Astola Island also called Astole is situated is Balochistan Province of Pakistan. It is also known as ‘Jezira Haft Talar’ or ‘Island of the seven Hills. It is an uninhabited island in the Arabian Sea. The Island is a part of Pasni sub-district of Gwadar District.
The island is 6.7 kilometres in length and a maximum width of 2.3 kilometres. The highest point of the island is 246 feet above sea level. Astola Island maintains endemic life because of its isolated location. It is a very important area for endemic life. It is also support a large number of breeding water birds and many other creatures. There is no source of fresh water on the island. That is the reason that there are no trees on the island. The vegetation depends on the occasional rainfall and soil moisture for survival.
In the Astola Island there is a small mosque associated with Khawaja Khizr and there are ruins of an ancient Hindi temple of Hindu goddess ‘Kali’. The island was called Satadip among Hindus.
Astola is a popular but hard destination for tourism due to the lack of lodging facilities. Tourists who are willing to stay overnight must bring their own provisions and camp on the island. Scuba diving, fishing and camping expeditions are popular.
Map:
Map of Astola Island – click on map image to see detailed map