5 Destinations in Pakistan to Head Out to This Winter Season

The four seasons are a blessing of Mother Nature for human beings. They provide Earth to experience the different changes that occur in the weather. There are only a handful of countries all over the globe that are able to experience all four seasons and enjoy the various offerings as a result of the changes in weather.

Pakistan is one those countries that are blessed with the opportunity to enjoy all the four seasons. The various natural wonders that the country possesses, enthrall  travellers with the  different views in all the four seasons.

As the winter season is just around the corner, Jovago Pakistan brings to you a list of 5 destinations in Pakistan that are a must visit in the cold season.

1.    Hunza valley

Referred to as heaven on Earth, Hunza is situated at an approximate distance of 100 kilometers from Gilgit. Hunza is a valley in the region of Gilgit Baltistan and is situated at the North/ West side of the Hunza River. The valley is surrounded by various mountain peaks and provides a stunning view in the winter season when the snow encase these mountains in a white blanket.

      2.  Ziarat Valley

Ziarat valley is located in the Ziarat District, Balochistan. It is basically a hill station that is located at an altitude of 8000 feets. The valley is home to the world’s second largest juniper forest with its Juniper trees being one of the oldest trees in the world. A stunning view, which is certainly enchanting, is provided to the travellers when the area is covered with a blanket of snow in the winter season.

      3.  Leepa Valley

Located at a distance of 45 kilometers from Muzaffarabad, the Leepa Valley is considered to be one the most stunning wonders that Azad Kashmir seem to possess. The valley is surrounded by mountains. The pine trees which cover these mountains provide an picturesque allure in the winter season when snow decides to wrap them in its white blanket.

       4.  Quetta

The capital city of Balochistan, which is the largest province of Pakistan. The city is famous for the Pashtun delicacies that comprise of delicious fruits, both dry and fresh. As a result, Quetta is known as the fruit garden of Pakistan. Although it gets pretty cold in the winter season, Quetta offers an alluring sight to the travelers that makes it a must-visit destination.

   5.  Malam Jabba

Malam Jabba is the only ski resort in Pakistan and is a popular tourist destination where tourists head to in order to enjoy the winter season. It is equipped with various tourist facilities including chair lift, ice-skating rinks and skiing platforms.

5 Famous Sufi Shrines in Pakistan

Pakistan is among those few countries that are blessed in various departments. Apart from the sheer natural beauty that Pakistan possesses, the country also has a diverse yet rich heritage and culture. This can be contributed to the various dynasties and civilizations that have resided, over the course of history, in this part of the South Asia.

The diversity that the country possesses in the form of various tourist sites, pertaining to different facets of history, religion, culture etc, is phenomenal. One aspect of this diversity can be seen through a large number of Sufi shrines that are spread all over the country. Keeping in mind the large number of devotees that these shrines attract, Jovago brings you an exclusive article on the 5 famous Sufi Shrines in Pakistan.

1.    Data Darbar, Lahore

Situated in the city considered to be the heart of Pakistan, Data Darbar is the shrine of the famous Sufi saint Hazrat Abul Hassan Ali Hajvery, who is commonly known as Data Ganj Baksh. The Sufi mausoleum is one of the oldest Muslim shrines in South Asia. It was built in 11th century by Sultan Zakiruddin Ibrahim, one of the rulers of the Ghaznavi Dynasty, and is located near the Bhatti gate.

     2.   Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Sehwan Sharif

Syed Muhammad Usman Marwandi, popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, was a 12th century Sufi. He traveled to various parts of the subcontinent and then finally resided in the area which is known today as Sehwan. The saint is adorned not only by Muslims but Hindus as well.

     3.   Shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Karachi

The largest Sufi shrine in the largest city of Pakistan is that of the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi. The shrine was built, almost 10 centuries ago, on a sandy hill on the coastal area of Karachi. It is believed that the saint protects the city from the cyclones.

   4.  Mausoleum of Hazrat Baha-ud-Din Zakaria, Multan

Multan, which is known as the city of saints, is the resting place for the famous Sufi saint Hazrat Baha-ud-Din Zakaria. The mausoleum was built in 1267 and is made from red bricks. It suffered during the British Rule but was restored by people belonging to different faiths.

 

   5. Shrine of Ghulam Farid Shakar Ganj, Pakpatan

Fareeduddin Masood Ganjshakar, popularly known as Baba Farid, is a Sufi saint belonging to the Chishti clan of the Muslims. The white mausoleum made of marble in Pakpattan, Punjab is said to have a Bahishtī Darwāza, or 'Gate of Paradise' .

Do’s and Don'ts of Purchasing Products During Black Friday

The largest shopping extravaganza is just around the corner. It will mark the official start of the holiday and shopping season all over the world. Amidst the globalization, there can be seen an exchange of not only people but tradition and culture as well. The western event of ‘Black Friday” was introduced in Pakistan in 2015.

