Rawalpindi → Chilas
Departure at first light along the KKH, tracing the Indus north through Besham and Dasu.
- Besham
- Indus gorge
- Overnight Chilas
Overview
Deosai plateau crossing, Sadpara lake, cold desert jeep run and Shigar fort.
Trip highlights
- Shangrila & Upper Kachura
- Deosai Plains by jeep
- Cold Desert & Shigar
What's included
Hotels, meals, 4x4 jeeps for off-road sectors, permits and an experienced guide.
Not included
Airfare, lunches, porter charges on optional treks and personal expenses.
Day by day
The route, one day at a time
Follow the road down — every day, where you sleep and what you'll see.
Day 01 01- 02
Day 02 Chilas → Skardu
The Skardu road turns off at Jaglot and follows the river into Baltistan — seven hours of canyon that most travellers rate the best drive of the trip.
- Jaglot junction
- Skardu valley
- Check-in
Day 03 Shangrila & Upper Kachura
An easy day after two long drives. Lower Kachura (Shangrila) in the morning, the walk through to Upper Kachura after lunch.
- Shangrila Resort
- Upper Kachura Lake
- Skardu bazaar
03- 04
Day 04 Deosai Plains by jeep
The second-highest plateau on earth at 4,114 m. Sheosar Lake for lunch, and brown bear country all around — sightings are luck, not schedule.
- Sadpara Lake
- Deosai plateau
- Sheosar Lake
Day 05 Cold Desert & Shigar
Katpana's white sand dunes sit at 2,200 m — genuinely a desert in the mountains. Then across to Shigar Fort, restored and now a heritage hotel.
- Katpana Cold Desert
- Shigar Fort
- Amburiq Mosque
05- 06
Day 06 Khaplu valley
East along the Shyok to Khaplu — the old palace, apricot orchards and Chaqchan Mosque, six hundred years old and still in use.
- Khaplu Palace
- Chaqchan Mosque
- Shyok river
Day 07 Skardu → Rawalpindi
The road home, or an optional flight to Islamabad if the weather cooperates.
- Skardu departure
- Chilas
- Arrive Rawalpindi
07
Journey complete
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