closed. To the east, there is a 405 kilometres (252 mi)
route to Gilgit over the 3,719 metres (12,201 ft) Shandur Pass. In the
west, the 4,300 metres (14,100 ft) Dorah Pass provides an additional route
to Afghanistan. The territory is home to rare falcons and the snow leopard, and
is cut off by snow from the rest of the country for six months a year, a
problem soon to be relieved by the completion of the Lowari Tunnel which will
reduce transit time to Chitral as well as allow the district to be connected to
the rest of the country even during the cold winter months
