Shandur and the Kalash valleys
Overview
An eleven-day journey over the Shandur Pass at 3,700 m from Gilgit into Chitral, continuing to the Kalash valleys of Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir. Road-based and graded easy in effort, though the Shandur road itself is rough. It is the most culturally remarkable trip we run.
Shandur, and the polo
The pass is a broad grassy saddle holding Shandur Lake, and it carries what is often called the highest polo ground in the world. The Gilgit–Chitral tournament is played there each July without umpires and under free-style rules, and it is one of the genuinely unreconstructed spectacles left anywhere. If you want to be there for it, say so at enquiry — the dates move and the accommodation around the pass is tents.
Outside tournament week the pass is empty, which has its own argument in favour.
The Kalash valleys
The Kalasha are a few thousand people in three valleys south of Chitral, with their own language, their own polytheistic religion and their own calendar of festivals — Chilam Joshi in May, Uchal in August, Chaumos at the winter solstice. They are not a heritage display. They are a small living community under real pressure, and how you visit matters.
We go with Kalasha guides, we pay the community fee, we ask before photographing people, and we do not take groups into the Jestakhan or into funeral observances. If that sounds restrictive, it is, and we would rather lose the booking than be the operator that makes the valleys worse.
How hard is it?
Physically easy. Long days in a vehicle on bad roads is the difficulty — the Shandur crossing is unsealed and slow, and the Lowari and Chitral roads are mountain roads. No trekking is required, though there are good short walks in all three Kalash valleys.
When it runs
June to September, because the Shandur Pass is snowbound outside that. The alternative route to Chitral through the Lowari tunnel runs most of the year, so if your dates fall outside the Shandur window tell us and we will plan it the other way round.
What is inside the price
All permits and the Kalash community fees, 4x4s and drivers on our own plates for the whole route including the Shandur crossing, hotels and guesthouses throughout plus the tented night at the pass if you are there for the polo, all meals, a guide on our payroll and Kalasha guides in the valleys paid directly, satellite comms, and a written evacuation plan — which on the Shandur road is a longer drive-out than anywhere else in this catalogue.
- Duration
- 8 – 12 days
- Maximum altitude
- 3,700 m
- Grade
- Moderate
- Group size
- Max 10
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- June – September
- Starts / ends
- Islamabad / Islamabad
- Across Shandur to Chitral and the Kalash valleys, at the pace the road allows.
Fixed departures
These prices are per person on a fixed departure, and they are the price — we do not discount a published figure. Deposit is 25%; the payment schedule and cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote. For your own dates, see the private pricing below.
Private departures and group pricing
Your party, your dates. The per-person figure falls as the party grows, because the guides, the vehicles and the camp cost the same split more ways. Everything in the inclusions list applies, and the safety standard is the one published above.
| Party size | Price per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | USD 2,900 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 2,300 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 1,900 | Second guide joins at six |
Deposit is 25% of the trip price. The payment schedule and the cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote, before you pay anything.
Day by day
Buffer days are built in, not padding. If the weather takes them, nothing downstream collapses and you are not charged twice.
01 Arrive Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
Met inside the terminal. Briefing, SIM and cash.
02 Islamabad to Chitral Hotel
By air when the weather allows, or by road over the Lowari tunnel.
03 Chitral — town and fort Hotel
The fort, the mosque and the bazaar. A gentle day to settle in.
04 Chitral to the Kalash valleys Guesthouse
Into Bumburet. Narrow roads and a different world at the end of them.
05 Kalash — Bumburet and Rumbur Guesthouse
Two of the three valleys, at the pace of the place rather than ours.
06 Kalash to Mastuj Guesthouse
Back out and east toward the Shandur road.
07 Mastuj to Shandur Camp · 3,700 m
Up to the polo ground. Cold camp, big sky.
08 Shandur to Phander Guesthouse
Down the Ghizer side, with the river and the lakes.
09 Phander to Gilgit Hotel
Out through Ghizer to Gilgit.
10 Gilgit to Islamabad Hotel · 540 m
Air or road, with buffer against weather.
11 Islamabad, and home —
Airport transfer.
What is included
- Visa sponsor letter
- All permits, park fees and NOCs
- Met inside the terminal, all transfers
- Our own 4x4s and drivers
- Certified guides and insured crew
- Camp equipment, cook and all meals on trek
- Medical kit, oxygen where the route calls for it
- Satellite comms and a daily message home
- International flights
- Visa fee itself
- Travel insurance covering evacuation and repatriation
- Personal equipment
- Tips
If our price is wrong for you we will move you to a lower tier or remove a named inclusion. We do not discount a published price, and we do not cut the crew.
Fitness and difficulty — read this honestly
[WRITE THE HONEST FITNESS NOTE FOR THIS ROUTE BEFORE PUBLISHING.]
Kit list
The full list with quantities is sent with your quote. Rental is available in Skardu for most of it, priced separately. Your kit is checked item by item in Islamabad, not the night before the trek.
Group — we provide
- All vehicles, drivers and fuel
- Group first aid
- Satellite phone where there is no mobile signal
Personal — yours
- Layers for a wide temperature range; valley heat and pass cold on the same day
- Comfortable walking shoes for short walks off the road
- Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Power bank; mains power is intermittent outside the towns
- Personal medication and a declared medical history
Safety, evacuation and insurance
Helicopter rescue in the Karakoram is not guaranteed. Weather, altitude, daylight and clearance all decide whether a helicopter flies, so every stage carries a named drive-out or walk-out plan. Your insurance must cover helicopter evacuation and repatriation to the maximum altitude on your itinerary, and we verify the certificate before the trip starts.
A graded medical kit sized to the trip, oxygen, a portable altitude chamber, a satellite phone and a messenger, and a wilderness first responder in the crew.
The lead guide’s decision to turn back is final. Not a guest, not an agent, not this office — whatever has been paid.
Getting there
Islamabad
Met inside the terminal. Briefing the same evening.
Islamabad to Chitral
By air when the weather allows, or by road over the Lowari tunnel. We build a buffer day either way.
On the ground
Our own 4x4s. The Kalash valley roads are rough and narrow.
Questions people actually ask
Can we see the Shandur polo festival?
If you plan a year ahead. The dates are set annually and accommodation is taken early, so this is one trip we need long lead time on. Tell us at enquiry and we will tell you the current dates once they are published rather than guessing.
How should we behave in the Kalash valleys?
As guests in somebody's home, because that is what you are. Ask before photographing anybody, especially during festivals. Your guide will tell you what is and is not welcome, and we expect you to listen.
How rough is the Shandur road?
Rough. It is the reason we run our own 4x4s rather than hiring. If you have back problems, say so at enquiry — this is the trip that finds them.
How cold is Shandur?
Cold at any time of year, at over 3,700 m. Full camp with proper sleeping bags, and we would rather you over-packed for that night.
Is it safe?
Chitral and the Kalash valleys are routinely visited. We monitor the position continuously and we will tell you plainly if we think a departure should not run, rather than running it and hoping.
Can this be combined with Hunza?
Yes, and it works well — out through Shandur to Gilgit and up the Karakoram Highway. Tell us how long you have.
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