Lakes of Pakistan – Rawal Lake

Location	Water	Catchment Area	Surface Area	Max. depth
Margalla Hills  Islamabad	Reservoir	106.25 sq. m	8.8 sq km	102 ft

Rawal Lake is an artifical water reservoir of water providing water to the twin cities-Rawalpindi and Islamabad. It is situated within the territory of Margallah Hills National Park. The PTDC has made restaurant and boating facilities to attract visitors. Dam is also constructed on the lake named as Rawal Dam. Several tourists visit this lake and enjoy a nice holidays with their families. Boating, diving, water skating and sailing are the main attractions of the place. These activities are organized by private clubs. Islamabad club offers sporting facilities on the west of the lake.

The lake is surrounded by a well maintained green area with beautiful flowers and trees. The gardens around the lake are full of plants and fountains. Different picnic spots and paths are made for the tourists. The hill top near the lake shows a dynamic scene of Murree  hills, Margalla hills and the twin cities.

If you are enjoy bird watching, this could be a right place for you. Large number of  birds come to this lake and fly around it all day. To facilitate tourism a park full of walking tracks and sitting area is now located by the side of this beautiful lake.

Islamabad-Pakistan’s capital city

Islamabad meaning ‘abode of Islam’ is the capital of Pakistan. It was built in 1960s to replace Karachi as the capital city. It nestles against the backdrop of the Margalla Hills at the northern end of the Potohar Plateau and is the 10th largest city of Pakistan. Islamabad is to date one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world.

The city was chosen to be the national capital as it was accessible from all parts of the country and also because it is not as vulnerable to attack as Karachi was. It is a modern and carefully planned city with wide tree-lined streets, large houses, elegant public buildings and well-organized shopping centers. Water supply to the city is from Rawal dam. Due to all these facilities provided Islamabad is an expensive city to live in.

Faisal Mosque, the largest mosque in South Asia and the 6th largest mosque in the world, is located here. The mosque is a tourist attraction, but it alone does not pull the tourists towards the city. Due to its central position Islamabad provides a route to many hill stations.

Places to visit in Islamabad are;
1. Faisal Mosque

2. Daman-e-Koh

3. Rawal Dam

4. Pir Sohawa

 

5. Rawal Lake View Park.