Events / August - September
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Broghil Festival
A remote Wakhi mountain festival in upper Chitral, yak polo, buzkashi, horse sports, and high-altitude valley life.
Held in the far-flung Broghil Valley near the Afghan Wakhan, this festival showcases Wakhi culture through yak and horse polo, buzkashi, livestock displays, traditional food, music, and handicrafts at one of Pakistan's most isolated inhabited valleys.
- Yak polo
- Buzkashi
- Wakhi culture
- High-altitude valley
- Announced annually
- When to plan
- Late summer, when the high passes are open; dates are announced annually and weather-dependent.
- Getting there
- A serious expedition, reach Mastuj from Chitral, then continue by 4x4 and on foot/horseback to Broghil. Plan with an experienced operator.
The edge of the map
Broghil sits above 3,800 m near the Wakhan corridor. Few travellers reach it, and the festival is a rare chance to see yak polo and Wakhi traditions in their own setting.
Plan seriously
This is remote, high, and weather-dependent. Go with a specialist operator, acclimatise properly, and build in buffer days for road and pass conditions.
More in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Region guide →
May
Chilam Joshi (Joshi)
The Kalasha spring festival, milk stored for days, processions, and group dancing at the Charso grounds in Bumburet.
June - July
Shandur Polo Festival
The world's highest polo ground, Chitral and Gilgit teams meet on a plateau above the clouds.
Late August
Uchal (Uchau)
Kalasha harvest thanksgiving, cheese, bread, and rituals marking the end of the high pasture season.
