INFORMATION *
Skardu (Urdu: سکردو, Balti: སྐརདུ་་ from Tibetan (Balti): skar rdo སྐར་རྡོ་ - "star stone, meteorite"), is the main town of the region Baltistan and the capital of Skardu District, one of the districts making up Pakistan's Gilgit–Baltistan.
Geography *
Skardu is located in the 10 km wide by 40 km long Skardu Valley, at the confluence of the Indus river (flowing from near Kailash in Tibet and through neighbouring Ladakh before reaching Baltistan) and the Shigar River.
Skardu is situated at an altitude of nearly 2,500 m (8,200 ft). The
town is surrounded by grey-brown coloured mountains, which hide the 8,000 metre peaks of the nearby Karakoram range.
Tourism *
Skardu, along with Gilgit, are the two major tourism, trekking and expedition hubs in Gilgit–Baltistan. The mountainous terrain of the region, including four of the world's fourteen Eight-thousander
peaks (8,000 m and above), attracts the attention of tourists, trekkers
and mountaineers from around the world. The main tourist season is from
April to October; outside this time, the area can be cut off for
extended periods by the snowy, freezing winter weather.
Accessible from Skardu by road, the nearby Askole and Hushe are the main gateways to the snow covered 8,000 m peaks including K2, the Gasherbrums, Broad Peak and the Trango Towers, and also to the huge glaciers of Baltoro, Biafo and Trango.
This makes Skardu the main tourist and mountaineering base in the area,
which has led to the development of a reasonably extensive tourist
infrastructure including shops and hotels. However, the popularity of
the region results in high prices, especially during the main trekking
season.
Treks to the Deosai Plains, the second highest in the world (at 4,100 m or 13,500 feet) after the Chang Tang in Tibet, either start from or end at Skardu. In local Balti language, Deosai is called
Byarsa,
meaning 'summer place'. With an area of approximately 3,000 square
kilometres, the plains extend all the way to Ladakh and provide habitat
for snow leopards, ibex, Tibetan brown bears and wild horses.
Climate *
The climate of Skardu during the summer is moderated by its mountain
setting and the intense heat of lowland Pakistan does not reach here.
The mountains also block out the summer monsoon
and summer rainfall is thus quite low. However, these mountains result
in very severe winter weather. During the April to October tourist
season, temperatures vary between a maximum of 27 °C and a minimum (in
October) 8 °C. However, temperatures can drop to below -10 °C in the
December-to-January midwinter period. The lowest temperature of the year
can reach -25 °C
Transport *
Skardu is accessible by two methods, road or air. The normal road route into Skardu is via the Karakorum Highway and a linkroad into the Skardu Valley
from it. There are also four or five other road links to Kashmir and
Ladakh. Alternatively, there are normally one or two flights daily
between Skardu Airport and Islamabad.
The high cost of air travel means that road travel via the Karakorum
Highway and the link road onward to the Skardu Valley is often the
preferred option of locals and tourists alike.
The climate can have adverse effects on transport in and out of the
Skardu Valley, as Skardu becomes snowbound during the winter months.
Often the roads in and out of Skardu (and other
Northern Areas
locations) can be blocked for weeks at a time depending on conditions
(though two to five days is more normal), sometimes leaving air travel
as the only feasible alternative. However, air travel in winter is also
subject to disruption due to the unreliable Skardu weather and flights
can occasionally be delayed by several days.
Satpara Dam *
The Satpara Dam development project on the Satpara Lake
was inaugurated in 2002 and expected to be completed soon. It is 7 km
away from Skardu city and its altitude is 8,700 feet (2,700 m) moreover
it will also pond the water about 90,000 acre feet (110,000,000 m
3). The main source of water is melting ice of the Deosai plains during the summer season.
It is a multipurpose project, which will produce 13 Megawatts hydro generation, irrigate 15,000 acres (61 km
2) of land and also provide 13 cusecis drinking water daily to Skardu city.
Skardu Fort (Kharphocho Fort) *
Entrance to the Skardu Fort
Skardu Fort or
Kharphocho Fort lies on the eastern face of the
Khardrong or Mindoq-Khar
("Castle of Queen Mindoq") hill 15 metres or 40 feet (12 m) above
Skardu town. The fort dates from the 8th Century CE and contains an old
mosque probably dating back to the arrival of Islam in the 16th Century
CE. The fort provides a panoramic view of Skardu town, the Skardu valley
and the Indus River. The fort was built by Rmakpon dynasty rulers of Baltistan and it was a seven storey building.
Kharphocho (Skardu) fort was built on a design similar to that of Leh Palace and the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. The name Kharpochhe means the great fort —
Khar in Tibetan means castle or fort and
Chhe means great.
Shigar Fort *
Located on the route to the world’s second highest mountain K-2, is
Shigar Fort. It is also known as Fong-Khar, which in the local language
means the “Palace on the Rock”. The complex at Shigar comprises the
400-year-old Fort / Palace and two more recent buildings, the "Old
House" and the "Garden House". The former Palace of the Raja of Shigar
has been transformed into a 20 room heritage guesthouse, with the grand
audience hall serving as a museum of Balti culture and featuring select
examples of fine wood-carvings, as well as other heritage objects.
Lakes near Skardu *
There are three lakes in the vicinity of Skardu. In local Balti-Tibetan language, a lake is a
thso or
tso.
Kachura Lakes *
There are two Kachura Lakes—the less well known Upper Kachura lake and the more famous Lower Kachura Lake, better known as Shangrila Lake. Lower Katsura lake is home to the Shangrila Resort
hotel complex (possibly the reason for the lake's alternative name),
built in a Chinese style and another popular destination for tourists in
Pakistan. The resort has a unique style of restaurant, set up inside
the fuselage of an aircraft
that crashed nearby. Kachura lake 18m from Skardu. Kachura Lake is
famous for its deep blue waters. There are numerous places to visit and
things to do near Kachura Lake, situated near Skardu in the northern
area.
Satpara Lake *
Satpara Lake is Skardu Valley's main lake. In 2002, the Government of Pakistan
decided to build a dam on the Satpara Lake allocating $10 million to
the Satpara Dam project, two years later in 2004. Progress on the
project has, however, been slow. Satpara Lake is 6 miles (9.7 km) from
Skardu. Satpara Lake is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the
countryside offering trout fishing, and row boating. This lake is also
the source of Skardu's drinking water.
