Written: Rozina
The title might make you wonder, “What else could there be in this enchanted land besides lush green mountains?” But this place truly is magical, with every view and every sight captivating. Here, the sun shines less, and clouds dominate more. The cool, refreshing breezes that constantly brush against you, coupled with the tall, towering pine trees piercing through the rugged rocks and grey clouds, create an irresistible charm. It wasn’t until I visited Patriata that I realized how beautiful it is—a hidden treasure of nature, far more precious than anything on Mall Road in Murree.
The monsoon in Islamabad wasn’t showing its full splendor, with only occasional grey clouds adorning the blue sky during the day. This made me want to escape to a place where nature’s every hue would make my heart dance with joy. So, we set off to visit Patriata.
As soon as you start on the road to Patriata, the clean roadsides and the tall trees on the mountains seem to bow down in a welcoming gesture to tourists, as if these trees are gathering the worries of the visitors and offering them the gift of peace. There’s a powerful, magical effect in this priceless treasure of nature—just laying eyes on the greenery makes you feel rejuvenated. As the journey progresses, your sorrows lighten, a smile forms on your face, and the further you go, the happier you feel.
When we reached the Patriata picnic point, the new bus service started by the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab (TDCP) immediately caught our attention. The open-deck buses looked quite charming to me, mainly because the windows and roof were completely open, eliminating the usual hassle of hearing the constant noise of people around you asking to open or close the windows. You can enjoy the cool breeze and the playful clouds without getting bored. This bus will take you from Patriata to Kashmir Point Murree and from Kashmir Point Murree to Galyat, where the breathtaking beauty of this Queen of the Hills will leave you amazed throughout the journey. The fare for this round-trip is 700 PKR per person.
As we moved past these buses, a canopy of colorful umbrellas welcomed us—a truly delightful sight. If it rains, these dozen or so umbrellas perfectly complement the drizzle, adding to the charm of Patriata Bazaar. Along with providing shade for tourists, these umbrellas add to the vibrancy and allure of the bazaar. For children, there’s an Adventure Park to satisfy their adventurous spirits, ensuring they don’t feel left out and can enjoy the rides they love.
There are good arrangements for food and clean restrooms available, but the most popular attraction in Patriata is the chairlift ride. When we spoke to a family of tourists about it, their comments were interesting: they said that without a chairlift ride, the enjoyment of tourism is 100% incomplete. If you visit Murree and don’t come to Patriata, then your trip to Murree is pointless; you haven’t seen anything. They also mentioned that until you ride the chairlift, it feels like you haven’t gotten your money’s worth from the trip, and the fun of the trip feels incomplete.
In an exclusive conversation with 24 News, the regional head of the Tourism Development Corporation of Punjab, Moazzam Nazir, stated that 70% of tourism in Punjab happens here, and a significant part of it is due to the chairlift and cable car in Murree and Patriata. The chairlift is operational, and the cable car will be operational next month.
This is a major attraction for tourists. The tourism department has done a lot of work to further improve the chairlift and cable car. Recent initiatives include launching the first sightseeing bus service, operating battery-powered tourist carts, declaring the entire region a plastic-free zone to preserve the environment, moving towards solarization, and conducting cleanliness campaigns involving the community. We have adopted international-level safety measures for the chairlift’s security.
Tourists always seek something new, so considering their interest, we thought of transforming Patriata into a complete resort where you can get the best food, the area is entirely clean, and the most important thing is that people are very courteous. Every tourist wants respect, and the facilities should be such that everyone from the upper to the middle class can easily stay. With this perspective, we have promoted Patriata. We’ve built huts here, installed pods, and even offer camping. We now have luxury rooms, and there are two very good restaurants.
We’ve also built an Adventure Park—these are recent developments. Moazzam Nazir shared exciting news for tourists, stating that we are soon bringing Pakistan’s first glass walkway bridge where tourists will walk over glass. He expressed hope that after the glass walkway bridge, tourists will flock here in large numbers. He also shared more good news, mentioning that another chairlift was needed, so the Punjab government has approved the installation of another chairlift at Kotli Station. An eco-friendly theme park is being developed, and a mountain sports club is being established on Chowra Hills in Kotli Station. We are building an entire village with glamps, camps, and pods. In the coming days, traffic will head towards this New Murree. For tourists eagerly awaiting the cable car, he mentioned that our cable car is set to start operations next month. With all these developments, Patriata is expected to become even more popular.
After hearing all this, we too climbed the stairs and headed towards the chairlift, where a long queue of tourists was waiting. Standing on the marked spots on the floor, we quickly boarded the chairlift as soon as it arrived. The views from the chairlift were such that even with a lot of fuel consumption, it wouldn’t have been as enjoyable, and the fun of the trip would have felt incomplete. As the chairlift moved forward, it sometimes felt like we were sitting in a helicopter, and sometimes, floating among the clouds like a bird. The sight of nature was so mesmerizing that I didn’t want to blink. The nearly 3.5 km chairlift ride was a unique experience that gave me a sense of what they say “the heart blossomed like a garden.” With this feeling of joy and charm, we reached the next point where the clouds were even denser, and it felt noticeably colder. Most tourists, after enjoying the chairlift, busied themselves with tea and fritters, but for me, the real spice and flavor were in the scenery, and our destination was something else—it was Patriata Top.
When we reached Patriata Top, it felt like we had entered another world. The peace were such that not only the heart and mind but even the soul felt refreshed, with tranquility seeping in. Far from the noisy, chaotic life, there was a unique calm here. If you want moments of peace, away from depression, anxiety, and worries for a few days, there’s no better place than Patriata Top, nestled among the mountains. You can stay in the interestingly designed pods in the middle of the forest for a few days. These pods are of two and four beds, where you can comfortably stay, and TDCP has provided the facility of separate restrooms outside, connected to each pod. These restrooms, just four steps down from the pods, have both hot and cold water. The rent of these pods is also reasonable: 4,000 PKR per night for a two-bed pod and 6,000 PKR per night for a four-bed pod. Often, there’s a lack of accommodation and restroom facilities at recreational spots, or the rents are so high that even a one-night stay is difficult for a family. But, at least here, we didn’t experience that. The temperature here is also quite low, so much so that we had to use two blankets on a cold night, even in the summer. Then, the constant presence of clouds makes this place even more enchanting. If the cable car becomes operational soon, tourists will not only prefer to spend time here but it will also greatly benefit the economy. After spending a peaceful time at Patriata Top, we enjoyed a spicy and delicious meal. Roaming around the beautiful valleys of Patriata all day, we lost track of time. Though clouds are always present, as evening falls, the silence deepens, making the serene evening even more charming. It was time to bid farewell to this enchanting evening, but the truth is, we didn’t want to leave because of the beauty, peace, and satisfying facilities of this place. If I say that Patriata Resort is truly captivating and excellent for tourism, it wouldn’t be wrong.
Before leaving, I must mention the impact of climate change. Climate change has destroyed and ruined many places, with plastic playing a major role in this. But here, Patriata Resort has been declared a plastic-free zone, with a ban on plastic use, and cleanliness is thoroughly maintained. So, when you visit Patriata, make your trip memorable, but try to never pollute the environment here. It’s the responsibility of tourists to play their part in preserving the environment. The more we protect this precious asset of nature, the more it benefits us. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Remember us in your prayers.
