Margalla Hills National Park: Rules, Timings and Safety

Margalla Hills National Park is the forested range along Islamabad's northern edge, managed by the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board and covering more than 17,000 hectares of trails, streams and rock faces right at the edge of the city. It is one of the easiest wild spaces in Pakistan to reach, which is also why its rules and safety points matter more than they might for a remote trek.

This guide covers what the park actually is, when trails close, what the leopards mean for hikers, and who to call if something goes wrong.

What the park covers

Established in 1980, Margalla Hills National Park is one of Pakistan's larger national parks and runs along the hills that separate Islamabad from the Haripur side of the Hazara region. Within it are the city's most-used hiking trails, several picnic points including Daman-e-Koh and Pir Sohawa, and rock-climbing sites of varying difficulty. It is genuinely wild in parts, home to leopards, grey goral, barking deer and a substantial bird population, even though its lower trailheads sit minutes from Islamabad's sectors.

For a rundown of the individual trails themselves, our guide to Margalla Hills trails covers the numbered routes in more detail; this page focuses on the park's rules and safety.

Trail hours and closures

Trails are meant to be walked in daylight. Hiking after dusk is discouraged and, on several trails, effectively unsafe given the terrain and wildlife, so plan to be off the hill before dark rather than timing your return to it exactly.

Trails are also closed from time to time, for reasons that include:

• Fire risk. Hill fires are a recurring problem in the dry pre-monsoon months, and in May 2026 a fire near Sector F-5 forced the temporary closure of hiking trails across the affected section until it was brought under control.
• Wildlife protection. Some trails, including sections of Trail 6, have been closed for extended periods specifically to protect wildlife movement and breeding.
• Maintenance or safety concerns, applied to individual trails as needed, sometimes for a matter of days.

Because closures are announced with little notice, check the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board's current notices before you drive out, especially if you're planning around a specific trail such as 3 or 5.

Leopards and other wildlife

Common leopards live in the Margalla Hills and are increasingly seen not just on the trails but in the sectors of Islamabad that border the park, including university campuses, as the city has grown and habitat has shrunk. Sightings have become more frequent in recent years: a leopard was reported on a university campus in March 2026, and wildlife teams have been called out to residential sectors bordering the park on more than one occasion since.

Experts studying the Margalla population note that leopard movement into daylight and into built-up areas does not, on its own, mean the animals pose a direct threat to people; most documented incidents involve the leopard avoiding contact rather than seeking it. That said, sensible precautions apply:

• Don't hike alone at dusk or after dark, when leopards and other wildlife are most active.
• Keep children close and don't let them run ahead out of sight on the trail.
• Don't approach or try to photograph a leopard if you see one; back away slowly and leave the area.
• Report a sighting to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board rather than posting about it on social media first, so the response team can act on it.
• Never feed the grey langur monkeys common around Trail 3; feeding wildlife encourages aggressive behaviour towards other hikers.

Litter, noise and other rules

The park's rules are straightforward and enforced with growing seriousness after repeated public complaints about rubbish on the trails: carry your own litter back out, don't cut vegetation or light fires, avoid loud music that disturbs both wildlife and other hikers, and stay on the marked trail rather than cutting across slopes, which damages the hillside and increases the risk of a fall or getting lost. Public pressure over littering has led to visible clean-up drives on the most popular trails in recent years, and the expectation now is that hikers leave no visible trace.

Emergency contacts

For a snake bite, the wildlife board publishes dedicated numbers for immediate first-aid guidance: 051-2601912 or 0309-5302425. For any other medical or safety emergency on the trails, Pakistan's general emergency service, Rescue 1122, is the number to call. Save both before you go, since mobile signal on the hill can be patchy in places, and tell someone your planned trail and expected return time.

Planning your visit

If you only have time for one or two trails, Trail 3 and Trail 5 are the most established and best-marked, and our Islamabad travel guide has broader planning advice if you're combining a hike with the rest of the city.

Frequently asked questions