Skardu Travel Guide

Carved on rocky stone, the huge Buddha carving along with surrounding Bodhisattvas is reminiscent of Tibetan Buddhist roots of the region dating back to 7th and 8th century AD. The rock can be found just 3 km from Skardu off the Skardu-Sadpara-Deosai road. This historcial momument is literally unguarded and situated on a walkway; it is sheer luck...

Lower Kachura Lake, also known as Shangrila Lake, is famous for its out-of-the-world, or heaven-on-earth in the words of James Hilton, beauty. Serenity in the atmosphere, freshness in the air, and tranquility in the water are suggestive of an ideal romantic ambiance light-years away from worldly distractions. Should you like to absorb the harmony...

When around Skardu, or anywhere in the Northern Areas of Pakistan for that matter, you have the liberty to pick from abundantly availble seasonal fruits not only from stray trees but also from private farms, however, on request.We always loved picking handfull of juicy apricots while trekking around from open-source treckside trees. Not only this,...

The Lower Kachura Lake is one of the most beautiful natural lakes in the world and is truly called Heaven on Earth i.e. Shangrila. This Lake belongs to the divine couplet of lakes situated in the small Northern town of Pakistan, Kachura, which itself is situated near Skardu. The lake is surrounded with fruit laden trees, forests, and 'high-rise'...

From Skardu drive to Kuburse to begin the trek to K2 base camp. It is an amazing journey and something you will always remember.

Hi,K2 and Gondghoro la, very beautiful itineraries in the heart of Karakoram.But you should be enough fit for the moraines of Baltoro glacier, because this trek's demanding.From Askole to K2 base camp and back includes, 13,14 trekking days, there're 2 rest days because one's to approach 5200 m, the base camp and if you're going to Gondghoro la 5600...

Skardu Baltistan lies in the heart of world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Great Himalaya and the Karakoram. It presents a unique contrast of high peaks, deep gorges, straddling glaciers, vast deserts, sandy plains, blue lakes, colorful panorama, lush green oases and villages. It consist of following valleys like skardu, Rondu, Shiger, Khaplu,...

If you make it to Skardu, check out the Khurpa Care office (Khurpa is the Balti word for porter). The manager is a guy called Raza. He used to be a trekking guide but now he's working to improve the conditions of moountaineering and trekking porters. The office is also a small research library if you're interested in learning about...

Its a very beautiful lake situated at quite some height. The water is just so clean here that you can clearly see wats beneath it. It is also famous for its rare trout fish.

Once booked, PIA flights to and from Skardu need reconfirmation – 24 hours in advance from the departure time – from the local PIA office. For Islamabad – Skardu, ticket reconfirmation is done at the Northern Areas Desk of the PIA office located at Mall Road, Rawalpindi. You don’t need to go there in person but your original ticket needs to be...

Not the most comfortable but the most practical way to see the sights around Skardu. Photo shows my driver replacing a punctured tire. Being the opportunistic me, i got out and went trigger-happy... (2nd and 3rd photos).

After we went for a walk through Kachura Village we had just passed this bridge when a group of people came past in the back of a trailer being towed by an ancient looking tractor. The offered us a lift back to the camping resort and we bumped along with all the smiling faces. This kind of encounter was so common in Pakistan and was what made my...

Due to uncertain weather, PIA flights to and from Skardu usually get delayed and sometimes even cancelled out. So, it is better to have a backup plan and a delay strategy in mind rather than ruining your vacations and then cursing me and the PIA. Flight Delays: Usually, airport staff does not open check-in counters, especially at Islamabad Airport,...

I guess the warning or danger is yourself (or just me?), after being completely removed from civilisation for such a period jokes between your trekking party can run for days - and get a bit out of hand.Here I introduce our 'new firends' - the coffee tin girls, wait for it.......Ness, and Caffie (a la Nescafe)ahem.....................I think I'll...

Before we head to the day trip to Deosai Mountains, our driver, Basharat, insisted us to buy some food from Indus Pizza and Fast Food, located in Skardu, which we fortunately did not listen to and avoided the trap only to fall into it later. After returning from Deosai we decided to give the eatery a chance only to disappoint ourselves. Quality of...

Shiger, a beautiful valley of the Baltistan. Situated in the heart of the Karakoram, 32 kms (20 miles) from Skardu and 1/2 Hour by jeep. It forms the gateway to the great mountain peaks of the Karakoram, including Mount K-2. The valley filled with perpetual snows for millions of years. Due to its high ranges mountains, snow clad peaks, glaciers and...

What I didn't realise was that it is customary to tip Porters, Guides and Cooks who have accompanied you on trekking trips (on top of the payment for the trip itself) I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS......CONSIDERING THE WORK YOUR TREKKING STAFF DO! However, I was caught out by embarrassingly not having enogugh money to pay all our guides, porters and...

Deosai Plains – Average Height: 4,114m (13,500ft); Area: 3,000 sq. km; Population: Zero; Accessibility: April – October depending upon weather – are an abode to a variety of rare wildlife species especially to the Himalayan Bear and belong to the Tibetan Plateau. These plains provide with an excellent adventure opportunity due to their wilderness...

Although Skardu has mostly been perceived as a base camp for adventure expeditions, Karakoram summits and Deosai Plains being the most popular ones, but the surroundings of Skardu are also abundantly gifted with some exquisite natural gifts. Out of those pearls, Kachura Lakes - the Lower Kachura Lake and the Upper Kachura Lake - are a treat to...

Kachura Village was stunning at the time of year we were there (June) as the fruit trees were all laden with fruit and the people in the village went about harvesting the fruit by stringing out sheets underneath the mulberry trees and shaking the trees to collect the berries. The children all wanted to greet you and shake you hand (with the...

Skardu City is just another commercial locality, good for shopping and bargaining, but definitley not a recreational place. Usually, people prefer staying at Skardu and making it the base for day trips and surrounding tours, but the ambiance of this town does not synergize with the mood and preferences of a recreational tourist.I prefer and...

The Balti language a member of the Sino-Tibetan branch of languages and is a derivative and related to Tibetan, except it's written in Arabic script when the Moguls invaded the territory of what is now Baltistan. The following are some phrases i've picked up from the locals, which may be useful breaking the language barrier:Hello: chia-lyuhtWhat...

Skardu is the last place you can re-sort your bags and leave behind anything which is unnecessary for your trek. Basically when trekking in Pakistan you are allowed to give a duffel bag weighing no more than 12.5 kgs to your porter. This is set by the Governement and is well-communicated to porters who carry hand scales and meticulously weigh...