Up till now we’ve covered our journey from Karachi till the capital city of Islamabad. For an overview of part 1 referrer to A Road Trip Across Pakistan: Part 1. So now that we’ve reached Islamabad, firstly enjoy the beauty of this gorgeous city. A very clear warning is that you always need to be ready for rain. And if you’re from Karachi I know what flood on roads and load shedding comes to mind when you think of rain. That’s not the case with Islamabad. Any second it’s going to start raining and the scenery will become absolutely beautiful. As soon as the rain stops, everything will be as clear as if it didn’t even rain. I’m sorry but being an Islamabadi, I can’t help but go on and on about how beautiful of a city it is. Let’s get back to the topic. Being in Islamabad open up the whole northern areas for you to travel. Here are the top easily accessible destination that you can visit from Islamabad by road.
Murree and Nathia Galli
These spots had to be on the list, being the most easily accessible hilly areas in Pakistan. Murree is about 1.5 hours away from Islamabad and Nathi Galli is about an hour further. These are the sort of places that are perfect for a day trip with family or friends, where you could go for lunch or a cup of coffee, while enjoying the cold weather and the scenic beauty. In winters, Murree and Nathi Galli are the perfect place to visit snowfall as the condition are much better than places further up north.
Thandiani, Camping Pods
Thandiani is a mountainous area in KPK which is rather unexplored at the moment. Here we’ll specifically talk about the camping pods at Thandiani. These pods are about 3 hours away from Islamabad and the route is via Mansera and Balakot district. On your way don’t forget to try the delicious chapli kababs of Bismillah Kabab House in Balakot. In about 3 hours you’ll reach the chai dhabba at thandiani and then it’s 1 hour trek to the pods. This chai is going to be absolutely heavenly and will get you warm to combat the cold weather. If you go around the first week of November chances are you’ll catch the snowfall. The next step is to chill with your friends and family at the bon fire near the pods and have a scrumptious meal of fresh grilled BBQ. If you wake up early enough the next morning, you’ll get to see the most beautiful sunrise ever, rising from the mountains of KPK.
Swat Valley
Swat Valley is another one of the gems that Pakistan possesses. Swat is situated about 4 hours away from Islamabad in the KPK district. It is easily accessible by road and the journey is very comfortable. Coming from a rough past swat valley is now one of the top destinations to visit in Pakistan due to its combination of bright green fields, beautiful villages, and clear blue rivers. The three places that you cannot miss in Swat Valley are Boyun Village, kandol and Spindhor Lakes, and Ushu Forest. Make sure you visit these places apart from Kalam whenever you go to Swat as these places are dreamy.
Kallar Kahar
This is probably the most underrated spots on the list. We pass Kallar kahar on the Lahore to Islamabad motorway so many times in our life but never tend to visit Kallar Kahar Itself. Kallar Kahar has some stunning tourist spots which are often missed bylake people. First of all, Kallar Kahar Lake is an absolute beauty. You’ll have an idea of how gorgeous this place is by looking at the pictures. That’s not where it ends, Swaik is the perfect place to go for a swim in the hot weather and relax under the waterfall. I mean what else could you ask for on a scorching hot day.
If you’re thinking that’s it for the tourist destinations in Pakistan, that’s definitely not the case. This Part 2 of the article was only for the tourist destination which are a one day or overnight trip from Islamabad for those who don’t have long vacations. These short trips are super enjoyable, adventurous, and refreshing. We should take out time for these short trips so that we can enjoy our life to the fullest with friends and family. In Part 3, far away destinations will be included which are a completely different experience altogether!
