Best Photography Spots in Skardu

The best Skardu photography spots are all within 30 km of town: the Katpana dunes for sunset and stars, the two Kachura lakes for reflections, Satpara Lake for the wide view, and Kharpocho Fort for the valley from above. What makes the difference is timing. Skardu sits in a deep valley, so the sun reaches the floor late and leaves early, and the hours either side are when the pictures are.

This guide gives distances, altitudes and light times for each spot, then the practical side: night-sky settings, cold, drones and what not to photograph.

When is the light? Sunrise and sunset by season

These are the times at which the sun crosses a flat horizon at Skardu, in Pakistan time. Because of the mountains, direct sun reaches the valley floor some time after the sunrise figure and leaves before the sunset one, so be in position 45 minutes early at both ends.

Midday light in summer is hard and flat. Use those hours to drive, eat and scout.

Katpana desert: dunes, sunset and stars

Katpana is a cold desert at 2,226 metres on the edge of town, a strip of dunes that runs along the Indus and is at its most accessible near Katpana Lake. In the last hour before sunset the low light picks out the ripples and the ridgelines of the dunes, with the valley wall behind. Walk away from the car park to find sand without footprints, and shoot along the dune crests, not across them.

In December and January the dunes are often under snow, which gives a different and much rarer picture. Our Katpana desert guide covers access.

For the night sky, Katpana is the easiest dark place near town. Skardu is also unusually dry: it receives about 170 mm of rain a year, and June and July bring under 10 mm each because the mountains block the monsoon, so clear nights are common in summer. The bright core of the Milky Way is in the evening sky from about May to September. Go within a few days of the new moon.

A starting point for settings: widest lens you have, aperture fully open (f/2.8 or wider if possible), 15 to 20 seconds, ISO 3200, manual focus set on a bright star. Shorten the exposure if the stars trail. A phone on a small tripod in night mode will also record the Milky Way here.

The Kachura lakes: reflections and colour

Lower Kachura, better known as Shangrila Lake, lies inside the Shangrila Resort about 26 km from Skardu. The picture everyone takes is the red pagoda-style roofs doubled in the water, and it only works when the lake is still, which means early morning before the breeze starts. The resort grounds are private; non-guests normally pay at the gate, and we could not verify the current charge. See our Shangrila Resort guide.

Upper Kachura is a few kilometres further on, about 30 km from Skardu. The last stretch is rougher, and you walk down to the shore. It is a deep lake, about 70 metres, with clear water, ringed by apricot orchards and conifers. It suits a longer lens to pick out detail on the far shore, and it is the better of the two in October when the orchards turn. In winter the surface freezes.

Our guide comparing Upper and Lower Kachura helps if you only have time for one.

Satpara Lake: the wide view

Satpara is about 8 km south of town on the road to Deosai, at roughly 2,600 metres. It is 3.5 km long with a small island, and it has grown since the Satpara Dam was completed below it. The road to Deosai runs above the shore, which gives an elevated view down the length of the water that suits a wide lens.

Go early. The water is calmest in the first hours of the day, and by afternoon wind breaks up the surface. See our Satpara Lake guide.

On the way, the Manthal Buddha Rock is a short detour: a granite boulder with a Buddha relief thought to date from the 8th century. Carvings like this photograph best in raking light, when shadows bring out the relief, so stop on the way up in the morning, not at noon.

Kharpocho Fort and the town

Kharpocho Fort, built by the Maqpon rulers of Baltistan around the 16th century, stands on the hill above the town. The climb is short and steep, and the reward is a high viewpoint over Skardu and the Indus valley. Late afternoon gives side light across the valley floor. Carry water, and take care coming down in fading light.

In the bazaar, ask before photographing people, and expect some to say no. Never photograph women without clear permission.

Further out

• Sarfaranga desert, about 22 km towards Shigar, has wider and emptier dunes than Katpana and suits sunset. See Sarfaranga desert.
• Shigar, about 32 km, adds the fort, old mosques and orchards.
• Deosai, beyond Satpara, is open only in summer and is the darkest sky within reach; see stargazing in Deosai and Sheosar Lake. Night camping on the plateau has been restricted, so check the current rules.

Practical tips

• Cold and batteries. Even in July the night-time average low is about 16°C, and in December it is minus 5.6°C. Keep spare batteries in an inside pocket.
• Dust. Wind in the dunes carries fine sand. Change lenses in the car, and bring a blower and a cloth.
• Tripod. Needed for night work and for smoothing water at the lakes.
• Filters. A polarising filter cuts glare on the lakes and deepens the sky at this altitude; turn it gently, because it is easy to overdo.
• Drones. Skardu has an airport and military installations close to several of these spots. Read our drone rules for Gilgit-Baltistan before you fly.
• What not to photograph. Do not point a camera at the airport, bridges, checkposts or anything military. Our guide to photography rules in Pakistan explains why.

A two-day shooting plan

1. Day one, morning: Satpara Lake at first light, then Manthal Buddha Rock on the way back.
2. Day one, afternoon: Kharpocho Fort for late light, then Katpana for sunset and, if the sky is clear, stars.
3. Day two, morning: leave before dawn for Lower Kachura while the water is still, then Upper Kachura.
4. Day two, afternoon: Sarfaranga for sunset, or Shigar.

Our Skardu and Deosai tour covers most of these, and the wider photography spots in Gilgit-Baltistan guide lists where to go next.

Frequently asked questions