Chitral & Kalash Valley

The Chitral Valley, located in the northern region of Pakistan, is one of the most remarkable places in the Pakistan when it comes to natural scenic beauty. Its picturesque mountains, Sulphur Springs, Juniper forests, friendly people, and rivers teeming with the famous Trout fish are truly spellbinding.

 Chitral with its artistic handcrafts and precious stones attracts tourists from all over the country. At the end of summer, the whole region is decorated with oodles of flowers and fruits. Famous fruits of Chitral are peach, apricot, damson, apple, pomegranate, grapes, and pear. The people of Chitral are Hospitable and Civilized.

Kalash Valley is surrounded by the Hindu Kush Mountain range. The inhabitants of the valley are the Kalash people, who have a unique culture, and language and follow a form of ancient Hinduism. A chance to meet the local Kalash community and learn about their heritage by visiting their museum. Tour of the mesmerizing Kalash. A chance to meet the local Kalash community and learn about their heritage by visiting their museum.

DAY 1

• Departure from Islamabad and drive towards 8 hr 25 min (394 km) via Swat expressway & N-45
• Reached Chakdara
• Drive towards Chitral 
• Winding over the Lowari Mountain is an interesting and rewarding experience.
• On the other side of the mountain, we again find asphalt road and arrive in Chitral in the evening.
• check in to hotel 
• Night stay at Chitral

DAY 2

• Breakfast 
• After breakfast we will leave for Garam Chasma, a sub valley of Chitral, famous for its Sulphur Springs and Trout fish.
• Explore Garam Chashma Chitral
• Relish the time at Garam chashma
• Afterall have lunch and drive back
• Visit Chitral Fort
• The Shahi Qila is speculated to have been built during the rule of Mohtaram Shah Katur II in 1774 and later refurbished by the famous Mughal leader Shuja-ul-Mulk in the early 1900s. It is said to be more than three centuries old, with the exception of some of the newer areas.
•  Chitral Museum
• The Museum was built on 8 July 2010 and the main idea was to maintain the cultural heritage for the tourists. The museum is divided into two different sections that are the Ethnological Gallery and the Archaeological and Kalash Gallery.
• Back to hotel
• Night stay at Chitral

DAY 3

• Breakfast

Departure from Chitral to Bamburet valley 1 hr 44 min (27.7 km)

• Reached Bamburet Kalash valley
• Check in hotel
• Visit to Kalash graveyard and school made with the help of the people of Greece would be an interesting addition. Participants can meet and interact with community members, teachers and local kids in their traditional dresses.

Night stay in Bamburet

DAY 4

• Breakfast
•  will get free day to get relaxed and enjoy the breath-taking views of the valley.
• Kalash is an exotic feature of the region; these tribes are contrast to rest of the country.
• Their culture, religion, customs and habitat are unique and interesting.
• Optional trip to Rambur, another typical Kalash village can be organized.
• Participate in the cultural festivals according to your visit time. In case exceptional visit to kalash relish and enjoy the local unique culture and sites associated to it along various artifacts.
• Back to chitiral via same route
• Night stay at chitiral

DAY 5

• We will leave early morning from Ayun Chitral for a long drive back to Islamabad.
• Short stay along the way in Dir
• Continue journey towards Islamabad 
• Reached Islamabad 

End of services

Festivals Schedule

Mon 13 May – Thu 16 May

Kalash Spring Festival Chilam Joshi

Chilam Joshi Festival is one the most vital kalash festivals.  Kalash Festival of Chilam Joshi is also known as Kalash spring festival. The Kalash people celebrate this four-day festival across all three Kalash valleys of Rumbur, Bumburet and Birir. A large number of domestic and foreign tourists attend the Chilam Joshi festival every year.

The main objective behind the Kalash festival of Chilam Joshi is that Kalasha men and women can find themselves a spouse to get married. The women wear traditional attire with lively colors and hair dressers have patterns of flowers on it. They wear beaded necklaces which compliments their dresses and head gears.

Tue 20 Aug – Thu 22 Aug

Kalash summer Festival Uchal

Uchal, also known as Utchal is a summer Kalash festival. Kalasha people during this festival pay homage to God by celebrating the harvest and also thanking their God for blessing them with good food and crops. Corn, buttermilk and cheese are prepared to celebrate the festival.

People of Kalash take a procession to a high plateau which is located outside to the village in Balangkuru and they pray to the God and this is where the long night of dancing begins. This Kalash festival is moved to different locations of the valleys and it continues for several days

Sun 15 Dec – Sun 22 Dec

Kalash Winter festival

Kalash Winter festival is also called “Choimus” in the local language. This annually observed event symbolises and forecasts prosperity of the village and its people in the coming year. During the festival People go out to seek foxes which is considered as a good omen. Torch lit processions arrives from nearby villages at the main traditional dancing place called a “Charsue”. The dancing and festivities are held indoor that go late into the night as the local wine is handed around the bonfire. The locals perform rituals for purification during the festival at the dawn of the new year. The tribal elders gather at hilltops to watch the rising sun of the new year that is followed by goat sacrifices made to the Goddess, “Jastak”, and the blood is sprinkled at the temple Jastarkhan.

7 to 9 July

Shandur polo

The festival is scheduled from 7 to 9 July each year at the highest altitude polo ground at Shandur Top with the joint collaboration of the Gilgit-Baltistan Government and KPK Government. Every year, the Gilgit-Baltistan polo teams, horses, and team officials along with band groups proceed to Gologmuli Phandar on or before 11th June for practice and acclimatization of polo players and horses. After 18 days of training at Gologmuli Phandar, the teams move to Shandur Top accordingly to participate in Shandur Polo Festival. 

In order to decide the final teams to play at the Shandur Polo Festival, preliminary matches are played both in Chitral and Gilgit, in which the best horses and players are chosen for the final games by the local juries. The festival begins on 7th July. During the course of the tournament, A, B, C, and D teams of Chitral and Gilgit battle it out on the polo field. Each team has six members with 2 to 4 reserve players in case of injury etc. The match usually lasts one hour. It is divided into two halves, with a ten-minute interval. During intervals, the locals enthrall the audiences with traditional and cultural performances. The game is decided in favour of the team scoring more goals. The final is held on 9th July

The festival attracts thousands of domestic and foreign tourists to the attractive tourist destination.

Shandur is located on the border between Gilgit and Chitral, due to which both KPK and Gilgit Baltistan governments lay claim to Shandur. The chief ministers of both GB and KP have invited each other to attend the festival. For the people of Chitral, Shandur Valley is their “fairy house”, while the people of Ghizer in Gilgit-Baltistan describe it as their cold haven. For the people of Pakistan, however, it is one of the most serene areas of the country, where they can enjoy the ‘game of kings’ or the ‘king of games’ in cool weather. The Shandur Valley connects the Laspur region of Upper Chitral with the Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan through the Shandur Pass

– TRANSPORTATION

– MEALS

– PHOTOGRAPHY

– SIGHTSEEING

– FIRST AID BOX