6-Day Skardu, Shigar & Khaplu Family Tour (By Air)

Trip Overview

A 6 days / 5 nights by air journey through Skardu — 6 thoughtfully planned days of sightseeing, comfortable standard guest house / executive 4★ / luxury premium property — subject to availability stays and daily breakfast.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

6 days, 5 nights · tap any day to read it

1. 1Day 1:Arrival & Kachura Lakes

   The Islamabad-Skardu flight takes about an hour and passes Nanga Parbat, so it is worth the window seat on a clear morning. Our driver meets you at the airport and takes you straight out to Lower and Upper Kachura rather than starting with a long drive. Shangrila sits on the lower lake; the upper one is quieter. Evening free. The flight is weather dependent; timings and routing may change according to the airline.

2. 2Day 2:Shigar Valley

   Shigar is about an hour from Skardu on a paved road. The fort here was a raja's residence, restored over many years by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and now working as a heritage hotel, and you can walk the courtyards and the museum rooms. Nearby stands the Amburiq Mosque, among the oldest in Baltistan, its timber carved in a Kashmiri style. On the way back, the Sarfaranga cold desert and Blind Lake.

3. 3Day 3:Khaplu Valley

   Khaplu is the longest day trip from Skardu, roughly three hours east along the Shyok river. The road runs through the Ghouri tree line, an avenue of poplars that turns gold in autumn. Khaplu Palace, another Aga Khan restoration, looks down over the valley from above the village, and the Chaqchan Mosque below it is one of the oldest in the region. There is time to walk the riverside village before the drive back.

4. 4Day 4:Waterfalls & Cold Desert

   South today, about two and a half hours along the Indus towards Kharmang, to the Manthokha waterfall. It is a short walk from where the vehicle stops and at its loudest in high summer, when the snowmelt is running. The route also takes in Chocolate Rock, the Mount Cap formation at Sermik and Hussainabad, all roadside stops that need ten minutes each. A shorter day than Khaplu and easier on younger children.

5. 5Day 5:Basho Valley

   Basho is about two hours from Skardu and the last stretch is a genuine jeep track, so today runs in a 4x4. The valley opens out into pine forest and meadow with a river through the middle of it, the greenest place in an otherwise dry region and the best walking of the trip. Time for a walk and photography before returning to Skardu. Subject to weather and road conditions on the day.

6. 6Day 6:Departure

   Breakfast and checkout, then the drive to Skardu airport for the flight back to Islamabad. Cancellations here happen more often than the schedule suggests, so we wait with you until you are checked in and rebook the next departure if the sector goes. If you would rather not wait, the road journey is arranged separately. Weather dependent; timings and routing may change according to the airline.

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