Camps up to 3500 m, easy way back. Less than 10 km/day, no river crossing, no dangerous parts.
Gree An Pass 3020 m, a compulsory way between Bomberet and Birir valleys. Walk in cedar forests, and in the Kalash valleys, discover these people with secular traditions that resist the onslaught of major religions.
It is a little steep on the side indicated in the description. Compulsory to hire a guide once you leave the beaten track. Your movements are monitored daily by police, more than elsewhere!
Organization
In Krakal, Batrik ... Many guides are available. Be ready to pay around 800 to 1200 Rps per day, including food but not the tips (15 to 20% of the total wage). The porters, however, require 300 per stage; it doesn’t include food or tips (15 to 20% of the total wage).
How to get there ?
Register for free at the Chitral police office, they provide a paper acting as a license. Between Bomberet and Ayun and a check post, show them your paper, and pay the entrance fee to these valleys, 200 rps (Rate 2006). To come back, take a jeep from Birir and return to Chitral.
Best time
May to November.
Day 1
Departure: 2100 m Arrival: 1750 m Return: 9 km Length return: 5 to 8 hours
From Krakal, you don’t cross the first bridge leading to a cemetery. Go down for 5 minutes, and cross on the second bridge, the valley leading to the pass is visible. Go to the trough then, 200 m after the main channel. The path forks; leave the one that continues up to a sheepfold, climb left.
You pass along a cliff in a steep slope. An hour later you're on the edge of cedars and pines a forest. The Pass is around the corner. Beware, if you are with a Kalash guide, remember to retrieve a pine branch and purify yourself before crossing the Gree An!
The view is magnificent, Tirich Mir on the North, landscapes recalling the Catalan Pyrenees in the south. Descending the path is well marked, going down at one point in the gorge you saw previously earlier, 2 to 3 hours before reaching Guru.
WARNING Treks described in this rubric have all been walked by the author, itineraries are detailed daily, maps and pictures illustrate them. On no account these sheets will replace the experience of a local guide; they are complementary and should be taken as such! Never go alone, without warning anybody! The course of some trails might change from one year to another, landslides, mud slides are numerous enough.
Print it !