The initial launch of Black Friday proved to be a massive hit among shoppers. As people make plans to get the most out of this shopping spree, Jovago Pakistan brings an exclusive article on the Do’s and Don'ts of purchasing products during the Black Friday.

Do’s

●     Make a list of items

Rather than just adding everything that you like to your cart on the actual sale day, it is advised that you make a list of items that you need to purchase prior to the Black Friday. This will help in avoiding those unnecessary items, which most probably you won’t use, that you just purchase in the spur of the moment.

●     Set a budget

Rather than  purchasing whatever items you like on the Black Friday, it is strongly recommended that you set up a budget for the Black Friday. This will help you to avoid straining your bank account.

●     Do pre-shop

It will be better if you browse the websites, that will be offering exciting deals and discounts, prior to the Black Friday. This will give you an idea about which items to find in which category. Also, you can compare the prices of various websites which will help in purchasing items that are worthy of your money.

Dont’s

●     Purchasing things just for the sake of it

Don’t get tempted into buying a large quantity of an item just because the discounts offered on them are too irresistible. Instead, it will be better to spend money on items that you will actually use.

●     Waiting until the last minute

Rather than being lazy and waiting until the last moment to shop on Black Friday, it is better that you visit all these websites quickly before all the good deals are sold out.

Kashf Foundation becomes first Pakistani institution to win European Microfinance Award

23^rd November 2016, Lahore: Kashf Foundation, one of Pakistan’s leading microfinance institutions, has been awarded the prestigious European Microfinance Award by the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. The award is a first-time win for Pakistan and is in recognition of the Foundation’s credit and training facilities to low-cost private schools.

Pakistan suffers from a serious dearth of quality education, especially within the public sector. As a result, the country has seen a rise in low-cost private schools which look to fill the gap left by inadequate equipment and facilities in public sector schools. After extensively researching the needs of low-cost private schools, Kashf Foundation tailored an integrated solution that provides access to finance, school development trainings, and general pedagogy trainings for teachers. To date, the Foundation has serviced over 1,100 schools, trained 4,500 teachers, trained over 1,800 school owners, and positively impacted more than 570,000 students in low-cost private schools across Pakistan with a product unmatched anywhere in the world.

The Award, which highlights the importance of having an innovative approach and structural impact, also acknowledges the creative use of both financial and non-financial tools to improve the quality of the social and economic lives of families and communities.

Ms Roshaneh Zafar, Founder and Managing Director of the Kashf Foundation, expressed her pride in how the Award recognizes the importance of microfinance in reaching the goal of universal education: “Every child deserves a good education, and education provision needs to be child-centric. The Kashf program provides a new way to address quality issues of low-cost private schools and can also provide means of getting more out of school children into schools.” ”

About Kashf Foundation 

Kashf Foundation has been working for the economic and social empowerment of women since 1996. It offers a holistic suite of products and services for the financial and non-financial needs of low-income households. Kashf provides low-income households, especially women, access to finance through micro-credit and micro-savings, access to social safety nets via micro-health insurance and life insurance, access to capacity building services such as financial management trainings, business development trainings, and vocational trainings, and access to social advocacy interventions such as mainstream media campaigns, social theatre, and gender justice trainings.

European Microfinance Award

The only one of its kind in the world, the European Microfinance Award was launched in October 2005 by the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to nurture innovative microfinance initiatives. It is jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) and the Inclusive Finance Network Luxembourg (InFiNe.lu).

Jovago Pakistan brings you an exclusive article on how Black Friday is celebrated all over the world

As the shopping season is just around the corner, people all over the globe are anxiously waiting for the famous Black Friday to arrive. This is because they get hold of the craziest discounts and sales in various shopping categories, which they otherwise could not get hold of.

Keeping up with the Black Friday frenzy, Jovago Pakistan brings you an exclusive article on how this ultimate shopping extravaganza is celebrated all over the world.

• Pakistan

Black Friday’s magic spread to Pakistan in 2015 as a result of various startups offering crazy deals to customers. Daraz.pk and Kaymu emerged as the pioneers in the online shopping arena. Whereas Jovago Pakistan brought the concept of Black Friday in the travel and tourism sector by offering discounts up to 50%.

• Myanmar

The Southeast Asian country experienced its first ever Black Friday in 2015 when the online startup, Daraz Myanmar introduced the largest shopping festival of the year. The launch was a massive hit among shoppers as more than 85,000 people bought products belonging to various categories. The positive response of the shopping extravaganza can be seen through the top deals being bought within an hour of the official launch of Black Friday.

• Bangladesh

The year 2015 saw the initial launch of Black Friday in Bangladesh. Rather than going for the actual term “Black Friday”, which marks the official launch of the shopping season, the event was launched by the name of Fatafati Friday in Bangladesh. With websites such as Daraz.pk, offering discounts up to 80%, consumers will get the exclusive opportunity to shop more and pay less.

