365km from Peshawar Chitral forms Pakistan's northwestern border with Afghanistan, and is home to the precipitous mountains of the Hindkush. This range is different from the Himalayas and Karakorams, and since there are no 8000-meter peaks here, it is not as well known. However, Tirich Mir at 7708m and its accompanying peaks, Noshaq (7492m), Istoro Nal (7403m) and Saraghrar (7338m) command respect. Alexander the Great's troops had to battle through the snows on their passage from Afghanistan to Pakistan, and called the Hindu Kush 'Parapamisus' meaning mountains over which no eagle can fly. Additionally, Tartar hordes passed through here, notably Gengis Khan and Tamerlane, and a route of the Silk Road wound through the Baroghil Pass in Upper Chitral. Nonetheless, Chitralis have been mostly left alone in their valley for centuries, and their origins remain shrouded in mystery. Present day Chitralis are mostly Muslims, but in the south of Chitral there are three Valleys inhabited by the Kafir Kalash, an anamistic tribe that has evaded being converted to Islam. Chitral has been traditionally and, except for a brief spell uninterruptedly, ruled by the Mehtars who claim as ancestors the Tartar ruling family of Tamerlane. However, in the late 19th century the British established a garrison in Chitral, as at that time it was thought that there existed easy passage from Russia to British India. When that proved unfounded, the British lost interest in Chitral, and the Mehtars were left to govern as they wished until the late 1960's. Finally in 1974, Chitral was annexed by Pakistan, and the Mehtars' rule came to a rather ignominious end. The beauty of Chitral lies as much in its rustic, mountainous terrain, as in its warmhearted and friendly inhabitants.

One of the major attractions of Chitral are the Kalash valleys - the home of the Kafir-Kalash or 'Wearers of the Black Robe', a primitive pagan tribe. Their ancestry is shrouded in mystery. A legend has it that some soldiers of the legions of Alexander of Macedonia settled down in Chitral and the preset Kafir-Kalash are their offspring's.The 3,000 strong Kafir-Kalash live in the valleys of Birir, Bumburet and Rambur in the south. Bumburet, the largest and the most picturesque valley of the Kafir-Kalash, is 40 kms (25 miles) from Chitral and is connected by a jeepable road. Birir, 34 kms (21 miles) away, is accessible by a jeepable road. Rambur is 32 kms (20 miles) from Chitral. The road is jeepable upto Ayun and the remaining 16 kms (10 miles) have to be traveled on foot.

The Kalash women wear black gowns of coarse cloth in summer and hand-spun wool dyed in black in winter. Their picturesque headgear is made of woolen black material studded with cowry shells, buttons and crowned with a large colored feather. The Kalash are gay people and love music and dancing particularly on occasions of their religious festivals like Joshi Chilimjusht (14th & 15th May - spring),Phool (20th-25th September) and Chowas (18th to 21st December). Foreign tourists require special permits to visit the Kalash valleys. The Deputy Commissioner, Chitral, issues permits free of cost.