Best Places to Visit in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The best places to visit in KPK, in order, are the Swat Valley, Naran and the Kaghan valley, Chitral and the Kalash valleys, Kumrat Valley, Nathia Gali and the Galiyat, and Peshawar, followed by Shogran, the Buddhist monastery at Takht-i-Bahi, Thandiani and Shangla. Almost all of them are in the north of the province, in Hazara and Malakand. The high valleys are summer trips, roughly May to October; Swat and the Galiyat work all year; and Peshawar is best in the cool months from October to March.

This guide ranks the top ten, then goes region by region, so you can see what sits near what. It ends with which places suit which season, how to combine them, and a frank word on safety.

Why this order?

The ranking weighs three things: how much there is to see, how easy it is for a family from Lahore, Karachi or Islamabad to reach, and how much of the year it works. Swat comes first because it scores well on all three: a long valley with history, forest and snow, open every month, and half a day from Islamabad. Naran is second because its lakes and pass are unmatched in the province, but only for four or five months. Chitral would top a list judged on scenery and culture alone; it drops to third only because it is a long way from anywhere.

Further down, Kumrat is superb but rough, the Galiyat are close but crowded, and Peshawar is a different kind of trip altogether, a city of bazaars, food and history rather than mountains.

Malakand: Swat, Kumrat, Chitral and Shangla

Swat Valley

Swat runs from the plains at Chakdara up to Kalam, and changes completely along the way. Lower Swat, around Mingora and Saidu Sharif at under 1,000 metres, has the Swat Museum, the Butkara stupa, the rock-carved Buddha at Jahanabad and the White Palace at Marghazar, built for the first Wali of Swat. Above it, Malam Jabba at about 2,800 metres is one of Pakistan's two ski resorts, with a chairlift and a hotel. The middle valley passes the river towns of Madyan and Bahrain, and at the top Kalam, at about 2,000 metres, opens onto the Ushu forest, Matiltan and the jeep track to Mahodand Lake.

Give Swat at least three days, and five if you want Kalam. The road above Bahrain is still damaged from the 2022 floods and slow going. Our Swat Valley page has more, and our Swat vs Naran comparison helps if you are choosing between the two.

Kumrat Valley

At the head of the Panjkora in Upper Dir, Kumrat is a long deodar forest along a cold river, with camps and wooden huts under the trees and high meadows above. The last village is Thal, about 375 km from Islamabad; beyond it you go by jeep. It is open only from about late May to mid-October, and it suits people happy with a hut, a rough road and no signal. See our Kumrat Valley guide for how the valley is laid out.

Chitral and the Kalash valleys

Chitral is the far north-west of the province, under Tirich Mir, the highest mountain in the Hindu Kush. The town has a fort and the Shahi Mosque; south-west of it are the three Kalash valleys, home to the Kalasha people and their spring, summer, autumn and winter festivals; further afield are Garam Chashma, Mastuj and, in early summer, the Shandur polo festival. The road is roughly 400 km through Dir and the Lowari tunnel, 10 to 12 hours with stops, so give it a week. Our guide to places to visit in Chitral covers the district in detail.

Shangla

Shangla sits between Swat and the Karakoram Highway. Most visitors see it from the road over Shangla Top, at about 2,100 metres, a forested pass about 45 km from Besham, or at Yakh Tangay, further along the hills. It is a short detour rather than a destination, green in summer and deep in snow in a good winter.

Hazara: the Kaghan valley and the Galiyat

Naran and the Kaghan valley

The Kaghan valley climbs from Balakot up the Kunhar river to Naran, at about 2,400 metres, and on to the Babusar Pass at 4,173 metres. The reason to come is the high country above Naran: Lake Saiful Muluk, 9 km up a jeep track at 3,224 metres; Lulusar Lake, beside the Babusar road at 3,410 metres; and the pass itself, with the road on into Gilgit-Baltistan. Naran is closed by snow from November until late April or May, and at its best from June to September. It is crowded at Eid, when the bazaar and the road in both jam.

Shogran and Siri Paye

Shogran is a plateau at about 2,360 metres above Kiwai, in the lower Kaghan valley, about 34 km from Balakot. It is greener and quieter than Naran, with forest around it and the meadows of Siri Paye above, reached by jeep. It is a good first or last night on a Naran trip, and it stays open in winter, when Naran does not, though the road up is often jeep-only after snow.

