Ultimate Skardu Travel Guide
Everything you need to know about navigating Skardu, Deosai, and the surrounding valleys.
Jun 20, 2026 10 min
Skardu
Deosai Plains
The Land of Giants — second highest plateau on earth, blooming with wildflowers.
Top Highlights
Sheosar Lake
Bara Pani
Brown Bears
History & Background
Deosai is one of the highest plateaus in the world, a treeless plain lying between Baltistan and Astore that stays frozen for the greater part of the year. Balti tradition knows it as Ghbiarsa, the summer place, because that is the only season it can be used at all. It was given protection as Deosai National Park in 1993, principally to save the Himalayan brown bear, whose numbers on the plateau had fallen to a few dozen; the population has recovered substantially since. Marmots, ibex and a long list of migratory birds share the plain, and in July the whole of it comes into flower at once.
Places to Visit in Deosai Plains
Sheosar Lake
A shallow, wide lake sitting on the open plain, with the Nanga Parbat massif visible beyond it in clear weather.
Bara Pani
A river crossing and meadow that serves as the usual camping ground, and the place most wildlife is watched from.
The wildflower plain
Through high summer the plateau carries a continuous cover of flowering plants, which is what Deosai is known for.
Himalayan brown bear
The national park was established largely to protect this population. Sightings are a matter of luck and distance, not something any operator can promise.
How to Get to Deosai Plains
By Air
Fly to Skardu, then continue by 4x4. The Skardu page covers how that flight is arranged and what it depends on.
By Road
The plateau is normally entered from the Skardu side, past Sadpara, and can be crossed to come out towards Astore. It is a track rather than a road for most of its length, and the crossing is subject to weather and road conditions on the day.
Local Transport: 4x4 only — Prado, Land Cruiser or a hired jeep. Our saloon vehicles and vans do not go onto Deosai, and this is the most common vehicle mistake people make when booking.
Best Time to Visit & Travel Tips
Seasons
- Summer (Jul–Aug)The plain is open, green and in flower. This is the reliable window and the one most visitors should plan around.
- Early autumn (Sep)Clear air and thinner crowds, with the season closing as soon as the snow arrives.
- Winter and springClosed. The plateau is under snow and the access tracks are impassable.
Pro Tips
- Deosai is snowbound for most of the year and the season is short — the plateau opens in early summer and closes with the first heavy snow.
- Everything on the plateau is subject to weather and road conditions on the day.
- There is no accommodation, no fuel and no reliable signal on the plain. Carry what you need for the day.
- It is high, open and exposed. Temperatures fall sharply once the sun drops, even in July — bring a warm layer regardless of the forecast.
- A 4x4 is not optional here. Saloon cars do not go onto the plateau at all.
Where to Stay
There are no hotels on the plateau. Deosai is visited either as a day trip from Skardu, returning to your hotel the same evening, or under canvas at Bara Pani on the trips built around camping. Hotels in Skardu are booked to the category you choose — subject to availability; if a listed property is unavailable we arrange an equivalent property of the same category and tell you before booking.
Local Food & Cuisine
There is nothing to buy on the plateau. Trips carry their own food and the camping itineraries cook at Bara Pani; eating is otherwise done in Skardu before and after.
Tours in Deosai Plains
Deosai Plains Travel Guide
Deosai Plains Travel Tips & Guides
All guidesDeosai Plains Travel FAQs
Only through the short summer. The plateau is under deep snow for most of the year, opens as the melt clears the tracks in early summer, and closes again with the first heavy snowfall. Anything on Deosai is subject to weather and road conditions on the day.
Yes, without exception. The route onto the plain is an unmetalled track with river crossings. A Prado, Land Cruiser or hired jeep is the right vehicle; a Corolla or Civic will not get onto the plateau.
Yes, and that is how most people see it — out past Sadpara, onto the plain as far as Bara Pani or Sheosar, and back to Skardu the same evening. Staying overnight means camping, as there is no accommodation on the plateau.
Possibly, and possibly not. The Himalayan brown bear is the reason the national park exists, but the animals are wild, the plain is vast and sightings are usually distant. No honest operator will guarantee one.
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