Skardu Tours

Five days suits most first-time visitors, though three days works for a short fly-in trip and eight or more lets you slow down and see the wider valley. On three days we cover the Upper and Lower Kachura lakes, the Katpana cold desert, Shigar Fort and the viewpoints around town, which is ideal if your flights hold and you are short on time. Five days is our most popular length: it adds a full day on the Deosai Plateau in summer, plus Khaplu Palace and the Shigar valley. With eight days or more you can travel one way by road and one way by air, reach Sadpara and Basho valley, and add the Manthokha waterfall or a night at a heritage fort without rushing. Every trip is private, so these are starting points rather than fixed departures. Tell us how you want to arrive and whether Deosai matters to you, and we will match the length to it.

Both work, and many of our guests fly one way and drive the other to get the best of each. Pakistan International Airlines flies Islamabad to Skardu in about an hour, landing at Skardu International Airport, and on a clear morning the route passes Nanga Parbat. Mountain weather occasionally delays or cancels these flights, so we always build a road backup into fly-in itineraries. By road Skardu is roughly a two-day drive from Islamabad on the Karakoram Highway, turning off along the Indus at Jaglot, and most people break the journey at Chilas or Naran. It is a long haul, but the Babusar Pass and the Nanga Parbat viewpoint make the drive part of the trip. The road also stays open far longer in the year than the flights are reliable. If your dates are tight, flying in saves the two days on the road; if the scenery matters more, the drive is worth the time.

April to October is the season, and June to September is the best window if you want full access. Those summer months are the only time the Deosai Plateau is open and free of snow, so any trip built around Deosai has to fall inside them. Spring, in April and May, brings apricot and cherry blossom to the valley and mild clear days, although the higher ground still holds snow. From mid-September into October the poplars turn gold, the air is crisp and the mountain views are the sharpest of the year, which is why late September to mid-October is a favourite with photographers. Winter, from November to March, is cold and quiet. The lakes and desert look spectacular under snow, but the Deosai road is shut and flight delays are more likely. If you travel then, we keep the road option ready in case the flight does not go.

The main sights are the lakes, the cold desert, the old forts and, in summer, the Deosai Plateau. Upper and Lower Kachura lakes and Sadpara Lake give the valley its calm, photogenic water, with the broad Indus running through the middle. The Katpana and Sarfaranga cold deserts are among the highest sand dunes on earth, set against snow peaks. Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace, both restored and centuries old, now run as heritage hotels. Further out, the Manthokha waterfall in Kharmang makes a good day trip. From June to September a jeep track climbs onto Deosai, a 4,000-metre plateau of wildflowers and marmots where you can look for the Himalayan brown bear and visit Sheosar Lake. Skardu itself sits at about 2,230 metres on a bend of the Indus, and it is the staging point for the K2 Base Camp trek, with every expedition passing through before the drive to Askole.

Yes. Skardu and the rest of Gilgit-Baltistan are among the most welcoming and settled parts of Pakistan for visitors, and tourism is central to the local economy. Every summer the town sees K2 expeditions and trekking groups passing through as well as families on a lakes-and-forts holiday. The practical risks here are mountain ones rather than security ones: altitude on the Deosai Plateau, which sits at about 4,000 metres, sudden changes in weather, and long days on mountain roads. Flights from Islamabad can also be delayed or cancelled when the weather closes in, which is why we build a road contingency into every fly-in plan. Travelling with a licensed local operator means the logistics, permits and pacing are handled for you. We are based in Gilgit-Baltistan, and our guides and drivers know these roads and how conditions change through the season.

Our Skardu packages start at around $950 per person for a short Deosai trip and $1,300 for the scenic route. At the top end, a premium week at the Shangri-La Resort on Lower Kachura Lake is $3,800 and a private luxury Hunza and Skardu circuit is $4,500. In between sits the Skardu and Deosai cycling trip at $1,800, and the two-week Gilgit-Baltistan Grand Tour, which adds Hunza and the Khunjerab Pass, is $6,500. The Deosai trip runs 4 to 6 days, the scenic route 8 to 10 and the Shangri-La week 7 to 9. The final price depends on length, season, hotel class and group size, and every quote is tailored to your plan because all our trips are private. We arrange the flights or road transport, hotels, permits and guide, so tell us your dates and budget and we will price the route that fits.

Skardu has a dry high-desert climate, with hot summer days, cold nights and freezing winters. Pakistan Meteorological Department averages for the town, at about 2,230 metres, put July, the warmest month, at around 32°C by day and 16°C at night, with June and August close behind. January is the coldest month, at about 3°C by day and -8°C at night, and the record low is -24°C. Spring warms up quickly: April averages about 19°C by day and 7°C at night, and May about 23°C and 10°C. Autumn cools just as fast, from about 27°C by day in September to 20°C in October and 13°C in November, when the nights drop below freezing. Rain is scarce, at around 170 mm a year, so most days are sunny. Higher up it is much colder: Deosai, at over 4,000 metres, rarely passes 20°C even in July. Pack warm layers in every month.

Yes, Skardu is open in winter, but it is a different trip. From December to February daytime highs sit around 3 to 7°C and nights fall to about -5 to -8°C, often lower. Snow falls in the valley most winters, mainly between December and February, but Skardu is dry, so the heaviest snow lies on the mountains and passes rather than in town. The lakes can freeze, and the cold desert looks remarkable under a white cover. The catch is access. The Deosai Plateau is shut, the Babusar Pass closes from about November, and the remaining road runs down the Karakoram Highway south of Chilas, which UK travel advice warns against, so most foreign visitors fly in. Winter flights from Islamabad are the ones most often delayed by weather, so keep a spare day or two in the plan. Expect fewer open guesthouses and very few other tourists.

Yes. For many travellers October is the best month of the year. Days are clear and dry at around 20°C, nights fall to about 4°C, and the poplars and apricot trees turn gold through the month. The summer crowds have gone, rooms are easier to book, and the settled autumn weather means fewer cancelled Islamabad flights than in winter or spring. Shigar, Khaplu, the Kachura lakes and the Sarfaranga cold desert are all at their most photogenic. The one thing you lose is the Deosai Plateau, which usually closes by mid-September, so if Deosai is on your list, come in July or August instead. The Babusar Pass road normally stays open into October, so a trip that drives in and flies out still works. Bring a down jacket for the evenings, because the temperature drops quickly once the sun goes behind the mountains.

The Deosai Plateau is open for a short summer window, roughly mid-June to mid-September, and July and August are the surest months. For the rest of the year it lies under deep snow and the jeep tracks from Skardu and Astore are shut. The exact opening date depends on how much snow the winter left: in a heavy year the road may not clear until early July. Early in the season the streams run high with meltwater and some tracks stay soft. From mid-July the wildflowers are out and the marmots are busy, which is also the best time to look for the Himalayan brown bear. Even in summer Deosai is cold, at around 12 to 20°C by day and close to freezing at night, because the plateau averages over 4,000 metres. If your trip falls outside this window, the rest of Skardu is still open, but Deosai is not an option.