(Date of Visit: 06 December 2020)Historical place and tourist attraction.Caves seem prehistoricA water spring coming from mountain beneath cavesGood place to spend few hours, place to sit and canteen is there.Very near to Islamabad (just 30 min drive)Located in Shah Allah Ditta Village (A model village)

Lovely place to visit; 2-3 hours activity . The caves (some 3000 years old) are nice to see, not well preserved though. The giant trees (again, some 3000 years old) worth seeing. The tea and pakoras are enjoyable in cold weather. The flowing water from the mountain is an eye opener; sometimes youre lucky to see fish in the water. The road is too bumpy, so plan accordingly. Enjoy the caves :)

The caves are a good spot for people interested in history. But its very limited space, you can visit in 10 minutes. However you can also go to cafes on car, which are on the hill top and have beautiful views of islamabad and the route is also quite scenic. You can also hike. The hills are quite beautiful and not crowded at all.

Very good place to have some historical sight seeing. Would be better if they have displayed some info regarding the place.There are some restaurants in the area that provides snacks and tea.The trees there are amazing and look centuries old.Also a spring of fresh water is present there.The road is bumpy for the last 2 to 3 kms so drive slowly there.Cellphone coverage is present there and there is also people living nearby so its not a remote place

The place has quite a different feel. Quite, peaceful and serene. A good place for friends and family hangout.

Historical Budha caves about which the legends say it was meditation place of Budha. Just when u cross sector D-12, u reach Shah Allah Ditta village. The remnant caves are situated at the foothill when pass by Shah Allah Ditta village. The place is awsome and very few people visit the place. Beware of snakes in the region specially in the perforations.

I didnt find anything good over there. People have created a hype about the caves.But yes, if you go ahead approx 3.5km you will find good restaurants.One of them is Pristine opposite to Saddal lounge on top of the hill. They are still working on their place but its still better for view

Its very peaceful. specially serenity resort. you can have cup of tea with friends or family.

About 2500 years ago these caves use to be meditation sites for the Buddhist monks. Before Muslim Mughal era it was also took by Hindus sudhus. Its a 30 mints drive from F-11 sector Islamabad.

A magical formation of rocks interspersed with ancient oak trees with long tentacles. The place has a mystery about it and captivates people from all age groups.

A beautiful scenic place to get away from the day to day routine. They have a small menu and the serving time is a little much but the food great and the view makes it all worth it.Go there during a relatively chilly weather otherwise itll be too hot

The place was great and very fun but some people are not happy with the serenity and want to convert each and every inch of islamabad in a society.a lot of destruction of the heritage has already been done and rest is on its way. soon we will just remember this place in books of history or some of the photos uploaded here.people in power should look into the area and see what has been going on around here and why things are going in a wrong direction rather than going in a right direction.The caves are already in a bad shape and some part has already demolished by some unknown culprits.

Located at the bottom of margalla hills, this place is a peaceful getaway from the hustling routine of the city. Caves have historical significance and is listed amongst tourist sites of Islamabad. Different cafes are also available around the area. If you want more adventure then you can also continue further on the road. You will not regret the gruesome drive on a damaged road once you reach at the top viewing sites of different cafes. Simply amazing

Not straight and smooth road. Only for adventurous people. Good place to visit. Very calm and fresh atmosphere

Good place to visit but girls needs to be extra careful cause you find so many boys in groups over there. Safe for families.If we talk about historic place and nature beauty this place is , very relaxing and beautiful.

An extremely peculiar experience away from the city in the middle of nowhere. The road leading to the caves is absolutely phenomenal. Green mountains surround the road all the way to the caves. The place is beautiful with a lot of history to it. Theres a modern touch there as well with restaurants and cafes but original theme exists all across. There are streams of water running, ducks roaming freely etc. Theres also a zipline here if youre into that kinda stuff. Top marks for such a different experience.

A wonderful place to spend some time in natural, serene and isolated place in Islamabad. You may also visit stupa there dated back 2000 CE.

It sounds to be a good picnic spot , couldnt go till top because of poor road condition.The food at serenity restaurant was good, the Services rendered by young boy Subhan were amazing.

Amazing place for you and your family to enjoy... serenity cafe has an amazing service with live music...worth checking out

Nice place BUT THE DIRT TRACK GOING TO THE PLACE IS TERRIBLE. NEED A STRONG BACK TO REACH .TEA AND PAKORAS WERE VERY GOOD.

The road towards the Caves is dug up and under construction, it is not suitable for cars. Please make sure that the work is done before you make a plan to go there.

Towards the right side as you face the cliff there is a dhaba hotel, owners of the hotel are Ismile Bhai (white beard guy) and Akbar bhai (black bread guy) their food is awesome specially Tea. Must visti site.

