Skardu, Deosai & Shigar — 8 Days in Baltistan

About this trip

Eight days in Baltistan — Deosai National Park at 4,114 m, Sheosar Lake, the Katpana cold desert, Shangrila and Upper Kachura lakes, the restored forts of Shigar and Khaplu, and the Manthal Buddha rock. By air or by the Indus gorge road.

Skardu is where Pakistani mountaineering begins — every K2 expedition passes through it — but you do not need to climb anything to see the best of Baltistan. This eight-day tour covers the whole valley properly: Deosai's high plateau, where brown bears and marmots live above the treeline; the surreal Katpana desert, sand dunes at 2,200 m with snow peaks behind; the restored raja's forts at Shigar and Khaplu, now among the finest heritage hotels in Asia; and the Shangrila and Kachura lakes. We include the Skardu flight option, which cuts a full day of driving each way and is one of the most spectacular commercial approaches anywhere — though it is weather-dependent, and the road alternative is always held in reserve.

Trip highlights

• Deosai National Park — the second-highest plateau on earth, at 4,114 m
• Sheosar Lake at 4,142 m with Nanga Parbat on the horizon
• Katpana cold desert — sand dunes among snow peaks
• Shangrila Resort and Upper Kachura Lake
• Shigar Fort, a 400-year-old raja's palace restored by the Aga Khan Trust
• Khaplu Palace and the Ghanche valley
• Manthal Buddha Rock — an 8th-century carving from Baltistan's Buddhist era
• Kharpocho Fort above the Indus, and the Skardu bazaar