Trip to Kumrat, Utror, Kalam

[a_devil_rockn]

Hi Fellas,

Hope you have had a great Ramadan. I'm planning to go to Kumrat and adjoining places in the summers and need some help regarding few concerns:

• How much can a jeep cost me from Mingora to Jhandrai drop?

• How much does Raja Taj charge for accommodation at Jhandrai and Jahaz Banda guest house? how much will porters cost?

• Is it possible to trek from Katora/Jahaz Banda to Izmis Lake and come back to Jhandrai? What can be a feasible solution to this?

• If we go to Izmis lake from utror road then where exactly is the starting point? And does Kalam Banda come along the way? Can I also know the trekking time?

• How far is Badgoi pass from Thal? Is there a campsite at Badgoi?

• How far is Shahibagh from Badgoi pass?

• I need info about Chukail Meadows; how far is the last jeepable spot from Kalam, how much trekking is required, is there a place to stay at Chukail and food available, how much will a jeep charge?

I'll be grateful if somebody can answer these queries for me. It'll be really helpful in planning my trip.

[a_devil_rockn]

@asifcae bro need your help...

[asifcae]

well there is no need to take jeep from mingora all the way to kumrat it will cot u like helll. u can easily go till Chutiatan on PT and then take jeep from there or better is that u take jeep from dir .. u can also go to kumrat tall on ur own car if its high ground clearance but its offroad track....... anyway abt chimran guest house in jahaz banda mujhay yaad nai ha kita charge kartay hai raja sb coz i have camped there a coupole of times without charge.... also porters will b around 800-1000 dialy...

its not feasible to go to izmis form banda and return... u must go ahead till utror....... form urtor starting point is gattal bridge... kalam banda etc is route par nai hain wo pari lakes kay route par hain........

badgoi pass is around 1.5 hrs jeep ride from jandrai....... u can camp there but i am not sure abt water availble as i havnt been there myself............

shahi bagh is in Gabral kalam..... not very far from utor jahan ap badgoi say utary gay.........mayb 1.5 hrs jeep ride...........

abt chokail meadows its a very butiful trek and very less visited but u cannot go there unless u have local contact with u..... i wudnt recomend it

[a_devil_rockn]

Hi Asif,

Thanks a lot for the response.. one last thing...

please give me a feasible solution for rawalpindi to jhandrai... which PT should i take, how much will it cost, stuff like that.. I wont be alone, there be at least 6-8 guys accompanying me...

[asifcae]

best is that u go to dir via coaster from Karachi Company wo move daily at 9 or 10 Pm ... from dir in early morning hire a jeep till jandrai.......

[a_devil_rockn]

These coasters are old school or new ones??

i'm pretty concerned about the way these PT guys drive. I'd rather spend some extra money than risk my life on it.

any contact number from where i can book a ride.. and Karachi Company is Islamabad right?

[Mozumbus]

Just back from Gabral-Utror-Kumrat

Would be glad to be of help

Here's is the brief report:

June 2018: Gabral Swat - Badhgoi Pass - Kumrat Valley

[Mozumbus]

Badgoi Pass: Thal-Atror is 4 hours. 500 per seat is the Land Cruiser (public transport) fare. Look look for Irshad who runs daily. You might have to contact him a day early. Public transport is not regular and depends upon the passenger availability.

There's a campsite at Badghoi Top. See the above link for latest photos (June 30, 2018).

Shahi Bagh: best done from Utror. You've to hire full Jeep: 4000. 2 hours one way, so at least half a day trip.

Hope this is helpful.

[Mozumbus]

I usually find experienced local public transport less riskier than the private one which is usually inexperienced and non-local

[a_devil_rockn]

Thanks a lot for the details.. my plan is actually the following:

Day 01 Karachi
Day 02 Islamabad
Day 03 Islamabad -> Jhandrai
Day 04 Jhandrai -> Jahaz Banda
Day 05 Jahaz Banda -> Katora Lake
Day 06 Jahaz Banda -> Tall
Day 07 Tall -> Do Changay (camp at kumrat forest)
Day 08 Do Changay -> Tall
Day 09 Tall -> Gabral via Badgoi, Shahibagh (could stay at Utror or Kalam instead depending on time)
Day 10 Gabral -> Kalam
Day 11 Kalam -> Chukail Meadows or Gabin Jabba
Day 12 Chukail -> Mingora
Day 13 Mingora -> Lahore
Day 14 Karachi

I've been to kumrat and kalam before so I'm pretty clear about that part... I'm only concerned with the below:

• how to reach Dir from Islamabad/Rawalpindi? (asif has guided me about that, just need any contact info if possible)
• Dir to Jhandrai jeep fare...
• Tall to Shahi bagh travel time...
• details about gabral and utror... are there hotels available, food, etc
• i'll probably hire a jeep from jhandrai for 4-6 days which can take me to all the places starting from Day 07... I'll be accompanied by 7-10 boys... so i'll atleast need one jeep...

[Mozumbus]

You can get separate Jeeps for Dir and Kalam side to get the local advantage.

For Badgoi, look for Irshad at Thall adda/bazaar who runs his Surf for Thal-Atror daily as public transport. His vehicle easily suffices your group. Unfortunately, I couldn't get his contact number. Will try locating it and share. Contact him a day ahead and request him to take you to Shahi Bagh in the same stretch.

Thal-Atror is 4 hours and Atror-Shahi Bagh another 4 hours both ways, so it'll be a long day but easily doable if you start early and get connected with Irshad. 8000-10000 shall be fair fare for this attempt. Drivers will ask upto 15000-2000!

There are no hotels around Atror and Gabral, which only adds to fun, since locals are extremely hospitable. Kumrat and Atror are inhabited by Kohistani people (they're not Pushtoon but often confused with) which Gabral is Gujjar. Cultural sensitivity matters.