Nice family friendly place to spend the afternoon, have tea, pakoras, and enjoy the view.

“Shah Allah Ditta Caves/ Budha Cave or Sadhu ka Bagh” is located near D-12 in the Green hills. It is a historical place and individuals in Islamabad looking to explore some historical places should visit the site. The place also contains a “Budha Stupa” at the hill top in front of these caves that takes approximately an hour and a half trekking to reach the hill top. The main road also leads to haripur/ khanpur dam, KPK. The road is a bit bumpy & there are restaurants with little resources so better come prepared.

Beautiful and awesome place to visit. We also go on top of this road. On top BBQ Tonight and ChayMosa is also great place to visit. Islamabad eagle eye view of C and D sectors are awesome and magnificent. I recommend to go there and enjoy with Family. Also No stupid boys there to create any irritation or problem for your family.

I hope that government take steps to restore and preserve this historical site

An amazing and beautiful view . Best resorts and point.

Shah Allah Ditta (Urdu: شاہ اللہ دتہ‎) is a centuries-old village and a union council located at the foothills of the Margalla Hills in the Islamabad Capital Territory.The village is believed to be more than seven hundred years old and was used as route from Kabul to the Gandharan city of Taxila by Alexander the Great and Sher Shah Suri while Mughal rulers and other emperors often passed through while traveling from Afghanistan to the Hindustan.Relics of the Buddhist era dating back to the 8th century can be found here along with burnt diyas and trees with amulets tied to them.Shah Allah Ditta caves are located on the route leading towards Khanpur. These caves are next to the shrine and tomb of Shah Allah Ditta.2,400-year-old Buddhist era murals of Buddha appear on the walls of caves at Shah Allah Ditta.Archaeological evidence indicates that the caves and the platform-like formations surrounding the area were first used for meditation by Buddhist monks and later by Hindu sadhus before Muslim ascetics took over during the Mughal period.Marked on the ground close to the caves the location where Alexander arrived and was received by Raja Ambi, King of Taxila. The road next to the caves that leads to the main top of the mountain, Shah Allah Ditta road, is said to be built on the exact path followed by Pashtun emperor Sher Shah Suri during his visit.Moving up the mountain from the caves, there is a stepwell called Losar Baoli and a mosque built by Shahāb-ud-Din Ghori. The mosque has broken walls and the road leading to it is dilapidated.

I went with family and really liked the experience. The place is accessible but only by vehicle and the ride was bumpy. They do not charge the visitors which is a plus point and there is a little restaurant serving tea/coffee if you’re a tea-drinker. However, I must add that the caves could be better maintained through public support by not littering. For example, the pictures I took show cigarette boxes piled together by a genius visitor and it has shaped my first impression of the caves.

Loved this place. I never knew that you can find these kind of places in Islamabad. Its a continuous of Margalla Hills of Rocky & Greenish. The Caves arent as big as you expect it to be. A Cold water stream can be found in the entrance of these caves. Alongside the Caves you can find Resorts and Restaurants built along the edge of the hills. It was a new experience going there.Be cautious the Roads are quite Fractured & Ruptured there, thats the only problem we had.

Really beautiful place. The cave isn’t very big. All the shrines are destroyed. The pool is filled with dirty water. There are no history markers. All history is pretty much erased. There’s an old man who has converted the cave to his living space which will give you an insight in how people in caves live

Need some good restaurants to sit nd eat.. Extremely nice nature view.. But no nice place to sit

Historic place so it always have importance ... the road to approach this important site needs immediate attention from concerns...after proper road and construction of one or few upgraded restaurants this site has huge potential of large number of local visitors on daily bases...besides foreigners or those attracted for religious purpose.

Went today, the place is awesome for people living near E11 and D12, those who are coming from other sectors and out of city better to visit Monal or Daman-e-koh as there is no proper road available to go up very poor road infrastructure for about 3 to 5 KM patch, but view from top is worth watching. The whole area is surrounded by mountains in a circle and only a single point available to view Islamabad. Multiple Resturants and Dhabbas are available on Top. Check your spare wheela and air pressure before visit this place. Thanks

Nice place to visit. You can consider for your weekend plans.

Its beautiful, not very safe, good views of islamabad, peaceful, roads are in very bad condition.

Excellent and peaceful place to hangout with excellent view and good restaurants

One of the birthplaces of Buddhism. Fine landscape.

It was good but the restaurant have so hgh rated

The place is very scenic and serene but the road leading up to the place is very bad

A historical place. Was great to visit with family

Good family place ... be advised the road conditionnis not so good ... cold drinks are not availavle ... ground water is clean and cold ... place is nice to sit down and enjoy a drink of tea

Shah Allah ditta caves also known as sadhu ka dera belongs to Buddha there people said Buddha stay their.

