Just an hour away from the country capital Islamabad, the hill station and mountain resort town is no stranger to receiving hoards and hoards of eager guests in the holiday season whether it’s local or perhaps even international.
The area of Nathia Gali is located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province very close to its border with Punjab. It is situated in Abbottabad district, in the center of the Galyat district. It very easily enjoys its location in the mountainous regions of Pakistan
Nathia Gali boasts of not only its beauty, coniferous trees that line the entire surface of these great mountains while also forested with pine, cedar, oak walnut and also oak and maple trees watching ongoing travelers as they pass by a few waterfalls cascading down fresh chilling water, but also its various hotspots that attract tourism such as its numerous resorts such as : The Cloud Resorts, Nathia Heights Hotel, Resort 99 Hotel, Qubed Nathiagali, Miranjani View Guest House, Blue Pine retreat, Richmond Boutique Hotel, Nathia Gali Resort, Hidden Heaven Cottage, Rehiash Inn Guest House, Hotel Elites Nathigali, Raziq House, Believue Luxury Apartments, Green Retreat and Alpine Resort to name some All these various may charge hefty prices up to 60000 PKR but the view and experience are worthwhile to try at least once, some resorts are even made according to international standards justifying their price tags. There are even lodges available for multiple families.
The town is not only dotted to the brim with its resorts but also is home to its humble locals who all come with various treats to entertain tourists, while some locals are offering mule rides others offer to play party games some put on monkey shows and others will sell rugs, carpets and umbrellas made by the experienced hands of our Pakistani labor, many children here also go to schools where they are sometimes taught basic English as it has become a necessity in order to interact with tourists. Speaking of monkeys an interesting phenomenon to notice is that these monkeys have been integrated into their society quite seamlessly, they live in perfect harmony with the people of Nathia Gali seeing these mischievous monkeys drinking a bottle of juice is a common site. Leopards are very uncommon here and chances of any encounters are nearly equal to none.
Tourists can take rides on rikshas to escape from the enclosed spaces of their cars and breathe the much cleaner air of Nathia as cool wind sweeps by their faces. Such weather always brings the happiness out of tourists. In winters the town sees a huge rate of snowfall, due to that summers area more preferable time for tourists but the winter season has its own charm as well. Cloud cover can become dense during periods of rainfall increasing the eeriness of the town especially at night.
Five minutes down the Alpine resort we have Second Cup and Gloria Jeans, two well-known cafes in Pakistan, both are routinely checked by authorities to ensure quality control. Further off one can go to Jessie’s Burger or even Hotspot, tourists have a decent number of options in what they wish to eat while high in the mountains, other than the well-known food chains there are also various small scale vendors who are selling fresh and local made fries, corn, and tea.
In terms of security the area is under its police force which also focus on tourists as well to ensure their safety many resorts also have security measures in place. The town is connected to Abbottabad and Murree and public transport does reach this town as well. Nathia Gali is worth your next trip.
The writer is a student and can be reached at [email protected]