Lake View Park sits on the northern shore of Rawal Lake off Murree Road and is Islamabad's biggest family park, run by the Capital Development Authority. It is open daily, usually from 10 am to 10 pm, and entry to the park itself has been free since the CDA scrapped gate tickets at its public parks in 2023; rides, the aviary, go-karting and boating are paid separately inside. Boating on Rawal Lake has been banned at times for safety, so check on the day if the boats are the reason you are going. The park works best as a half-day out: aviary and gardens in the afternoon, rides for the children, then the lake at sunset.
This guide covers what is inside, what things cost, parking and getting there, and how to time a visit to miss the weekend crowds.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Where | North shore of Rawal Lake, off Murree Road |
| Hours | Daily, usually 10 am to 10 pm |
| Entry | Free since the CDA ended park entry tickets in 2023 (it was PKR 20 before) |
| Extra charges | Boating, aviary, go-karting, rides, parking |
| Busiest | Weekend afternoons and evenings |
| Best for | Families with children of most ages |
What is inside Lake View Park
The park is really several zones spread along the lakeshore:
- The main park, with lawns, flower beds, walking paths, the bird aviary and the boating jetty.
- A large bird aviary, one of the biggest in the country, with local and exotic species in a walk-through cage.
- A children's play zone, with swings, slides and smaller rides.
- A go-karting and amusement area, run as a separate section with its own ticketing.
- Adventure activities, including horse riding and rock climbing through a dedicated club within the park, and, in past seasons, paintball, ATV rides and mini golf.
- Getting around, with a passenger road train and golf carts at small charges.
- Food stalls and sit-down options, scattered through the main park and busiest near the entrance and the boating jetty.
Most of these are run by private operators on CDA-leased sites. Dawn reported in August 2026 that the leases on the park's 10 operating sites had expired in 2023 and that the CDA plans to re-auction them along with five new ones, so which rides and activities are running can change from one season to the next.
Not every zone suits every age group in the same way: the aviary and gardens work for all ages, the play zone suits younger children, and go-karting and the adventure activities suit older children and teenagers better.
Tickets and costs
Entry to the main park is free. The CDA board decided in February 2023 to end entry tickets at all its public parks, naming Lake View Park and Japanese Park as the two where it had been charging; the fee had been PKR 20. If a gate fee has been reintroduced since, it will be posted at the entrance. Every activity inside is charged on top:
- Boating on the lake, with pedal and motor boat options at separate rates.
- The bird aviary, ticketed separately from general entry.
- Go-karting and the amusement rides, priced per ride or per session.
- Horse riding and adventure activities, run through their own club with their own pricing.
- Parking, a small fee for vehicles at the main car park.
Individual activity prices change often enough that printing a specific figure here risks being wrong by the time you visit. Budget more than the flat entry fee for a family day out, and expect to pay in cash at each activity as you go, since not everything inside the park works by card.
Boating on the lake
Boating has long been one of the park's draws, from the jetty inside the grounds. It is also the activity most often stopped. Rawal Lake supplies drinking water to Rawalpindi, and motorboats have been under an environmental ban for years because of oil and fuel in the water. In February 2025 Islamabad's district administration banned all boating on Rawal Dam under Section 144 for public safety and confiscated boats that kept running, and in September 2026 it banned swimming in Rawal Dam and other water bodies for two months.
So whether you can take a boat out on a given day depends on the latest order. Ask at the gate or the jetty before you promise it to the children, and treat it as a bonus rather than the reason for the trip, especially between July and September or after heavy rain. Where boats are running, they are paid separately and life jackets should be worn.
Getting there and parking
Lake View Park is on Murree Road on the north side of Rawal Lake, a straightforward drive from most of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and well covered by ride-hailing apps. There is a car park at the main entrance with a small fee; on a busy weekend it fills, so arrive early if you are driving yourself, or use a ride-hailing car that drops you at the gate.
When to visit
Weekday afternoons are the quietest time, with short queues at the rides and space to walk the gardens without a crowd. Weekend afternoons and evenings are by far the busiest, especially in spring and autumn when the weather is at its most comfortable for a family outing, and the car park and ride queues fill accordingly.
Through the year, October to April gives the most pleasant conditions for a few hours outdoors. May to June is hot in the middle of the day, so an early morning or evening visit works better with children. The monsoon, July to September, brings the greenest gardens but also the heaviest rain and, at times, restrictions on the water activities.
Sunset is worth timing a visit around if you can: the light on Rawal Lake with the Margalla Hills behind it is one of the better views in the city, and the park stays open well into the evening.
How much time to allow
An hour covers a walk through the aviary and gardens without any rides. With children wanting the play zone, a boat ride and a stop at the go-karting area, allow two to three hours, more on a busy day when queues slow everything down.
Who Lake View Park suits
Lake View Park suits families with children of almost any age, and it is one of the easiest half-day outings in Islamabad: free to get into, close to the city, and varied enough to keep different ages happy at once. Couples and groups without children tend to get less out of it than the aviary and the lakeside walk alone offer, and it is worth combining with something else for a full day.
It suits visitors less well on a hot weekend afternoon, when the crowds, queues and heat together make it hard work rather than relaxing; a weekday or an evening slot is a better use of the same trip. For the lake itself, away from the rides and crowds of the park, see our guide to Rawal Lake. For the rest of the city, our guide to places to visit in Islamabad covers where else to go with a family, and if you would like Islamabad built into a longer trip north, tell us your plans.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Lake View Park Islamabad ticket price?
Entry to the park has been free since the CDA ended gate tickets at its public parks in 2023; it used to be PKR 20. Rides, the aviary, go-karting, boating and parking are charged separately.
What are Lake View Park timings?
It is open daily, usually from 10 am to 10 pm. Individual rides and the aviary keep their own hours and may shut before the park does, so do those first.
Is boating available at Lake View Park?
Sometimes. Boating runs from the park's jetty when it is allowed, but the district administration banned all boating on Rawal Dam in February 2025 and has restricted water activities again since, so ask at the gate on the day.
What rides and activities are there at Lake View Park?
A large walk-through bird aviary, a children's play zone, amusement rides, go-karting, horse riding, rock climbing, a road train and lawns for picnics, plus boating when it is permitted. Which operators are running varies by season.
Is Lake View Park good for young children?
Yes. The play zone, the aviary and the gardens all suit younger children, and boating and go-karting give older children something more active to do.
Is Lake View Park the same as Rawal Lake?
No. Rawal Lake is the reservoir itself; Lake View Park is the CDA-run family park with rides and an aviary on part of its northern shore.