Skardu — Gateway to giants. — Pakistan Tourism Awards

Mirror-still water of Upper Kachura Lake reflecting bare mountains and cloud, Skardu

Gilgit-Baltistan

Gateway to giants.

Photo: Hammadnasim / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Skardu lies at the meeting of the Indus and Shyok rivers and is the staging point for K2 and the Gasherbrums. Around it, the landscape changes quickly: the still water of the Kachura lakes, the dunes of the Katpana cold desert, Satpara Lake above the town and Kharpocho Fort on its rock.

A short drive away, Shigar Fort shows what careful restoration can do. The seventeenth-century residence of the Raja of Shigar was restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, reopened in 2005 as a heritage hotel, and received a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award of Excellence in 2006.

Setting: Indus–Shyok confluence
Shigar Fort: Restored 2005
Recognition: UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award, 2006
Gateway to: K2 and Gasherbrum
Generally visited: May to October
Coordinates: 35.290° N, 75.644° EView on a map

Seasons are general guidance. Mountain roads and passes open and close with the weather; check locally before travelling.

Lower Kachura (Shangrila) LakeAzmat akbar, CC BY-SA 4.0

What draws people here

Upper and Lower Kachura lakes
Shigar Fort
Satpara Lake
Katpana cold desert
Kharpocho Fort

Planning a visit

Getting there: Skardu International Airport has scheduled flights from Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, all dependent on visibility. By road, follow the Karakoram Highway to Jaglot and then the Jaglot–Skardu road, 167 km and about four hours. From Islamabad allow a very long day, or two.
How long to allow: Three to five days, and longer if you add Deosai, Shigar or Khaplu.
Good to know: Foreign visitors register with the local authorities as elsewhere in Gilgit-Baltistan, and treks beyond Askole need permits. Build in spare days for cancelled flights.

General guidance, checked in September 2026. Visa rules, permits, flights and mountain roads change; confirm with official sources or a licensed operator before you book. We do not sell travel.

Sources

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