One of the must visit places in Pakistan, especially when travelling to the northern side is to visit Skardu, home of mountains, forests, lakes and cold deserts.
Situated in the northern part of Kashmir, this heaven on earth contains gorgeous mountains, beautiful waterfronts and the Indus and Shigar rivers flowing through it. You can get to Skardu on your own car or through a car provided by rent-a-car agency as a bus wont alone drop you off at Skardu so it’s better to try to get there on your own means. when one gets a chance to visit Skardu, there are quite a few things to do for the nature lovers along with many sites to please the eyes with, so let’s get right to it.
The aqua sites
Satpara Lake is quite the benevolent lake to see and is situated at quite some height, requiring a bit of a trek but the trek is worth the climb, the water is so clean that you can see the fish and the rocks by the foot of the lake, an experienced hiker can reach this spot in around 4 hours.
Lower Kachura Lake or more famously known as Shangrila Lake is quite known for its beauty and the serenity it provides to its weary visitors. The ambiance it provides for people who are so used to the metropolis life is a nice getaway, it makes them lose all the worries of back home, a place to heal and recuperate. Its only nature with trees, rivers and snow covered mountains. Another way to further accentuate the experience is to take a boat ride, right before sunset, with mountains on the sides of the river, really puts you in a place I bet you have never been in before.
Mountain climbing
Well into the very northern part of Pakistan, Skardu is located right close to the some of the tallest mountains in the world, this is pretty evident when you are close to Skardu and happen to cross Nanga Parbat, one of the 8000m mountains out of the 14 that exist in the world. While in Skardu, you are a trek away from other giants such as Mashabrum, Gashabrum and Chogo-ri which is more famously known as k-2 or as Reinhold Messner put it, the “mountain of mountains”. The great Himalaya and the Karakoram are present in this region with vast deserts, glaciers and blue lakes. Really aesthetic stuff.
Kharpocho Fort
Skardu has its fair share of heritage sites and one of them is Kharpocho Fort, the fort is situated around the bank of the river Indus and the whole of Skardu can be viewed from the top of the fort, the fort is illuminated at night so it becomes quite the sight to see.
Mindoq Khar
This is a palace that was named after the queen as ‘Mindoq khar’ which roughly translates to ‘Flower Palace’.
Katpana desert
Desert are usually known for being very hot and humid, however you’ll be quite surprised with a cold desert known as Katpana desert in Skardu, this could be due to the fact that it is situated some 14,00 feet above sea level. Most rental cars or privately owned cars can’t reach the desert since it will require some trek to get to this are but It is quite the sight to see white sand meeting snow-white capped mountains, a nice place to visit to bring variety in attractions for your travel.
Last thoughts
This was our guide to Skardu, we listed some of the most important things to see and do in Skardu. The area being so isolated and far off from modern civilization, it serves to be the best area to connect with nature in its purest form.