For Islamabad-Dir, I'd suggest making it to Timergara by public transport, hiace, where you shall get Fielder for Jhandarai. Dir-Thal is 300 per seat in old fashioned Land Cruiser running as public transport.

Hope this is helpful.

Muzzammil

[drjavedmemon]

Dear Asif, Good day
Dear I am interested to visit whole swat valley include Kumrat valley and chitral with my family and I am traveling by Prado 2016 from Lahore, I need your help to guide me with all details where to stay, sight seening, road conditions, good family accommodation, point of interest

Thanks
Regards

[a_devil_rockn]

If I may, I can guide you here

I'll break it into parts for more convenience...

Chitral

• Places to see: Chitral town, Kalash valleys (Bumburet, Rumbur, Birir), garam chashma
• Road condition: all fit for 4x4 , proper road till chitral
• Hotels: PTDC Chitral, Kalash, Buni
• Personal review: There is not much to see in Chitral and Kalash except the Kalash culture. You can go up to Buni and stay at PTDC Buni. From there you can visit Qaqlasht meadows.. Road till Buni is also proper.

Kumrat

• Places to see: Thal, Kumrat forest up till do changay, badgoi top
• Road condition: reasonable road till Thal (was under construction last year).. rest is fit for 4x4 only
• Hotels: no family hotels available.. kumrat forest has campsite which are also not feasible for families... recently someone has started providing camping pods.. this is the only feasible option available... contact: 03335031303
• Personal review: exceptionally beautiful place, very friendly people, kumrat forest has everything to offer.. its a MUST camping spot.. you can cross Badgoi pass and go all the way to Kalam from there .. the road is totally 4x4 grade and i'm not sure how much expertise is required... so first get proper info about it... overall best area of this region..

Swat/Kalam

• Places to see: Malam Jabba, Madyan, Bahrain, Kalam, Mahodand lake
• Road condition: proper road till Bahrain, after that its under construction but no issue for 4x4
• Hotels: many hotels available in mingora and kalam.. honeymoon hotel kalam is pretty good...
• Personal review: all good here.. if you are interested in more activities then you can go to Boyun from Kalam...

I believe this info is sufficient.. if you manage to cross kumrat to kalam then it'll be cherry on the top for you.. but again I'm not sure if non-locals can manage to cross this pass so first get info about it completely.. you can go to Utror from Kalam as well if you want..

[a_devil_rockn]

Thanks for the info ..

I'll be with around 6-12 people on the trip so I'll have to book the whole jeep everytime... I'm just hoping to get a smooth route on public transport till DIR... I'll manage the rest easily..

I'll be needing jeep from DIR to jhandrai drop.. will be going to Katora lake so no transport required for 3 days... I'll discuss with Raja Taj to give me a feasible solution so that I can book a jeep for around 4 days and go to Thal -> kumrat forest stay -> back to Thal -> badgoi -> shahi bagh -> Utror -> Kalam

if you can give me idea about cost per jeep for the following routes (just an idea based on experience will do):

• Dir to Jhandrai
• Jhandrai to Thal
• Thal to Kumrat forest till Do Changay
• Thal to Utror (according to 500 per head it could be max 4000 for this as well if 1 public transport jeep can fit 8 people)
• Utror to shahi bagh (you already mentioned 4000)
• Utror to Kalam

One more thing, is there any place to stay in Utror/Gabral... and is food available easily?? I might stay there after coming from Thal and visit shahi bagh on the next day & return to Kalam ..

@asifcae if you can fill in some info here as well then I'll be obliged...

[Mozumbus]

We didn't go to Jhandarai, but to Thal. Both are very close so can give that a good idea.

Thal-Dir we traveled in the big old fashioned Land Cruiser, 150 per seat. Can accommodate 10-12 people easily. Available from the adda if you reach in time. Tahir is the driver.

Badgoi: crossing over one day and Shahi Bagh next day is wise. Once you reach Thal/Jhandarai look for Irshad of Utror, request him to arrange one more Land Cruiser/Surf. You'll need 2 if more than 7-8 people. Irshad is important, he is doing this route for last 6-7 years. 4000 per vehicle is a good estimate.

In Utror, you'll have to stay with locals. Don't hesitate. Get 2 vehicles next day from Utror, not difficult. Food shall not be a problem, no KFC though (pun intended). 4000 per vehicle again.

Onwards to Kalam I'd highly recommend getting Fielder, even 3! Call it Waghai: when in Rome do as Romans do. Rate is 100 per seat, for full car they count 6 seats, till Kalam adda. Easily available. If you're not staying at Kalam, look for hiace, called flying coach, it will fit you all.

Hope this is helpful.

[Mozumbus]

Edit above

Utror-Kalam: adda rate 100/seat! (Not 200)

[a_devil_rockn]

solid info bro!!

I had almost the same estimations in my mind.. now i'm pretty clear about the fares.. thanks a lot...

btw as we are karachi boys, we can meet up sometime for a cup of tea and travel gossips... PM me if interested...

[Mozumbus]

Zaroor. You're most welcome. Meeting fellow travelers always fascinate me.

Please drop your contact number at muzamil79@gmail.com

[rehankillbill]

solid info bro!!

I had almost the same estimations in my mind.. now i'm pretty clear about the fares.. thanks a lot...

btw as we are karachi boys, we can meet up sometime for a cup of tea and travel gossips... PM me if interested...

Why not we do a small gtg all Karachi travelers ? its been done before as well u can check in Casual Forum

[a_devil_rockn]

if others are willing too then why don't we decide it over here... time/date/place?? I'm available in weekdays after 6 ... i suggest gulshan near urdu science university...