Skardu to Shigar: Distance, Road and Day Plan

Skardu to Shigar is about 30 km, a drive of 45 minutes to an hour on a paved road that any car can manage. You leave Skardu, cross the Indus, pass the Sarfaranga dunes at the mouth of the Shigar valley and follow the Shigar river up to the town and its restored fort. It is the easiest day out from Skardu, and it leaves time to add Blind Lake and the dunes on the way back.

This guide covers the route, what to combine with it, a day plan that works, and how to decide between driving back the same evening and staying a night in Shigar.

The route, step by step

The drive is short, but it changes character three times, from town to river to desert to orchard valley.

1. Out of Skardu to the Indus. The road leaves town and heads north to the river.
2. Across the Indus. About 20 minutes from town you cross the river. The mountains on the far side are the entrance to the Shigar valley.
3. The Sarfaranga dunes. Just beyond the crossing, the Sarfaranga cold desert comes into view, spread across the ground where the Shigar river meets the Indus.
4. Blind Lake. Near the entrance to the valley, a rough side track leads to Blind Lake, locally Zharba Tso, a narrow lake between the two rivers. It is about half an hour from Skardu.
5. Into the valley. The road winds for a stretch before the valley floor opens out, green with fields and orchards, and runs up the Shigar river to the town. Stop where there is room to pull fully off the road for the view back down the valley.

Beyond Shigar town the road carries on up the valley, for several hours by jeep, to Askole, the starting point for the K2 base camp trek. For a day trip, Shigar is as far as you go.

What to combine with the drive

Everything worth seeing on this route is close to the road, so the question is how much you want to fit in, not how far you have to go.

• Shigar Fort. The seventeenth-century palace of the Amacha rajas, now a Serena heritage hotel with a museum in the old audience hall. Our guide to Shigar Fort covers the history and how day visitors get in.
• The Amburiq mosque, about ten minutes from the fort, one of the oldest mosques in Baltistan.
• The Sarfaranga dunes, best in the last hour before sunset. Our Sarfaranga desert guide covers the jeep and bike rides and when the light is best.
• Blind Lake, a quiet stop on the way back. See our Blind Lake guide for the track and the short walk.

What doesn't combine well: Deosai, which starts on the opposite side of Skardu and needs a full day, and Khaplu, three hours in a different direction. Keep each for its own day.

A day trip from Skardu

This plan puts the fort in the morning and the dunes in the evening light, which is the right way round.

1. Leave Skardu at about 9 am. There is no need for an early start; the drive is under an hour.
2. Shigar Fort, from about 10. See the museum rooms and the garden, then walk up into the village lanes behind the fort.
3. The Amburiq mosque, late morning. Dress modestly and ask before going inside.
4. Lunch in Shigar. Eat at one of the simple places in town, or ask the fort ahead whether it can serve lunch.
5. A slow afternoon. Walk through the orchards, or drive about 15 minutes to the old garden at Hushupi, which Serena lists among its excursions.
6. Blind Lake, mid to late afternoon, on the way back down the valley.
7. Sarfaranga for the last hour of light. Sunset is around 7:15 pm in June and July, 6 pm in September and before 5:30 pm in October.
8. Back in Skardu about 30 minutes after sunset.

If you are short of time, the fort and the mosque alone take about half a day, and you can be back in Skardu for lunch.

Drive back the same day, or stay the night?

Both work, and neither needs much planning, because the distance is so short.

Coming back to Skardu

This is what most people do, and on a trip of three to five days it makes sense. You keep one hotel for the whole stay, and every other day trip, to Kachura, Deosai or Khaplu, starts from Skardu anyway. The drive back after sunset is under an hour, but part of it is dark and unlit, so take it steadily.

Staying a night in Shigar

A night changes the visit. You have the fort and the orchards in the evening and early morning, when the day visitors have gone and the valley is completely quiet. The obvious place is Serena Shigar Fort, inside the old palace; our guide to staying at Shigar Fort covers the rooms and prices. There are also simpler hotels and guesthouses in the valley for a lower budget.

Our advice: on a trip of five days or fewer, come back to Skardu. With a week or more, or for a honeymoon, spend one night in Shigar, ideally near the end of the trip.

Your own car, a driver or a shared van

• Your own car. The road is paved, and a sedan is fine. Drive in daylight where you can, watch for tractors, livestock and children in the villages, and don't take the car onto the sand at Sarfaranga.
• A car with a driver from Skardu. The easiest choice for most visitors, and any hotel in Skardu can arrange it. Agree the stops, the waiting time and the return time before you set off. Our guide to hiring a driver in Gilgit-Baltistan includes 2026 rates from a Skardu firm.
• Shared vans. Local vans run between Skardu and Shigar during the day. They are cheap and slow, and they suit travellers staying overnight rather than day-trippers. Ask at your hotel where they leave from.

The road through the year

The Skardu–Shigar road is open in every month, but the valley looks very different by season.

• Late March to mid-April: blossom in the orchards around the fort, and a quiet valley.
• May to September: green fields, warm days and the most visitors. Summer rain can bring rockfall on the winding section; check locally if it has rained hard overnight.
• Second half of October: the poplars and orchards turn gold, one of the best times to go.
• December to February: open, but shaded bends can be icy in the mornings and evenings. Go in settled weather, be back before dark, and check that the fort is open before you set out.

For the wider picture of what to see from Skardu, and when, see our Skardu destination page.

Is Shigar worth the drive?

Yes, on almost any Skardu trip. It is close, the road is easy, and the fort, the old mosque and the orchards feel far more like old Baltistan than the busy Skardu bazaar. It is also the best fallback when Deosai is closed or the weather is poor at altitude, because it needs no jeep and sits no higher than Skardu.

It is short on thrills. If your group wants adventure rather than history and villages, keep the day short, see the fort, and spend the afternoon on a jeep ride at Sarfaranga instead.

Frequently asked questions