Luxury Travel Pakistan Shandur Polo- Urbane Nomads- Sample Itinerary

This itinerary coinciding with the Shandur Polo Festival takes you through the Kalash valleys, the historied town of Chitral before arriving in Shandur for the polo festival.

Private departures to the Kalash Valley and Hunza are also possible for the rest of the year.
3rd July:
Arrival Islamabad. Based at the Islamabad Serena Hotel, spend the afternoon at leisure or touring the Museum and Bazaar. The displays at the Islamabad Museum -manmade stone tools dating back 2 million years ago, the arts and crafts of the Indus Civilization, Ghandara Grave Culture, Islamic Sultanate and Mughal periods-are illustrative of the position of Pakistan as the seat of multiple civilizations.

Photo courtesy of Atif Gulzar.
4th -6th July: Fly Islamabad to Chitral. In the morning, visit Chitral town. The busy bazaar, overshadowed by the massif of Tirich Mir peak (7780, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush), is a cross between a veritable Orientalist dream and the realities of contemporary international relations dynamics, with vendors selling semi precious stones, rugs brought its from Badakshan and Wakhan as well as old military medals . 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), and the 19th century Shahi Mosque are two of the many historically important buildings that you can see.

Late in the afternoon drive on to the private family Fort at Ayun. Ayun Fort is situated in a scenic setting above the Ayun valley at 1370m, giving you a 360 degree panoramic view , dominated by the majestic Tirich Mir, 7708m, the highest peak of the Hindukush
A relaxed day with village walks in Ayun. Ayun is the most fertile village of Chitral, here water is abundant for all purposes vegetables and fruit grow abundantly and the tree and flower life is one of great interest and amazing beauty Ayun village offers 12 different trails to walk on. Where you could choose to walk from an hour to three hours through peaceful village activities where you get invited into homes for a cup of tea with a relaxed and friendly exchange of greetings. Ayun is an experience quite different to the tourist spots and towns in northern Pakistan. Visit a school to see the education system in these villages or talk herbs and gardens with the locals.This was once a fort of the ruling family of Chitral and is now developed into a organically run farm with a good variety of plants and herbs on its premises and provides fresh milk, fruit, herbs and vegetables besides wheat, rice and maize. Hanging on the cliff top Orchard 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 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.
7th July: Visit to the Kalash valley to visit one of the most romanticised living communities today. Tourist brochures and press- both local and international have drawn upon the enigmatic practices of the tribe, its reclusive location in the valleys of Chitral and the supposed links to Alexander the Great.

Yet the hospitality of the Kalash people is legendary for many who have visited this area have famously opted to stay, forming part of the community or have at least made multiple trips back.

Have a walk as far as Sheikhanan Deh where the Nuristani tribes live Visit Kalash center and ethnological Museum of the Kalash in Brun Bumboret valley where their history, folk heritage and kalash handicrafts are displayed. Visit jestakan and burial sites in krakal hamlet . The Kalash religion is based on myths and superstitions that relate to the relationship between the human soul and the universe based on ancestor worship, as well as 12 gods and goddesses . This relationship, according to Kalash mythology, needs its manifestation in music and dance, which also contribute to the pleasure of gods and goddesses. In their festivals music and dance are performed not as an entertainment item, but as a religious ritual . The colorful traditional dress is worn at a all times by females which includes a black robe, an embroidered long cap decorated with cowrie shells, ornaments and beads. As you visit their wooden hamlets clinging to each other on the hills and museum you are taken back in time .
8th July: We will drive along the Yarkhun river valley for the ancient town of Mastuj. An exciting jeep ride, which takes about 6 hours following the course of the wild Mastuj River, takes us to the historic town & fort
9th to 10th July: Early morning drive from Mastuj, along the Sor Laspur stream, to the broad and grassy col of Shandur pass and lake at (3734m). Shandur festival witness polo matches.

Shandur is referred to by some as a place “halfway to heaven”, and is the highest polo ground in the world.

A unique aspect of Shandur polo is its music, which is provided live and throughout the game by traditional musicians. Instruments typically range from one big drum to a few smaller kettle drums, and also include a long pipe, the traditional surnai, which is a variety of the wind instrument.

