I crossed Badgoi Top in August 2020, so treat what I describe as what I saw then. I keep that separate from what I could check today, which you will find near the end. The short version: it was a long, rough ride, and I would not do it again just to reach Kumrat.
Where is Badgoi Top
Badgoi Top, also called Badgoi Pass, is a high pass at about 3,500 metres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It joins Utror and Kalam in Upper Swat with Kumrat Valley in Upper Dir (Wikipedia). We crossed it from the Swat side, from Kalam to Kumrat.
I did not know the pass existed when we planned the trip. Most people reach Kumrat from the Lower Dir and Upper Dir side, through Thal. We only found out about it because the driver we hired in Kalam took this road.
How we got there
We drove our own car from Faisalabad to Kalam Bazar. The whole plan was about five days. We slept in a hotel in Kalam and left the car parked there. The next morning we hired a 4×4 with a local driver in Kalam Bazar to take us to Kumrat, and we slept in a hotel in Kumrat.
We paid PKR 20,000 in 2020 for the 4×4 with driver, as I remember it. That included the return to Kalam from Kumrat, with no extra charge for fuel. It is an old figure, so use it only as a rough guide and ask for the rate again before you go.
How long it took
From Kalam it took about 2.5 hours to reach the top, and about 5 hours in total to reach Kumrat. The top was our only stop on the way. One news report from June 2024 says the usual trip takes about two hours (TNN), but it does not say which stretch that covers. Both of our times were longer, so ask a local driver rather than trust one number.
The road
The road is rough, unpaved and not developed, and parts of it were scary. The worst stretch for us was from Utror to Kumrat, which was very bad and uncomfortable. Wikipedia lists the road between Kalkot and Utror as about 43 km, all unpaved, and calls it a difficult road for experienced drivers only. We went in a 4×4 with a local driver, which is also what the tour operators use.
What is at the top
Our driver told us the top is the midpoint, and that we should stop for about half an hour. We stayed 30 minutes.
It is a meadow with mountains around it, and the air was very clean, which I notice more living in Faisalabad, as I wrote in my smog and allergy post. There are no hotels at the top, so nobody stays there. There is one small tea shop that sells pakoras, snacks, drinks and drinking water. Whoever owns the shop also built a single small toilet with an open top. It is funny, but it is there.
We took photos and enjoyed the view. That was all. There is nothing else to do up there. There was no check post and no entry fee. The road simply runs through local villages of Swat.
Weather on the day
I started from Kalam Bazar in a polo shirt. By the time we reached the top, a cold wind was blowing, and we had to take our jackets out of our bags to stay the half hour. Even in August, bring a jacket. My packing list covers what I carry for the cold parts.
What you can and cannot do there
- You can take photos, enjoy the view, have tea and a snack, buy drinking water and use the toilet.
- You cannot stay the night, because there are no hotels at the top.
- You cannot cross in winter. Wikipedia says snow makes the pass impassable from November to June.
- I did not find a source on camping at the top, so I will not say whether it is allowed.
Is Badgoi Top worth it
Not for us. The ride was long, uncomfortable and scary, and the top was a meadow and a view for half an hour. We regretted taking it. If Kumrat Valley is what you want, choose the Lower Dir and Upper Dir side, through Thal, instead.
I wrote about other things I would skip in 10 things I would skip in northern Pakistan.
What I would check before going now
- Whether the pass is open. Wikipedia says it is closed from November to June. The June 2024 TNN report says it is normally closed five to six months and that the road was cleared early that year. One tour operator says every season is good but also mentions winter snow, so ask a hotel or driver in Kalam.
- The 4×4 rate, and whether the return is included. My 2020 figure is old.
- The road from Utror to Kumrat, which was the worst part for us.
- Phone signal. I do not remember whether there was any, so download offline maps first.
- A jacket, even in summer.
This is what I saw in August 2020. If you have crossed it more recently, tell me how the road is now.