Kalash Festival Tour to Bumburet

About the Kalash Festival Tour

Introduction as published on the Cultural Tours page.

Key facts

Duration

11 days

Best time

14th – 15th May/19th – 20th August/7th – 22nd December

Range / region

Hindokush

Highest point

2200

Zone

Open

Starts and ends

International Airport, Islamabad

Who it suits

Four days are spent in Bumburet during the festival. It suits travellers interested in living culture; the programme describes the festivals as the culmination of Kalash religious life and details the spring festival, Chilimjushi, in the middle of May.

• Festival dates listed in the programme: 14–15 May, 19–20 August and 7–22 December.
• Exact festival dates are set locally each year; confirm them before you book flights.
• The route runs Islamabad – Chitral – Bumburet and back.

The Kalash valleys and their festivals

Bumburet is one of the Kalash valleys near Chitral, in the Hindu Kush close to the Afghan border. The festivals are the highlights of the Kalash calendar, and the programme names three: the spring festival Chilimjushi in mid-May, an August festival, and the winter festival Chaumos in December. Each marks a different point in the year and has its own character.

• Each festival has a different character: spring welcomes the new season, summer follows the harvest, and winter is the longest celebration.
• The trip spends four days in the valley, so you see the festival build up and wind down rather than catching a single moment.

Getting there and staying

The route runs Islamabad to Chitral, then up into Bumburet, with four days spent in the valley. Chitral is the gateway town where most services and supplies are based, while the valleys themselves are smaller and quieter. Accommodation is limited and busy during a festival, so the plan books ahead rather than leaving it to chance.

• The drive to Chitral is long and scenic; allow for road conditions to affect the timing.
• Festival periods fill beds quickly, which is one reason the trip fixes its dates early.

Respectful visiting

The festivals are living religious and cultural events, not performances staged for visitors. Dress modestly, ask before photographing people, and follow the guidance of your guide about where you may stand and what you may join. The best way to experience a festival is to watch, listen and follow local custom.

• Do not enter homes or shrine areas without being invited.
• Ask permission before taking photos of people, and respect a no.

What festival days are like

A Kalash festival is not a single staged event but a series of days of singing, dancing and gathering that follow the community own rhythm. Visitors watch and join in where invited, rather than following a fixed programme of performances. Days can start slowly and run late, so flexibility and patience matter more than a tight sightseeing schedule.

• Bring footwear for walking between village areas and standing through long sessions of dance and music.
• Expect the plan to stay loose; the festival sets its own pace.

Photography and everyday etiquette

Photography is welcome when it is invited, but it is a privilege, not a right. Ask before photographing people, and be prepared for a no, especially for children and during religious parts of a festival. The same care applies to everyday life: dress modestly, do not enter homes or shrine areas uninvited, and treat the valleys as people homes rather than a set.

• If you are unsure whether a moment is private, ask your guide before raising a camera.
• Leaving time to simply watch, without a camera, is often the most rewarding part of the visit.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 01: Islamabad

   Arrival in Islamabad and transfer to hotel.

2. Day 02: Islamabad to Chitral

   Departure for Chitral via Lawari Tunnel (in case the Tunnel close then via Lawari Pass) (3118m) our today’s journey will be 10 hours drive, today we will cross some small cites and piston villages arrive in Chitral and transfer to the hotel

3. 03: Chitral to Bumburat (Kalash)

   Departure for Kalash valley, the 3 hours drive to Kalash village be through the most interesting narrow jeep trek, arrive and transfer to the hotel

4. Day 04 to 07: Bumburat (Kalash)

   Explore the beautiful Kalash valley Bumburat, Rembur and enjoy the festival in Bumburat village in Kalash valley

5. 08: Kalash to Chitral

   After breakfast, drive back to Chitral. After lunch, we will visit the local bazaar and Shahi mosque, Built by the ul-Mulks near the end of the 19th century. Its pinkish walls and white onion dome make it one of north Pakistan’s most distinctive mosques, particularly as its minarets frame Tirich Mir in the far distance. It’s usually fine to visit, but ask permission before entering and avoid Friday prayers. Arrive and transfer to the hotel

6. 09: Chitral to Islamabad

   After breakfast, drive back to Islamabad, arrive, and transfer to the hotel

7. 10: Islamabad

   After breakfast, we visit Taxila city, which is 35 km, 20 minutes drive from Islamabad, moving towards the north-west where the civilization of Gandhara exists. While traveling on GT road, there is Taxila Museum after crossing Margalla Hills, just turning left from Taxila bypass at Khanpur Lake road, about 4 km away. It’s a site museum where the collections of Gandhara art are placed, which is about 600 BC to 700 BC. Two beautiful & well-maintained gardens are also attached to the museum’s building for visitors to relax and enjoy the natural environment and weather.

8. 11: Islamabad to Flight out

   Explore the twin cities, and in the evening, transfer to the airport for a flight back home.

Included and not included

As listed in the programme's service details; confirm the current inclusions when you plan your dates.

Places on this route

Destination guides for the places this itinerary passes through:

• Chitral
• Kalash Valleys
• Taxila

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