• Kenya

The East African country experienced its first ever Black Friday in 2015 when Jumia, an e-commerce startup by Rocket Internet Group catering to various categories including clothing and travel, launched the mega sale with discounts up to 90% across its large assortment of products. The introduction of the shopping extravaganza in Kenya proved to be a massive hit among Kenyans as sales surged to an all-time high.

5 Ways Technology Trends Have Shaped the Travel Sector

As technology spreads its wings all over the world, it has also lodged itself in Pakistan. As a result of the technological advancements, Pakistan’s economy has seen a major boost.

Among the various industries, the travel and tourism industry has benefited from the various technological improvements. This article by Jovago Pakistan discusses the 5 ways in which digital trends have shaped the travel sector.

1. Apps for merely everything

With smartphones acting as convenience gadgets, users are able to download the app for almost everything including travel. With the introduction of various travel apps, the conventional way of planning a trip has become almost obsolete. For instance, Jovago Pakistan’s launch of a mobile app for both Android and IOS users has made traveling easier and more convenient.

2. Google maps

Gone are the hectic days when people had to carry paper maps, which eventually got crumbled up most of the time, to find their destinations. The advent of Google Maps has made life easier as it makes navigation of different places at just a click away. By simply downloading the app on their smartphones, users can save time and enjoy a stress-free trip.

3. Social Media Marketing

Technology provides a new yet better platform, in the form of social media, for businesses and customers to connect and engage. With the emergence of this platform, people are more informed about everything that is going around them. For instance, when it comes to traveling, people are more aware of the new tourist spots that have been discovered in the country. With blogs, they get hold of the information about a place, which otherwise would have been difficult for them.

4.     Startups

The emergence of startup businesses has opened the floodgates of technology as people are made aware of the online shopping option. With just a click, consumers can get hold of everything they are interested including hotel booking. The recent launch of Careem and Uber has made traveling from one place to other stress-free and cheap.

5.     Introduction of 3G and 4G internet

The advent of 3G and 4G internet has been phenomenal in Pakistan as it provides the gateway through which people are able to better connect with the world. 3G and 4G internet connections have enabled businesses to emerge in the international market hence attracting foreign clients. Also, it has resulted in an influx of inbound tourists who are coming to explore the beauty of Pakistan.

Jovago provides reasons on why you should make travel plans this November

As the holiday season of the year gets closer, the shopping fever is on its way to reach its highest point. This is because everyone is preparing to get hold of all the best deals available without causing a significant blow to their bank accounts.

Amidst the shopping frenzy  to get clothes and other assortments, and then wrapping them up for friends and family, people often forget to make travel plans as to where they will be spending their holidays. Once they remember about it, they make plans in a haphazard manner. Thus the probability of them not enjoying their vacations is higher.

To help you avoid this bizarre situation, Jovago Pakistan brings you an exclusive article on why you should definitely make travel plans this November. There are various reasons as to why we think that you should make all your arrangements before hand.

• Winter is coming

The snowfall and the rain in the winter season further beautifies an already enthralling place hence, bewitching travelers with the exotic experience. This is one reason because of which most of the people visit the tourist spots in the winter season. As a result of which, these destinations are brimming with the hustle and bustle of tourists. Therefore, if you are planning to go on vacations, you need to make your travel plans so that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to enjoy the winter season at its best.

• Getting hold of the discounts

As everyone is busy in making various purchases for the various festivities and holiday seasons, businesses try to lure customers towards themselves through crazy discounts and sales. Black Friday is one such example when people get to benefit from the ultimate shopping frenzy. Various websites, including Jovago Pakistan, will be offering exciting discounts on Black Friday which will be falling on 25th November in 2016. This makes travel plans more alluring as you will get to secure your hotel bookings and other travel requirements at a much lower rate.

Complete guide on the famous religious destinations in Pakistan

Pakistan is blessed with various landscapes that allure tourists to visit the country. Apart from these natural wonders, the country is home to various heritage sites that are important to people belonging to different faiths. As a result, Pakistan has seen a huge influx of religious tourists, over the years, who visit the country to perform pilgrimage of their respective Holy places.

In view of this, it won’t be wrong to say that Pakistan is on the bucket list of travelers belonging to various faiths. To help all those pilgrims out there, Jovago Pakistan brings a complete guide on the famous religious destinations in Pakistan.

• Gurdwara Janam Asthan

As the name suggests, this is the birthplace of Guru Nanak who was the founder of Sikhism and is therefore of utmost importance to Sikhs. It was constructed in 1600 CE and is situated at a distance of 75 kilometers from Lahore.

