Soq Valley Skardu: The Farming Valley Behind Kachura

Soq Valley, also spelt Sok or Shoq, is the side valley behind Kachura, about 33 km west of Skardu: a small farming village of the same name, fields along a mountain stream, and steep slopes rising straight behind. It is about 4 km past Kachura village, on the opposite side from Upper Kachura Lake, and the last stretch is described as a dirt road best done by jeep. Allow two or three hours, ideally as part of a Kachura half day between May and early October.

Where exactly is Soq Valley?

Kachura village sits on a shelf above the Indus about 30 km west of Skardu, just off the Baltistan Highway (S-1). Inside the village the roads split. One climbs north for about a kilometre to Upper Kachura Lake; Shangrila Resort and Lower Kachura lie a short way south-east. Soq is the third direction: about 3.8 km south of the village, up the valley of a stream that OpenStreetMap names Shigarthang Lungma, which comes down from the mountains to the south-west.

So Soq is not "above Upper Kachura", as it is sometimes described. It is behind Kachura on the other side, and higher. On satellite elevation data the village stands at roughly 2,450 m, a couple of hundred metres above Skardu town (2,228 m), and the slope behind it passes 3,300 m within about 2 km.

The village is small: an Asian Development Bank count recorded on OpenStreetMap gives 774 people in 2011. Around it is farmland, and the map shows a minor road continuing up the valley for about 15 km to the village of Staq Chan and then on to the hamlet of Shigarthang. We could not confirm the state of that upper road; treat it as a jeep route for which you need a local driver, not an extension of a Kachura afternoon.

How do you get to Soq from Skardu?

1. Skardu to the Kachura turn, about 27 km. Head west out of town on the Baltistan Highway towards Gilgit. The road is paved.
2. Up to Kachura village, about 2.4 km. Turn off the highway and climb to the village.
3. Kachura to Soq, about 3.8 km. Leave the Upper Kachura road and head south up the side valley.

That makes about 33 km in all. OSRM, the open routing service, puts it at 33 minutes; allow 45 minutes to an hour for the slow end of the road. If you arrive by road from Gilgit, the Kachura turn comes about 27 km before Skardu, so Soq can be visited on the way in.

Which vehicle do you need?

Any car reaches Kachura. Beyond the village, the Pakistani travel site Destinations describes the Soq road as a dirt track suitable only for 4x4s, about 20 minutes' drive from Upper Kachura. OpenStreetMap shows it as an ordinary minor road. Tracks like this change after every flood season, so ask your driver; if they hesitate, take a jeep.

The usual way is to hire a jeep or car with driver in Skardu for a half day covering the lakes and Soq. We found no published 2026 rate we would trust, so agree the total price, the stops and the waiting time before you leave. Our guide to local transport in Skardu explains how hiring works.

What is there to do in Soq?

Soq is a working village, not a resort.

• Walk the stream. Follow the water and the edges of the fields up the valley. Keep to paths and field edges; the land belongs to the village, and crops are trampled easily.
• Picnic or barbecue. Destinations names Soq as a place for a barbecue. There are no bins or toilets, so carry everything out again.
• Eat trout. The same site mentions trout farms near Shangrila and Soq. Gilgit-Baltistan now has over 450 trout farms (Dawn, June 2026), and farmed trout is what you are most likely to be served around Kachura.
• Photograph the valley. The steep slopes behind the village make the backdrop. Ask before photographing people, particularly women.

Dress modestly, as you would anywhere in a Baltistan village, and greet people before you walk through their land.

Can you fish for trout in Soq?

Only with a licence and only in season. Obtaining a licence is mandatory under Gilgit-Baltistan law, and the fisheries department issues seasonal and daily licences, according to an Anadolu report carried by Dawn in June 2026. Fishing is banned from October to March, the trout breeding period, so if you are reading this in autumn or winter the season is already closed.

The same report says licences have risen to 5,000 to 6,000 a year, from 1,000 to 1,500 a decade ago, and an assistant director of the fisheries department said it is now rare to catch a trout over 1 kg. Most fish weigh 500 to 600 g. Arrange the licence in Skardu before you go, through your hotel or a local guide; it is not sold at the stream. Our guide to trout fishing in Gilgit-Baltistan covers licences and tackle in more detail.

Can you camp in Soq?

People do camp in the valley, but there are no facilities and much of the flat ground around the village is farmland. Ask in the village before pitching a tent. Summer nights are cool rather than cold, but from late September they drop towards freezing. Our guide to camping around Skardu compares Soq with Katpana, Kachura and Basho.

Mountain streams in Baltistan rise quickly after rain and on hot afternoons when melt is high. Camp well back from the bank and keep children away from the water.

When is the best time to visit?

Skardu's long-term averages (Pakistan Meteorological Department, 1961 to 2009, as published on Wikipedia) give the pattern. Soq is about 200 m higher, so expect it a degree or two cooler.

May to September is the main season: the fields are green, days are warm and the road is at its best. Early October is cooler and quieter, but fishing has closed. In winter, nights fall well below freezing, Upper Kachura freezes over, according to Wikipedia, and there is little reason to make the trip. Skardu gets only about 173 mm of rain a year, so the main weather risk in summer is heat and fast-rising streams, not rain.

How does Soq fit with the Kachura lakes?

A sensible half day from Skardu:

1. Start early at Upper Kachura, before the midday heat. Our Upper Kachura Lake guide covers the path and boating.
2. Late morning at Soq for a walk up the stream and a picnic.
3. Shangrila on the way back, where the café sits in the fuselage of an Orient Airways DC-3 that crash-landed on 3 October 1953, three minutes after take-off; everyone on board survived. Our Shangrila Resort guide covers day visits.

Is Soq Valley worth the detour?

Go if you are already at Kachura with a jeep or a willing driver, want a quiet hour by running water after the busy lakes, or hold a licence in the fishing season. It suits families who want a picnic away from the crowds and anyone curious about how a Baltistan farming village looks up close.

Skip it if you have only one day around Skardu, if your driver won't take the track, or if you want facilities. The two lakes alone fill a morning. Our list of day trips from Skardu has other options, including the Basho valley.

Frequently asked questions