Road leading to Shah Allah Ditta is rough in the last part around 20 minutes. Tuck shops small restaurants are available. Old ruins of Caves.

It is very nice place for outing but you have your own transport to visit this place. Thanks

Archeological site! Good restaurants .amazing margallas and activities around...

Located at a distance of 15-20 kilometer from Islamabad ....Good place to visit and refresh your self .....

An Unexpected place in Islamabad. We saw it on map and visited there. This place was breathtaking

Very good place for outingCalm place specially at the top of cavesEasily accessibleEasy route and no issue at all to reach there

Located around a km north of Shah Allah Ditta village are few prehistoric limestone caves that have been in human use since thousands of year. Reportedly these caves has been under use of Budhist and Hindu monks. Contain a few very old banyan trees with numerous roots falling to the ground and a freshwater spring. The area has been well maintained though now one can see quite a bit of litter spread by the visitors. There is a big car park just next to Sadhu Ka Baagh. From the caves one can take an westerly climb and hike to Ban Faqirian stupa that is located at the top of the mountain.A very nice place to visit that is less than an hours drive from most places in Islamabad.

There is no proper road. If you want to have offroad and bumpy drive experience then yiu can go

Natural beauty its a peaceful place between marglla hills

Good place to visit.Sitting place is awesome.From this point 4 km towards from mountain there are restaurants and a Cafe.The road towarda Caves is not so good.The look form the top is amazing.This place is between مارگلہ hills.There is is a access to go khanpur dam.

Shah Allah Ditta is a centuries-old village located at the foothills of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad and their caves are an ancient Buddhist monastic site. Their stone well built in the times of Alexander the great. Such a mesmerising view, breathtaking, lost in the woods ️Road condition is too bad, food quality is 6/10 at their La Vista Cafe.

Bohat zabardasttt! Although roads could get a bit better! Whole alot better! Thats the only downside!

Why is this place so underrated!!! You all should go there!

The best place where you can relax, and enjoy cold weather during summer as well. Beautiful place i really love it️️️

Horror place All historical spots have been maintained in good form IF you are a history freak. Must go there

Lovely and peacefull place with mountains and greenery. Deep caves and rocky ways.

This is extremely historical place in Islamabad, it is known as Shah Allah ditta caves, which is located at bottom of Himalaya Hills Islamabad. All aspects are good but CDA local government management is too bad , never conduct any restaurant, prices , quality of the product, or Architecture etc.

Good place need some development and cleaning work to make it proper spot

Good calm place main caves are occupied by local restaurants . Good place for family if you travel to top .

Its great experience. A historical place for archealogists geologists and tourists.

A peaceful place. With historic caves.

Its a wonderful place. The road is bumpy to the caves but if you go beyond the caves you can find great views of the valley from tge top

Not far from from city the road is also good in condition..a stream running along the path..Seems like this place has its own eco-system

Just behind Islamabad’s D-12 sector, a dilapidated road leads to Sadhu ka Bagh, a garden over 2,400 years old at the foot of the Margalla Hills in the Shah Allah Ditta village, located at the foothills of the Margalla Hills in Islamabad.The origin of the caves are believed to be either Buddhist or Hindu; some older tales suggest that Hindu sadhus came to the area to meditate, and a garden spread across acres of land near the caves at the foot of the Margallas.There are tales of Hindu lord Ram and his wife Sita and brother Lakshman arrived in the Margalla Hills during their 14-year exile.While we sipped tea and enjoyed french fries Mohammad Ismail, the owner of a tea stall and Shah Allah Ditta resident shared that before the partition of the subcontinent, this was a religious site for Hindu and Buddhist sadhus. His grandfather told him about the stupa and temple at the site, but it had disappeared after the Hindus migrated from here. The land was allotted to his family after partition, and it has remained in their possession. The family looks after the Buddhist caves and the old garden and there is also an old well of spring water in the area that is used by nearby farms and as drinking water. He was kind enough to offer us a jug as well.Kids enjoyed zipliner and climbing century old mango tree.... weather was great and I will definetly go back for more.....

Its an alright place. The road there is in poor condition. There isnt any safety if you are there after, I wouldnt recommend doing that. There are only two caves and the theres a guy who asks for money if you view the caves. The place is all taken over by hotels. This makes it so you cant have a picnic and cant sit anywhere unless it is in a hotel. But the hotels are nice, decent food. View is enjoyable too.

Its a great place to visit. Shah Allah ditta, nice place to hangout with friends and families. Has few food outlets also which serve desi food starting from breakfast to late night BBQ.

