Shandur Polo Festival
When: Summers
Duration:15 days
Highlights: Chitral, Shandur Pass
Shandur polo festival is an amazing festival celebrated by the tribes of Gilgit and Chitral in the northern areas of Pakistan. The tribes from the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral meet at the Shandur pass every summer.
Shandur Polo Festival is a game which has a unique wild free-style polo is played between different teams of the region. Shandur polo ground is considered to be the highest polo ground in the world at 3,700 meter. The polo ground is adjacent to Shandur lake.
Shandur polo festival provides an amazing cultural experience in the Hindukush mountain ranges. The festival also includes Folk music, dancing, and a camping village is set up. Various teams of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral have always played the game of polo closest to its original form. In the past, the British Rulers were the patrons of the game.
Shandu polo festivals invites visitors to experience a traditional Polo tournament which since 1936 has been held annually in the first week of July between the teams of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. The tournament is held on Shandur Top, the highest polo ground in the world at 3,700 meters (the pass itself is at 3,800 meters).
Shandur Top (el. 12,200 feet (3,700 m)) located in District Ghizer of Gilgit-Baltistan: Shandur-Top in Ghizer is often called the ‘Roof of the World’ where the Hindukush in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Highlights –Shandur Polo Festival
Shandur polo festival has a lot to offers. Given below are main highlights of Shandur polo festival:
- Experience the summer polo festival of Chitral and Gilgit tribes
- Participate and dance to the tunes of local cultural music
- View of peaks including Tirich Mir (7,708m) & Nanga Parbat (8,126m)in the Himalaya range
- Rivers (Kunar, Chitral, Gilgit, Indus), tributaries and streams
- Malakand pass, Shandur Pass (4,173m), & Babusar Pass (3,700m)
- Valleys of Pakistan including Dir, Chitral, Yasin, Punial, Naran and Kaghan
- Lakes including Shandur, Phandar, Khalti and Lulusar
Itinerary –Shandur Polo Festival
Day-01: Islamabad and Rawalpindi
Day-02: Drive from Islamabad to Swat
Day-03: Drive from Swat to Chitral
Day-04: Drive from Chitral to Kalash Valley
Day-05: Drive from Kalash Valley to Chitral
Day-06: Drive from Chitral to Shandur Pas
Day-07/08: Polo Matches at Shandur Pass
Day-09: Drive from Shandur Pass to Phander
Day-10: Drive from Phander to Karimabad
Day-11: Local Visits in Kariambad & Altit
Day-12: Drive to Khunjerab Pass & Karimabad
Day-13: Drive from Karimabad to Naran
Day-14: Drive from Naran to Islamabad
Day-15: Fly back Home
- All domestic flights and road transfers
- All hotel accommodation (twin sharing room)
- All trekking accommodation
- All camping site and bridge fees
- All trekking logistics (all tents, non-personal equipment and tools etc)
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Licensed professional guide (government requirement)
- Government trekking permit fees and paperwork
- Waste management fees (government requirement)
- Support staff (cook, assistant(s) etc)
- Porter for personal luggage (15 kgs)
- First aid medicine kit (basic)
- Satellite phone for emergencies
- D3V sleeping tent, Toilet Tent, Shower Tent.
- Personal travel insurance (suggestions only)
- Visa to Pakistan (five supporting documents will be offered)
- International airfare
- Personal equipment (e.g. trekking shoes, down jacket, walking sticks etc)
- Personal mountain equipment (crampon, mountaineering boot, ice axe, harness, two carabiners, helmet etc)
- Extra nights in Islamabad (hotel check in/out is 12pm) - additional USD 49 per night
- Tips/gratuities for guides, porters, staff etc
- Miscellaneous (minibar, bottled water, phone calls, laundry, souvenir etc)