The best family places to visit in KPK are the ones with short drives, gentle altitude and hotels that suit children: Nathia Gali and the Galiyat, Abbottabad and Thandiani, Khanpur Dam, Shogran in the lower Kaghan valley, and in summer Naran and Lake Saiful Muluk. Malam Jabba in Swat has the most complete family resort in the province, but check the security news before you go. All of them are within a day's drive of Islamabad, and the first three are within three hours.
This guide looks at each place through a parent's eyes: how long the drive is, how high you sleep, what there is for children to do, and what to watch out for. It ends with practical tips for travelling with children in the north.
| Place | From Islamabad | Sleeping altitude | Good for children because | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathia Gali and Ayubia | About 2.5 hours | 2,410 m | Flat forest walk, cool summers | Weekend traffic; monkeys |
| Abbottabad and Thandiani | 1.5 to 2 hours to Abbottabad | 1,256 m | Short drive, easy city base | Thandiani road after snow |
| Khanpur Dam | About 1 hour | Day trip | Boats on a lake | Heat; deep water |
| Shogran | 5 to 6 hours with the jeep | 2,362 m | Meadows, horses, forest | Steep jeep road; cold nights |
| Naran and Saiful Muluk | 7 to 8 hours | About 2,400 m | Lakes and snow in summer | Crowds; long drive; altitude above Naran |
| Malam Jabba | About 5 hours | 2,804 m | Chairlift, snow, a full-service hotel | Security advisory for Swat |
What makes a place work for a family?
Family trips in the north usually go wrong for the same few reasons: too many hours in the car, a night too high for small children, a hotel without heating or parking, or a river too close to where the children play.
As a rule of thumb, we plan family days with no more than five or six hours of driving, sleep below about 2,500 metres where we can, and pick places within a couple of hours of a big town with a hospital, such as Abbottabad, Mansehra or Saidu Sharif.
Nathia Gali and Ayubia
For a first family trip, the Galiyat are hard to beat. Nathia Gali, at 2,410 metres, is about two and a half hours from Islamabad, with summer days in the low twenties, thick forest, and nothing that needs a jeep.
The best thing for children is the Pipeline Track, a 4 km path through Ayubia National Park that is almost level all the way, so small children and grandparents can walk long stretches of it. Older children can try the steady 4 km climb to Mushkpuri, at 2,800 metres, for the view.
Two warnings. Rhesus monkeys are common around the bazaar and the tracks; don't feed them, and keep food out of sight. And the old Ayubia chairlift has been shut since 2021 while its replacement is sorted out, so check before you promise it. Our guide to Nathia Gali hotels covers where to stay.
Abbottabad, Harnoi and Thandiani
Abbottabad, at about 1,256 metres and 120 km up the Hazara Motorway, is the easiest mountain town in KPK to reach with small children: under two hours of motorway, a proper city with hospitals and shops, and cool evenings. It works as a one-night trip or a base for the hills around it.
- Shimla Hill in the city is the viewpoint over the valley.
- Harnoi, about 10 km out on the Harno river, on the road towards Nathia Gali, is a picnic spot. Keep children back from the water after rain.
- The Ilyasi Mosque at Nawan Shehr, built around 1930 beside a spring, is known for the pakora stalls outside.
- Thandiani, about 38 km away at 2,750 metres, is a quiet forested ridge for a day out. There are few rooms, so most families come back down to sleep.
Khanpur Dam
Khanpur Dam, about 50 km from Islamabad in Haripur district, is a lake with boats, speedboats and jet skis for hire along the shore. It makes an easy family day out: an hour's drive, a boat ride, lunch, and home.
Keep it safe. Put every child in a properly fitting life jacket, and bring your own if you have them. Keep children well away from the cliff-jumping spots, and go in the morning, because the rocks get very hot by midday in June and July.
Shogran and Siri Paye
Shogran, at 2,362 metres above Kiwai in the lower Kaghan valley, is the step up from the Galiyat: a meadow on the edge of a pine forest, with bigger views and more sense of being in the mountains. Most families leave the car at Kiwai and take a jeep up; for the 2026 season the Balakot administration fixed the round-trip fare at PKR 4,500 per jeep, with Siri Paye a further PKR 5,500 from Shogran.
