Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, is a modern and well-planned city with a lot of natural beauty. Located in the foot hills of the Margalla Hills, the greenery is the biggest attraction for tourists visiting the city. In the last few years Capital Development Authority (CDA) has worked on the beatification of the tourist resorts and now the city has become a must see place for at least all the Pakistanis who can afford. There are quite of few hotels but by and large they are on the expensive side. The best way to visit Islamabad is to look for a family member or friend who lives in the city and stay with him or her.
- Daman-e-Koh:
Daman-e-Koh, Daman means center and Koh means hill, serves as the midpoint for tourists on their way to the higher view point Pir Sohawa, and is 10 to 15 minutes-drive on a beautiful, green and winding road from Islamabad Zoo. It is located 3000 feet from sea level on the top of Margalla Hills. This low hill offers panoramic bird eye view of Islamabad and telescopes are also installed for keen observers. It is surely a place where natural and man-made beauty maneuverings the heart and mind of every visiting individual. With so many places to venture, and with wildlife (mainly monkeys) that will entertain for hours, it’s a must see for all tourists. This extra ordinary garden has two wings ‘north’ and ‘south’. Car parking facility is provided close to the Northern Spot where a cafe and some small tuck shops cater the needs of guests. Golf cars carry the tourists from the parking to the Southern Spot. A restaurant is located on the Southern Spot overlooking the city. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) upgraded the restaurant and introduced electric powered cars that provide tourists with a relaxing and enjoyable transport to and from the parking areas. The best time to visit Daman-e-koh is around sun set. Otherwise it remains open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.
- Lok Virsa Museum
The National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) is a competent organization that contribute towards creating an awareness of cultural values and heritage by gathering, organizing and preserving the traditional values. The lifestyles of different areas of Pakistan are presented here in form of statues, poetry, arts etc. Lok Virsa is the well-organized cultural museum in Pakistan. It is situated near Shakarparian Hills and has a large collection and display of traditional assets i.e embroidered costumes, jewelry, woodwork, metalwork, block printing, ivory and bone work , fresco, mirror work and marble inlay tile, mosaic and stucco tracery are also displayed. A visitor to Lok Virsa can get benefit from the following:
a) Heritage Museum (Pakistan National Museum of Ethnology).
b) Heritage Library with a collection of over 25,000 books and journals.
c) Contain video archives of professionally recorded videos representing traditions, artifacts, folk and culture of over 1,200 hours videos.
d) 134 books on various aspects of Pakistani folklore and cultural heritage.
e) Traditional music in Pakistan and cultural videos.
f) The Lok Virsa cafe which offers food in the traditional ambience.
Lok Virsa festival is an annual feature, which is normally held in March / April. A big number of visitors attend the festival which is full of colorful cultural activities. Lok Virsa has its own production house. They have compiled, edited and produced a set of 36 cultural documentaries and 500 audio cassette labels of nation’s cultural heritage.
Timing: Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00 to 20:00 with a break for prayer on Friday from 13:00 to 14:30. The Museum remains close
on Monday.
3| Lake View Park
This newly established park on the Murree road, at a distance of around five kilometers from Convention Center has become a favorite picnic spot for people of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It is constructed with many modern facilities and attractions on the northern bank of Rawal Lake. CDA has displayed list for all the amusing activity in the park. The biggest Bird Park in Pakistan and one of the biggest in South Asia with a collection of rare bird species is a major attraction for both children and adults. You would be entertained around the park with majority of enchanting birds that were gathered from various countries. Some of the facilities here include sitting pagoda, picnic point (with live barbeque facilities), ibex club, quad bike ride, rock climbing gym, motor sports ranch, boating, sailing, kayaking, fancy aviary, festival arena, passenger road train, paintball battlefield, boating area, fishing area, swimming pool. Besides, there are a lot of rides for kids and youth. Parking is very vast and inexpensive. A restaurant named “Dera” is offering tasty and healthy food and refreshment items for visitors..
This is the short intro of islamabad..there are many beautiful places yet to explore in islamabad..but infact the whole city is worth looking..
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