11th July:Dropping down beside the Ghizar River we pass the village of Barsat, Teru and Handrap, Khalti lake descending the Ghizar River to Gupis and drive out of this valley then following the course of the Gilgit River to Gilgit, the capital of Pakistan's Northern Areas. Beyond Gupis, the road is better than we have used to over the last two days.
12th July: En route to Hunza , we take the journey along the most spectacular section of the Karakorum highway, through the historic Hunza Valley to the capital of the region Karimabad that fabled Shangrila where men are reputed to live beyond 100 years. The landscape on either side of the road as we drive north and then east from Gilgit is barren apart from the odd terraced oasis around a village and excepting the intensively irrigated plain beneath Karimabad. This section of the road offers amazing views of the majestic Rakaposhi (7788m), which rises above the east (right hand) side of the road. Overnight Hotel.
13th July: Rest and explore Hunza Karimabad free day on your own. Or you may choose to simply wander around, taking in some of the sight of this remarkable settlement, which was once the seat of the Mir (ruler) of Hunza. The views from Karimabad, of the Hunza valley are legendary. One of the options that we have is to walk up to the Baltit Fort, a 900 years old building with a Tibetan architectural style, in a location that offers exceptional views across the Hunza valley. Also close by is the Altit Fort , even older at 1000 years, which sits on top of a sheer 300 meter cliff above the Hunza river.
14th July:Rest and explore Hunza Karimabad free day on your own. Or you may choose to simply wander around, taking in some of the sight of this remarkable settlement, which was once the seat of the Mir (ruler) of Hunza. The views from Karimabad, of the Hunza valley are legendary. One of the options that we have is to walk up to the Baltit Fort, a 900 years old building with a Tibetan architectural style, in a location that offers exceptional views across the Hunza valley. Also close by is the Altit Fort , even older at 1000 years, which sits on top of a sheer 300 meter cliff above the Hunza river.
15th, 16th July: Drive down the Karakorum Highway en route to Islamabad. Overnight in Hotel.
17th July: Arrival in Islamabad. Day at leisure although availing yourself of a guide/personal shopper would be an option( extra costs).
Photo courtesy of Ghazi Ghulamraza
Guests are advised to bring their own sleeping bags and mats for the camps in Shandur.

Price: USD3462 per person on double occupancy basis.

Price Inclusions:

All accommodation in Pakistan on bed and breakfast basis (with exception of the tents in Shandur where there will be a cook at your disposal) and domestic transfers.

Price Exclusions:

International return flights to Islamabad

Travel Insurance

Minimum group size:5

This itinerary coinciding with the Shandur Polo Festival takes you through the Kalash valleys, the historied town of Chitral before arriving in Shandur for the polo festival.

Private departures to the Kalash Valley and Hunza are also possible for the rest of the year.

3rd July: Arrival Islamabad. Based at the Islamabad Serena Hotel, spend the afternoon at leisure or touring the Museum and Bazaar. The displays at the Islamabad Museum -manmade stone tools dating back 2 million years ago, the arts and crafts of the Indus Civilization, Ghandara Grave Culture, Islamic Sultanate and Mughal periods-are illustrative of the position of Pakistan as the seat of multiple civilizations.

4th -6th July: Fly Islamabad to Chitral. In the morning, visit Chitral town. The busy bazaar, overshadowed by the massif of Tirich Mir peak (7780, the highest peak of the Hindu Kush), is a cross between a veritable Orientalist dream and the realities of contemporary international relations dynamics, with vendors selling semi precious stones, rugs brought its from Badakshan and Wakhan as well as old military medals . 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), and the 19th century Shahi Mosque are two of the many historically important buildings that you can see.

Late in the afternoon drive on to the private family Fort at Ayun. Ayun Fort is situated in a scenic setting above the Ayun valley at 1370m, giving you a 360 degree panoramic view , dominated by the majestic Tirich Mir, 7708m, the highest peak of the Hindukush

A relaxed day with village walks in Ayun. Ayun is the most fertile village of Chitral, here water is abundant for all purposes vegetables and fruit grow abundantly and the tree and flower life is one of great interest and amazing beauty Ayun village offers 12 different trails to walk on. Where you could choose to walk from an hour to three hours through peaceful village activities where you get invited into homes for a cup of tea with a relaxed and friendly exchange of greetings. Ayun is an experience quite different to the tourist spots and towns in northern Pakistan. Visit a school to see the education system in these villages or talk herbs and gardens with the locals.This was once a fort of the ruling family of Chitral and is now developed into a organically run farm with a good variety of plants and herbs on its premises and provides fresh milk, fruit, herbs and vegetables besides wheat, rice and maize. Hanging on the cliff top Orchard 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 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.

7th July: Visit to the Kalash valley to visit one of the most romanticised living communities today. Tourist brochures and press- both local and international have drawn upon the enigmatic practices of the tribe, its reclusive location in the valleys of Chitral and the supposed links to Alexander the Great.

