Murree & Galiyat Travel Guide (2026): Snow & Forest Treks

Murree and the Galiyat are the easiest mountains to reach in Pakistan. Murree town is about 54 km from Islamabad, a two hour drive up the Murree Expressway, which is why it has been the capital's summer escape since the British founded it as a hill sanatorium in 1851. The Galiyat, a string of smaller resorts just north across the line into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, are greener and quieter, and hold the best forest walks in the region. Together they make the simplest mountain trip you can do from Islamabad, a comfortable day for Murree alone or a relaxed two to three days to add Nathia Gali and Ayubia. This guide covers how to get there, what to see in each, the best treks, the season, real costs in rupees, and a serious safety note about the snow. ## How to reach Murree and the Galiyat Murree is about 54 km from Islamabad and takes roughly two hours by car on the Murree Expressway. Daewoo coaches and local vans run the route for a few hundred rupees each way, while a private car for a flexible day trip typically costs about PKR 10,000 to 18,000 depending on the vehicle and how far you range. The Galiyat lie further on. Dunga Gali, the trailhead for the Pipeline Track, is about 65 km and two to two and a half hours from Islamabad. Ayubia is around 76 km, close to two hours, and Nathia Gali is about 95 km and roughly two hours fifty by the Kashmir road. You can loop Murree and the Galiyat in one circuit, since the main road links Murree to Nathia Gali in under an hour. There is no train and no airport up here, so everything runs on the road. ## Murree: Mall Road, Patriata and the viewpoints Murree town sits at about 2,300 metres. Its heart is the Mall Road, a pedestrian strip of shops, tea houses and snack stalls where the whole town walks in the evening. Pindi Point and Kashmir Point bookend the ridge, the first with a chairlift and the second looking out toward the mountains of Kashmir. The big draw is Patriata, also called New Murree, the highest point in the area at about 2,286 metres. A combined cable car and chairlift carries you up over the forest, the chairlift leg running roughly 1.4 km in about 12 minutes, with tickets around PKR 1,500 per person and operating hours of about 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bhurban, a short drive from Murree, is the upmarket corner of the hills and home to the largest resort hotel in the region. ## The Galiyat: Nathia Gali, Ayubia and the Pipeline Track Cross into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the crowds thin and the forest deepens. Nathia Gali, at about 2,500 metres, is the prettiest of the Galiyat resorts, with the colonial-era St Matthew's Church, the old Governor's House, and walking trails leading straight out of the bazaar into the trees. Ayubia National Park is the highlight for walkers. Its famous Pipeline Track follows a level water pipeline for about 4 km between Dunga Gali and Ayubia, a 40 to 50 minute walk one way through old pine and fir at roughly 2,500 metres, with a good chance of spotting monkeys and, if you are very lucky, the park's birds and leopards' prey. It is flat, shaded and suitable for almost anyone, which makes it the best easy walk in the region. Note that the Ayubia chairlift has been suspended since 2021 on safety grounds, so check its current status locally before counting on it. ## Best treks: Pipeline Track, Mukshpuri and Miranjani For an easy day, the Pipeline Track described above is the one to do. For something with a summit, two trails stand out. Mukshpuri Top reaches 2,800 metres, about 9,186 feet, and is a moderate climb of roughly 4 km from Dunga Gali that takes two to three hours up through forest to open views over Ayubia, the Galiyat ridges and, on a clear day, toward Kashmir. Miranjani is the highest peak in the Galiyat at 2,992 metres, about 9,816 feet, reached on a longer and steeper trail of around 8 km from Nathia Gali that takes four to five hours. Both trails turn icy and harder outside summer, so a local guide is strongly advised on the higher one, and essential in shoulder-season snow. ## Best time to visit The sweet spot is late April through June and again from September to early November. In those months the trails are open, the wildflowers are out, the air is cool rather than cold, and visibility over the ridges is at its best. Autumn in particular brings dry skies and golden light to the Galiyat. July and August are green but fall in the monsoon, so expect rain, mist and the odd landslip on mountain roads. December to February is the snow season, beautiful but demanding, covered next. ## Snow season and a serious safety note Snow falls across Murree and the Galiyat from December to February, with January the heaviest. Patriata, Kashmir Point and Nathia Gali hold the deepest cover, and the snow is the single biggest reason day-trippers pour up from the lowlands. That popularity has a dark side worth stating plainly. In January 2022 a snowstorm trapped tens of thousands of tourists in their cars on the roads into Murree, and about 22 people died overnight, many from hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning after running their engines for warmth in sealed, snowbound vehicles. An official inquiry found the town has space for roughly 5,000 cars but had let around 100,000 vehicles in, and blamed slow snow clearance and a lack of weather warnings. The lesson for any winter visit is simple: check the forecast before you leave, never drive into a forecast blizzard, book a room rather than chasing snow on a day trip, keep a window cracked if you ever shelter in a running car, and turn back early if the road ahead is choked. Snow here is a treat, not a dare. ## What it costs Costs are modest by mountain-travel standards because the region is so accessible. The Patriata chairlift runs about PKR 1,500 per person. Budget guesthouse rooms commonly run roughly PKR 4,000 to 8,000 a night in shoulder season, mid-range hotels about PKR 10,000 to 20,000, and Bhurban's luxury resorts well above that. Rates spike sharply during the December to January snow peak and on Eid and summer holidays, while the cheapest months to stay are March and the July to August monsoon. Food is inexpensive, from Mall Road street snacks to full meals at hill-station restaurants, and local transport between resorts costs only a few hundred rupees by shared van. ## Where to stay For Murree itself, staying near the Mall Road keeps you in walking distance of the bazaar and the Pindi Point chairlift, while Bhurban is the choice for a quieter, higher-end base. For the Galiyat, Nathia Gali is the best home, central to the Pipeline Track, Mukshpuri and Miranjani, and far calmer than Murree in peak season. Many travellers split the difference and sleep in Nathia Gali while passing through Murree on the way in or out. ## A simple two to three day plan With two days, spend the first on Murree, the Mall Road and the Patriata cable car, then drive to Nathia Gali for the night. Give the second day to Ayubia, walking the Pipeline Track and, if you have the legs, climbing Mukshpuri. With a third day, add Miranjani with a guide, or simply slow down for the forest and the views. If you are continuing north afterward, the same Islamabad gateway feeds the Karakoram Highway and the bigger mountains beyond. ## Related guides For the wider picture, see our [Islamabad travel guide](/blog/islamabad-travel-guide), the gateway you will pass through on the way up, and [when to visit Pakistan](/blog/best-time-to-visit-pakistan) for a month-by-month view. If you want bigger mountains next, compare the [Naran Kaghan valley](/blog/naran-kaghan-travel-guide) and [Swat](/blog/swat-valley-travel-guide), or build the trip out with our [northern Pakistan itinerary](/blog/northern-pakistan-itinerary). Browse every region on the [destinations](/destinations) page.