Thandiani: Road from Abbottabad, Views, Pods and Winter

Thandiani is a forested hilltop at about 2,750 metres, the highest hill station in the Galiyat, reached by its own road a little over 30 km north-east of Abbottabad. The drive up takes about an hour to an hour and a half from the city. At the top you get cool air, thick forest and, on a clear day, views east to the snow peaks of Kashmir's Pir Panjal range, with a few hotels, a forest rest house and a set of government camping pods to stay in.

It is quieter and far less built up than Nathia Gali, and it works best as a trip of its own rather than a stop along the Galiyat ridge. This guide covers the road, the views, the pods and what happens to access in winter.

Where is Thandiani?

Thandiani sits on its own ridge in the north-east of Abbottabad district, looking east across the Kunhar valley towards Kashmir. It is counted as part of the Galiyat, but it is not on the Murree–Nathia Gali road that links the other hill stations. You reach it from Abbottabad, and the practical way to think of it is as Abbottabad's own hill station.

Its history is similar to the other galis. In the British period the site was leased to members of the Battye family, who later gave it to the Anglican church, and it grew into a small summer station with a sanatorium, private houses, a camping ground, a little bazaar and a seasonal church, St Francis Xavier in the Wilderness. Little of that survives as a sight in its own right; people come for the forest and the view.

The road from Abbottabad

From Abbottabad the road climbs steadily north-east through Kala Pani, a village about 12 km out at around 1,760 metres, and on up through pine forest to the top. Sources put the distance at between about 31 and 37 km depending on where in Abbottabad you start. Allow an hour to an hour and a half each way, longer if you stop for tea and the view.

What to expect:

• Paved all the way, and driven by ordinary cars in summer. It is steep, narrow in places and has many bends, so it is slower than the distance suggests.
• Fill up in Abbottabad. Don't count on fuel on the way up.
• Use a low gear on the way down rather than riding the brakes on the long descents.
• Be back down before dark if you are not staying. Visitors who have driven it advise being off the road by sunset, and it is no place to learn mountain driving in the dark.
• Tell someone your plans if you are driving up alone. Storms can take out power and mobile networks up here, as they did in the winter of 2025–26.

From Islamabad, the Hazara Motorway takes you to Abbottabad in about two hours, so Thandiani is possible as a long day trip from the capital with an early start, and much more pleasant with a night at the top or in Abbottabad.

The views from the top

Thandiani's reputation rests on its view, and on a clear day it is wide. To the east, across the Kunhar valley, is the snow-covered Pir Panjal range of Kashmir. To the north and north-east are the mountains of Kohistan and Kaghan, and to the north-west, on the clearest days, the snow ranges towards Swat and Chitral.

Clear days are not the rule. In summer, haze and afternoon cloud often hide the far ranges, and in the monsoon the top can spend days in mist. The best chances are:

• Early morning, before cloud builds.
• The day after rain, when the air has been washed clean.
• Autumn, from late September to November, which is usually the clearest season in these hills.
• Winter, between storms, if you can reach the top.

Even when the far peaks are hidden, the forest is the other reason to come. Thandiani is more thickly wooded than most of the Galiyat, with pine, fir and oak, and it is home to leopards, monkeys, pheasants, flying squirrels and pine martens. Walk in company, and keep children close on the forest paths, especially towards dusk.

Staying overnight: the camping pods and other options

The KP tourism camping pods

Thandiani's best-known place to stay is its camping pods: small cabins set up by the provincial tourism department. They come in two sizes, one with two beds and one with four, each with its own bathroom, and the site has solar power, water, parking and a kitchen. They are now run by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, which reopened its pods across the province, including at Thandiani, in June 2025.

To book, contact the authority on 0341-3135666 or through the tourism helpline, 1422; the authority has also introduced online booking. Rates have changed several times since the pods first opened, so confirm the current price, what is included and whether meals are available when you book. At weekends and on holidays in summer, book well ahead.

A pod night suits couples, friends and families with older children who want to wake up in the forest. Bring warm layers, even in June, because nights at 2,750 metres are cold.

Other places to stay

• The forest rest house at Thandiani takes bookings; arrange it well ahead of your dates.
• A few small private hotels operate at the top. Standards vary a great deal, and recent reviews are mixed, so read the latest before booking and ask about heating, hot water and parking.
• Abbottabad, an hour or so below, has a much wider choice of hotels. Staying there and driving up for the day is the easiest option for families and in winter.

Thandiani in winter

Thandiani is one of the snowiest places in the Galiyat, and snow changes everything about access. In February 2026 about a foot to a foot and a half fell on Thandiani and Nathia Gali over a few days, and all the link roads around Thandiani were blocked. Earlier that winter the Thandiani–Ukhrila–Andarsiri road stayed closed for 14 days, and residents ran short of food, medicine and firewood before the Communication and Works department reopened it on 2 February 2026. Power and mobile networks went down in the same storms.

For a winter visit:

1. Don't drive up during a storm or when heavy snow is forecast. Wait for it to stop and for the road to be cleared.
2. Go up on the first clear days after the road reopens, in daylight, and come down well before dark.
3. Carry chains, and use a car that can take them. A four-wheel drive is better on the upper stretches after fresh snow.
4. Stay in Abbottabad rather than at the top unless your accommodation has reliable heating and you can afford to be snowed in for a few days.
5. Ask locally before setting off. Hotels and shopkeepers in Abbottabad will know whether the road is open.

Our guide to driving in Galiyat snow covers chains, black ice and when to turn back in more detail.

Thandiani or Nathia Gali?

Choose Thandiani if you want quiet, forest and the widest views in the Galiyat, you are coming from Abbottabad or Peshawar, or you want a night in a camping pod. On a summer weekend it is far calmer than Nathia Gali.

Choose Nathia Gali if you want restaurants, a choice of hotels, marked walks such as the Pipeline Track and Mushkpuri, and other galis close by. There is much less to do at Thandiani once you have taken in the view, and fewer places to eat.

You can do both: a night or two in Nathia Gali, then Thandiani on the way home via Abbottabad. Our guide to snowfall places in KP compares Thandiani with the other snow destinations in the province. Our Galiyat guide compares all the hill stations, and if you would like help planning the trip, send us your dates.

Frequently asked questions