Shandur Polo Festival Tour
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Kalash Festival Tour
A nine-day cultural tour of Chitral and the Kalash valleys of Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir, timed to a Kalasha festival in spring, late summer or midwinter.
- 9 Days
- Easy
- May, August or December (by festival)
At a glance
Duration9 Days
GradeEasy
Group size2–14
Best seasonMay, August or December (by festival)
Start / endIslamabad
TypeTour
RegionChitral
Group pricing
Per person in USD, full-board — the larger your group, the lower the per-person cost. We confirm your exact all-in figure in writing before any deposit.
| Group size | Per person |
|---|---|
| 7–10 people | $1,450 |
| 4–6 people | $1,700 |
| 1–3 people | $2,100 |
Excludes international flights, Pakistan visa, insurance, personal equipment and tips.
Fixed 2027 departures
Guaranteed small-group dates for the 2027 season. Prefer your own dates? Every trip can also run privately inside its season window.
| 13 May 2027 → 21 May 2027 | Book this date |
|---|---|
| 20 Aug 2027 → 28 Aug 2027 | Book this date |
| 15 Dec 2027 → 23 Dec 2027 | Book this date |
Trip highlights
- A Kalasha festival timed to your dates: Chilam Joshi, Uchal or Chawmos
- The Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir valleys, visited with a local guide
- Village walks past terraced fields, orchards and timber houses
- Chitral Fort and the Shahi Mosque above the river
- Tirich Mir (7,708 m), the Hindu Kush's highest peak, from Chitral on clear days
- An optional day to the Garam Chashma hot springs
- Short walks, simple guesthouses and a light footprint
Overview
The Kalash Festival Tour is an easy nine-day cultural journey from Islamabad to Chitral and the Kalash valleys of Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir, timed to a Kalasha festival: Chilam Joshi (spring), Uchal (late summer) or Chawmos (midwinter). It is a drive-and-walk trip with a local guide, for travellers who want to attend as respectful guests.
South-west of Chitral town, three valleys open off the main Chitral valley near Ayun. They are home to the Kalasha, a small community with its own pre-Islamic religion, its own language, Kalasha-mun, and its own dress, who share the valleys with Muslim neighbours. Bumburet is larger than the other two; Rumbur lies to its north and Birir to its south.
Three festivals mark the Kalasha year. Chilam Joshi, in about mid-May, welcomes the spring with dancing, song and offerings of milk. Uchal, in about late August, comes at the harvest. Chawmos, around the winter solstice in December, is the main festival of the year and runs for about two weeks. Dates are confirmed each year. Visitors are generally welcome at the open-air parts, such as the dancing and singing; some rites and places are private to the community, and we leave them so.
We visit as guests and keep a light footprint: a local guide throughout, local guesthouses, and a group that stays together and walks quietly in the villages. We ask before photographing anyone, dress modestly and keep out of places that are not open to visitors. Chitral, at either end of the trip, has its old fort and the Shahi Mosque above the river, with Tirich Mir (7,708 m), the highest peak of the Hindu Kush, standing over the district. The valley roads are rough in places, the guesthouses are simple and the walking is short, so ordinary fitness is enough.
When to come
The festival sets the date, so the trip runs in three windows through the year and you choose one. Dates are confirmed each year, and we fix flights and rooms once they are known. Rooms in the valleys are limited, so it helps to ask early.
- Mid-May (Chilam Joshi): the spring festival. The valleys are green, the days mild and the nights cool.
- Late August (Uchal): the harvest festival. Days are warm and the fields and orchards are full; flash floods or landslides can occasionally delay the valley roads.
- December (Chawmos): the two-week midwinter festival. Days are cold and snow is possible in the valleys, and some of the rites are private to the community. Flights can be cancelled, so we plan to be ready to drive.
Itinerary
9 stages over 9 days, starting and finishing in Islamabad. Routes can be shortened, extended or privately dated.
A morning flight from Islamabad to Chitral, about an hour and weather-dependent, or the road through Dir and the Lowari Tunnel, which takes a full day and has been more dependable in winter since the tunnel opened. If the flight is cancelled we drive, and the rest of the plan is unaffected. Evening in Chitral, with a short walk through the bazaar and along the river, and a view of Tirich Mir if the cloud allows.
