Thandiani

Thandiani means simply cold, and the name is the whole proposition: a ridge of pine and fir forest at around 2,700 metres where the temperature drops sharply from the plains below, first used as a hill retreat in the colonial period and never developed much beyond that. There is a small bazaar, a church ruin, a few rest houses and stalls, and otherwise forest and views: north towards the Kaghan ranges and the Kashmir hills, east and west across ridge after ridge. Walking trails run along the ridge and down into the forest, and the air is genuinely cold even in June. It is the least commercialised of the hill stations within easy reach of Islamabad, precisely because it has no lake, no cable car and no attractions beyond the setting, which is why people who dislike Murree come here instead.

What you actually see

• The ridge views - long sightlines over successive forested ranges.
• Pine and fir forest - dense woodland along and below the crest.
• The old church - a colonial-era ruin on the ridge.
• Forest walks - quiet trails with almost no other visitors on weekdays.

When to go

April to October. Late spring and early autumn are the most pleasant. Snow closes the road in winter, sometimes for weeks. Weekends bring day trippers from Abbottabad but nothing like the crowds at Nathia Gali or Murree.

Honest expectations

There is nothing to do here except walk and look, and visitors expecting facilities will be disappointed: food is basic stalls, accommodation is a handful of simple rest houses. The road up is narrow, winding and poorly surfaced in stretches. Mist frequently closes in and removes the view entirely.

Nearby

Abbottabad is below; Nathia Gali and the Galiyat lie south along the hills.