Shandur Pass
High Pass On The Chitral Gilgit Road, Home Of The Shandur Polo Festival On One Of The Highest Polo Grounds In The World; Its Boundary Is Disputed Between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa And Gilgit Baltistan · Mastuj, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The Shandur Pass is a broad, grassy plateau at about 3,700 metres on the road between Chitral and Gilgit, with a lake and a ring of snow peaks, and for most of the year it is empty except for yaks and herders. For a few days each July it becomes the scene of one of the most famous sporting events in Asia: the Shandur Polo Festival, when the teams of Chitral and Gilgit meet on one of the highest polo grounds in the world. This is freestyle mountain polo, played with few rules, small hardy horses and huge local passion, to the beat of drums and pipes, and tens of thousands of spectators camp on the plateau. The festival has a long history under the princely rulers, and the rivalry is real. The pass itself is disputed: both Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan claim the ground. Outside the festival, Shandur is a stunning stop on one of the great mountain drives of Pakistan, from Mastuj down to Phander Lake and Gilgit. The road is rough and the plateau cold, but the setting is unforgettable.
Shandur Pass, on the Chitral-Gilgit road between Mastuj and Phander, Mastuj, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Seasonal. The pass is open roughly June to October and snowbound in winter. The polo festival is held in early July, with dates announced each year; camps and transport sell out. Foreigners may need to register with police in Chitral or Gilgit. The road is rough on both sides; a four-wheel drive is needed.