The challenging road to Chitral Gol NP
Chitral Gol is a National Park located in Chitral District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.
Located in the Hindu Kush Range, the winding road to access the park is unpaved but very scenic. It’s a beautiful uphill journey to an undisturbed location surrounded by high Hindukush peaks. The track is quite narrow and dangerous, yet more risky during the rainy days. It passes through dense oak forest and meadows.
The general weather is cold and dry. The dirt track is impassable from September to May due the snow. The drive up can often be difficult but makes up for it in natural beauty. The area is famous for wild goats, snow leopards and other wild animals in the dense pine forests of the park. Starting from Chitral, the road is 15km long. Over this distance te elevation gain is 1.340m. The average gradient is 8.93%. Only 4x4 vehicles with high clearance can make it to the top, at 2.940m (9,645ft) above the sea level.