Katora Lake – A Complete Travel Guide

Katora Lake is an alpine glacial lake in the upper ranges of Jahaz Banda. Kumrat Valley in the Upper Dir District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Province of Pakistan. The lake is served by the neighboring melting glacier waters. This lake is locally known as Ghansar. Ghan means big and Sir implies lake.

Origin of Katora Lake

The word Katora means “bowl” in Pashto, and it was named after the lake that resembled a bowl shape. Katora Lake, which means bowl in the Pashto language, is a high-altitude lake.

The trail to this lake is memorable. One comes across lush green forests, snow-clad mountains, towering trees, green meadows, aromatic flowers, crystal clear springs, and gushing waterfalls. But, fortunately, the only music which one listens to is either the screeching of your jogging shoes or birds.

The lake is located in such a far-flung area where constant human living is challenging and next to impossible. Yet, to one side, the face of the lake is open, and the sparkling water of the lake spills out in the form of an attractive creamy waterfall which creates a beautiful scenario.

If you are more of a visual person, then please watch the following video, which summarizes my Katora Lake trip:

The Myth of Katora Lake

Anybody will be surprised after visiting Katora Lake. Not only this lake but the path is also beautiful. There are many myths about this lake. For example, people say that a bowl of gold emerges from the lake every Friday and then disappears.

The water of the lake flows in the form of a waterfall. Beautiful mountains, Glaciers, and alpine forests surround this beautiful lake.

According to locals, there are many rare animals in which markhor is prominent. The path to the lake is lovely. There is one hotel and various tuck shops on the way to Katora Lake.

How to Reach Katora Lake

The lake can be reached from Upper Dir Kumrat Valley. From the Swat side, it can be accessed from Utror, Gabral, to Upper Dir Kumrat Valley. It takes almost an hour to reach tiki top from thall, the base camp of the lake.

One has to leave the road and then start trekking towards Jahaz Banda, and it takes 3 to 5 hours of trekking under thick forests to reach Jahaz Banda. One can stay there for one night and then hike towards the lake and get there in almost 4 hours.

I started my journey early in the morning. After crossing the ground, one gets a small lake. Locals call this Lake Loaksar. A facility for a boat ride is also available here. The boatman told us that the distance was 4 kilometers, but the actual distance by boat was not more than one kilometer.

There are many herds of horses and other animals along the way. After crossing the first lake, the rocky track starts. In the end, there is one steep. After crossing it, the beautiful scene of Katora Lake appears in front of us.

As one passes through the track, many temporary hotels are in the way. Dhand Banda also comes on the trek of Katora Lake. There is a facility to ride on a horse to the first lake. But after that, one has to walk as there is not possible to move on a horse forward.

Katora Lake (Jheel) Trek Track Time:

No matter how strong you feel, you are you should always take the jeep to Takki Top. The actual Jahaz Banda trek starts from there, which would take around 4-6 hrs.

Again depending on your self-strength and stamina. The hike is steep and not recommended for families and children. You can hire guides/porters from here as well if you want to

If you plan to visit Katora Lake, you must make up your mind to walk long distances. Make sure that you wear proper shoes. The weather at Katora Lake is cold in the summer season, so make sure you bring a jacket as well.

Weather

The ideal time to visit Katora Lake is from June to October. However, June or July is also good but do expect random rainfalls due to the monsoon. Then heavy snowfall covers all the trek of Lake from November to May.

Height of Katora Lake

Katora Lake (also called Jaz Dand) is located in the Lamoti region of Kumrat Valley. It is at an elevation of 11,500 ft approximately from sea level. The Snow-clad high mountains surround the lake and fresh flowers of various species have covered its margins.

The lake is 1.25 kilometers long and 763 meters wide. Mr. Taj Muhammad of village Jandrai coined the name Katora for this lake. The lake is among the beautiful lakes of Pakistan.

Distance from Jahaz Banda

You can easily reach Katora Lake when you are active and energetic. The distance of Katora Lake is about 5 km from the jahaz banda meadows. Its track consists of 3 hours steep and then straight in some places. One has to pass through big and small round stones under his feet.

Distance from Kalam and kumrat valley

The distance of katora Lake from kumrat valley is about 22km. Jeep trek from Kumrat to Takki top 1 to 1.5 hours. It takes 3 to 4 hours to reach the jahaz banda, at the same time, walk to katora lake.

You can also visit this Lake from Kalam Side via Badgoi Pass. It takes almost an hour from Kalam to Tikki Top, then the same trek mentioned above.

Distance From Lahore and Islamabad

The distance of katora lake from Lahore City is about 680km and 460 kilometers from Islamabad. Therefore, it takes 12 hours from Lahore and 9 to 10 hours from Islamabad to reach katora lake.

Hopefully, this blog will inspire you to visit Katora Lake. Also, if you have any questions on KPK or my experience traveling on a bicycle/motorbike, please comment below or email me. I’ll try to reply to you as soon as possible.