Barbecue location at Simly Dam Islamabad near the water

I will help you find the best barbecue location at Simly Dam Islamabad Pakistan, close to the lake water. 

Simly Dam route

Simly Dam Lake in Islamabad is a 45 minutes drive from Saddar, Rawalpindi. You’d have to make a right turn over the Khanna Pul towards Lehtrar and go straight till the road ends. Turning right at Simly Dam Lake is the alternate way towards Murree.

Alternate route to Simly Dam

Another alternate route to Simly dam is from Bara Kahu, Phulwari road, Phulgran, Pind Begwal and then left from Mohara. The Google Maps route of Simly dam is pasted below, along with pics, photos, and images.

Simly Dam History

Simly dam history is that it was complete in 1973 by CDA to supply drinking water simly lake collects from melting ice from Muree. The weather and temperature at Simly dam are dry and moderate as compared to Islamabad, because of the flora and vegetation around.

After wading through the messy traffic and kiosk-walas of Khanna Pul overhead bridge, the road towards Simly Dam lake quiets down.

The best part of the journey

The last fifteen minutes are serene, green, and peaceful. Lots of birds, hills, farmhouses, and farmlands can be seen around the thin winding road towards Simly Guesthouse.

Before reaching Simly Dam

Before Simly Dam Lake, you’d see various hues of green, yellow, and orange trees. The icing on the cake is the scent of Mother Nature herself. No wonder unique varieties of birds jump about in the thick vegetation along the route. You feel like simply dancing with nature here, of course when no one’s watching. Might as well call it smily lake.

A bunch of kids playing cricket in a small clearing among tall pine trees was a sight to see.

where to get the gate pass for Simly dam guest house

Gate Pass to go into the Simly Dam guest house and spillways costs Rs 5000 per day and can be purchased from the CDA office in G-6/4. You’d have to send someone to get it though. Without this pass, the guards at the gate do not let you through.

Like all good real-estate in Pakistan, this has also been hijacked by CDA and instead of buying tickets on-site, you’d have to waste a whole day getting one from G-6. Bravo Baboos’ of Pakistan.

Check out this Einstein — he should be given a medal in avoiding all responsibility

Where to park your car

We parked our car about a kilometer before the guest house and walked all the way to the main reservoir. People were barbecuing, singing, and dancing along the banks of the half-filled lake. The place seemed quite safe. The road to the place is newly carpeted.

The water inside the reservoir is clear, mostly because of the recent spurt of rainfalls.

Another country would be making a fortune off this clear water, with people enjoying the natural beauty. We went on a weekend and there were a handful of people there.

‘Kitnay chor jail me daalo ge, har idaray say chor niklay ga!’

Karore village viewpoint of Simly Dam

We drove toward a high point on the Simly Dam-Muree link road and took pictures of the main reservoir, spillways, Sowan River valley, and the decontamination plant. The best view of Simly Dam Lake is visible from Karore village, where the lake is located.

If you want to soothe your nerves, Barbecue at Simly Dam is worth the effort.

To read more about dams you can go to these links

Tarbela dam,

Rawal Dam,

Khanpur Dam,

Dharab Dam, and

Mangla Dam.

Do watch video of our trip.