Gateway to K2 and the throne room of the mountain gods
Baltistan & Skardu
Baltistan is where the Karakoram shows its full scale. Its capital Skardu sits in a wide river valley at 2,230 m, surrounded by sand dunes, alpine lakes and the trailheads that lead to four of the world's fourteen 8,000-metre peaks — including K2, the world's second-highest mountain.
This is also 'Little Tibet': the Balti people speak an archaic Tibetan language, and their valleys are dotted with centuries-old wooden mosques, khanqahs and royal palaces. Two of them — Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace — have been restored into award-winning Serena heritage hotels, making Baltistan one of the few places on earth where you can sleep in a 400-year-old raja's fort after a day in the high mountains.
Beyond the famous treks, Baltistan rewards slow travel: the Sarfaranga and Katpana cold deserts, the mirror-calm Kachura lakes, trout-filled streams in Basho and Chunda valleys, and the rolling 4,000-metre grasslands of Deosai National Park, summer home of the Himalayan brown bear.
Places to visit in Baltistan & Skardu
town · 2,230 m
Skardu
The basecamp town for the greatest mountains on earth
valley · 2,300 m
Shigar Valley
Sleep in a raja's fort on the road to K2
valley · 2,600 m
Khaplu Valley
A royal palace and a 700-year-old mosque at the end of the road east
desert · 2,300 m
Sarfaranga Cold Desert
Silver dunes at 2,300 metres, ringed by snow peaks
desert · 2,226 m
Katpana Desert
Where winter snow settles on sand dunes
lake · 2,500 m
Upper Kachura Lake
The wilder, deeper, bluer of Skardu's twin lakes
lake · 2,500 m
Shangrila Resort (Lower Kachura Lake)
Pakistan's original 'Heaven on Earth' postcard
valley · 3,000 m
Basho Valley
Pine meadows and an ice-cold river at the end of a jeep track
valley · 2,400 m
Chunda Valley
Skardu's spring blossom amphitheatre
wildlife · 4,114 m
Deosai National Park
The Land of Giants: a rolling world above 4,000 metres
trek · 4,600 m
K2 Base Camp & Concordia Trek
Walking into the throne room of the mountain gods
waterfall · 2,600 m
Manthokha Waterfall
A 45-metre curtain of glacier water in green Kharmang
valley · 3,050 m
Hushe Valley
The last village before the great walls of the Karakoram
trek · 4,000 m
Masherbrum Base Camp
A short, uncrowded trek to the foot of the first Karakoram giant
lake · 2,650 m
Satpara Lake
Skardu's deep-blue lake on the road to Deosai
Tours that visit Baltistan & Skardu
Skardu & Baltistan Discovery
from $1,150Forts, cold deserts and the roof-of-the-world plateau
Grand Gilgit-Baltistan Circuit
from $2,200One road trip, every face of the Karakoram and Himalaya
K2 Base Camp & Concordia Trek
from $3,800Walk into the throne room of the mountain gods
Baltistan & Skardu — frequently asked questions
Can a normal tourist visit K2?
You can see K2 without mountaineering experience by trekking to Concordia (10–14 days round trip from Skardu) — a challenging but non-technical trek. For a softer option, day hikes and flights around Skardu offer distant views, and Rakaposhi or Nanga Parbat viewpoints are accessible by road.
Is Skardu worth visiting if I don't trek?
Absolutely. Skardu's lakes, cold deserts, forts, Deosai National Park and valleys like Basho, Chunda and Khaplu are all reachable by 4x4 day trips. Many guests spend a week in Baltistan without a single long hike.
What is Deosai National Park famous for?
Deosai is the world's second-highest plateau (average 4,114 m), a 3,000 km² grassland that blooms with wildflowers in July and August. It protects the Himalayan brown bear and is home to golden marmots, ibex and over 120 bird species. Sheosar Lake, near its western edge, is one of Pakistan's most beautiful high-altitude lakes.
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