7 Days in Skardu: Lakes, Deosai and Khaplu

A Skardu itinerary of 7 days gives you time for the three things a shorter trip has to leave out: Shigar at an unhurried pace, a full day on the Deosai plateau, and Khaplu Palace up the Shyok valley. The plan below spends day one settling in, day two at the Kachura lakes and Katpana, day three in Shigar, day four on Deosai and day five in Khaplu, then keeps day six empty on purpose for weather before you fly out on day seven.

It is written for people flying in from Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi, and it works from June to early October, when Deosai is open. Outside those months, see the note on what to change.

How the week is ordered

The order is not random. Three things decide it.

1. Altitude before Deosai. Skardu is at about 2,200 metres and the plateau averages over 4,100. Three nights in Skardu first means most people cope well with the jump.
2. Deosai in the middle. If the weather is bad or the road is closed on day four, you can swap Deosai with Shigar, Khaplu or the spare day without the whole plan falling apart.
3. The spare day at the end. Skardu flights are cancelled whenever cloud closes the route. With the spare day just before your flight home, a cancelled day-one arrival or a lost Deosai day can be caught up, and nothing falls off the end.

Days 1 and 2: Skardu, the lakes and Katpana

Day 1: arrive and take it slowly

Take the earliest flight you can. Once you have checked in and eaten, keep the afternoon short and close to town: the Manthal Buddha rock, a large Buddha carved into a boulder around the 8th century, and then Satpara Lake, about 20 minutes south on the Deosai road. Satpara, at about 2,600 metres, is also a preview of day four, since you pass it on the way to the plateau.

Drink plenty of water and have an early night. Arriving from Karachi or Lahore, the first night at altitude is often a restless one.

Day 2: Shangrila, Upper Kachura and Katpana

Leave at 7 am for Kachura, about 30 km west of town. See Shangrila, the resort around Lower Kachura Lake, while it is still quiet, then drive a few minutes up to Upper Kachura, walk down the steep path to the shore and take a boat out. Have trout for lunch by the lake. Our Upper Kachura Lake guide covers the path, the boats and when to go.

Rest in the afternoon and go out again to the Katpana cold desert, beside the airport, for the last hour of light. In June and July that means leaving town around 6 pm. Our Katpana desert guide has sunset times by month.

Day 3: Shigar

With a week, Shigar gets a whole day rather than a quick morning.

1. Sarfaranga cold desert on the way, at the mouth of the Shigar valley, usually quieter than Katpana.
2. Shigar Fort, the 17th-century palace of the Amacha rulers, restored by the Aga Khan Cultural Service between 1999 and 2004. It is now partly a Serena hotel and partly a museum you can visit.
3. Amburiq Mosque, a 14th-century mosque, among the oldest in Baltistan. It is still used for prayer, so dress modestly and ask before entering.
4. The orchards and the old village behind the fort. Walk slowly and let the valley set the pace. In July the apricots are ripe.

If you want one special night in the week, the fort is a good place for it. Otherwise, drive back to Skardu for an early night before Deosai.

Day 4: Deosai

Deosai is the reason to give Skardu a full week. It is a treeless plateau averaging about 4,114 metres, open to visitors only from about June to October, and a completely different world from the valley below.

1. Leave by 6 am in a jeep. The road climbs past Satpara and becomes a rough track to Ali Malik Mar, the pass onto the plateau, about an hour and a half to two hours from town.
2. Cross to Bara Pani, the main river in the middle of the plateau, two to three hours from Skardu. Watch for marmots beside the track and, with luck, a brown bear at a distance.
3. Decide whether to go on to Sheosar Lake, at the far western side, three to four hours from Skardu. If the weather is good and everyone feels well, go. If anyone has a bad headache or the cloud is coming in, turn back at Bara Pani.
4. Be back in Skardu by early evening.

Plan it as a day trip. After a brown bear attacked a visitor camping near Bara Pani in September 2025, night camping was banned, and a ban on commercial activity inside the park followed from the 2026 season. Carry all your food and water for the day, warm clothes and cash for the park fee. Our Deosai National Park guide covers the rules, the wildlife and the altitude in detail.

Day 5: Khaplu

Khaplu is about three hours from Skardu, east along the Indus and then up the Shyok valley. It is a long drive for a day, but the palace makes it worth it.

1. Leave Skardu around 7:30 am.
2. Khaplu Palace, built in 1840 by Yabgo Raja Daulat Ali Khan and restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture between 2005 and 2011. It now houses a small Serena hotel and a museum of Balti history and culture, and it looks out over the Shyok to the Karakoram.
3. Chaqchan Mosque, dating from around 1370, one of the oldest mosques in the region, with fine carved woodwork. Like Amburiq, it is a working mosque.
4. Back to Skardu by evening, or stay the night.

If the long drive twice in one day doesn't appeal, sleep in Khaplu and come back the next morning. That uses up part of day six, so only do it if the first four days went to plan.

Days 6 and 7: the spare day and flying home

Day 6 is deliberately empty. Use it for whatever the week took away: a flight that didn't land on day one, a Deosai day lost to rain, or a night in Khaplu. If nothing went wrong, spend it slowly: the climb up to Kharpocho Fort above the town, the bazaar for dried apricots and nuts, or a second, quieter morning at whichever lake you liked best.

Day 7: fly out. Skardu flights leave in the morning or around midday. If yours is cancelled, you will be rebooked on the next available one, which in July and August can mean a wait. Keep the day after you get home free if you can, or be ready to go down by road, which takes two days to Islamabad.

Getting around and where to stay

Transport. A car with a local driver covers days 1, 2, 3 and 5; the roads to Kachura, Katpana, Shigar and Khaplu are paved. Deosai needs a jeep or another high-clearance 4x4 with a driver who knows the track. Your hotel in Skardu can arrange both. Agree at the start what the daily rate includes: fuel, the driver's meals, and his costs if you stay a night away.

Where to stay. Stay in Skardu town for the whole week. Every day trip starts from there, and you avoid packing and unpacking. Two exceptions are worth considering: a night at Shangrila or in Kachura village, for the lakes at dawn, and a night in Shigar or Khaplu, in one of the restored palaces or a local guesthouse.

Money and signal. Carry cash for park fees, boats, entry tickets and food. Mobile signal is reasonable in Skardu town and patchier in the valleys, and there is none on most of Deosai.

Who this week suits, and what to change

It suits first-time visitors with a week, families with children who travel well, and anyone who wants Deosai without rushing it. No day involves walking more than an hour or two, and every night except one can be in the same bed.

Change it if:

• You are travelling outside June to early October. Deosai is closed. Give Shigar and Khaplu a night each instead, or spend a day walking in the villages around Skardu. Our seasonal guide shows what is open in each month.
• You have older parents or anyone with a heart or lung condition. Deosai means a fast climb to over 4,000 metres. Ask a doctor first, and consider going only as far as Ali Malik Mar or skipping the plateau.
• You only have three or four days. Drop Deosai and Khaplu and follow our three-day Skardu itinerary.

If you would rather someone else organise the jeeps, drivers and hotels, our seven-day Skardu and Deosai trip covers the same valleys, from PKR 90,000 per person, with a spare day built in for weather.

Frequently asked questions