Mukeshpuri is a 9,200 feet elevated mountain in the Nathiagali Hills where one can reach by trekking either from Nathiagali trek or Dunga gali trek. It is 90 kilometers north of Islamabad, Pakistan, just above Dunga Gali in the Nathiagali area of Ayubia National Park. Much of it the mountain is covered with Western Himalayan sub-alpine conifer forests. According to some sources the designation Mukeshpuri is derived from the Sanskrit words: Moksha (liberation) and Puri (city). Mukeshpuri is of special paramount for the Hindus because of the Legends relating it to the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. There are the five Pandavas, the heroes of the Mahabharata, who are favorite objects of worship in the east and sometimes addressed as the Panj Pir(five saints).
The route from Nathiagali on western side of mountain is a steady and 2.5 kilometers long climb and it will take about 2 hours. The mountain withal has a route on the Dunga Gali side, with a steeper slop. There is a bird sanctuary on this side engendered with the avail of the European Coalescence. The following areas can be viewed from the top of Mukeshpuri peak, Circle Bakote, Jhelum River, the Bagh District of AJK, in the south the city of Murree and the Murree Tehsil, as well as Islamabad, Pakistan.
After spending some time with the animals we went ahead towards Mukshpuri peak. This is a about a two hour hike from the forest department compound. Quite a gentle hike in the beginning but getting quite steep towards the end. Its always a good idea to carry some water and some snacks which can be consumed at the stopovers en-route the peak.
The weather in this area changes quite rapidly so its also a good idea to carry an umbrella or a rain coat or better still an all weather camp. After reaching the top we were totally exhausted and spent some time resting and taking pictures. We returned to Nathia gali in the evening, with the return trip taking little over an hour
Nathiagali Map:
