Only 3 seats left
Lahore to Hunza to Skardu
Hunza & Skardu Grand
12–20 May · 9 days, 8 nights
PKR 145,000
3 of 16 seats left
Gilgit-Baltistan
Skardu
Cold desert, glacial lakes and the high Deosai plains, two days north of Lahore
- Best season
- May – October
- Altitude
- 2,228 m
- From Lahore
- 2 days by road
- Tours
- 2
Cold desert and glacial lakes at the end of the Indus road
Skardu sits in a wide bowl of the Indus, ringed by bare mountains: sand dunes on the valley floor, poplar villages along the river, and clear lakes tucked into the hills at Kachura.
It is also the way up to Deosai, one of the highest plateaus on earth, where the road crosses open grassland and wildflowers in summer. Up the Shigar valley, a restored fort marks the old route towards K2.
The best months to visit
- Best
- Good
- Avoid · closed or not recommended
- January: Avoid
- February: Avoid
- March: Avoid
- April: Good
- May: Best
- June: Best
- July: Best
- August: Best
- September: Best
- October: Best
- November: Good
- December: Avoid
Spring
Mar – May
Apricot blossom in April, though Deosai is still under snow. Days 12–20°C.
Summer
Jun – Aug
Warm and dry, 25–32°C in the valley. The road over Deosai opens from late June.
Autumn
Sep – Nov
Gold poplars and clear skies in October. Days 10–20°C, nights near freezing.
Winter
Dec – Feb
Very cold, down to −15°C at night. Deosai and the high roads close.
What to see in Skardu
Getting there from Lahore by road
- Lahore9–10 hrs by road to Naran
- Naran5–6 hrs by road to Chilas
- Chilas6–7 hrs by road to Skardu
- SkarduArrive
- By road
- Over Babusar Top from June to September; the rest of the year up the Karakoram Highway from Islamabad, a day longer.
- By air
- Flights from Islamabad to Skardu take an hour but are often cancelled in bad weather. We plan every trip by road.
Good to know before you go
Altitude
Skardu sits at about 2,228 m, and Deosai at over 4,000 m. Take Deosai slowly and come down if you feel unwell.
Cold nights
Even in summer, nights on Deosai drop close to freezing. Bring a warm jacket, a hat and gloves.
Mobile signal
Signal is good in Skardu town and gone on Deosai and much of the road from Chilas.
Cash and ATMs
Skardu has ATMs, but carry enough cash for the road and for Shigar.
Tours that visit Skardu
Only 3 seats leftLahore to Skardu to Deosai
Skardu & Deosai
16–21 Jul · 6 days, 5 nights
PKR 110,000
3 of 14 seats left
- See all Skardu tripsOpens the Tours page, filtered to Skardu
Skardu, on your own dates
We plan private tours for families and teams, from 2 days to 2 weeks.
What travellers said about Skardu
“Deosai was the highlight. The jeep drivers knew exactly where to stop for the lake, and the guide had chai ready.”
“Our guide in Skardu knew every lake by name and timed Deosai so we had it almost to ourselves.”
“They told us upfront that day two is long. The coaster was comfortable, and the driver stopped whenever my father needed a break.”
