Kundol Lake Trek from Utror

Kundol Lake, also spelled Kandol, is a glacial lake at about 3,030 metres in the mountains above Utror, roughly 19 km from Kalam. You reach it by taking a jeep from Kalam through Utror towards Ladu, then walking up beside the stream that drains the lake, usually two to four hours on foot depending on where the jeep stops. It is a summer trek, realistic from about late June to September, and a long but manageable day from Kalam for a fit group.

The lake is around a kilometre and a half long, green in colour and ringed by grassy and snow-streaked slopes, and it is one of the best rewards in Swat for a single day's effort. This guide covers the jeep ride, the walk, whether you can ride instead, camping at the lake, and when to go.

Where is Kundol Lake?

The lake sits in the mountains north of Utror, a side valley west of Kalam in upper Swat. The stream that flows out of it runs down through forest to the Utror valley and on to Kalam, where the rivers meet to form the Swat River. That stream is your guide on the way up: the path follows it most of the way.

Local stories say a golden bowl appears in the middle of the lake each month and vanishes before anyone can reach it. What you will actually find is a wide, still lake below snow-streaked mountainside. Our guide to Utror Valley covers the valley itself and its other lakes.

Getting to the trailhead

The trek starts with a jeep from Kalam:

1. Kalam to Utror, about an hour. The road is rough and partly unpaved, following the river west for about 16 km.
2. Utror towards Ladu. Beyond Utror a link road runs up towards Ladu, a green side valley at the foot of the climb. How far a jeep can get along it depends on the state of the track and its bridges, which floods have damaged more than once.
3. Start walking. Some years the jeep reaches Ladu; other years it stops near a bridge not far above Utror, and you walk the rest.

Hire the jeep in Kalam the evening before and agree three things with the driver: how far he will take you, how long he will wait, and the total fare including the wait. For a day trip, arrange to be picked up at the trailhead in the late afternoon. An ordinary car is not suitable beyond Kalam.

The walk up

From the end of the jeep track, the path follows the stream uphill through forest, crossing side streams and passing small waterfalls. In places it is steep, rocky and muddy, and near the top it zigzags up a ridge before the lake comes into view.

How long it takes depends mostly on where you start. Reports range from about an hour and a half from Ladu when the jeep can reach it, to six hours or more when floods have cut the track lower down and you walk from near Utror. For planning, assume two to four hours up and a little less coming down, and treat anything faster as a bonus.

What to expect on the way:

• Stream crossings. Early in the season, one tributary may still be bridged by old snow, or crossed on logs. Snow bridges weaken quickly as the day warms, so cross early and carefully, and never cross fast water above your knees.
• Altitude. You finish at about 3,030 metres, some 700 metres higher than Utror. Most people feel it only as heavier breathing on the steep sections, but anyone who develops a bad headache or nausea should go down.
• No food or shops. There is nothing to buy on the trail or at the lake. Carry water and food for the whole day, and a water filter or purification tablets if you plan to drink from the streams.
• No signal. Assume no mobile coverage from Utror onwards.

Start walking by 8 am. That gets you to the lake around midday, gives you time to rest there, and brings you back to the jeep before the light goes. Summer afternoons often bring cloud and showers, which make the path slippery on the way down.

Can you ride a horse to Kundol Lake?

Possibly, but don't count on it. There is no organised horse service on the Utror side that we can point you to. If someone in your group needs to ride, such as an older parent or a young child, ask your hotel in Kalam or people in Utror bazaar a day or two ahead whether a horse and handler can be arranged, and agree the price and route in advance.

Even with a horse, parts of the path are steep and muddy enough that riders may need to get off and walk. For anyone who cannot manage several hours of uphill walking, Mahodand Lake, reached by jeep beyond Kalam, is the easier lake to see.

Day trip or camping?

As a day trip from Kalam, Kundol is long but very doable: leave Kalam by 7 am, walk from about 8, reach the lake around midday, and be back in Kalam by evening. Build in slack for a slow jeep ride or a washed-out track.

Camping at the lake turns it into a far better experience. In summer the lake shore is used as a campsite by trekkers, and an evening and early morning at the water, with the crowds gone, are the best hours to be there. It also lets you go on the next day to Spin Khwar Lake, higher in the mountains, which is a steeper but shorter climb from Kundol than from the Ladu side.

If you camp:

• Carry everything in, including a proper tent, a warm sleeping bag and a stove. There is nothing to buy or rent at the lake.
• Expect cold nights. At 3,030 metres, clear nights are cold even in July and August.
• Consider a local guide or porter from Utror, especially for the first time and for the onward route to Spin Khwar.
• Carry out all your rubbish. There is no collection here.

For somewhere to stay before or after the trek, our guide to hotels in Kalam compares the options, and Utror has a few small guesthouses if you want a shorter start.

When is the best time to go?

• Late June to September is the season. Before late June, snow may still lie on the upper path and around the lake, and the streams run high with melt.
• July and August are the busiest months and the wettest, with monsoon showers that make the path slippery and the streams harder to cross.
• September is usually the best month: settled weather, firm paths and fewer people.
• October is cold, and the first snows can arrive on the upper slopes.
• From November to May, the tracks beyond Kalam are closed by snow for much of the time, and the trek is not a realistic plan.

Our guide to the best time to visit Kalam covers the season across the upper valley.

Is it safe?

Pakistani tourists visit the Kalam area in large numbers every summer. But the security situation in Swat has worsened: on 2 August 2026 a suicide bomber attacked the Kabal police station in Swat during a peace rally, killing 17 people. Check local news and police advice before you travel, and carry your CNIC. Overseas visitors should know that the UK government advises against all travel to Swat, and that this can void travel insurance.

On the trek itself, the risks are the mountain ones: fast streams, weather that turns in the afternoon, and no phone signal if something goes wrong. Walk with others, tell your hotel where you are going and when you expect to be back, and turn round at a set time whether or not you have reached the lake.

Who is the Kundol trek for?

It suits fit families with older children, groups of friends and anyone who is happy walking uphill for several hours. It is one of the best days out on foot from Kalam, and the lake is far quieter than Mahodand.

It suits less well young children, anyone with knee or heart problems, and groups who want a lake with tea stalls and boats at the end. For them, Mahodand by jeep is the better choice. Our Swat Valley page covers the rest of the valley.

Frequently asked questions