Lakes in Skardu: Kachura, Satpara, Sheosar and More

The lakes in Skardu fall into three groups. Upper Kachura and Shangrila, 35 to 45 minutes west of town, are the famous pair, with boats, trout and orchards. Satpara, 20 to 30 minutes south on the Deosai road, is the quickest to reach, and the Blind Lake near Shigar and the small lake beside the Katpana dunes are quiet extras on the valley floor. Sheosar, high on the Deosai plateau, is a full jeep day and open only in summer. April to October suits all the valley lakes; Sheosar is for late June to September.

This guide compares them side by side, so you can choose which to see, in what order and in which month. Each lake also has its own detailed guide, linked below.

The Kachura lakes: Shangrila and Upper Kachura

The two Kachura lakes sit side by side at about 2,500 metres in Kachura village, on the road west of Skardu past the airport. They are the Skardu of photographs, and most people see both in one morning.

Shangrila, properly Lower Kachura, is the small lake inside Shangrila Resort, opened in 1983. Day visitors come in through the gate, normally with a ticket, and find a landscaped lake with lawns, pagoda roofs, a jetty and a café inside the fuselage of an old DC-3. It is the easiest lake in Skardu for small children and older parents: everything is flat and close together. Our Shangrila Resort guide covers the ticket, the boats and the rooms.

Upper Kachura is the bigger, deeper and wilder of the two, up to 70 metres deep, with orchards and village houses on the slopes. There is no resort; you walk down a short, steep path from the road, and local boatmen take you out on the water. In season, simple places near the shore fry trout. Our Upper Kachura Lake guide covers the path, the boats and the walks.

Go early. In the first hours after sunrise the water is still, the reflections are sharp and the day visitors from town have not arrived.

Satpara: the closest lake to town

Satpara is the reservoir lake directly south of Skardu, at about 2,600 metres and around 4 square kilometres, on the paved road that climbs towards Deosai. It was enlarged by the Satpara Dam, completed in 2013, which supplies Skardu with drinking water and electricity. There is a small island in the lake.

The Gilgit-Baltistan tourism department lists boating and trout fishing among the things to do. It is the easiest lake to fit into a short trip: an hour or two on its own, or a stop on the way to or from Deosai, with the Manthal Buddha Rock just below the dam. Our Satpara Lake guide covers the viewpoints and the boats.

The quiet ones: Katpana Lake and the Blind Lake

Katpana Lake is the small lake at the edge of the Katpana cold desert, between the dunes and the airport, 15 to 20 minutes from town. On its own it is modest; with the dunes in the last hour of light it makes one of the easiest evenings in Skardu. It freezes in the coldest weeks of winter.

The Blind Lake, Zharba Tso in Balti, is a narrow lake about 1.4 km long and up to 260 metres wide at the entrance to the Shigar valley, between the Indus and the Shigar river. It has no visible stream running in or out, hence the name, and is fed by water seeping from the Indus. It sees far fewer visitors than Kachura, and it fits naturally into a day at Shigar. Our Blind Lake guide explains the track and the walk.

Sheosar: the high lake on Deosai

Sheosar lies at the western end of the Deosai plateau, at over 4,100 metres; published figures run up to 4,250. It is about 2.3 km long and, on a clear morning, Nanga Parbat stands beyond the far shore. Its Shina name means "blind lake", so don't mix it up with Zharba Tso.

It is a different kind of trip from the valley lakes. From Skardu it is three to four hours each way by jeep over the Ali Malik Mar pass, the plateau is only open from roughly June to the first heavy snow, and the altitude is nearly 2,000 metres above the town. Night camping on Deosai has been banned since a bear attack in September 2025, so plan it as a long day trip or as part of a crossing to Astore. Our Sheosar Lake guide covers the route and the best time of day.

Which lake suits you?

• Families with small children: Shangrila for the flat paths and gentle boats, and Satpara because it is close. Save Upper Kachura for children who can manage steep steps.
• Couples: Upper Kachura at first light, ideally after a night in Kachura, and Katpana at sunset.
• Short on time: Satpara and the two Kachura lakes can all be done in a day with a car, one in the afternoon and two the next morning.
• Away from the crowds: the Blind Lake, on a Shigar day.
• Photographers: Upper Kachura at dawn, Katpana in the evening, and Sheosar in the early morning if you have a Deosai day.
• Older parents or anyone with a heart or lung condition: stay with the valley lakes. Sheosar is over 4,000 metres.

Which lakes can you see in which season?

• April and May: the valley lakes are at their clearest, with blossom in the Kachura orchards in April and snow still on the peaks. Deosai and Sheosar are closed.
• June to August: everything is open, boats are running and Sheosar is reachable. Kachura is at its busiest on weekends, around Eid and on 14 August.
• September and October: quieter, with clear air and the poplars turning in the second half of October. Deosai usually closes with the first heavy snow, most often in October.
• November to March: Upper Kachura freezes solid, and the other lakes ice over. Boats stop and paths get icy. The frozen lakes are a sight in themselves, but look from the shore and never walk out on the ice.

How to combine them

The lakes fall naturally into three outings:

1. West of town: Shangrila and Upper Kachura in the morning, lunch by the water, then Katpana on the way back for sunset.
2. South of town: Satpara and the Manthal Buddha Rock, as a short afternoon on arrival day or at the end of a Deosai day.
3. North, towards Shigar: the Blind Lake and the Sarfaranga dunes on the way to or from Shigar Fort.

Sheosar belongs to the Deosai day. If you have a week, our Skardu destination page shows how the lakes fit with the forts and valleys.

Safety on and around the water

These lakes are fed by snow and glacier melt, and even in July the water is cold enough to be dangerous within minutes.

• Life jackets on every boat, for everyone who can't swim well, and always for children. Ask before you get in.
• Agree the price and length of a boat ride first, at Upper Kachura especially, where boats are run by local boatmen.
• Don't swim. There are no lifeguards, and Upper Kachura is 70 metres deep.
• Keep children close at the edge. Some shores drop away quickly.
• Stay off the ice in winter, however solid it looks.
• On Deosai, don't approach bears or leave food out, and take all rubbish back down with you.

Frequently asked questions