Main image: Khalid Mahmood, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There
The Picturesque Valley of Hiking/ Skiing Ayubia National Park is located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province at Nathia gali it is about 198 km from Peshawar and 75 km from Islamabad.
By Air: The nearest airport that can be used for air travel Ayubia National Park is Islamabad International Airport
By Train: If you want to go to Ayubia National Park by train from any part of the country, there is no train available to go to Ayubia National Park So you can get off at Rawalpindi Railway station or Peshawar station and go Ayubia National Park by car, bus and Jeep
By Road: Through a car, bus and Jeep you can reach Hiking/ Skiing Ayubia National Park from Islamabad in Two and a half hours. The distance of Hiking/ Skiing Ayubia National Park Peshawar is 198 Km and from Islamabad is 75 km.
What to Expect
The Hiking/ Skiing Ayubia National Park limit starts from the behind Ayubia Chair lift. In National Park walking track near about distance, 4 km from Ayubia Chair lift to Dong Gali. There are so many beautiful places. There are rest and sitting places on the way when you start from walking Ayubia to Donga Gali (Pipeline trek).
Standing at some 26 kilometers from the tourist hotbed of Murree Hill Station, over 100,000 tourists flock to Ayubia National Park and the places around every year. It is well known for its picnic spots. There are many hotels and restaurants around the park. In addition to riding trails, hiking places, picnic spots, and motels, the chairlift in the central place of Ayubia takes tourists to a nearby summit for a view of the forested hills.
The park holds 104 species of plants. The main floral species are Blue Pine, Yew, Silver Fir, Horse Chestnut, and Oak. Twenty-one important herbs belonging to 19 families are found in this park which is used medicinally by the local inhabitants.
History
Ayubia National Park, also known as Ayubia, is a protected area of 3,312 hectares located in Abbottabad District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It was declared a national park in 1984. Ayubia was named after Muhammad Ayub Khan, second President of Pakistan.
The area supports temperate coniferous forest and temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion habitats, with an average elevation of 8,000 feet above sea level. Ayubia National Park is surrounded by seven major villages and three small towns of Thandiani, Nathiagali and Khanspur.
The park has been developed as a resort complex from a combination of four mini resorts of Khaira Gali, Changla Gali, Khanspur and Ghora Dhaka in Galyat. Currently, it is managed by the Wildlife and Parks Department of Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Facilities Available
- It is safe for families.
- Accommodation in Ayubia National Park and hilly areas are clean and affordable.
- You can enjoy the hills, greenery, and peace from your hotel and resorts.
- The road to the main towns is paved and accessible throughout the summers.
- Jeep route takes you to the beautiful meadows and valleys. (If you don’t want to hike)
- Easy to difficult hikes and trek are present around the Ayubia National Park
- Popular tourist locations have most of the facilities available including eateries, shops, dhabas, washrooms, guesthouses, and car/jeep rentals.
- For hikers and trekkers, all the equipment and tents can be hired in the towns along with porters, local guides and horses, or mule.
- Filling stations are available near to Ayubia National Park which includes Petrol and Diesel.
- Taxis are available in Ayubia National Park on daily rent basis.
- Shops are available in Ayubia National Park
