- Professional English speaking Culture Guide.
- Airport transfers for Domestic & international flights.
- Internal flights and associated airport transfers
- All land transport involved in the itinerary
- Accommodation as described
- All meals 3 times a day (B-L-D)
- All entry, road tax, parking fees.
- Visa documents
Kalash festival Pakistan 2025-26.
Kalash festival is an ancient cultural event which takes place every year around the same time in the Kalash Valley, Pakistan. Kalash valleys are surrounded by the Hindukush mountains. People who live in these valleys are called Kalasha people, who have a unique culture, traditions, and language and follow an ancient form of Hinduism.
Kalash Festival Highlights
- Spectacular mountain vistas
- Experience the pagan culture of the ethnic minority community of Kalash.
- Meet the descendant of Alexander the Great & his troops.
- Dance with the Kalash people and learn their culture.
- UNESCO listed Kalash culture as an intangible cultural heritage
- Enjoy Pakistani cuisine.
Festival Overview
Kalash festival is celebrated by the Kalasha people. Kalasha people live in the Kalash Valley of Pakistan. Kalash Valley is surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kalash festival takes place three times a year, in spring, summer and in the winter. The spring festival is called the Chilam Joshi festival, which starts around the 13th of May. Summer festival called Uchal festival, which begins on 20 August. The winter festival is called the Choimus Festival, which starts on 15 December. During the festival, people not only drink, dance and have fun in general, but they also worship their Gods and spirits, giving offerings and even sacrifices. Also, during this festival, young men and women choose their future husbands and wives.
Kalash festival dates 2025:
- Chilam Joshi Festival (Kalash Spring Festival) 13 May – 16 May
- Uchal Festival (Kalash summer festival) 20 Aug – 22 Aug
- Choimus Festival (Kalash winter festival) 15 Dec – 22 Dec.
Trango Adventure has been organizing tours to Kalash Valley to witness the Kalash festival for 40 years. We operate an 8-10 day long private and solo group Tours to Kalash. All our festival tours and other holidays in Pakistan are on a full-board basis. You can follow our standard Kalash festival itinerary, or our travel advisor can customise an itinerary according to your travel needs.
Our Kalash festival Tour starts from Islamabad. Islamabad is the purpose-built capital of Pakistan. Our representative will meet you at the Islamabad International Airport and transfer you to the group hotel. The rest of the day is free to recover from the journey. We will meet again in the afternoon to give you a briefing about the Kalash festival tour. The next morning, you will be transferred to the airport to catch the spectacular 1-hour mountain view flight to Chitral. Flights to Chitral are weather-dependent, in case of cancellation, you will drive to Chitral. Arrive in Chitral, check into your hotel, and the rest of the afternoon is free to explore the town.
The next day, you will drive to Kalash Valley. You will spend a few days exploring and enjoying the Kalash festivals, meet the PEGANS, and then follow the same itinerary back to Islamabad. Night stay in Islamabad, and the next morning, we will transfer you to Islamabad International Airport for your flight back home.
We strongly believe that the Kalash festival tour is one of the top cultural retreats in the world. This beautiful valley and the friendly Kalasha people will make your holiday a lifetime journey.
Festivals of Kalash
The people of Kalash celebrate their festivals three times a year.
- Spring festival (Chilam Joshi festival)
- Summer Festival (Uchal festival)
- Winter Festival (Choimus festival).
Spring festival – (Chilam Joshi festival)
Spring festival is also known as the Chilam Joshi festival. The people of Kalash celebrate four days across all Kalash valleys. Spring festival begins with “Milk Day”. Ten days before the festival, they store milk from their households. The people of Kalash offered their libation during this event. The festival reflects their unique cultural richness, the harmony in their society and the message of peace to the world. They ask for blessings from their God and pray for a prosperous year of agriculture and the health and safety of their herds. During this festival, Kalashi men and women also chose their life patterns. During the Kalash festival, women wear traditional attire with lively colours, and their dresses have patterns of flowers on them. They wear beaded necklaces which complement their dresses and headgear.
Men wear traditional Shalwar Kameez with a waistcoat made of wool. They dance together and sing in the valley tribes as it allows them to choose their life partners and announce their names on the last day of the festival.
Kalash Summer festival: (Kalash Uchal festival)
The people of Kalash celebrate the arrival of summer in their way. The summer festival is popular among the Kalasha people. In recent years, this festival has also gained popularity around the world. People from different parts of Pakistan and international tourists attend the summer festival in large numbers. During the festival, Kalasha People pay homage to their God by celebrating the harvest and thanking their God for blessing them with good food and crops. Kalash people take a procession to a high plateau outside the village in Balangkuru and pray to their God, after the prayers, the night-long dance and party begins, which lasts until the early hours of the next morning. The summer festival is celebrated in all the valleys for several days.