Yet the hospitality of the Kalash people is legendary for many who have visited this area have famously opted to stay, forming part of the community or have at least made multiple trips back.

Have a walk as far as Sheikhanan Deh where the Nuristani tribes live Visit Kalash center and ethnological Museum of the Kalash in Brun Bumboret valley where their history, folk heritage and kalash handicrafts are displayed. Visit jestakan and burial sites in krakal hamlet . The Kalash religion is based on myths and superstitions that relate to the relationship between the human soul and the universe based on ancestor worship, as well as 12 gods and goddesses . This relationship, according to Kalash mythology, needs its manifestation in music and dance, which also contribute to the pleasure of gods and goddesses. In their festivals music and dance are performed not as an entertainment item, but as a religious ritual . The colorful traditional dress is worn at a all times by females which includes a black robe, an embroidered long cap decorated with cowrie shells, ornaments and beads. As you visit their wooden hamlets clinging to each other on the hills and museum you are taken back in time .

8th July: We will drive along the Yarkhun river valley for the ancient town of Mastuj. An exciting jeep ride, which takes about 6 hours following the course of the wild Mastuj River, takes us to the historic town & fort

9th to 10th July: Early morning drive from Mastuj, along the Sor Laspur stream, to the broad and grassy col of Shandur pass and lake at (3734m). Shandur festival witness polo matches.

Shandur is referred to by some as a place “halfway to heaven”, and is the highest polo ground in the world.

A unique aspect of Shandur polo is its music, which is provided live and throughout the game by traditional musicians. Instruments typically range from one big drum to a few smaller kettle drums, and also include a long pipe, the traditional surnai, which is a variety of the wind instrument.

11th July:Dropping down beside the Ghizar River we pass the village of Barsat, Teru and Handrap, Khalti lake descending the Ghizar River to Gupis and drive out of this valley then following the course of the Gilgit River to Gilgit, the capital of Pakistan's Northern Areas. Beyond Gupis, the road is better than we have used to over the last two days.

12th July: En route to Hunza , we take the journey along the most spectacular section of the Karakorum highway, through the historic Hunza Valley to the capital of the region Karimabad that fabled Shangrila where men are reputed to live beyond 100 years. The landscape on either side of the road as we drive north and then east from Gilgit is barren apart from the odd terraced oasis around a village and excepting the intensively irrigated plain beneath Karimabad. This section of the road offers amazing views of the majestic Rakaposhi (7788m), which rises above the east (right hand) side of the road. Overnight Hotel.

13th July: Rest and explore Hunza Karimabad free day on your own. Or you may choose to simply wander around, taking in some of the sight of this remarkable settlement, which was once the seat of the Mir (ruler) of Hunza. The views from Karimabad, of the Hunza valley are legendary. One of the options that we have is to walk up to the Baltit Fort, a 900 years old building with a Tibetan architectural style, in a location that offers exceptional views across the Hunza valley. Also close by is the Altit Fort , even older at 1000 years, which sits on top of a sheer 300 meter cliff above the Hunza river.

14th July:Rest and explore Hunza Karimabad free day on your own. Or you may choose to simply wander around, taking in some of the sight of this remarkable settlement, which was once the seat of the Mir (ruler) of Hunza. The views from Karimabad, of the Hunza valley are legendary. One of the options that we have is to walk up to the Baltit Fort, a 900 years old building with a Tibetan architectural style, in a location that offers exceptional views across the Hunza valley. Also close by is the Altit Fort , even older at 1000 years, which sits on top of a sheer 300 meter cliff above the Hunza river.

15th, 16th July: Drive down the Karakorum Highway en route to Islamabad. Overnight in Hotel.

17th July: Arrival in Islamabad. Day at leisure although availing yourself of a guide/personal shopper would be an option( extra costs).
Photo courtesy of Ghazi Ghulamraza

Guests are advised to bring their own sleeping bags and mats for the camps in Shandur.

Price: USD3462 per person on double occupancy basis. Price Inclusions: All accommodation in Pakistan on bed and breakfast basis (with exception of the tents in Shandur where there will be a cook at your disposal) and domestic transfers. Price Exclusions: International return flights to Islamabad. Travel Insurance. Prices are approximate only.

An itinerary coinciding with the Shandur Polo Festival, set on the highest polo grounds in the world. Traversing through the dramatic landscapes of Chitral, the Kalash Valley and Hunza, this is a trip steeped in culture and enchanted natural surroundings.