Astore in Pakistan is a little-known area full of natural beauty (Like most of Pakistan, to be fair!) located west of Skardu, north of Islamabad and south of Gilgit. It is also ideally situated between the well-known Fairy Meadows and Deosai Plains, so you should try to visit it when you’re in the area. It’s a perfect stop to break up the journey from north to south Pakistan or vice versa.

Astore in Pakistan is home to two stunning locations: Rama Lake and Rama Meadows. Albeit, any drive you take in this area is one of the top things we recommend you do on your visit to Pakistan. I should also add that Astore is located outside of Skardu, hence why it didn’t make our top things to do in Skardu list but when we publish our top recommendations for what to see when visiting Pakistan, rest assured that Rama Lake and Rama Meadows in Astore will feature in that list!

We left the worst hotel we had stayed in so far in Pakistan, even worse than the one where we were given the staff room and woke up with bites all over us. Perhaps, I’m being too harsh, but this hotel was nowhere near as bad as the one we stayed at on our first night in Skardu. Seriously avoid the place named Indus view (Located in Skardu, not Astore). All the google reviews are fake, and the owner is an admin on many a Facebook Pakistan tourism group and deletes the truthful reviews, including ours. We have video footage and may put it up one day. Do not stay at the Indus View hotel in Skardu. The place is seriously cring!

The reason why the hotel was terrible in Astore was that the owner kept changing the prices. We had agreed on a rate of 4,000 PKR per night, and then he wanted to up it to 7,000 PKR. We were staying for two nights, and then we said, maybe we’ll stay for the third night, and he wanted us to pay 21,000PKR immediately. It was not lost in translation; I understood it completely. We left after two nights, and I’m glad we did because the weather that day was perfect. It was raining the two nights we stayed, but we were greeted with blue skies upon awakening on the third day. This day would be unique; we would visit the much anticipated Rama Lake and Rama Meadows. Photos will not do this place any justice; you MUST see Astore in Pakistan yourself.

On route, we encountered fabulous views, and you can check out that entire video here on your YouTube channel. I do not underplay that those hills we saw that day were probably the best hills I’ve ever seen in my lifetime. I know I’m talking about hills but seriously, check out those views! The sound of music should have been filmed in Astore, Pakistan!

That is not to say that this trip came without its challenges. There were a few obstacles that one would expect when travelling through Pakistan.

Remember, the pattern of travelling Pakistan is awe, frustration, awe, frustration. It’s a constant see-saw!

I’m not entirely sure of the reasons, but that is what we found. Tourism is new to Pakistan. They are in their infancy, so patience is required, but frustration is more due to lack of communication which if you don’t speak Urdu, you will encounter a lot! But then, look at where you are. You are touring perhaps one of the last beautiful frontiers on this planet, a location unvisited by many. You will encounter many hiccups, but you can witness natural beauty found nowhere else on earth but in Pakistan.

Apart from the hotel issue, which also didn’t have any water or electricity due to a storm. It was the overcharging that annoyed us. Still, we wouldn’t allow it to deter us from having a good time visiting the wonders of Rama, Astore in Pakistan.

After parading around the hills of Astore, remember we were not even at the Rama Meadows (which has been a well-established campsite for many years ). We got back in the jeep once again to head through the rolling hills of Astore, on route to Rama Meadows. After a brief glimpse past the meadows, which we would return to after first seeing Rama Lake, we were excited and began imagining what the views of Rama Lake would look like!

We stopped. From this point forward, our driver told us it would be an hour-long trek to reach Rama Lake – this was brand new information.

Frustration. But we knew what would come next…

USEFUL TIPS FOR BACKPACKING PAKISTAN:

How to Visit Astore in Pakistan

Astore in Pakistan is such a remarkable drop-off in Pakistan and has a town that will surprise you. The sights, notably Rama Lake and Rama Meadows, will forever be etched in your brain.

Your route to Astore will depend on where you begin your journey exploring the north of Pakistan. If you fly into Gilgit and then first explore the Hunza Valley, you must head south. Shared cars will get you there, and your hotel will help you to arrange it. If you head south from Gilgit, do not miss Fairy Meadows. From the thrilling jeep ride where you’ll dangle off a cliff for ninety minutes on a truck made some sixty years ago to the challenging hike to Fairy Meadows, to the picturesque scenes of fairy Meadows itself, do not miss it. From Rajkot bridge (The drop-off to fairy Meadows), you will be able to take transport down to Astore.

If you start in Skardu, as we did, you will likely be heading to Astore after crossing the Deosai Plains. For this, you will have to take a private car costing in the region of 22,000 PKR. Deosai plains should not be missed. I hope your visit goes smoother than ours did. Deosai Plains is also an exciting place to camp; check out the blog post on what camping in Deosai is like and our travel vlog here.

Your driver will drop you off wherever you are staying in Astore and if you’re curious about what to expect, check out this video on Astore.

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!