• Katasraj Temple

The stunning temple surrounded by crystal blue pond is a sacred site for the Hindu community. It is situated in the Katas village of Chakwal district. The pond is surrounded by Buddhist Stupa and Satghara, which comprises of seven ancient temples. It is believed that the pond possesses the power to wash away all the sins of a person if he baths in it.

• Patrick’s Cathedral

The 120 years old cathedral was constructed in Karachi by Gothic revival architecture. This large cathedral is capable of seating 2000 people at a single time. Due to its exquisite design, the Sindh Culture Heritage Protection Act has given it the status of a protected monument. The cathedral was visited by Mother Teresa in 1991.

• Hassan Abdal & Gurdwara Panja Sahib

Situated at a distance of 48 kilometers from Rawalpindi, this site is considered to be one of the most sacred places of Sikhs. This place got its name from the handprint, belonging to Guru Nanak,  that is imprinted on a rock placed in the center of the Gurdwara.

• Takht-i-Bahi

One of the most important sites that make up the Gandhara Valley Civilization, which is of great importance to Buddhism, Takht-i- Bahi means the Thrones of Origins. It is situated on a rocky ridge about 10 miles north-east of Mardan, KPK. It is believed that this monastic temple was constructed in the 2nd or 3rd century AD. Takht-i-Bahi was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980.

Fun Facts That You Have Never Heard About Black Friday

The world is once again set to experience the ultimate shopping frenzy this year as Black Friday is just around the corner. The ultimate shopping extravaganza of 2016 will fall on 25th November. Various retail and online stores all over the globe are set to offer crazy discounts to customers to help them save money on their shopping.

As shoppers prepare themselves to get hold of the insanely affordable deals of the year, Jovago Pakistan brings you an exclusive article on the fun facts about Black Friday that you probably have never heard of.

• Black Friday was preceded by “Santa Claus parades”

Black Friday falls on the next day of Thanksgiving and marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. In 1905, when Santa Claus first appeared at the end of Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, it marked the official beginning of the holiday and the shopping season. Thereby, the Black Friday started as a result of these Santa Claus Parades.

• Black Friday referred to the stock market crashes in the 1800s

Although nowadays the colour Black is used to refer to something exclusive (just like the Black Friday), in earlier times it was used to denote various calamities. For instance in 1869, the government stepped into the stock market to correct distortion in the gold prices. It resulted in the drastic decrease in prices which made many investors to lose large amounts of money.

• Big Friday?

The term Black Friday was first coined by the police officers who were frustrated with the congestion caused by Shoppers. Retailers considered this as a move to hurt their brands, therefore, they started calling this day as Big Friday. However, the name did not stick around as people preferred to call the day as Black Friday.

• Black Friday is considered to be plumbers’ busiest day of the year

As Black Friday finds its origins in the USA where people stood outside retail stores to bag all the best items, plumbers were needed to clean up the mess that these shopaholics left behind.

Five Websites That Are Providing Insanely Affordable Deals This Black Friday

The biggest shopping sale of the year is just around the corner. Have you marked Black Friday, that will fall on 25th November this year, on your calendar? If not, then you should immediately do so because it is one of a kind opportunity for shoppers around the world to avail the biggest discounts and sales.

Just like other countries, the fever of Black Friday has already spread to Pakistan. The second edition of Black Friday is all set to be launched in the country. To help all the people out there to get the best deals, Jovago Pakistan brings to you the five websites that will be providing insanely deals on Black Friday.

1. Jovago.pk

The leading hotel website with an inventory of more than 2000 hotels is all set to allure customers with its discounted prices. Jovago Pakistan, the pioneer of Black Friday in the tourism sector, will be offering discounts up to 80%. So what are you waiting for? Start making plans to explore Pakistan; that too within your budget.

2. Daraz.pk

The countdown for Black Friday has already begun on Daraz.pk. The pioneer of Black Friday in Pakistan is geared up to offer insanely affordable discounts on various product ranges. Customers who pay through Easy Pay will get an additional discount on their total bill. Moreover, if you download their app, which is able for both Android and IOS users, you will be able to access the deals 2 days before the Black Friday.

3.   Jayvo.com

The new venture started by the popular logistics provider TCS will also offer discounts up to 80% of on their various offerings. Customers can avail further discounts if they have pay through Jazz cash.

4.    Kaymu

Just like 2015, this website will be offering exclusive promotional discounts and sales to its customers on the day depicted to be the ultimate shopping bonanza of the year. The website advises all shoppers to subscribe to Kaymu’s website beforehand so that they don’t face the risk of their favorite products running out of stock.

5. Priceblaze.pk

Unlike the other websites which are offering discounts on Black Friday, this website is a bit different. It helps customers to make informed shopping decisions by offering a comparison of various websites on various product offering. This will help all the shopaholics out there, to bag the best deals and hence save a lot of money.