| Kalash Trek - Details |
| A trek still not explored by Lonely Planet or others. It starts and ends in the Rumbur valley where you trek to Shekinan Deh then into the Gangalwat valley to the waterfall and high pastures. Unlike the rest of Chitral this area is more Alpine. There will be lovely flowers, you will meet some shepherds, have both a moraine and snowbasin to cross to reach a high pass around 4500 to 4800 metres. From the pass you make a steep descend to camp besides a turquoise lake, then through alpine area and some mountain hamlets and Kalash high pastures back to Rumbur. |
| Day | Activity | Accomodation |
| 01 | Arrival in Rawalpindi. | Hotel |
| 02 | From Rawalpindi drive over the Malakand Pass past Churchill’s picket, where Winston Churchill was stationed during the Pathan tribal uprisings, up to Dir. | Hotel |
| 03 | Drive up to the Lowari Pass (3118 m). From the pass you have a nice view of the mountains deep into Afghanistan. Drive up to the private fort of the Ul Mulk family at Ayun. | Ayun Fort guest rooms |
| 04 | Rest at Ayun Farm. Village walks. After a long days journey today you would require a quieter day. Rest at Ayun Fort and have a short walk along the Ayun stream exploring the village activities. Or an afternoon at the farm house discussing herbs and plants with Prince Khush Ahmed ul Mulk. Ayun Fort was once a fort of the ruling family of Chitral and is now developed into a farm covering an area of around 50 acres. It is situated in a scenic setting above the Ayun valley at 1370 metres giving you a 360 degree panoramic view dominated by the majestic Tirich Mir (7708 m), the highest peak of the Hindukush. Encircling this is the farm and an orchard with apricots, peaches, apples, grapes, plums and pomegranates. On one side of the orchard a sheer cliff drops to the gushing blue Ayun stream full of fish. Hanging on the cliff top is the herbal and botanical garden of Prince Khush Ahmed ul Mulk, the owner. The farm house has its own supply of clear spring water and electricity from a small hydroelectric power station on the premises. Here, besides the regular cuisine on demand, you are also provided with local home-made traditional food that cannot be served in hotels. The farm is organically run and produces fresh milk, poultry, fruits, herbs and vegetables besides wheat, rice and maize. |
Ayun Fort guest rooms |
| 05 | Drive to the Kalash valley of Rumbur. | Camp |
| 06 | Trek to Bitter Spring. Maximum 3-4 hours of easy walking through villages on a trail then through along a stream. Altitude: 2600 metres. | Camp |
| 07 | Trek to Big Rock. 4,5 hours of easy walking, first through fir trees then on a trail along a stream to the Big Rock pasture at an altitude of about 3200 metres. Camp. Explore the area. The Big Rock camp is a grassy spot with a huge waterfall on one side and from the camp a straight view of the route and pass leading right into Nuristan/Afghanistan. Those of you who are eager could visit the shepherds in the side valley and find a variety of wild flowers and herbs. | Camp |
| 08 | Trek to high pasture camp in 1,5 hours maximum. | Camp |
| 09 | Trek over pass. The going up is through moraine, where you see marmots and snow cocks. Then skirt a snowdrift and glacier to reach the pass around 4500 metres. From the pass it is a steep descend to the blue Lagoon Lake visible from the top. 7,5 hours. | Camp |
| 10 | Rest at Blue lagoon Bahok Lake. | Camp |
| 11 | Descend the canyon, where the going at times gets tough as it is just a shepherds' trail, to the Kalash summer pastures. Here the Kalash are more relaxed unlike the main valleys and it is a nice experience to be with them. 6 to 7 hours of walking. | Camp |
| 12 | In the morning drive to the town of Chitral. The busy bazar, overshadowed by the massif of Tirich Mir (7780 m), is a friendly Aladdin's cave of semi precious stones, local cloth, hats and old military medals & rugs brought by Afghan traders from Badakshan & Wakhan. It is the town's history which helps create its wild atmosphere. Chitral Fort (scene of a 48 day siege of a British Force in 1895) is a historically important building close by that you could visit. In the afternoon drive on to Bumbagh Garden Heights. | Bumbagh Garden Heights home stay |
| 13 | Drive along the Yarkhun River valley. En route good view of Buni & Hindu Raj Peaks. An exciting jeep ride, which takes about 5 to 6 hours following the course of the river and ends at the lovely orchard of Chuinj beyond Mastuj. | home stay |
| 14 | In the village of Chuinj you will be among the first few foreigners staying in this village, so it will be an excellent opportunity to mix up with and get to know the local folks at this village. | home stay |
| 15 | Drive to the broad and grassy col of Shandur Pass (3734 m). Each year from 7th to 9th July there is a traditional wild mountain polo match played out at the pass between teams from Gilgit and Chitral which attracts thousand of villagers from near and far and turns into a festival with campfires, music and dancing. Dropping down beside to the clear Ghizar river we carry along it through the villages of Barsat, Teru and Handrap to picturesque Phander Lake. 7 hours drive. | PTDC Hotel |
| 16 | Drive to Hunza. After Gilgit the journey is along the most spectacular section of the KKH through the historic Hunza Valley to the capital of the region, Karimabad. The landscape on either side of the road as we drive north and then east from Gilgit changes from barren to odd terraced oasises around villages to the intensively irrigated plain beneath Karimabad/Hunza. This section of the road offers amazing views of the majestic Rakaposhi (7788 m), which rises above the east (right hand) side of the road. | --- |
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