Dunga Gali: Walks, Stays and Views

Dunga Gali is a small hill station at about 2,500 metres in the Galiyat, 3 km from Nathia Gali on the road towards Murree. It matters to visitors for one reason: it is where the two most popular walks in the area begin, the almost flat Pipeline Track to Ayubia and the climb to Mushkpuri, the second-highest summit in the Galiyat. It has fewer hotels and restaurants than Nathia Gali, and is quieter in the evening because of it.

This guide covers both trailheads, how long each walk takes, where to stay and eat, and whether Dunga Gali or Nathia Gali makes the better base.

What is Dunga Gali like?

Dunga Gali is a short string of hotels, shops and tea stalls on the main Galiyat road, with houses and cottages on the slopes above and below. In the British period it was a sanatorium for soldiers, with its own hotel, church and post office. Today it is best known as the gateway to the forest: Ayubia National Park is run from its headquarters here, and the southern slopes of Dunga Gali are where the Haro River rises.

It is not a place to spend a whole day in town. What you do here is walk. In July 2026 the provincial government resurfaced a 700-metre stretch of the town road and the road leading to the Mushkpuri track, and there is a tourist facilitation centre in Dunga Gali where you can ask about conditions and report problems.

Starting the Pipeline Track

The Pipeline Track is the easiest good walk in the Galiyat: an almost level forest path that follows the line of an old water pipeline from Dunga Gali to Ayubia. The Wildlife Department gives the length as 4 km; other measurements come out nearer 3.5 km. Most families take an hour to an hour and a half one way.

Dunga Gali is the usual start, and the practical points are all at this end:

1. Arrive early. At weekends the track and the roadside parking near the start are busy by late morning, and in the monsoon cloud and rain tend to come in after midday.
2. Have tea before you set off, at the stalls near the start. There is a tea stall and a few small shops along the way, but little else.
3. Decide how you will get back. Either walk back the same way, two and a half to three hours in all, or have your driver take the car round to meet you at the Ayubia end.
4. Keep food out of sight. Monkeys are common along the track. Don't feed them, and keep snacks in closed bags.

It suits almost everyone, from small children to grandparents, though it is still a mountain path with roots and a drop on the valley side in places. Our full guide to the Pipeline Track describes the path itself and the wildlife along it.

Starting the Mushkpuri climb

Mushkpuri, at about 2,800 metres, is the second-highest point in the Galiyat after Miranjani, with an open, grassy summit and wide views over Murree and into Azad Kashmir. The Dunga Gali route is the more popular way up, and steeper than the climb from the Nathia Gali side. The Wildlife Department gives it as 4 km. A fit walker reaches the top in about an hour and a half to two hours; most families take two to three, with an hour or so to come down.

Before you start from Dunga Gali:

• Find the trailhead a short walk from the main road, reached by the stretch of road resurfaced in 2026. At the gate you may be asked to register and pay a small fee, so carry some cash.
• Buy water and snacks in town. In season there are often tea sellers on the summit, but don't rely on them.
• Take a warm layer. It is noticeably colder and windier at the top than in the bazaar.
• Start by mid-morning and be down well before dusk. Leopards live in this forest. Attacks on people are rare, but walk in company and keep children in sight.
• In winter, go only with proper boots, grips for your shoes and someone who knows the route.

Our Mushkpuri Top hike guide covers the trail, the difficulty and the view from the summit in detail.

Where to stay in Dunga Gali

Dunga Gali has a smaller and simpler choice of rooms than Nathia Gali: a few small hotels along the main road, guesthouses, and private cottages and apartments let by the night on the slopes around the town. There are no big full-service hotels here. What you gain is a quieter evening and the trails a few minutes from your door.

Before booking, ask:

• Is there parking, and is it on site? Roadside space in Dunga Gali is limited, and fills on summer weekends with walkers' cars.
• Can you reach the property by car in rain or snow? Some cottages are down steep lanes that are hard work for a sedan after rain and may not be cleared quickly after snow.
• What heating is there, and does it work during power cuts? In winter this matters more than the view.
• Is food available, or will you be driving to Nathia Gali for dinner?

For bigger hotels, a wider price range and advice on booking at busy times, see our guide to hotels in Nathia Gali. Nathia Gali is only 3 km away, so staying there and driving to Dunga Gali for the walks works well too.

Where to eat

Food in Dunga Gali is simple: roadside restaurants and tea stalls around the trailheads, serving the hill-station staples of tea, parathas, omelettes, pakoras and karahi, plus whatever your hotel's kitchen offers. It is ideal for breakfast before a walk and tea after one.

For dinner, or for more choice, most people drive the 3 km to the Nathia Gali bazaar. On a summer weekend evening that short drive can be slow, so either go early or eat where you are staying.

Prices in the hills are higher than in the cities, and menus do not always show them. Ask before you order, especially for karahi sold by weight.

A good day in Dunga Gali

1. Breakfast by 8, then start up Mushkpuri while the air is cool and the trail is empty.
2. An hour on the summit meadow around late morning, before summer cloud builds.
3. Back down for lunch in Dunga Gali by early afternoon.
4. An easy afternoon on the Pipeline Track, as far as you feel like, and back.
5. Dinner in Nathia Gali, or a quiet evening where you are staying.

Dunga Gali or Nathia Gali?

Stay in Dunga Gali if you are here mainly to walk, you want a quieter evening, and you don't mind a smaller choice of food. It is the better base for an early start on Mushkpuri and for families who want to do the Pipeline Track without moving the car.

Stay in Nathia Gali if you want restaurants, an evening walk through a bazaar, a larger hotel with more facilities, or the Miranjani climb, which starts there. It is also the easier choice in snow, because hotels on the main road there are simpler to reach.

Either way, the other is ten minutes away in normal traffic. If you would like us to fit the Galiyat into a longer trip, send us your dates. Our Galiyat guide compares Dunga Gali with the other galis.

Frequently asked questions