A practical guide to family hike preparation with children and older relatives, with specific advice on route length, elevation, weather, toilets, snacks, water

Sara Malik · 13 Sep 2026 · 16 min

Outdoors

Margalla kit that is not a costume

Water, a start time, shoes that have met a rock. What tourists get wrong on Trail 3 is the same thing gyms get wrong: they dress for the photograph. The ridge is weather, not a set.

Sara Malik · 12 Apr 2026 · 6 min

Outdoors

Dawn in the Margallas

Islamabad's trails are a public gym with better air. At 5:45am you get walkers, serious runners, and the city before it starts arguing. Come down before the heat.

Sara Malik · 8 Mar 2026 · 4 min