Children love the open meadow, the forest paths and the jeep trip to Siri Paye. The jeep road is steep and bumpy, so it is not ideal for anyone prone to travel sickness. Summer nights drop to a few degrees above freezing, so pack warm clothes even in July. Our Shogran guide covers the stays.
Naran and Lake Saiful Muluk
Naran, at about 2,400 metres, is the classic family summer trip in KPK, and the valley is set up for it, with a long bazaar of hotels and restaurants and jeeps waiting for every excursion. The drive from Islamabad is long, seven to eight hours, so we would break it with a night in Balakot or Shogran on the way up.
From Naran, the jeep ride to Lake Saiful Muluk, at 3,224 metres, is the highlight for most children; the 2026 round-trip fare was fixed at PKR 5,500 per jeep. A day trip to the lake is fine for most healthy children. Sleeping higher is less wise, and if you drive on to Babusar Top, at 4,173 metres, keep the stop short and come straight back down if anyone gets a headache or feels sick.
Naran is open only from about late April to November, and it is at its best, and busiest, from June to September. Avoid Eid and 14 August if you can. Our guide to Lake Saiful Muluk has more on the lake.
Malam Jabba and lower Swat
Malam Jabba, at 2,804 metres above Swat, is the one place in KPK where a family can stay in a full-service hotel at a ski resort, the 76-room Pearl-Continental. The resort runs a chairlift and a zipline, and in winter snow tubing, skiing and lessons for beginners. Down in the valley, Mingora and Saidu Sharif have the Swat Museum and plenty of hotels.
The concern is security. A suicide bombing at a rally in Kabal, across the river from Mingora, killed 17 people on 2 August 2026, and the UK government advises against all travel to Swat. Pakistani families still visit, and the resort was busy in January 2026, but check the local news the week before you go and have a Galiyat plan ready. Overseas visitors should know that going against their government's advice can void travel insurance. Our guide to whether KPK is safe for tourists explains the picture.
Travelling with children in the north: practical tips
- Documents. Every adult needs a CNIC at police checkposts. A copy of each child's B-form is useful if a hotel asks.
- Travel sickness. The roads above Balakot, Kiwai and Bahrain are winding. Seat children in front where possible, stop often, and bring medicine if they need it.
- Warm layers. Even in July, evenings at Nathia Gali, Shogran and Naran are cold, and the top of Babusar is colder still.
- Rivers. Keep children away from riverbanks and gravel bars, especially after rain. Rivers in the north rise within minutes, and in June 2025 a family group of 18 was swept away by the Swat River near Mingora.
- Altitude. Sleep below about 2,500 metres with young children, and make trips higher than that short.
- Rooms. Ask for a family room with heating, parking and a bathroom inside the room, and book ahead for Eid and school holidays.
Our travel guide has more on health and packing for the north.
Which place suits your family?
- Babies and toddlers: Abbottabad or Nathia Gali, both close to Islamabad with short drives.
- Young children: Nathia Gali, then Shogran once they are happy with a bumpy jeep ride.
- Teenagers: Naran and Lake Saiful Muluk, Khanpur's boats, or Malam Jabba in winter.
- Grandparents: Nathia Gali for the flat Pipeline Track, or Abbottabad; avoid long jeep rides.
- A week in summer: Nathia Gali, then Shogran, then Naran, never driving more than five or six hours a day.
If you would like a family trip planned around your children's ages and your dates, send us your plans.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best family place in KPK?
Nathia Gali, for most families: two and a half hours from Islamabad, cool in summer, with a flat forest walk and plenty of hotels. Naran is the best longer summer trip.
Is Naran safe for children?
Yes, with sensible care. Naran is busy and well supplied, and a day trip to Lake Saiful Muluk suits most children. Keep them away from the river, and keep any visit to Babusar Top short.
Is Shogran good for a family trip?
Yes. The meadows, forest and jeep ride to Siri Paye suit children well. The jeep road up from Kiwai is steep and bumpy, and nights are cold, so pack warm clothes.
Which place in KPK is closest to Islamabad for a family day out?
Khanpur Dam, about an hour away, for boats on the lake. Abbottabad is the closest mountain town, one and a half to two hours up the Hazara Motorway.
Is Malam Jabba suitable for families?
The resort itself is well set up for families, with a large hotel, chairlift rides and snow activities in winter. Swat carries a security advisory in 2026, so check current news before you book.
