Snow leopards & festivals in Pakistan
| country: | Pakistan |
| trip type: | Potentially dangerous. Click here to check Foreign & Commonwealth office advice |
| departures: | 2008: 6 Dec 2009: 5 Aug |
| price: | From £1450 - £1650 (14 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Kalash Solstice, Snow Leopard Tour: Undoubtedly one of the most wacky trips we have ever put together, in December Jonny B will lead a trip to see both the Kalash winter festival of Chamos – the most important time of the year for the Kalash, when life, the gods and the ancestors are celebrated in a week long party – and to seek out the elusive snow leopard, which has been sighted here three years running.
This is as close to real exploration as us mortals are ever likely to get – very few outsiders have ever witnessed Chamos – and some flexibility may be required as we get in and out of the valleys.
This is as close to real exploration as us mortals are ever likely to get – very few outsiders have ever witnessed Chamos – and some flexibility may be required as we get in and out of the valleys.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly from London Heathrow to Peshawar overnight. |
| Day 2: | Arrive Peshawar, transfer to domestic flight to Chitral. Arrive Chitral at 1100 check into the Mountain Inn. Lunch followed by a look around the fort – scene of the famous British siege – and the bazaar. Dinner at the hotel. If the flight is cancelled we will drive as far as Dir. |
| Day 3: | Whether we have flown or driven today we will move up to our camp in Chitral Gol to tey to spot the rare snow Leopard. Here we will sleep in tents but all possible consideration regarding your comfort will have been gone to. Staying in the wild will give us the best possible chance of spotting the snow leopard, but that is not all. This is also the time rutting season for the famous Markhor wild goat and we will see hundred of them here fighting and playing – indeed it is for the Markhor young that the snow leopard is interested in. |
| Day 4-5: | Chitral Gol – Snow Leopard and Markhor watching while staying at the camp. |
| Day 6: | After another days snow leopard watching move onto stay at the beautiful Ayun Fort, home to the Prince of Ayun. This is a gorgeous place, with fires in each of the lavish bedrooms. Dinner in the price’s traditional dining room. |
| Day 7: | Enter the Kalash Valley of Rumbor and the village of Balanguru where we stay with our friend Saifullah Jan, the chief spokesperson for the Kalash. The journey takes about 1 hour, though most people though prefer to walk the last few miles through the gorgeous valley. PM meet the Kalash. On this day women will have to go through purification rights but don’t worry it is nothing too drastic – just making some pure chapattis and offering them up at the temple of Jastak Khan. After that we will go for walks with our friends to visit their extended families in Grum or Kalashagrum. Dinner at guesthouse. |
| Day 8: | Kalash. Today it will be the turn of the men to cleanse themselves, this time with goats blood at the temple of Sagi Gor. Over 40 goats will be sacrificed as an offering to the gods, wine will be drunk and preparations for the dancing will start. In the evening we will join the Kalash with flaming sticks of juniper and again go visiting others in the valley. |
| Day 9-10: | For two days we will enjoy this extraordinary festival, that precious few westerners have ever seen. AS well as dancing, singing and feasting we will also witness the head shaman and religious priests (or Qazis, as they are known) summon up the spirits and ask for their blessing. |
| Day 11: | Leave the Kalash Valleys and return to Ayun Fort. After lunch we will take a last village walk or relax in the hotel garden. Dinner at the hotel. |
| Day 12: | Fly back to Peshawar and check into the sumptuous Khan Klub. After a rest and lunch we will visit the Peshawar museum followed by a visit to the old town. Here we will explore the many bazaars – including the famous storytellers street – and generally enjoy the chaotic, colourful and fascinating place that echoes the times of The Arabian Nights. We will end our tour at the Mohabit Khan Mosque, said to be the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. Dinner at hotel. |
| Day 13: | Day trip up the Khyber Pass and onto the Afghan frontier. For anyone with an interest in the area – or even just British history – a journey up the infamous the Khyber Pass is sure to set you pulse a racing: it is a fascinating journey through one of the great gateways of history through which Alexander the Great, Babur, Tamerlane, Nadir Shah and the British all came – some more gloriously than others. In the afternoon we will transfer to Islamabad, where we will check into the Ambassador Hotel. After some last minute shopping we will have dinner at Luna Capresie Italian Restaurant, the only place in town that serves wine. |
| Day 14: | Return to UK |
| Please note: | Please bear in mind there are some risks on this itinerary, in terms of getting in and out of Chitral. While we should be fine getting in to the valleys, there is a small possibility we might have trouble getting out. If the snows come and block the Lowari pass to traffic we will have two choices: those wishing to walk over the pass can (and we will provide guides to help) while those not happy to can wait for the next flight. We will have open return air-tickets so we can be sure to get home! |
Warning!
Certain parts of this itinerary are currently advised against by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Before choosing to join this trip you should first read the relevant sections of their website (www.fco.gov.uk). If travelling from the UK you will also need insurance that is not FCO sensitive. For more information, please contact us using the orange button
what this trip includes
Trips are on full board basis, and include international flights if mentioned in the price details, transport as outlined in itinerary, twin-share accommodation, mineral water and entrance fees. how this holiday makes a difference
 In Pakistan we pride ourselves on working directly with as many local hotels, drivers, guides and cooks as possible, thereby putting money directly into the local community; to put this into perspective, a jeep driver, like Muktar Alam, that earns 30,000 rupees for one trip can with these wages educate two sons for a year and feed his family for 4 months. We also employ jeep drivers on a revolving basis and different ones in each area to ensure that the money we bring in is distributed evenly. With the small local guesthouses and home stays we use – like Saifullah’s in the Kalash Valleys – the money goes and stays in these pagan valleys rather than being siphoned out to rich, down-country hoteliers. And on each part of the trip we employ local guides – like Dost Mohammed in the Peshawar bazaar – which again places funds directly in the pockets of local families. With our travels we also help support a number of educational trusts, and directly educate two boys from the Kalash Valleys. In 2005 Pakistan was hit by a devastating earthquake that shattered the lives and homes of thousands of people. We contribute to the Pakistan Earthquake Fund that helped not only with distributing aid at the time, but also with helping people rebuild their lives after the event. We are proud to support the Adopt-A-Minefield project, an NGO that saves and improves lives by raising funds to clear landmines and help landmine survivors. With more than 830 square kilometres of land left to clear in neighbouring Afghanistan, we feel that this organisation makes a huge difference to the quality of life for people in this area. For further details please visit www.landmines.org.uk When you take one of our trips, we make a contribution to “Climate Care” – an organisation devoted to ‘offsetting’ or ‘neutralising’ harmful greenhouse gas emissions caused by your flight. This is done by funding projects across the world that will reduce greenhouse gases on your behalf through sustainable energy or rainforest restoration. |
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