If a mix of scenic beauty and adventure is what you are looking forward to on your tour to Pakistan, Skardu is the place to travel. The capital of Baltistan, Skardu is situated at a height of 2,438 metres above sea level. With wonderful views and the Karakoram Mountain Range in the backdrop, Skardu is one of the beautiful destinations in Pakistan.
Well connected by air, Skardu is easily accessible. You can take a flight from Islamabad to reach Skardu. There are two benefits of travelling by air to Skardu. First, it saves a lot of time and the second; the air travel offers some stunning views of the Skardu Valley. As you take the road from the airport to the town, you are engulfed by the beautiful views.
If one thing that catches your attention as you enter Skardu are its colourful bazaars. You can rummage through the various shops that dot the bazaars. Pattu is an ideal shopping item in Skardu. Pattu is basically a hand woven woollen cloth. Satellite Town, as the western end of the bazaar is called house a number of hotels and restaurants.
Skardu is the place to explore. You can visit Narsok from Skardu. Narsok is a beautiful destination away from Skardu. Some of the wonderful places to see and tour in Skardu are the Buddhist Rock, which is the only rock with Buddhist carving. It is located on the Sadpara road. There are a number of lakes in Skardu that you can visit. Some of the beautiful lakes that you can tour are Sadpara Lake, Kachura Lake and Upper Kachura Lake. These lakes provide wonderful opportunities for boating and fishing.
You can also travel to Shigar Valley, which is the gateway to Karakoram Range. Khaplu Valley is other beautiful place that you can visit on your tour to Skardu.
Skardu offers basic accommodation facilities. You can stay at hotels and guesthouses run by the Pakistan Tourism or stay in private hotels and rest houses. Accommodation is also available at Sadpara, Shigar Valley and Kachura Lake.
Skardu is about 241 kilometres from Gilgit. It takes about 6-8 hours to reach Skardu from Gilgit. – Heritage Online
