1. MARGALLA HILLS NATIONAL PARK

2. national capital Islamabad, in the province of Punjab Geographical Location: 33.43'N/72.55'E Physical Location: North east of the national capital Islamabad, in the province of Punjab Total Area: 17,426 hectares Date Established: 1980 Best Time to Visit: Throughout the year

3. EXPLANATION  Margalla Hills National Park is located in the foothills of the Himalayan range.  The topography is with numerous valleys and many precipitous slopes.  The area is drained by the River Kurang and its tributaries, which flow into the River Soan.  This park is the most accessible park in Pakistan due to its close proximity to the national capital, Islamabad.

4.  A visitor centre is planned for Daman-E-Koh, providing lounge accommodation and an information service.  Lodges, camping grounds and picnic sites are also planned and the provision of a chair lift may be considered.

5. Wildlife:  Margalla Hills is an extension of the Islamabad wildlife sanctuary, which includes the Shakar Parian Hills and the Rawal Lake.  The park was setup to provide refugee to the Gray Goral, Barking deer and the Leopard. Protection to these animals has benefitted other unusual and interesting smaller animal as well.

6.  Margalla Hills Park provides an excellent opportunity for bird watching.  A Cheer Pheasant hatchery has been established at Chak Jabri and Dhok Jewan to raise captive Cheer pheasants that have become extinct in the hills. These are then released in the wild.

7. Mammals: Mammals in the park include— Asiatic Leopard

8. Wild boar (Sus scrofa)

9. Golden Jackal (Canis aureus)

10. Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta)

11. Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

12. Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak)

13. Gray Goral sheep

14. Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

15. Pangolin

16. Porcupine

17. Yellow throated marten (Martes flavigula)

18. Fruit bat

19. Birds Birds in the park are: Laggar falcon (Falco jugger)

20. Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)

21. Kestrel

22. White cheeked bulbul

23. yellow vented bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier)

24. Paradise flycatcher

25. Black partridge (Melanoperdix niger)

26. Cheer pheasant (Catreus wallichii)

27. Khalij pheasant

28. Golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus)

29. Spotted dove (Streptopelia chinensis)

30. Collared dove

31. Lark

32. Shrike

33. Bunting

34. Reptiles Reptiles in the park are: Russell's viper

35. Indian cobra (Naja naja)

36. Himalayan pit viper

37. Saw scaled viper (Echis carinatus)