Places to Visit Near Nathiagali: 10 Galiyat Day Trips with Distances and Drive Times

The best places to visit near Nathia Gali are Dunga Gali (3 km), Ayubia and Khanspur (20 to 30 minutes), Changla Gali, Murree and Abbottabad, with Thandiani as a long day out. The Galiyat is a chain of small hill stations strung along one ridge road between Murree and Abbottabad, and Nathiagali sits almost exactly in the middle of it: about 35 km from Murree in one direction and 34 km from Abbottabad in the other. That makes it the most practical base on the ridge. Nearly every other gali is under an hour away, so you can unpack once and see the rest as day trips.

This guide lists the places worth visiting near Nathiagali, in order of distance, with realistic drive times. The distances are approximate road distances; the times assume a normal day, not an August weekend, when you should add half as much again.

The short answer

The best short trips from Nathiagali are Dunga Gali (3 km, 10 minutes) for the Pipeline Track and Mukshpuri trailheads, Ayubia and Khanspur (20 to 30 minutes by car) for forest walks, and Abbottabad (34 km, 30 to 45 minutes) for a city lunch and supplies. Murree (about 35 km, an hour or more) is worth it once. Thandiani is the longest day out, at roughly 1.5 to 2 hours each way via Abbottabad.

How do you get around the Galiyat?

By car or local taxi. The ridge road is narrow and winding, average speeds are low, and 20 km routinely takes 40 minutes. Taxis wait in the Nathiagali bazaar and will do a return trip with waiting time; agree the fare before you leave. Finish every drive in daylight, download your maps in advance because signal drops in the valleys, and in winter confirm the road is open before you set off.

Kalabagh and Bara Gali: 2 to 4 km towards Abbottabad

Kalabagh, just north of Nathiagali, is home to a Pakistan Air Force base and is mostly something you drive past. Bara Gali, about 4 km from Nathiagali and 5 to 10 minutes by car, is a quiet former British cantonment best known today for the University of Peshawar's summer campus. There is no real tourist infrastructure at either, which is the appeal: a short, quiet forest-road walk away from the bazaar crowd. Worth it if you are staying three nights or more; skip it on a weekend trip.

Dunga Gali: 3 km, about 10 minutes

The most useful place on this list. Dunga Gali is where both the Pipeline Track and the main Mukshpuri trail begin, so most visitors to Nathiagali end up here at least once. The Pipeline Track runs about 4 km, flat and shaded, to Ayubia; Mukshpuri climbs roughly 3 to 4 km to a summit at about 2,800 metres. Fit walkers can skip the taxi and walk the 3 km from Nathiagali along the road, though traffic makes it less pleasant in peak season.

Ayubia: about 20 to 30 minutes by car

Ayubia is the name for both the small resort area around Ghora Dhaka and the national park of around 3,300 hectares that surrounds it. By road it is a short drive south along the ridge; on foot, you arrive at the end of the Pipeline Track. There are tea stalls, simple restaurants and picnic spots, and more monkeys than you will want. An honest note: Ayubia's famous chairlift was closed on safety grounds in 2021, and we could not confirm a reopening at the time of writing in October 2026, so check locally before you build a day around it. The forest is the better reason to come anyway. Allow half a day.

Khanspur: about 10 km, 30 minutes

Khanspur sits a few kilometres beyond Ayubia on a side road and is the quietest corner of the Ayubia area. It was a British infantry post and still has a scattering of colonial-era buildings, a university hostel and forest walks with very few people on them. It suits walkers and anyone who found Ayubia's car park too busy. Combine the two in one outing.

Changla Gali: about 18 km, 35 to 45 minutes

At roughly 2,800 metres, Changla Gali is one of the highest points on the Murree to Abbottabad road, and the drive there from Nathiagali is one of the best stretches of the ridge, with long views on both sides. There is a small bazaar and a few hotels. It works well as a tea stop on the way to or from Murree rather than as a destination of its own. In winter this section holds snow and ice longer than most, so take local advice.

Khaira Gali: about 23 km, 45 to 55 minutes

Khaira Gali, at about 2,350 metres and only 9 km short of Murree, is another former cantonment with views over both sides of the ridge. Much of it is military land, so what visitors get is the viewpoint and the roadside stalls. Stop for ten minutes if you are passing; do not make a special trip.

Murree: about 35 km, 1 to 1.5 hours

Murree is everything Nathiagali is not: the Mall Road, shopping, crowds, cafes and the Patriata chairlift and cable car further on at New Murree. It is worth a visit once, especially with teenagers who want more bustle than a forest village offers. Go on a weekday, leave Nathiagali by 9 am and start back by mid-afternoon. On summer weekends and during snow season the traffic into Murree can double the drive, and you may prefer to stay on your quiet side of the ridge.

Abbottabad: 34 km, 30 to 45 minutes

The Galiyat road drops north through pine forest to Abbottabad, the nearest real city, with supermarkets, banks, pharmacies and full hospitals. On the way down, Harnoi is a riverside picnic spot popular with local families in summer. In the city, Shimla Hill gives a view over the whole valley, and the Ilyasi Mosque, built over a natural spring, is known as much for the pakora stalls beside it as for the building itself. Abbottabad is noticeably warmer than Nathiagali, which is welcome in April and less so in July. It makes a good final-day outing if you are driving home by the Hazara Motorway.

Thandiani: roughly 50 to 55 km, 1.5 to 2 hours each way

Thandiani, at about 2,700 metres, is the quietest and least developed hill station in the region, on its own ridge north-east of Abbottabad. There is no ridge road across: you drive down towards Abbottabad and climb the other side, roughly 50 to 55 km by the most direct route according to routing tools. It is a long day for a picnic and a view, but a fine one, with far fewer people than anywhere on the main ridge. Leave by 8 am. Experienced hikers also know the classic forest trek between Thandiani and Nathiagali via Dagri Naka, a long route usually done with a guide and an overnight stop; it is not a casual day walk.

Which places near Nathiagali are worth it if you only have one spare day?

Do Dunga Gali, the Pipeline Track and Ayubia in the morning, continue to Khanspur for a quiet walk, and be back in Nathiagali for a late lunch. That covers the best of the nearby Galiyat in under 25 km of total driving. Save Murree and Abbottabad for the journey in or out, since you will pass through one of them anyway.

Which day trips work in winter?

From December to February, keep it short. Dunga Gali and Ayubia are usually reachable soon after the road is cleared, and Abbottabad, being lower, is the safe option when the ridge is icy. Leave Thandiani, Changla Gali and the drive to Murree for clear days with a confirmed open road, and always carry warm clothing in the car.

Is Nathiagali the best base for the Galiyat?

For most visitors, yes. It is central, it has the best walking directly from the village (Miranjani, Lalazar and St. Matthew's Church, built in 1914, need no car at all), and it is quieter than Murree while having more places to eat and stay than the smaller galis. The one case for basing yourself elsewhere is a trip built entirely around Murree's Mall Road.

A base on the main road