Chitral Itinerary for 5 Days: Town, Kalash and Garam Chashma

This Chitral itinerary for 5 days covers the town and the view from Birmoghlasht, a day trip to the hot springs at Garam Chashma, and two nights in the Kalash valleys, one in Bumburet and one in Rumbur. It is five full days on the ground in Chitral. If you are driving from Islamabad, add a travel day at each end, which makes it a seven-day trip.

The order matters. It starts with an easy day in town after the long journey, keeps the valleys for the middle of the trip when everyone has their energy back, and ends on the road south through Ayun, so you never have to double back.

Before Day 1: getting to Chitral

By road, Islamabad to Chitral is roughly 400 km and 10 to 12 hours with stops, through Chakdara, Dir and the Lowari tunnel. Either leave Islamabad at 5 or 6 am and arrive in the evening, or drive to Dir the day before and cover the last three hours in the morning. Our guide to the drive from Islamabad to Chitral by road covers the route, the tunnel and the overnight options.

Flying is possible, but PIA's Islamabad–Chitral service has been limited since it restarted in 2025, and flights are cancelled in bad weather. With few flights a week, flying both ways rarely fits a five-day stay; flying one way and driving the other is often more practical.

What to arrange before you go

• Rooms in Chitral for the first two nights, and in Bumburet and Rumbur for Days 3 and 4. Rumbur has only a handful of guesthouses, so book it first.
• A jeep for Day 1 and Days 3 to 5, through your hotel, if you are not using your own high-clearance car. Agree the price, including fuel and waiting time, before you set off.
• Cash for the Kalash entry fee, guesthouses and jeeps, drawn in Chitral town.
• The current Lowari tunnel timings, which have changed more than once, if you are driving.

Day 1: Birmoghlasht and Chitral town

1. Early morning: Birmoghlasht. Take a local jeep up the steep road to the Mehtars' old summer retreat, at over 2,800 metres, about 15 km from town. Go early, while the air is clear and Tirich Mir is out of cloud. Allow three to four hours for the round trip and time at the top.
2. Late morning: the Shahi Mosque. Built in 1924 on the river bank, beside the fort. Visit outside prayer times and dress modestly.
3. Chitral Fort, from outside. It is still the residence of the Mehtar's family and not generally open to the public.
4. Afternoon: the museum and the polo ground. The Chitral Museum sits beside the polo ground, and if a match or a practice is on in the late afternoon, stay for it.
5. Evening: the bazaar. Buy a Chitrali cap here, and eat in town.

This is a deliberately gentle day after the journey. If anyone is tired from the drive, skip Birmoghlasht and start with the mosque.

Day 2: Garam Chashma and the Lutkho valley

Garam Chashma lies about 45 km north-west of Chitral at the head of the Lutkho valley, two to three hours each way on a road that was being resurfaced in 2026.

1. Leave by 8 am, with water and snacks for the road.
2. Late morning at the hot springs. The sulphurous water feeds bathing pools in the village; take a towel and a change of clothes. Families should check the arrangements for women before going in, and don't let children stay long in the hot water.
3. Lunch in the valley, and trout if it is on offer. The Lutkho river is known for trout, and fishing needs a permit from the fisheries office.
4. Back to Chitral by late afternoon.

If the drive sounds too long for your group, stay a night in Garam Chashma instead and use the pools in the evening, then shift the rest of the plan by a day.

Day 3: To Bumburet

1. Morning: drive south to Ayun, about 15 to 20 km down the main road, then turn up the valley road towards the Kalash valleys. Allow one and a half to two and a half hours from Chitral to Bumburet. The road from Ayun is being rebuilt, so a jeep or a high-clearance car is the easier choice; our guide on how to reach the Kalash valleys explains the options.
2. Register and pay the entry fee at the checkpost on the way in.
3. Check in and have lunch at your guesthouse in Bumburet.
4. Afternoon: the Kalasha Dur museum at Brun, the best introduction to Kalasha history and daily life.
5. Late afternoon: walk through the villages between the fields and walnut trees. Ask before photographing anyone.

Bumburet is the largest of the three valleys and has the most places to stay, which makes it the right first night.

Day 4: Rumbur

Rumbur branches off the approach road below Bumburet and is narrower, quieter and more predominantly Kalasha.

1. Morning: move to Rumbur, back down the Bumburet road and up the Rumbur side.
2. Day in the valley: walk between villages such as Balanguru and Grom, and sit a while in the guesthouse garden. This is the day to slow down.
3. Night in Rumbur, in a small family guesthouse, with dinner cooked by the family.

If Rumbur's handful of guesthouses are full, stay a second night in Bumburet and make Rumbur a day trip.

Day 5: Birir, or a slow morning, and out via Ayun

You have two choices for the last day.

• Birir. It has its own road from the main valley, south of Ayun, and sees the fewest visitors of the three. A morning in Birir suits people who want to see all three valleys, but check the state of the road the evening before.
• A slow morning in Rumbur, walking up the valley before the day warms up, then lunch and departure.

After lunch, head back down to Ayun. If you are flying out or staying on, turn north to Chitral. If you are driving home, turn south: Dir is a little under three hours from Ayun through the Lowari tunnel, and a night there leaves only the easier half of the drive for the next day.

For more on how the three valleys differ, and how to visit respectfully, see our Kalash valleys guide.

Adjusting the plan

For a festival. If you are going for Chilam Joshi in mid-May or Uchal around 20 August, swap the order so that your nights in the valleys fall on the festival days, and book rooms well ahead. Our guide to the best time to visit Chitral has the dates.

With young children or older parents. Skip the jeep ride to Birmoghlasht, make Garam Chashma an overnight stop rather than a long day, and spend both Kalash nights in Bumburet, where the rooms are more comfortable.

With more time. Add two days for Upper Chitral: a night in Mastuj, about four hours from Chitral town, breaks the trip well. Shandur is further again, and belongs to a longer trip in summer.

In winter. The plan works from November to March with warmer clothes, but snow can close the roads to Garam Chashma and the Kalash valleys for days at a time. Keep a spare day.

Budgeting. Our guide to Chitral trip costs shows how to add up fuel, jeeps, rooms and food for a week like this.

Is five days enough for Chitral?

Five days on the ground is enough to see Chitral town, Garam Chashma and two of the three Kalash valleys without rushing, and it is the plan we would suggest for a first visit. It is not enough for Upper Chitral, Shandur or Broghil, which need a week of their own.

It suits families, couples and friends who want culture and valley scenery more than high passes, because nothing in it goes much above 2,800 metres. It suits people less well who have only five days in total including travel from Islamabad: that leaves three days in Chitral, and in that case we would drop Garam Chashma and give the time to the Kalash valleys. Our trip planning page explains how we balance road days against days in a place.

Frequently asked questions