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Voykit pocket guide · Pakistan
Mohenjo-daro
موئن جو دڙو
Go for one day, October to March, based in Larkana: the ruins are a 30 km drive and there is almost nowhere to sleep on site.
Mohenjo-daro is a Bronze Age city of the Indus Valley Civilisation, built around 2600 BCE and abandoned around 1900 BCE, on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1980. It sits in rural Sindh about 30 km south of Larkana, reachable by road, by a daily train to Dokri, or by a small aircraft from Karachi. The site is a pedestrians-only complex of brick streets, drains and wells, walked in two to four hours; the museum, canteen and resthouse sit near the entrance gate. Almost everyone visits as a day trip from Larkana.
- Country
- Pakistan
- Local name
- موئن جو دڙو
- Best months
- Oct–Mar
- Avoid
- Apr–Sep (extreme heat, 40 °C+)Apr–Sep (extreme heat, 104 °F+)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- PKR
- Money
- Pakistani rupee (PKR, Rs) in cash for almost everything outside big-city hotels and malls; carry US dollars as backup.
- Daily spend
- Budget Rs 6,000–10,000 excl. bed · Mid Rs 10,000–18,000 excl. bed · High Rs 18,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Jazz, Zong, Telenor and Ufone sell SIMs with passport and biometric registration at franchise shops (not usually at the airport).
- Emergency
- Police 15 · Rescue 1122 · Edhi ambulance 115
- Plugs
- Types C, D · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two- and three-pin sockets; power cuts (load-shedding) are common, especially in the north.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 5–10%.; Driver / guide: Rs 1,000–3,000 a day.; Hotel staff: Rs 200–500.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels; squat toilets with a water jug or hose elsewhere.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Site entrance, foreign visitor (includes museum) | Rs 3,000 |
| Site entrance, local visitor | Rs 20 |
| Rickshaw, Mohenjo-daro station to the site | Rs 200 |
| Taxi, Larkana to the site | Under Rs 1,000 with bargaining |
| Rest-house lunch or dinner / breakfast | Rs 500 / Rs 200 |
| Train seat, Karachi to Dokri (non-AC / AC) | Rs 400 / Rs 1,000 |
| Flight, Karachi to Mohenjo-daro, one way | About Rs 6,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- MJD · Mohenjo-daro Airport
- Adjacent to the site; small propeller aircraft only, limited weekly flights from Karachi.
- LHE · Lahore (via connecting flight)
- Not local: most visitors fly into Karachi or Lahore and continue by road or rail.
Typical fares
- Larkana → Mohenjo-daro, taxi
- under Rs 1,000 with bargaining, under 1 h
- Larkana → Mohenjo-daro, rickshaw
- about Rs 500
- Karachi → Mohenjo-daro, flight
- about Rs 6,000 one way, about 1 h, limited weekly flights
Get around
Inside the complex you walk: it is pedestrians-only, no bicycles or vehicles, with brick paths linking the upper (west) and lower (east) settlements. Bring water, a hat and closed shoes; the heat makes even a short walk tiring. From Larkana, hire a taxi or rickshaw for the 30 km run (under an hour); shared vans and rickshaws also run to a bypass near the site. The railway station serving the site is at Dokri, about 11 km away, with rickshaws onward.Inside the complex you walk: it is pedestrians-only, no bicycles or vehicles, with brick paths linking the upper (west) and lower (east) settlements. Bring water, a hat and closed shoes; the heat makes even a short walk tiring. From Larkana, hire a taxi or rickshaw for the 19 mi run (under an hour); shared vans and rickshaws also run to a bypass near the site. The railway station serving the site is at Dokri, about 6.8 mi away, with rickshaws onward.
See and do
Known for
- UNESCO World Heritage ruins of the Indus Valley Civilisation
- The Great Bath and the Great Granary
- Bronze 'Dancing Girl' and soapstone 'Priest-King' finds
- Grid streets, covered drains and wells
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Larkana | Taxi or rickshaw, about 30 km northTaxi or rickshaw, about 19 mi north | About 45–60 min |
| Sukkur | Road via the N-55 Indus Highway, or train | 3–4 h |
| Shikarpur, Sindh | Road from Larkana | 1.5–2 h from Larkana |
| Khairpur | Road or rail north of Larkana | 2.5–3.5 h |
Sleep
- Archaeology Rest-house (on site)
- The only lodging at the complex, run by the archaeology department; about nine rooms, some air-conditioned, cafeteria on site. Book ahead.
- Larkana
- The practical base: 30 km north, with the widest choice of hotels, restaurants and transport. Most visitors sleep here and drive down for the day.The practical base: 19 mi north, with the widest choice of hotels, restaurants and transport. Most visitors sleep here and drive down for the day.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | السلام علیکمas-salaam alaikum |
| Thank you | شکریہshukriya |
| How much is it? | یہ کتنے کا ہے؟yeh kitne ka hai |
| Where is the entrance? | داخلہ کہاں ہے؟dakhla kahan hai |
| Please take me to this address | براہ کرم مجھے اس پتے پر لے چلیںbara-e-karam mujhe is patte par le chalein |
| I need help | مجھے مدد کی ضرورت ہےmujhe madad ki zaroorat hai |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Assalam o alaikum', right hand on heart; handshakes between men; avoid: Offering a hand to a woman first
- Hospitality: Accept tea; let hosts pay the first time; avoid: Refusing all offers
- Dress: Shalwar kameez is comfortable and appreciated; avoid: Shorts and sleeveless tops
- Shrines: Cover heads, shoes off, sit quietly at qawwali; avoid: Filming without permission
- Conversation: Cricket, food and family are safe topics; avoid: Religion, India and the army with strangers
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat is the main hazard: April to September regularly exceeds 40 °C and shade is scarce.
- Do not climb on the brick structures; the site is fragile and erosion-threatened.
- Snakes have been seen among the ruins; watch your step and do not disturb them.
- The site's own airport takes only small aircraft and flights are limited: confirm before planning around them.
- Check current government travel advice for Sindh and register your itinerary before you go.
The ruins themselves are calm and easy to walk; the real risks are extreme heat, long rural drives and the region's security picture. Check your government's current advice for Sindh, travel with a local driver or operator, and keep to daylight hours.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Mohenjo-daro yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- UNESCO World Heritage ruins of the Indus Valley Civilisation
- The Great Bath and the Great Granary
- Bronze 'Dancing Girl' and soapstone 'Priest-King' finds
- Grid streets, covered drains and wells
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre — Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro: whc.unesco.org/en/list/138/
- Pakistan International Airlines: www.piac.com.pk/
- Wikivoyage: Mohenjo-daro, revision 5241669 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5241669
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Mohenjo-daroموئن جو دڙو
براہ کرم اس پتے پر
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Mohenjo-daro or Larkana; most are in Islamabad, with consulates in Karachi and Lahore. Register your trip with yours before travelling.
Carry cash: card payment is unreliable at the site and in Larkana.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/mohenjo-daro). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.