Good historical place but horrible road, need maintenance.

Good place

Serene place to visit. Heritage, greenery, mountains.

Visited Shah Allah ditta caves on 26th Jan 2020 with someone I know, obviously with a pretty girl...enjoyed a lot and then afterwards, had dinner with her

Historically village in islamabad pakistan

It is good place to visit with family and friends. Historical place.

Good peaceful place for picnic

Such a wonderful and meditating place

Good experience. Must visit once atleast.. and if possible do go beyond caves on the mountains. Some very nice view from above.

This is a perfect getaway for families in Islamabad, for the weekend.There are restaurants, zipline and other activities available for kids. The view is serne. Its a good place for a family picnic.Visitors can take the trekking route to the Buddhist stupa, starting from the restaurants/caves.The only hurdle is the road condition from Sector D12.

We drove quite a bit out of the way for these caves, which are not really clearly marked on Google. You actually enter through this cafe, campground area to access the caves. The caves were / are meant for meditation but were quite small with not too much to them. Parts were blocked off to some sort of restorative efforts. I would not really go out of my way to visit these. There is a nice, decent cafe though onsite afterwards for tea and snacks.

Nice place to spend evening with BAE BQ quality time with loved onces

Nice place to visit, I have seen fossil rocks at this place

Very historical and natural place to visit.

The Place had a nice ambience to it. It wasnt clean as the other areas of Margall hills though

Because I am sitting in this chaikhana and am have no moneyIt is very interesting for me.

These caves made out of fossils are an amazing view to glaze at. The surroundings give you a feel of being in a valley. Chacha Ismails Café is amazing where you can get superb tea. Having breakfast there is a fun thing to do.

Shah Allah Ditta is on the top of hilly area, Islamabad. If you love travelling and exploring old historical places , it goes all the way up from the golra shareef road. The point has its own charisma. The thing that is annoying is the road to Shah Allah Ditta. Its one way single unpaved road. So you might feel irritated or tired when travelling.If you are planning to go there, make sure you have water bottles and something to eat. And you car should be in good condition otherwise you wont make it.The temperature and weather there is same as Islamabad.But this place is worth exploring.Folklore says its 9000 old place.May be they are right. Just go and check it out by yourself.

Good family place for gathering, caves are about seize to exist. Road needs improvement.

Its a small yet nice place to visit near islamabad. there are two small caves that are related to Buddha some 2500 years ago. Theres also a underground reservoir of drinkable water, that is channeled to a small pond with fish. Theres one traditional tea spot or dhabba that serves pakora, fries and tea. I had the tea here and it was good. The place is not that crowded and mostly families can be seen. Theres also a good resturant adjacent to it with live folk music. A must visit. The road is not that good though after crossing D12 sector.

Peaceful place for family visit

The only one reason to go there that it is nearby city .Not a enough place to enjoy. .u should carry UR own food . there is one resort where u can play some games like Archery, paint ball etc.

Great place to visit with family. Lots of fun activities. Swimming pool, food, shooting, zip line. But is expensive

A cool place in the suburbs of Islamabad to spend the evening.

We had a plan to go there recently but the road leading to this area is too bad and if you love your car you better stay away until the road gets fixed.

There is nothing to see r enjoy. As it is a historical place there is nothing historic abt it. It is also not maintained and you go there take a peek on a couple of caves and thats it. You cant spend hours there! Seriously it should be maintained and by maintaing I do not mean making food points!!.

Excellent place for enjoyment and peace ️

A historical place. Worth visiting. In primitive times these caves were used for living. Later these caves were used by Buddhist monks for meditation and other purposes. The place is not far away from the city. Just half an hour drive from city center (Islamabad), takes you to reach the point.

Very exclusive and unique place to visit

Shah Allah Ditta village is a historical place of the Capital city Islamabad. It is situated in the D-12 sector of the city. It is the south-west part of the Islamabad.The village is believed to be more than seven hundred years old and was used as route from Kabul to the Gandharan city of Taxila by Alexander and Sher Shah Suri while Mughal rulers and other emperors often passed through while traveling from Afghanistan to the Hindustan. This village is surrounded by the great Margalla hills which increase the beauty of this area. Shah Allah Ditta caves are located on the route leading towards Khanpur. These caves are next to the shrine and tomb of Shah Allah Ditta. 2,400-year-old Buddhist era murals of Buddha appear on the walls of caves at Shah Allah Ditta.Moving up the mountain from the caves, there is a stepwell called Losar Baoli and a mosque built by Shahāb-ud-Din Ghori. The mosque has broken walls and the road leading to it is dilapidated.

Not very big caves. An ok place for one visit only.