Manora is a small peninsula (2.5 km²) located just south of the Port of Karachi. Manora is connected to the mainland by a 12 kilometer long causeway called the Sandspit. Manora and neighboring islands form a protective barrier between Karachi harbor to the north and the Arabian Sea to the south. The western bay of the harbor contains endangered mangrove forests which border the Sandspit and Manora island.
The island of Manora has served as the main base of the Pakistan Navy for more than 50 years, with berths for naval vessels located along the eastern edge of the island. The island has been governed as a military cantonment despite being located so close to Karachi. There are several Mosques and one Hindu temple (Shri Varun Dev Mandir) in Manora.
Manora is also a popular picnic spot because of the long sandy beaches along the southern edge of the island, which merge into the beaches of the Sandspit and then extend several kilometers to the beaches at Hawke’s Bay. At the southeastern end of Manora island is the tallest lighthouse (28 m or 91 feet high) in Pakistan. The Manora island lies approximately 15–20 minutes by boat ride from mainland Karachi.