Kalash Winter festival – ( Kalash Choimus Festival)
Kalash Winter Festival is also called “Choimus” in the local language. This annually observed event symbolises and forecasts the prosperity of the village and the villagers for the new year. During the festival, People go out to seek foxes, which are considered good omens. Torch-lit processions arrive from nearby villages at the main traditional dancing place called a “Charsue”. The dancing and festivities are held indoors and last into the night as the local wine is handed around the bonfire. The locals perform rituals for purification during the festival at the dawn of the new year. The tribal elders gather at hilltops to watch the rising sun of the new year, followed by goat sacrifices made to the Goddess, “Jastak”, and the blood is sprinkled at the temple Jastarkhan.
We believe that visiting Kalash Valley and experiencing the “Kalash festival” will create a lifelong memory which will stay with you for a long time.
Watch our TWO videos about this Tour on our YouTube channel. Booth Videos are taken in July-August. The video was filmed by a participant in our Kalash Valley tour. The links are below.
Kalash Valley, on Trango Adventure’s Channel on YouTube.
Beautiful places in Pakistan, on YouTube.
We are organising three fixed departure Kalash Festival tours in May, August and December 2024.
Read our TripAdvisor reviews for Kalash festival tours in Pakistan.
Brief Itinerary
ARRIVAL DAY IN ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN:
ISLAMABAD TO CHITRAL FLIGHT:
SIGHTSEEING IN CHITRAL:
CHITRAL TO KALASH VALLEY:
KALASH FESTIVAL DAY IN KALASH:
DRIVE BACK TO CHITRAL:
FLY BACK TO ISLAMABAD:
DEPARTURE DAY-FLIGHT BACK HOME:
Additional information
Grade | EASY |
---|---|
Attributes | Early Birds and Group Discounts availaible |
Map and Itinerary of Kalash festival tour in Pakistan
Trango Adventure has a long track record of offering the Kalash festival. We have been offering Kalash festival Tours for many years. We designed our itinerary based on over 40 Years of experience, which is the best in terms of acclimatization, safety and enjoyment.
We intend to keep to the day-by-day itinerary detailed below, although there might be some flexibility due to local conditions or other factors beyond our control. If this is the case, the tour leader will do everything possible to work out the changes to the itinerary to minimise your inconvenience.
Adventure travel requires an open and flexible attitude. You may experience extreme conditions, unpredictable weather and last-minute changes to the itinerary beyond our control. The ability to work in a team is an important aspect of all of our trips.
Detailed Itinerary:
ARRIVAL DAY IN ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN:
- ACCOMMODATION
- Hill View Hotel or similar
- MEALS
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
ISLAMABAD TO CHITRAL FLIGHT, 1 HOUR:
In case of flight cancellation, we start our journey by road. We will pass through Mardan, Malakand, Bathkhela, and Dir, then enter Chitral through the Lowari Tunnel. The night will be spent in Chitral.
- ACCOMMODATION
- Ptdc Hotel or similar
- MEALS
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
SIGHTSEEING IN CHITRAL:
- ACCOMMODATION
- Ptdc Hotel
- MEALS
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
CHITRAL TO KALASH VALLEY:
- ACCOMMODATION
- Guest House
- MEALS
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
FESTIVAL DAY IN KALASH:
- ACCOMMODATION
- Guest House
- MEALS
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
DRIVE BACK TO CHITRAL:
- ACCOMMODATION
- Ptdc Hotel
- MEALS
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
FLIGHT BACK TO ISLAMABAD:
In case of flight cancellation, start our journey by road.
- ACCOMMODATION
- Hotel De Papae or similar
- MEALS
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
DEPARTURE DAY-FLIGHT BACK HOME:
Kalash festival date and cost 2025
Private tour groups – Choose Your Dates.
Kalash festival tour starts and finishes in Islamabad, Domestic Flight Inc.
Our Kalash festival Tour dates and prices are for solo travellers to join the fixed Departure holidays only. Private groups choose dates and contact us for great family, couple and Group discounts. All our Pakistan holidays are fully inclusive, so you can sit back and enjoy your vacation. International flights from most cities arrive in Islamabad in the morning, and return flights will depart from Islamabad International Airport on the last day of the itinerary. Please book your return flight on the last day of the tour.
Please be aware that there are often only a limited number of seats available at the advertised price for the fixed departure Kalash festival tours. We recommend you secure your booking early as these tours sell out fast. If we are unable to secure seats at the price shown, we will contact you with an alternative quote.
BOOK WITH CONFIDENCE – NO SURCHARGE GUARANTEE
The price of our Pakistan holidays can change depending on a variety of factors but unlike some other tour operators, Trango Adventure have undertaken to guarantee the price of your holiday will not change after you have booked. The price when you book is the price you will pay, whether you are booking for this year or the next. Book early to avoid any tour price increases, get the best flight prices and take advantage of our “No Surcharge Guarantee“. Trango Adventure is a Government-licensed and bonded tour operator that follows the strict Regulations set by the Tourism Department of Pakistan.
