Pakistan
Skardu
Sand dunes and glacial lakes sharing the same valley floor beneath Karakoram granite walls.
Sand dunes ripple beneath snow-capped seven-thousanders. The contradiction is immediate and disorienting — a cold desert at 2,500 metres, surrounded by glacial lakes so turquoise they look digitally altered, hemmed in by granite walls that belong on another planet entirely.
Skardu is the administrative capital of Baltistan in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan, and the gateway to the world's greatest concentration of high peaks. The town sits where the Indus River passes through a broad valley floor containing the Katpana Cold Desert — sand dunes within sight of Karakoram summits — and three distinct lakes: Satpara, Shangrila, and Upper Kachura. The 16th-century Skardu Fort perches on a granite cliff above the Indus, commanding views of the entire valley. Skardu is also the birthplace of Balti cuisine, a tradition blending Tibetan and Central Asian influences — the original Balti gosht, slow-cooked mutton with dried apricots and cumin, comes from these kitchens, not from Birmingham. The town serves as the last major supply point for expeditions to K2, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrums.
Solo
Skardu works as both a destination and a base camp. Solo travellers can fill days with lake visits, fort exploration, and bazaar wandering before deciding whether to push deeper into the Karakoram.
Couple
Shangrila Lake's converted aircraft-fuselage restaurant, sunset from Skardu Fort, and quiet lakeside walks offer gentle romance backed by some of the most extreme scenery on Earth.
Family
Skardu's airport makes it accessible without the gruelling Karakoram Highway drive. The cold desert, Shangrila Lake, and Skardu Fort all work as family day trips, and hotels cater to domestic Pakistani families who flock here in summer.
Friends
The jumping-off point for treks to Concordia, Hushe Valley, and Deosai Plateau. Groups can organise jeep safaris to Upper Kachura and the cold desert between expedition-planning sessions.
- Katpana Cold Desert — sand dunes at 2,500 metres — sits within sight of 7,000-metre Karakoram peaks.
- Satpara Lake, Shangrila Lake, and the Upper Kachura Lake are all within a 30-minute drive of the town.
- The 16th-century Skardu Fort perches on a granite cliff above the Indus, commanding views of the entire valley.
- Trout from Satpara Lake is served freshly grilled at lakeside restaurants — caught an hour before it reaches your plate.
Balti gosht — the original Balti cuisine, slow-cooked mutton with dried apricots and cumin.
Mamtu dumplings adapted from Tibetan momos with local spice blends.
Trout from Satpara Lake grilled with cumin and served on a stone slab.
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