LakeSHANGRILLA LAKE
The iconic red-roof resort lake — GB's most photographed spot
Must see
Top attractions in SKARDU
The places worth building your trip around — then book stays, tours and transport for them below.
Lake
LakeUpper Kachura Lake
Deep turquoise, boating, quieter than Lower
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Where is Skardu and what is it known for?
Skardu is the main town of Baltistan in Gilgit-Baltistan, northern Pakistan, sitting at roughly 2,200 metres where the Shigar river meets the Indus. It is the usual base for trips into the Karakoram — including the approach to K2 and the Baltoro glacier — and for the lakes, cold deserts and valleys around the town itself.
Skardu sits in a broad valley, which is why it feels less enclosed than many mountain towns in the region. The town itself is small; most of what travellers come for is within a few hours of it.
The Baltistan side of Gilgit-Baltistan is culturally distinct from Hunza and Gilgit — the language is Balti, and the architecture, food and history differ noticeably.
For most visitors Skardu is a base rather than a destination in itself: you stay in or near the town and travel out each day, or use it as the starting point for a longer trek.
Common questions about SKARDU
How many days do I need for Skardu?
Five to seven days is a comfortable first trip, covering Skardu town, the lakes, Shigar and Khaplu. Four days works if you fly both ways and accept a tight schedule. Trekking towards Baltoro or K2 base camp is a different scale of trip — two to three weeks.
A rough guide: Four days, flying both ways — Skardu town, Sadpara or the Kachura lakes, Shigar, and the cold desert. Tight, and it collapses if a flight is cancelled. Five to seven days — the above plus Khaplu, Deosai as a full-day trip in season, and time that is not spent in a vehicle. Ten days or more — adds Hushe, Basho or the quieter valleys, and leaves room for weather. Two to three weeks — trekking to Concordia and K2 base camp, which needs preparation, a permit and a proper operator. If you are driving from Islamabad rather than flying, add two days each way. That is the single most common planning mistake: budgeting a week and then losing four days of it to the road.
Do I need a 4x4 in Skardu?
Not for the town, the airport road, Shigar or Khaplu — a normal car handles those. You do need a 4x4 with a local driver for Deosai, Basho, Bilamik, the Sarfaranga desert and the track towards Askole.
The distinction matters because hiring the wrong vehicle either wastes money or strands you. A normal car is fine for: Skardu town, the airport, Sadpara, the Kachura lakes, the main road to Shigar, and the road to Khaplu. A 4x4 is genuinely needed for: Deosai, Basho valley, Bilamik, the Sarfaranga cold desert, and the jeep track beyond Shigar towards Askole. On the tracks that need one, hire the driver with the vehicle. Local drivers know which crossings are passable that week, and on several of these routes that is not something you can judge from the seat. Mobile signal is limited or absent on most of them. Tell someone where you are going.
