jorgesanchez's travel recommendations

One of the most interesting parts of Pakistan for a western traveller is the north and the wild Kafiristan: Gilgit, Skardu, Karimabad (where live the Ismailies, a Shia sect). The most exotic visit is the one to the Kafir Kalash people or infidels dressed in black. First you have to get to Chitral from pleasant Peshawar. There are flights very cheap, but it is better to go overland through the Hindu Kush, and you will admire the Tirich Mir peak, with 7690 metres high. The Kafir Kalash tribes live in three valleys near Chitral called something like Biri, Rambur and Bumburet (as I wrote them in my diary). I spent three nights in Bumburet. The Kafir Kalash people speak a language that is a mixture of Persian, Sanskrit and Greek and, according to a theory, they descent from the troops of Alexander the Great. They are shamanists and do not want to be converted in muslims. From that area you can travel to Kashgar (also known as Kashi), in Xinjiang, China, crossing the Khunjerab Pass.

Address: near Chitral Chitral North-West Frontier Pakistan Phone: + no available E-mail: noavailable@yahoo.com Price: budget