We drive south to Ayun, about 20 km from Chitral, and up into the Bumburet valley, a drive of about two hours in all. The last stretch is narrow and unsurfaced in places. In the afternoon we walk through the nearby village with our guide, who explains how visitors are expected to behave and what is and is not open to them.
The first festival day. Whichever festival your dates fall on, much of it takes place in the open, around the dancing ground, with singing and dancing, and we spend the day there as quiet guests, guided on where to stand and what to leave alone; some rites are not open to outsiders and we do not attend them. We arrange the valley days so that the main festival days fall in the middle of the stay.
A second festival day or, depending on how the dates fall, an unhurried day in Bumburet: a walk through the upper villages, the fields and the orchards, and tea with our guide. Shops in the valley sell embroidery and beadwork, and your guide can suggest where to buy if you would like something to take home.
We drive back down the Bumburet road and up the neighbouring Rumbur valley, smaller and to the north, and spend the day walking between its villages with our guide. If the festival is still under way, we join it here. We sleep in Rumbur or return to Bumburet, depending on where rooms are available.
Back down to Ayun and up the Birir valley, smaller and to the south of Bumburet, for a morning among its villages and terraced fields. In the afternoon we drive on to Chitral for the night.
A slower day in Chitral. We visit Chitral Fort, also called the Shahi Qila, and the Shahi Mosque above the river, then walk through the bazaar, where woollen caps and shawls are sold. If you would rather spend the day on the road, the Garam Chashma hot springs are a full-day excursion up a side valley towards the Afghan border, subject to current conditions.
Fly to Islamabad in the morning if the weather allows. If the flight is cancelled we drive via Dir and the Lowari Tunnel, a long day that turns Day 9 into your arrival day.
Time in Islamabad or Rawalpindi before your transfer to the airport. The Faisal Mosque, or the view over the city from Daman-e-Koh in the Margalla Hills, makes an easy morning.
What’s included
Included
- All ground transport in Pakistan as per itinerary
- Experienced native English-speaking guide
- Hotel accommodation on the road sections
- Full camping equipment and kitchen crew on trek
- All meals during the trekking / climbing period
- Porters for group and personal equipment (within weight limit)
- Trekking / climbing permits and national park fees
- Government liaison officer where required
Not included
- International flights to and from Pakistan
- Pakistan visa fee
- Personal travel and high-altitude rescue insurance
- Personal climbing and trekking equipment
- Tips for guides, cooks and porters
- Any expenses of a personal nature
These are the standard inclusions for our tour programmes and are confirmed in writing on your final itinerary before any payment is taken.
Questions about this trip
Chilam Joshi falls in about mid-May, when the valleys are green; Uchal in about late August, at the harvest; and Chawmos in December, as a cold, two-week midwinter festival with some private rites. Dates are confirmed each year, and we fix flights and rooms once they are known.
Visitors are generally welcome at the open-air parts of the festivals, such as the dancing and singing, but some rites and places are closed to outsiders. We go with a local guide, dress modestly, ask before photographing anyone, and follow the guide's lead on where to stand and what to leave alone.
The Islamabad flight takes about an hour, but it flies only in clear weather and cancellations are common. The road through Dir and the Lowari Tunnel takes a full day and is our backup; the tunnel has made it more dependable in winter than it once was, but we still advise leaving a margin before any international flight.
It is graded Easy: the walks are short and unhurried, the valleys lie at moderate altitude, and the main effort is the rough road up each valley. Rooms are in simple guesthouses and small hotels, where hot water, heating, power and mobile signal can be limited, particularly in winter.
This is graded easy. Most days are easy and hotel-based, with a private vehicle and only short, optional walks rather than trekking; the main demands are the long mountain drives and the thin air on any high pass or plateau. If you tell us a little about yourself we will give you an honest answer.
The season is May, August or December (by festival). We can also arrange a private departure on your own dates within it.
2–14. Smaller and private groups are available and often cost less per head than you would expect — ask us for a quote on your own dates.
The headline is the per-person rate for a standard group of 7–10; smaller groups pay a little more per head because fixed costs — guide, permits, liaison officer and transport — are shared across fewer people. Prices are full-board, and we confirm your exact all-in total in writing before any deposit.
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