves, many of them enshrined in magnificent tombs decorated with intricate engraved designs and embroidered with floral patterns and few of them with beautiful glistering blue glazed tiles. Haleji and Keenjhar are two lakes in this area which attract thousands of migratory birds during the winter months. Many species of birds can be watched here. Date: 15 December Day: Sunday Duration: 12 hours Departure Time: 0700 hrs Base: Karachi Per head Fee: Rs. 1,900/- Booking Deadline: 10 December To register for this trip please send us an at: stfp.info@gmail.com For further information contact: Talib Fatah at or Arif Tufail at

4 STFP P Bulletin Pa age 4 of 5 Da ay Trip To o Takht-e e-bahi Buddhist Monasttery MO ONASTER RY Takh ht-e-bahi Bu uddhist mon nastery is one o of the most impre essive and well preserved piece es of Gandh hara architeccture in Pakkistan. It is situated 14 4 km north hwest of Mardan on the road to Swa at (2 ½ hourr drive from Islamabad). The reputation of Takht-e-Bahi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, iss based parttially on th he extraordiinarily good state of prreservation and a partiallyy on its glorrious locattion. The sitte itself is lo ocated on the northern flanks f of a rocky r spur riising 150 meters (500 0 ft) above th he plains. y can see e across the plains as fa ar as Peshaw war on one sside, On a clear day you and the Malakand pass and d the Swat hills on the e other. The monastery and stupa as were founded in the 1st. Centurry AD and abandoned in n the 7th cen ntury AD. You may also enjoy the famouss local cuissine of cha apli kabab and tandoori nan from m one of the e famous kab bab shops in n Takht-e-Ba ahi bazaar. We have h planne ed an explora atory day trip p in collaborration with TC CKP. Bookiing will be b made on first come first served basis so don t wait for the e deadline date and immediatelyy call STFP office o and bo ook your sea at. The trip in nvolve some e easyy hiking to re each to the view v points on o the top off the hill so wear w good comffortable walkking shoes. Date e: 29 Decem mber Day:: Sunday Dura ation: 12 hrss Depa arture Time e: 0800 hrs Base e: Islamaba ad Per head h Fee: Rs. R 1700/Booking Deadliine: 24 Deccember To re egister for th his trip please send us an at: stfp.info@g s mail.com For fu urther informa ation contact: Arif Tufail at ,

5 STFP Bulletin Page 5 of 5 Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan Islamabad House # 9, Street # 11, Main Road, Banigala Islamabad Ph # Cell # Karachi House 53/3, Maqbool, C.H.S, Alamgir Road, Karachi. Ph # stfp.info@gmail.com We re on the Web! See us at: Imagine Life without a Toilet Without a toilet, how can anyone hope to stay healthy? Germs in human waste spread disease and make living conditions intolerable. And, it s not just about the unhygienic conditions: In Pakistan, diarrhea is the leading cause of death for children aged 5 and under. Major reasons for diarrhea are lack of access to clean drinking water, poor hygiene status and, poor sanitation. 116,013 children under the age of 5 die due to diarrhea each year. What is World Toilet Day? Everyone deserves the security, privacy and dignity of improved sanitation. That s why World Toilet Day is celebrated every year on 19 th November; to raise awareness for the daily struggle that 2.5 billion people around the world face in accessing proper sanitation. It is now recognized as an official UN day. Why does it matter? Toilets are taken for granted and so they should be. They are one of the most basic human rights after all. We need to raise awareness of this crisis faced by millions every day, trapping them in a life of disease and indignity. World Toilet Day 2013 is on 19 th November: Say thank you to your toilet "Success doesn't come to you, you go to it." Marva Collins Upcoming Events to Rohtas Fort and Rawat Fort (12 January) Thar Desert Safari (17-19 January) Weekend trip to explore Historical sites of Swat (25-26January) Trip to Soan Valley in Salt Range (15-16 February) s Field trips are also open for your family members and friends, so you are welcome to invite them on these trips with prior intimation to the concerned staff of STFP at the time of signing up. Minimum group size for each trip is 8 persons. Your participation in our trips, expeditions and knowledge sharing events provide support to STFP s mission of increasing awareness through exploration, environmental education, exchange of ideas and research work.