Katpana Cold Desert: What to Do and When

The Katpana desert, often called the Skardu cold desert, is a stretch of sand dunes at about 2,226 metres beside Skardu airport, 15 to 20 minutes from town. The time to go is the last hour before sunset, when the sand turns gold against the snow peaks: around 7:15 pm in June and July, closer to 6 by mid-September and before 5 in midwinter. You can walk the dunes for free, ride over them by jeep or quad bike in season, and in winter, after a snowfall, see the sand lying white under the snow.

This guide covers where the desert is, what there is to do, the best time of day and year, and how to keep a visit safe and short of sunburn. It usually takes an hour or two, so it fits easily into a day at the Kachura lakes.

What is the Katpana cold desert?

Katpana is a high-altitude desert, one of the highest in the world, in the Skardu valley. Locally it is also called Biang-a Naqpo, and many people know it simply as the cold desert. The sand stretches from the banks of the Indus towards New Ranga village, and the part almost everyone visits lies near Katpana Lake, right next to the airport.

It is called a cold desert because of the winters. Summer days are warm and bright, but winter nights fall well below freezing, to −17 °C or lower in a cold spell. When it snows, the dunes are covered, which is why photographs of sand under snow with mountains behind have made Katpana famous.

What you actually find is a sweep of soft, pale dunes, some of them high enough to make the climb up worth it, with the airport on one side, the Indus valley in front and snow peaks all round. It is not a vast Sahara, but the combination of sand and mountains is unlike anywhere else in Pakistan.

How to get there, and how long to spend

From Skardu, take the road west towards the airport. Any taxi driver in Skardu knows it, and it is 15 to 20 minutes from town. A normal car is fine as far as the edge of the dunes. Don't try to drive your own car onto the sand: soft sand swallows ordinary tyres quickly.

Because it is beside the airport and on the way to Kachura, Katpana fits neatly into a day:

• With the Kachura lakes: Shangrila and Upper Kachura in the morning, rest in the afternoon, and Katpana on the way home or in a separate trip at sunset.
• On arrival day: if your flight lands in the morning and you want something gentle and close by, the desert in the evening is a good first outing.
• On your last evening, as the last thing before an early flight the next morning.

An hour or two is plenty. Stay until the light goes, then head back before it gets cold.

What to do in the Katpana desert

Walk the dunes

The simplest thing is also the best. Walk away from the parking area and climb the higher dunes, where the view opens over the whole valley. Walking in soft sand at 2,200 metres is harder than it looks, so go slowly and stop often.

Jeep and quad-bike rides

In the main season, local operators at the edge of the desert offer jeep rides over the dunes and quad bikes (ATVs) to ride on the sand. Prices are not fixed and depend on the length of the ride and the time of year, so agree the price and the time before you start.

If you ride:

• Ask for a helmet, and don't ride without one.
• Start slowly on flat sand before you try the slopes. Most accidents happen when a quad tips on the side of a dune.
• Keep young children off quads unless they are riding with an adult on a slow, supervised ride.
• Stay away from walkers, and keep to the area the operator shows you.

Katpana Lake

The small lake beside the dunes, between the sand and the airport, adds water to the view and is a pleasant place to sit as the light goes. It freezes in the coldest weeks of winter.

Photography

The last hour before sunset gives long shadows on the dune ridges and warm light on the sand, with the peaks behind still bright. Just after sunrise is equally good and far emptier. Midday light is flat and harsh, and the glare off pale sand is strong.

When is the best time of day? Sunset by month

The time to arrive is about an hour before sunset. These are approximate sunset times for Skardu, calculated for the middle of each month. In the valley the sun drops behind the ridges a little earlier, so treat them as the latest you should be on the dunes.

A practical rule: in June and July, leave Skardu at about 5:45 pm; in September, at about 4:45; in winter, by 3:30.

Katpana through the year

Spring (April and May). Comfortable days, cool evenings and clear air. The peaks behind the dunes still carry plenty of snow, which makes for the best photographs.

Summer (June to August). The busiest time, with the jeep and bike rides in full swing. Skardu's July days average over 30 °C, and the sand gets hot by early afternoon. Stick to early morning and evening.

Autumn (September and October). Quieter, with clear light and cooler temperatures. Evenings on the dunes can be chilly by October, so bring a jacket.

Winter (December to February). This is when Katpana becomes the "cold desert" of the photographs. After a snowfall the dunes are covered white, and that is the reason for most winter visits. There are two catches. Skardu is dry, with less than 200 mm of rain and snow a year, so snow on the sand is never guaranteed during a particular trip, and it melts from the sunny faces within days. And it is very cold: average January lows are around −8 °C in Skardu, and much colder in a cold spell. If it snows while you are there, go the next day. Our guide to Skardu in winter covers flights, heating and the frozen lakes.

Practical tips and safety

• Shoes. Trainers or boots, not sandals. The sand is hot in summer and very cold in winter.
• Water. Take some, even for an hour. The air at 2,200 metres is dry, and walking in sand is tiring.
• Sun protection. Sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen. Pale sand reflects the sun, and the altitude makes it stronger.
• A jacket. Temperatures drop quickly after sunset, even in summer.
• No drones. The desert is right beside Skardu airport, which is also used by the air force. Don't fly a drone anywhere near it.
• Rubbish. Take it back with you. The dunes are only as clean as the last visitors left them.

Is Katpana worth visiting?

Yes, as part of a Skardu trip, and especially at sunset. It is close, easy and different from anything else in the valley, and children in particular love the dunes. It is not a place for a whole day, and if you arrive at midday in July you may wonder what the fuss is about.

If you have more time, Sarfaranga, the other cold desert, at the mouth of the Shigar valley, is usually quieter. Most people see Katpana because it is on the way to and from the Kachura lakes, and Sarfaranga on the way to Shigar.

Our three-day Skardu itinerary puts Katpana at the end of the Kachura day, after Upper Kachura Lake in the morning. Our Skardu and Deosai trip does the same on day two, with the desert saved for the last hour of light. For the rest of the valley, see our Skardu destination page.

Frequently asked questions