Shandur Polo Festival

The festival also includes folk music and dancing and camping. The Tournament is held on Shandur Pass, the highest Polo ground in the world at 3700m.

The first time a polo tournament took place at the Shandur Pass, was in 1936. A British Agent Major Cobb, who was fond of playing polo under a full moon, had the polo ground near Shandur, named, “Moony Polo Ground”.

The most exciting polo tournament of the entire Northern Pakistan is played on the top of Shandur Pass, around 3700m above sea level. It is a place unique and exotic in itself, surrounded by some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world. The event makes the annual rivalry between the polo teams of Gilgit and Chitral. The polo tournament has added some attractions for the visitors: trout fishing at the nearby streams and lake and a festival of folk dances and music of the Northern Areas.

Hidden Paradise Tours advises all valued clients to be there one day in advance to enjoy the wild/freestyle polo tournament. Activities of Shandur include dances and music performances by different groups, trout fishing, mountaineering, trekking, hiking, and of course horse riding, crystal clear lakes, snow-covered mountains, alpine flowers, and vast stretches of green grass, are added attractions.