I can honestly say that without us visiting Satpara lake on this particular day, things would have been much, much worse! Satpara Lake bought us a positive experience when everything else was going wrong.

Boy, oh boy, did we have a full-on intense 12 hours or so before this trip.

Here’s the story.

We wrapped up our journey from Khaplu to Skardu and visited Machlu Valley, a brilliantly constructed and well-established school in the middle of nowhere, the stunning Sogha Lake, the thunderous Manthoka waterfall and even shared some chai with the owner of the treehouses at Manthoka waterfall before finally, arriving back in Skardu (check out the best things to do in Skardu when you’re backpacking Pakistan here). The journey took over twelve hours, and we witnessed some majesties sites but were we glad to be back In Skardu at the Himalaya Hotel, where we spent nights 2 and 3 in Skardu.

We were so relieved to be back, and then, of course, us being us, calamity struck! They had given our room away, so we had no place to stay, but we were offered a twin room which was filthy beyond any comprehension, but we had to take it.

We had no choice.

Fast forward to the morning, and despite cosied up in our sleeping bag liners, we were covered in bites! Of course, we were but a quick shower later and a quick look out at the stunning horizon at the beautiful mountains of Skardu, we kept it together. We then sat down to have breakfast, and there was no chana (Chickpeas); again, a look outside managed to distil us from our bed-biting rage. We spoke to the hotel’s owner, who said we could change rooms and promised us a good room, so we agreed to switch, which kept our frustrations at bay.

Due to getting a driver from Khaplu to Skardu, we thought we would show our gratitude and show our driver Abbas around Skardu and take him to a place he had never seen before, Buddha Rock but first, we would visit Satpara Lake. Pakistan has many lakes to appease travellers, but Satpara Lake might be my favourite! It is stunning, beautifully located south of Skardu and on route to Deosai Plains, the adventure that was scheduled for the following day.

We left promptly, covered in bites and rumbling tummies but excited for another glorious day of travelling and backpacking across Pakistan. It felt like, at this point, we had been in Pakistan for months, but we had just entered the start of our second week!

Today, we are scheduled to visit Satpara Lake, Buddha Rock and the Katpanah Desert. We were so amped; all three sights were focal points as to why we wanted to see Skardu, but we had to be quick as a storm was coming in and would land in two days lasting five days in total, hence the quick rally back from Khaplu.

The photos of Satpara lake do not do it justice. Like many of Pakistans’ natural marvels, Satpara lake must be seen to be believed. Sitting on the edge of that road, with motorbikes whizzing by and cars hurtling around those sharp bends at 70KPM, staring up at those beautiful mountains and that stunning deep blue lake, nothing else matters.

And then you start itching because you’ve been bitten ten times in your sleep, your stomach starts rumbling as there was no food left for your breakfast, and you begin to feel it all. Your gratitude slowly starts to fade, and your mood hangs in the balance.

A hurtling motorbike stops that thought and wakes you up from that trance. You’re back in the peaceful nature of Pakistan, looking at the beautiful Satpara lake; how fortunate are we! Plus, we’re going to change rooms later, so we can let that one night go.

Look where we are!

Check out the Satpara Lake travel vlog here to fully immerse yourself in our experience. Travelling across Pakistan can be challenging, but sights like Satpara Lake restore that balance between positive and negative. At times you’ll be in awe of nature. At other times you’ll be frustrated at the simplest things like not being given a clean room, the driver you booked being late or challenging taxi drivers. Still, you have sights like Machlu Valley, the stunning Himalayan mosques of Khaplu, Satpara lake, and the Katpana Desert, which melt away the Frustration, and you’ll be back to smiling in no time. It is a constant cycle. Frustration. Happy. Frustration. Happy. Frustration. Happy.

Frustration. Happy.

Upon leaving Satpara lake, we are told we can’t switch rooms as they’re overbooked, so we have to spend a second night in the staff room before heading off to Deosai Plains (Spoiler alert, that didn’t go according to plan either)

See, the universe really doesn’t want us to travel.

Toodles

USEFUL TIPS FOR BACKPACKING PAKISTAN:

How to Visit Satpara Lake in Skardu, Pakistan

Tips for visiting Satpara Lake. In truth, this journey is 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 do that journey.

Likely, your hotel will pick you up from Skardu international Pickup, and we recommend you visit Shangri-La Lake, Soq valley and Upper Kachura lake as we did on our first day in Skardu, Pakistan. The driving distances are long. PLEASE do not be over-ambitious.

Satpara Lake is about a twenty-minute drive on the outskirts of Skardu city. Most travellers visit Satpara lake on their visit to Deosai Plains but as it’s a pretty easy journey from the city, perhaps combine it with a visit to Buddha Rock (also located in the south of the town) and then zip across Skardu and end your day with a visit to the stunning Katpana Desert for star gazing you’ll never forget.

If you do the above itinerary whilst backpacking or travelling across Skardu, you’ll be able to negotiate a pretty good rate. We paid 3,000 PKR for two separate drivers, but you’ll likely be able to get it for about 2,500 PKR. Either way, it’s pretty cheap, considering you’ll visit two natural marvels: Satpara Lake and Katpanah Desert, and another Buddhism relic in Northern Pakistan. The infamous Buddha Rock is a 20-foot carving of the Buddha perfectly preserved with only a 30PKR entry. We are both pretty sure that admission is free, but a guy at Buddha Rock is asking for an entrance fee, and he has keys to the newly constructed gate, take that how you will.

Further away day trips in and around Skardu will start at around 5,000 PKR for a car or 7,000 PKR for a Prado, and both prices include the cost of the driver, vehicle and fuel. For this sort of price, you won’t get to the majestic Basho Valley (that’ll cost you double), but you will be able to visit the famous Shangri-La Lake (also known as Lower Kachura Lake), the STUNNING Soq Valley as well as Upper Kachura Lake. You’ll also be able to grab a SIM card if you’re staying out of Skardu city then. I recommend this is what you do!

The best tip for Skardu Pakistan is to take your time. It may be tempting to cross everything off in a day or two, but please allow yourself five days to immerse yourself in everything. There is a lot to see.

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!