It takes about 8 to 10 hours drive from Islamabad to Chitral. One can also reach Chitral by air from Peshawer Airport.
The more popular route by land is from Gilgit- taking 14 hours if all the jeeps on the 5-7 steps of the route are co-ordinated. This route is considered safer and more scenic. The Lowari tunnel essentially allows traffic on the N45 National Highway to bypass the Lowari Pass and was intended to reduce the 16-hour drive between Chitral and Islamabad to only 8 hours.
Kalasha Valleys are valleys in Chitral District in northern Pakistan. The valleys are surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Roads to Valley are unmetalled and on one side of the jeep is Hindukush and on the other side is the river. The inhabitants of the valley are the Kalash people, who have a unique culture, language and follow a form of ancient Hinduism. As such, the Kalasha Valleys are a source of attraction for Pakistani as well as international tourists. There are three main valleys. The largest and most populous valley is Bumburet, reached by a road from Ayun in the Kunar Valley. Rumbur is a side valleys north of Bumburet. The third valley, Burir, is a side valley of the Kunar Valley south of Bumburet.
Chitral National Park is one of the national parks of Pakistan. It is located in Chitral District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan beside the Chitral River, at a distance of two hours’ drive from Chitral city. The park is also known as Chitral Gol National Park. The word Gol in the local language means ’round’. This park includes three valleys. Several glaciers also lie in the park through which several springs make their way and ultimately form a stream of 18 meters. The cold water of this stream falls towards the east into the Chitral River. The park is rich in trees particularly Cedar trees. This park also serves to provide shelter to a vast diversity of animals especially Markhor, an endangered wild goat species. The subspecies, which occur in the Park is the Astor markhor. Despite a decline from over 500 to only around 200 individuals in the park during the 1980s, Chitral National Park still holds the largest population of the Astor Markhor in the world. Also, present in the park in small numbers are the Siberian ibex and Ladakh urial, as well as the Asian black bear. The snow leopard does not appear to be resident in the park but is sometimes seen there. The Tibetan wolf, red fox, yellow-throated marten, and Himalayan otter are all found in the park. Common birds in the park include the bearded vulture, the Himalayan vulture, the golden eagle, the demoiselle crane, the peregrine falcon, the Himalayan snowcock, the Himalayan monal, the snow partridge and the rock partridge.
