Pakistan Islamabad Tours

A Capital Built From Scratch

Islamabad replaced Karachi as Pakistan's capital in the 1960s and was laid out from the start as a grid of numbered sectors at the foot of the Margalla Hills. The centerpiece, Faisal Mosque, breaks from the domed South Asian style with a Turkish-designed tent-like roof and can hold tens of thousands of worshippers.

Hiking Above the City

The Margalla Hills National Park backs directly onto the city, and trails such as Trail 3 and Trail 5 climb through pine forest to viewpoints like Daman-e-Koh, which looks out over the whole sector grid below. Monkeys and, at higher elevations, the odd leopard sighting keep the trails interesting.

A Day Across to Rawalpindi

Most tours pair Islamabad with its older twin city, Rawalpindi, where Raja Bazaar and the narrow lanes of the old quarter feel centuries removed from the planned capital next door. The contrast between the two is part of the appeal.