I distinctly remember this day because before visiting yet, another gorgeous lake in Pakistan, neither of us had even heard of this lake. However, after a quick google, we knew we had to make an effort to travel here, and I’ll tell you now, it is just like the pictures from certain angles, especially when the sun hits it perfectly. Sogha Lake, like Pakistan in general, is so picturesque and photogenic. You’ll be glad to have your camera on hand to capture the lake’s beauty, and I’m not overplaying that all. Watch our Pakistan travel vlog on Sogha Lake here if you don’t believe me!

This is also where we reluctantly made an ad for our drivers’ tour company. A complete surprise but then backpacking Pakistan is full of surprises, both good and bad. 

Upon leaving the school and the beautiful Machlu Valley behind, we drove back towards the direction of Khaplu. On route, we stumbled upon a trout farm and, interestingly, a cricket ground with no seating for spectators. Now, Pakistan is full of Polo stadiums; you will see them everywhere (the one in Rama attaches itself to my memory), but cricket stadiums outside the big cities? Well, that was unexpected. More surprisingly, there was no place for spectators, and the deserted ground was padlocked, barring anyone from entering. This is the same country that allows its visitors to touch ancient artefacts but to gain entry to what seems like an abandoned cricket ground; nope, that has to be locked up! Strange. Also, this begs another question: If no one can watch the games, what purpose does it serve? Sure, it’s beautiful to look at, as is Pakistan in general, but this random cricket ground still had us scratching our heads. Another question we asked ourselves was whether the cricket ground was surrounded by swamp land; if a player were to hit a six, the ball would likely never be found. Is this perhaps why this ground was abandoned? I guess we’ll never know for sure.

As we approached Sogha Lake, we were in equal excitement and anticipation as to whether Sogha Lake will live up to the beautiful photos we saw just that morning. We came to a halt; Abbas told us we had arrived.

Upon exiting the car, we were met by a group of people offering us some chai. We refused, not because we wanted to be rude or even because we didn’t want chai. We love Chai, Pakistani chai is the best, and when you experience Pakistani chai, I’m sure you’ll agree with me. It was because it stank of smoke in the little box room they invited us into. Natalie and I can endure a lot, but tiny smoke-filled rooms, sorry. There’s not enough chai in the world to get us to stay in there. 

As we went inside the gates to the lake, the pictures were telling the truth! As I circled the lake, the sun seemed to bring the colours to life. Shades of blue emerged as the wind gently rippled on the lake’s surface, and the surrounding mountains’ reflections gently bounced off. The pictures were lying. It’s better in real life!  

At the far end of the lake, there is an apple orchid, as is the norm in Skardu. The number of apple orchids we saw whilst travelling Pakistan were staggering. Elliot Reed (from ‘Scrubs’, The TV sitcom) would have been impressed! I remember the chaps showing us around had lost the key, so they decided to break in using a rock as their replacement key and giving the padlock a few good bashes. We never saw many security measures in place whilst backpacking Pakistan, but this was one place they couldn’t risk, an apple orchid of all areas. Travel eh. 

As the gates flung open, we ventured into what can only be described as an apple forest. Well, they did also have walnut trees there. That was perhaps the biggest surprise of our day. We were given a handful of apples, despite still having some from Skardu city the other day, but we didn’t want to turn down their gift, so we accepted a bag gleefully. They wanted to supply us with enough apples so we could bake strudel the following day, but we had to decline.

Upon exiting the orchid, we were asked to display our thoughts on Khaplu, Skardu and Pakistan in general so that Abbas, our driver, could use them as tourism promos. We agreed, partly because when people show you kindness, it’s challenging to decline humble requests and somewhat because we were knackered, so we didn’t think it through. I won’t bore you with the details, but we’re out online on some tourism promo where we look awkward and haven’t a clue what we’re saying. If you come across it, please let us know. We could all do with a good laugh.

Toodles

USEFUL TIPS FOR BACKPACKING PAKISTAN:

How to Visit Sogha lake, Khaplu, Skardu, Pakistan

This sounds like it would be a complicated journey, but in truth, it’s pretty simple. As is the norm in this area of Pakistan, you will first need to head to Skardu, Pakistan. Skardu will be the central point for a lot of your excursions. Skardu certainly was for us, as you can tell from the numerous videos we have filmed there. We documented our flight from Islamabad to Skardu, showing you how to make that journey.

Once in Skardu, ask your hotel for the bus to Khaplu, and they will tell you where to go. We cannot give you a pinpoint location because there isn’t a bus station for departures going to Khaplu. You won’t find any schedules online, nor will you find an actual bus station. The buses depart for Khaplu on the edge of town, and your hotel will direct you there.

Bus tickets to Khaplu from Skardu will cost 300PKR per person for the minibus with a food break after an hour or so, and if you’re lucky, your bus won’t break down as ours did. Trust us, take the bus and enjoy the most amazing Pakistani food on route to Khaplu. You’ll have a chance to visit the colourful teeny tiny village of Gol, which serves up some of the best food in Pakistan!

Once in Khaplu, your accommodation will be able to sort you with a driver for the day. To go around Khaplu, 1,000 PKR is more than a fair price, and for the drive back to Skardu, it should be around 6,000PKR with stops at Machlu Valley, the beautiful Sogha Lake, Saling and Manthoka waterfall. I wouldn’t recommend you miss any of them, it takes a lot to get into this area, and those four areas are well worth visiting. Just aim for clear days.

Enjoy! and don’t forget to tag Calamity Travels on Instagram. We’d love to see if you enjoyed backpacking Pakistan as much as we did!