Shandur Polo Festival

Perched at 3,734 metres on the vast Shandur plateau — the watershed between Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan — the Shandur Polo Ground is universally acclaimed as the highest in the world. Each July for three days, the rival teams of Chitral and Gilgit meet here without referees, without helmets, and without the modern rules that have tamed polo elsewhere. Six riders per side gallop their Tibetan-bred mountain ponies across the rough turf while thousands of spectators cheer from the surrounding hillsides, beating drums and blowing surnai (a double-reed wind instrument) in an atmosphere that feels ancient and electric simultaneously.

The origins of the Shandur festival are rooted in the political history of the region: Chitral and Gilgit were rival princely states whose chiefs settled disputes partly through polo matches rather than warfare. The tradition endured after Pakistan's independence and today the annual festival draws thousands of visitors — Pakistani families, diplomats, adventure travellers — who camp around the plateau or stay in the small tent villages that spring up for the occasion. Beyond polo, the festival features traditional Chitrali and Gilgiti music performances, folk dances, and a vibrant bazaar of local crafts.

Our tour approaches Shandur from the Gilgit side, driving the spectacular 200 km Gilgit–Phander–Shandur road through the Ghizer Valley alongside the Ghizer River. You camp or stay in pre-arranged tented accommodation on the plateau, witness all three polo matches, explore the shores of the high-altitude Shandur Lake, and return via the Chitral route through the dramatic Laspur Valley, giving you a cross-section of two culturally distinct regions in a single circuit.