Waygal

Waygal is one of Nuristan's green southern valleys. The Waygal river runs the length of the district to join the Pech, and villages such as Waygal itself, Nishigram, Ameshdesh and Want sit high on the valley sides. The district gives its name to the Waigali language, called Kalasha-ala by its own speakers, spoken here alongside the local dialects that shift from one village to the next.

The carving Nuristan is famous for, its worked beams, columns and household pieces, runs deep in these villages, where houses climb the slopes in tiers and the forests supply the cedar the carvers work.

Waygal rewards unhurried travel: village to village along the valley, with the forest above and the river below. As everywhere in Nuristan, a local guide opens doors that a map cannot.