I have found people here a good helping hand
i am in intending to visit Kalash valley next week but i did not find a suitable mode of journey from islamabad to Kalash and back
please let me the best mode of journey to there, are flights reliable or roads are open for a foreigner to there and back, is it safe to go there alone.
Would a week enough for it?
Foreigners require NOC to travel Peshawar-Chitral by road, your best bet is to fly Islam/Pindi-Chitral, where you will be obliged to register with chief of police, be allocated police escort for the duration of your stay and can take a jeeptaxi to the Kalash ( with your police escort).
A week is enough, most people have had enough of the police escort by then !!
UB.
Flight is the only way since NOC is requried for land travels which takes 10-15 days for obtaining this document. Flights are operated from Islamabad and Peshawar to Chitral but they are very much subjected to weather conditions. A week time for visiting Chitral and Kalash valleys is sufficient. Take one way flight from other side come by road as no NOC is required to come by road from Chitral side. Strange.
In Chitral visit Chitral Gol National Park, Shahi mosque, royal fort etc.... Police escort is still provided to foreign travellers in Chitral.
Hope it helps.
@2, When I rode down from Chitral-Peshawar in June this year, I was stopped at the big army check-point near Malakand where they held us for quite some time. They most definately did want an NOC, we eventually got through by showing them our police registration forms from Chitral, which stated that we were travelling from Chitral-Peshawar-Lahore and had a big official stamp from Chief of Police Chitral, however, they were clearly not happy to see us !!
UB.
As mentioned @ 2 that foreigners do not need any NOC while driving from Chitral towards Islamabad (which is indeed very strange) but they do need NOC while traveling from Islamabad/Peshawar to Chitral which takes about 12 days.
So take a flight from Islamabad to Chitral & a bus on the way back which takes about 14 hours.
Chitral is safe,many foreigners around here in these days.
Of-course a week is enough to visit around Kalash valleys,Sammer palace and hot spring.
Bonjour from Chitral,
The best mode of journey is to take a Islamabad-Chitral flight, 45 minutes but that is subject to weather.
Overland trip from Islamabad/Chitral requires a NOC from home department, Peshawar, usually takes 5 to 7 days, better to arrange it before your arrival in Pakistan, in case of flight cancellation, that'd the only option.
Agree with uselessbaba about the unfriendly behavior of Police officials at Chitral.
Birir and Rumbur, both are the best destinations but Bamborate valley is populous and touristy.
Avoid Hot spring valley, not very enjoyable because that'd been turned into a market now but do visit Chitral Gol national park and the palace, 2 hrs drive from Chitral town.
Bon voyage,