We accept Cash on arrival, Bank Transfers, PayPal and all major Credit & debit Cards.
Kalash festival information for 205-26
WHAT’S INCLUDED
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
- Travel Insurance
- Pakistan Visa Fee
- Tips for local guides and support staff
- Miscellaneous expenses
- souvenirs etc
MEAL PLAN
ACCOMMODATION
During the Kalash festival trip, the group will spend all night in an international tourist standard hotel. Accommodation at each of these hotels is twin-sharing with en-suite facilities. If you are travelling by yourself, you will be paired with another single client of the same sex. It is possible to hire a single room for an additional cost. Additional hotel nights in Islamabad are also available. For hotel prices and single supplement costs please refer to the dates and prices page of the trip on our website. Hotels are subject to availability and prices may vary.
INTERNAL FLIGHTS
CHITRAL FLIGHTS
Chitral is a weather-dependent airport. Since the valley is surrounded by high mountains, planes can only land here in good visibility, and this means flights to and from Chitral are never guaranteed. The planes do fly more often than not, but cancellations can and do occur, and in these circumstances, we will travel by road.
HEALTH & VACCINATION
You should contact your doctor or travel clinic to check whether you specifically require any vaccinations or other preventive measures. You should be up to date with routine courses and boosters as recommended in the UK e.g. diphtheria-tetanus-polio and measles-mumps-rubella, along with hepatitis A and typhoid. Malarial prophylaxis is discretionary for this trip. Malaria exists in the area around Islamabad. However, incidences of urban transmission of malaria are extremely low. A good online resource is Travel Health Pro. We recommend you take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
INSURANCE
We highly recommend you have valid travel insurance for your trip with Trango Adventure Pakistan. We recognise the complexity and variety of choices in the insurance market and know that many of you either have your preferred insurer or have annual multi-trip cover in place already. If this is the case, please ensure that your insurer is aware of your Trango Adventure itinerary and can agree to cover the activities being undertaken.
Trango Adventure does not provide any advice on travel insurance, although it is highly recommended that you have travel insurance which covers the activities which you are likely to be undertaking on your Pakistan holiday.
Travel insurance providers.
Expeditions or Treks
- HCC Medical Insurance Services LLC Tel: +1-800 605 2282
- Travelex Insurance Services Tel: +1-800 228 9792
- True Traveller Insurance Tel: 0333 999 3140 for treks including over 4500m
- Austrian Alpine Club (UK) Tel: +44 (0)1929 556870
- Snowcard Tel: +44 (0)1295 660836
- The B.M.C. Tel: +44 (0)161 445 6111 (please note the BMC cannot cover Mt Damavand)
- Dogtag Tel: 0800 036 4824 (UK residents only)
- World Nomads (up to 6000m)
- Insure for Less (Australians only).
Treks, Tours & Cycling
- Campbell Irvine Tel: +44 (0)207 938 1737
- Rothwell & Towler Tel: +44 (0)845 908 0161
- J S Insurance Tel: +44 (0)844 848 1500
CULTURE GUIDE & SUPPORTING STAFF
ALTITUDE
Kalash festival tour involves going to high altitude places. During the tour, you will be above 1,400 metres for 1-2 days. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but we must follow some simple rules to acclimatise successfully. Before coming on this holiday, you should get some basic advice on Tours at high altitudes.
CLIMATE
From mid-June to August, we can expect to encounter temperatures as high as 40°C at Islamabad, Chitral and Gilgit, and 25°C in the Kalash Valley. Weather is generally good throughout the summer season, with clear skies and little rain or snow. However, weather in mountainous areas is difficult to predict, and short-lived storms can occur at any time.
BOOKS
- Trekking in Pakistan. Isobel Shaw
- Karakoram Highway. King
- In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods. Galen Rowell
- K2 Triumph and Tragedy. Jim Curran.
PASSPORT & VISAS
A passport with 6 months remaining validity at the end of your stay is generally required for a visit to Pakistan. The information that we provide is for United Kingdom passport holders. Please check the relevant embassy or consulate for other nationalities. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents and visas for your holiday. Visa requirements and charges are subject to change without notice.
PAKISTAN VISA
All nationalities require a visa for Pakistan. The visa fee is approximately USD 40, and you must apply for it before departure. To obtain a visa for Pakistan, you will require a letter of invitation and some other documents from an approved Pakistan travel agency, which will be provided by Trango Adventure. Visa applications can be made online.
For more information about the online visa procedure, please visit our Pakistan Visa or Blog & news sections.
Note: If you are planning to continue your Travel into China/India or Iran, make sure to retrieve the visas for those countries before travelling to Pakistan.
EQUIPMENT LIST
As a general rule, you should always try to keep the weight of your equipment to a minimum. Anything not required on the tour can be left at the group hotel in Islamabad.
We will send you a detailed list closer to your Holiday departure.
Email [email protected] for more information regarding the “Kalash Festival” Tour Pakistan.
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