Shangrila Resort and Lower Kachura Lake Guide

Shangrila Resort in Skardu is the lakeside hotel built around Lower Kachura Lake, about 30 km west of town and 35 to 45 minutes by car. You don't have to stay there to see it: day visitors are let in through the gate, usually for an entry ticket, to walk around the lake, take a boat out, and eat at the pagoda restaurant or the café inside an old DC-3 fuselage. Staying the night gets you the lake at dawn and dusk, when the day visitors have gone.

It is the most photographed spot around Skardu and, at midday in July, one of the busiest. This guide covers what the resort is, how a day visit works, the boating and the aircraft café, the rooms, and whether it deserves a place in a short trip.

What is Shangrila Resort?

Shangrila is a private resort hotel set around a small, spring-fed lake in Kachura village. The lake's proper name is Lower Kachura, but almost everyone now calls it Shangrila Lake. From the air, or from the slopes above, it is roughly heart-shaped.

The resort was opened in 1983 by Brigadier Muhammad Aslam Khan, who had been the first commander of the Northern Scouts. It was the first resort hotel in Skardu, and it is still run by his family. The name comes from the hidden Himalayan valley in James Hilton's 1933 novel Lost Horizon, and the red pagoda-style roofs around the water give the place a look to match.

What you find today is a lake with a path around it, lawns, chalets and rooms along the shore, several restaurants, and a jetty with boats. It is a managed, landscaped place rather than a wild one, which is exactly what some people love about it and others don't.

Visiting for the day: entry and timings

Day visitors come in through the main gate. There is normally an entry ticket for people who are not staying at the resort. The price has risen over the years and may differ for children, so check it at the gate rather than relying on a figure from an old blog.

A few things make a day visit better:

• Come early. The lake is at its calmest and prettiest in the first hours after sunrise, before the boats go out and the tour groups arrive. By late morning in summer the paths are busy.
• Avoid weekends and Eid if you can. Skardu fills up with visitors in July and August, and Shangrila is on almost every itinerary.
• Allow an hour or two. A walk around the lake, a boat ride and tea is plenty for most people.
• Pair it with Upper Kachura. The larger, wilder lake is a few minutes further up the side road. Most people do Shangrila first and then Upper Kachura, or the other way round if Shangrila is crowded when they arrive.
• Respect the rules. It is a hotel, and guests are staying in the rooms by the water. Keep to the paths, keep noise down near the chalets, and don't feed the fish or the birds.

The season runs from spring to autumn. In winter the lake freezes and the resort's services may be limited, so call ahead before driving out between December and February.

Boating on Shangrila Lake

Boating is one of the main reasons families come. Boats go out from the jetty on the lake, and a ride takes you slowly around the water, past the pagoda restaurant and along the edge of the lawns.

It is a small lake, so a ride is short and gentle, and it suits small children and older parents far better than a boat on the bigger lakes nearby. A few sensible points:

• Ask for life jackets for children, and for anyone who can't swim, before you get in.
• Check the price and the length of the ride at the jetty before you set off. Rates are set by the resort and change from season to season.
• Go before 10 am or after 4 pm in summer for the calmest water and the best light for photographs.

If you want a longer, quieter time on the water, save it for Upper Kachura, where the lake is far bigger and deeper. Our Upper Kachura Lake guide covers the boats and the walk down to the shore.

The aircraft café and the other places to eat

The resort's most famous sight is the café inside an aircraft fuselage, a Douglas DC-3 that crashed nearby and was later brought to the lakeside and fitted out for tea and snacks. It is small, and on busy days you may have to wait, but sitting in the old cabin looking out at the lake is something children in particular remember.

The resort has several other places to eat:

• The Pagoda restaurant, built out over the water, is the building in most photographs of the lake. You can sit on the deck or inside.
• The Lake View restaurant serves Pakistani and continental food, with a view over the lake and the resort.
• A snack bar, a lounge serving coffee and bakery items, and an evening barbecue area with a bonfire for guests.

Prices are higher than in Skardu town, as you would expect at a resort. For a cheaper lunch, eat trout at one of the simple places by Upper Kachura, or wait until you are back in Skardu.

Staying overnight at Shangrila

The best reason to stay the night is that the lake changes completely once the day visitors leave. In the early morning, before the boats start, the water is still and the reflections of the pagoda roofs and the hills are sharp. Evenings are quiet, and the barbecue and bonfire area comes into its own after dark.

The resort has a range of rooms, from lakeside rooms and deluxe lakeside rooms to suites, cottages, villas and chalets. The website asks you to contact the resort for current rates, so ask for a quote for your dates and be ready for summer prices to be well above the rest of the year. For July, August and Eid, book well ahead.

Kachura village also has other hotels and guesthouses, some within walking distance of the lakes, if Shangrila is full or outside your budget.

Think about your itinerary before you book. Kachura is about 40 minutes from Skardu town, so if you are spending most days on trips to Satpara, Shigar or Deosai, staying in town saves driving. One night at Shangrila in the middle of a longer stay is a good compromise.

Getting there

From Skardu, drive west past the airport towards Gilgit. Kachura is about 30 km from town. A normal car is fine; the road is paved all the way.

If you are driving up to Skardu from the Karakoram Highway, you pass Kachura about 30 km before you reach town. That makes it an easy first stop on the way in, or a last stop on the way out. On the way back to Skardu you also pass the Katpana cold desert beside the airport, so you can finish the day on the dunes in the evening light. Our Katpana desert guide covers the timing.

Taxis from Skardu will do a return trip and wait while you visit. Agree the price, including waiting time, before you leave.

Is Shangrila Resort worth visiting?

For most first-time visitors to Skardu, yes, but go at the right time. Early in the morning it lives up to the photographs. At 1 pm on a Sunday in July, with the paths crowded and the boats queueing, it can feel more like a busy park.

It suits families with young children and older parents, because everything is close together, the paths are easy and the boating is gentle. It also suits couples who want one comfortable, special night in the middle of a trip.

It suits less those who want wild nature. The lake is landscaped and managed, and Upper Kachura, a few minutes away, is bigger, deeper and less organised. If you only have time for one, and you are fit enough for the steep path down, Upper Kachura is the more memorable lake.

Most people see both on the same morning. Our three-day Skardu itinerary does exactly that, and our Skardu and Deosai trip starts day two at the Kachura lakes before the day boats go out. For the other sights around town, see our Skardu destination page.

Frequently asked questions