3 Days in Skardu: A Fly-In Itinerary

A good Skardu itinerary for 3 days, if you fly in, looks like this: arrive on the morning flight and spend a gentle afternoon at Satpara Lake; give day two to Shangrila, Upper Kachura and the Katpana cold desert at sunset; and spend day three in Shigar, at the restored fort and the old wooden mosque. Fly out on the morning of day four, and if you can, keep one more day spare in case the weather stops the flight.

Three days is enough for the valley floor around Skardu. It is not enough for Deosai or Khaplu, which each need a full day of their own, so this plan leaves them out on purpose. Here is how the days run, how long each drive takes, and what to drop if the flight is late.

How the three days fit together

The plan follows three rules that make a short Skardu trip work.

1. Keep the arrival day light. Skardu is at about 2,200 metres. Most people feel it a little on the first afternoon, and the morning flight often runs late. Satpara is close, gentle and fine to drop if the day goes wrong.
2. See the lakes early. Shangrila and Upper Kachura are at their calmest in the first hours after sunrise, before the boats and the day visitors arrive.
3. Save Katpana for the evening. The dunes are flat and glaring at midday and at their best in the last hour of light, when the sand turns gold against the mountains.

Everything in this plan is within an hour of town, so you sleep in the same hotel for three nights and never pack in between.

Day 1: arrive, Manthal and Satpara Lake

Take the earliest Islamabad flight you can get. Morning flights have the best chance of operating, and landing before 10 leaves you most of the day.

1. Land and check in. The airport is 20 to 30 minutes from town. Have lunch, drink plenty of water, and rest for an hour or two.
2. Manthal Buddha rock, mid-afternoon. A large Buddha figure with smaller figures around it, carved into a large boulder in about the 8th century. It is about 3 km from Skardu, in Manthal village, on the way to Satpara.
3. Satpara Lake, late afternoon. The lake sits at about 2,600 metres, south of town on the road that continues up to Deosai. A dam built in 2011 has enlarged it, and it supplies Skardu's drinking water, so keep the shore clean. Stay for the evening light and head back before dark.

If you still have energy, Kharpocho Fort above the town is a steep walk up for a view over the whole valley. Most people are better off leaving it for another trip and having an early night.

Day 2: Shangrila, Upper Kachura and Katpana at sunset

This is the longest day and the one people remember.

1. Leave Skardu at 7 am. The road west past the airport reaches Kachura, about 30 km from town, in 35 to 45 minutes.
2. Shangrila first. Lower Kachura Lake, better known as Shangrila, is the small lake at the heart of the resort of the same name, with its pagoda roofs and a café in the fuselage of an old DC-3. Walk the path around the water while it is still quiet. Our Shangrila Resort guide covers entry, boating and staying the night.
3. Upper Kachura, mid-morning. A few minutes further up, this is the bigger and deeper of the two lakes, up to 70 metres deep and very clear. It is reached by a short, steep path from where cars park. Take a boat out, or walk along the shore.
4. Trout for lunch. Simple places near the lakeshore serve fried trout in season. Our Upper Kachura Lake guide has more on the path, boats and food.
5. Back to the hotel after lunch. Rest through the hottest hours.
6. Katpana, an hour before sunset. The cold desert lies beside the airport, 15 to 20 minutes from town. Walk up onto the higher dunes and wait for the light. In June and July the sun sets around 7:15 pm; by mid-September it is closer to 6, and the ridges take the direct light a little earlier. Our Katpana desert guide covers jeep and bike rides and the best timing by month.

If you would rather avoid two trips west in one day, do Katpana on the way back from Kachura instead and rest in the evening. The light will be flatter, but you will save the driving.

Day 3: Shigar Fort, Amburiq and the cold desert

Shigar is the valley north of Skardu, about 30 km and roughly an hour's drive, at the start of the road that eventually leads to Askole and the K2 trek.

1. Leave around 8:30 am. On the way you pass the Sarfaranga cold desert at the mouth of the Shigar valley, a second, usually quieter stretch of dunes. Stop for photographs if the light is good.
2. Shigar Fort. The palace of the Amacha rulers of Shigar dates from the 17th century. It was restored between 1999 and 2004 by the Aga Khan Cultural Service and won a UNESCO heritage award in 2006. Part of it is now a hotel run by Serena, and the rest is a museum open to visitors, which is the easiest way to see how a Balti palace was built and lived in.
3. Amburiq Mosque. A small 14th-century mosque, one of the oldest in Baltistan, restored around 2000 and given its own UNESCO award in 2005. It is still a working mosque, so dress modestly and ask before going inside.
4. The village and orchards. Walk through the lanes behind the fort. In April the apricot trees are in blossom; in late summer the fruit is drying on the rooftops.
5. Back to Skardu by mid-afternoon. Spend the rest of the day in the bazaar, or go back to whichever lake you liked best.

Day 4: fly out, or use the spare day

Skardu flights leave in the morning or around midday. If the weather is clear, you are home the same afternoon.

If you can, keep this day free and book your flight home for day five. Flights into and out of Skardu are cancelled whenever cloud closes the route past Nanga Parbat, and in summer a cancelled flight means waiting for a seat on a full aircraft. A spare day turns that from a crisis into an extra morning at Kachura.

If your flight is late or cancelled

Three days has little slack, so decide in advance what goes first.

• Arrive late on day 1: drop Satpara and Manthal. Nothing else changes.
• Lose day 1 completely: do Kachura and Katpana on your first full day, and Shigar on the next. You will miss Satpara, which is the easiest part to lose.
• Flight out cancelled: you will be rebooked on the next available flight. With your spare day already used, the choice is to wait or to go by road, which is two long days to Islamabad over Babusar or up the Karakoram Highway.

Getting around and where to stay

Transport. Hire a car with a local driver for the three days. It is easier than haggling with a taxi for each trip, the driver knows where to park at Upper Kachura and Katpana, and you can leave coats and water in the car. Your hotel can usually arrange one. A normal car is fine for everything in this plan; you only need a jeep for Deosai.

Where to stay. For three nights, stay in Skardu town, which puts every day trip within an hour. The other choice is Kachura, beside the lakes: Shangrila Resort or one of the hotels in Kachura village. It gives you the lakes at dawn with nobody else there, but adds about 40 minutes to the Satpara and Shigar days.

Money. Carry enough cash for entry tickets, boats, food and tips. Card machines are not something to count on outside the bigger hotels.

Is three days in Skardu enough?

For a first visit in a short holiday, yes. Three days covers the places most people come for, with time to enjoy them rather than tick them off, and none of the days involves more than an hour's drive.

It is not enough if:

• You want to see Deosai. The plateau takes a full day from Skardu, is open only from about June to October, and is at over 4,000 metres. Our Deosai National Park guide explains what the day involves.
• You want Khaplu. Khaplu Palace is about three hours up the Shyok valley, and it deserves a night there.
• You travel slowly. With older parents or small children, two sights a day is plenty. Stretch this plan to four or five days.

For a full week with Deosai, Khaplu and a spare day, see our seven-day Skardu itinerary, or look at our Skardu and Deosai trip, which covers the same ground with a driver, guide and hotels arranged.

Frequently asked questions