Nathia Gali and the Galiyat

The Galiyat are a chain of hill stations on the ridge between Murree and Abbottabad: Changla Gali, Dunga Gali, Khanspur, Ayubia and Nathia Gali, at about 2,400 metres. They are the closest mountains to Islamabad, 80 to 90 km through Murree. In summer they are cool and forested, with easy walks such as the flat, 4 km Pipeline Track from Dunga Gali to Ayubia and the steeper climb to Mushkpuri. In winter they are the nearest snow. Weekends and holidays bring heavy traffic, so go on a weekday if you can.

Thandiani

Thandiani, at about 2,750 metres and roughly 38 km from Abbottabad, is higher and far quieter than the Galiyat. There is much less choice of rooms than in the Galiyat and the road is slow, but on a clear day the views across Hazara are wide, and in winter it gets heavy snow.

Peshawar and the Gandhara country

Peshawar

Peshawar is about two hours from Islamabad on the M-1, and it rewards a full day or two. The old walled city holds Qissa Khwani bazaar, the Mughal-era Mahabat Khan Mosque, the Sethi House merchant's mansion and the Gor Khuttree archaeological site, joined by a short heritage trail from the clock tower. The Peshawar Museum holds a very large collection of Gandharan sculpture, and the food, from chapli kebab to the lamb karahi of Namak Mandi, is a reason to go on its own. Summer highs are close to 40 °C, so go between October and March. Our guide to places to visit in Peshawar sets out a day in the city.

Takht-i-Bahi

Takht-i-Bahi, about 15 km from Mardan and two to three hours from Islamabad, is the ruin of a Buddhist monastery founded in the 1st century CE on a hilltop about 150 metres above the plain. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, and it is one of the best-preserved Buddhist monasteries in the region. Go in the cooler months, and early in the day.

Which season suits which place?

• Spring, March to May: lower Swat is green and blossoming, and Peshawar and Takht-i-Bahi are still comfortable. The Kalash spring festival, Chilam Joshi, falls in mid-May. Naran and Kumrat are still closed or waking up.
• Summer, June to August: the high valleys are fully open: Naran, Babusar, Kumrat, Kalam, Mahodand and Chitral. The plains are too hot. July and August bring the monsoon, with flash floods and landslides across the north.
• Autumn, September to November: clear skies and quieter roads. Swat and Chitral are at their best; Kumrat winds down in October, and both it and Naran close in November. Peshawar cools down again.
• Winter, December to February: snow at Malam Jabba, Kalam, the Galiyat, Thandiani, Shangla Top and Shogran. Naran, Babusar and Kumrat are closed. Peshawar is pleasant by day.

How to put a trip together

• A weekend from Islamabad: the Galiyat, or Mingora and Malam Jabba in lower Swat. Peshawar works as a day trip or an overnight stay.
• Four or five days: Swat from Mingora to Kalam, or Naran with a night in Shogran, or Kumrat with two nights in the forest.
• A week to ten days: Chitral and the Kalash valleys, perhaps with a night in Swat on the way. In high summer, a week can join Kalam and Kumrat over the Badgoi Pass by jeep.
• Mixing north and south: Peshawar and Takht-i-Bahi in winter or spring, with the Galiyat for a night of cool air.

Trying to see Swat, Naran and Chitral on one trip means most of the time is spent driving, because the valleys are not joined by quick roads. It is better to pick one region per trip.

Safety, checkposts and advisories

Most of these places see huge numbers of Pakistani tourists every summer, and the main risks are the everyday ones of the north: mountain roads, rivers and weather. Carry your CNIC, because there are police checkposts on most routes, and plan to drive in daylight.

Some areas need more care. Foreign governments' advice is a useful signal even for Pakistani travellers. The UK, for example, currently advises its citizens against all travel to much of the province, including Swat, Upper and Lower Dir, Peshawar and the road to Chitral, and against all but essential travel to Mardan and Shangla. The southern districts and the former tribal districts along the Afghan border are not places for a holiday at present. Whatever you plan, check the local news before you set off.

For road, weather and emergency information in Hazara and Malakand, the KP tourism helpline, 1422, is free and runs around the clock.

Who should go where?

• First trip to the north with the family: Swat, then the Galiyat. Both are easy to reach and have plenty of hotels.
• You want lakes and high mountains: Naran, between June and September.
• You want culture as much as scenery: Chitral and the Kalash valleys, with time to go slowly.
• You want a forest camp and don't mind roughing it: Kumrat.
• History and food: Peshawar and Takht-i-Bahi, in the cool months.
• Short on time: the Galiyat or Peshawar, both within two or three hours of Islamabad.

If you would like help choosing, or a day-by-day plan around your dates and your family, send us your trip details.

Frequently asked questions