As we left the airport, our first calamity struck. You see, we pre-booked a driver in Skardu, but then we struggled to get hold of the driver. We NEVER pre-book, but due to time constraints, we thought it best to do so. We were finally able to call him on our drive to our accommodation, and he told us he would not be available for another couple of hours. This is what we get for being organised.

We had a backup plan; fortunately, the driver who picked us up from the airport agreed to take us to Shangri-La Lake, Upper Kachura Lake and another place, Soq Valley; we had never heard of the latter. All three are close to Skardu City and likely destinations for you to visit on your first day in Skardu. He asked for 8000 PKR, our agreement with the other driver was for 5000PKR, but this was a ‘Prado’. An expensive and necessary commodity in Skardu, Pakistan, it would seem. We reluctantly agreed to a price of 7,000 so as not to waste more time. Our start in Pakistan was not very smooth, and after having travelled Pakistan for five weeks, I’ll say this. Pakistan will frustrate you, but it will also lift you. Yep, conflicting, but it’s the truth, and this day was about to bring that to life for us.

Leaving the hotel behind, I still shudder whenever I think about it. The place was not pleasant, it was awful, but we were in the middle of nowhere and literally had no other choice. We were relieved that we had bought our sleeping bag liners and pillows to this place. Yuck.

We commenced our drive and stopped briefly for a few minutes at a viewpoint of the Indus river on route to Shangri-la Lake. We set the drone up to gather the aerial views of the stunning landscape. I am seriously not underplaying that! Pakistan is stunning! I’ve said that multiple times and I will continue to say that for the rest of my life. Pakistan is beautiful! Pakistan may be the most beautiful country on the planet, please visit before the inevitable happens and over-tourism occurs.

If I’m honest, we weren’t too keen on visiting Shangri-la lake. If I’m honest, it’s not off the beaten track, and most visitors who visit Skardu go to Shangri-la lake. It is iconic within Skardu, but we were in town and thought, let’s do this. It is expensive at 1,000 PKR entry for Pakistani standards, but again, we were in the area and had to visit. Had we been in the area for a few days, we may have thought differently. There is so much to see in Skardu and Pakistan; we haven’t even gotten to the tip of the iceberg yet. The iceberg is a dot to us! Right now, at least. 

Upon entry, you walk through a beautiful archway and take a winding pathway with a tiny moat to your left. You’re immediately hit with the sight of these gorgeous pine trees clamped on mountains. In Europe, this would be considered artificial. In Pakistan. It’s natural and part of Imran Khans’ green initiative, a project we saw implemented in all areas of Pakistan. As I said, we haven’t even gotten to the tip of the iceberg yet.

After wandering a bit further, there was this lovely opening with a fabulous view of Shangri-La Lake and the picture-perfect image of the iconic red building shimmering in the background. Unfortunately, access was restricted by a security gate, but we just had to get a picture. After a couple of “Bhai-Saab” s and my terrible Urdu, the security guard couldn’t take any more of my horrible accent and agreed to let us in if we agreed to take a photo and leave quickly. As evident in the vlog (Man, I’m not too fond of that word), we took a little longer than expected. The security guard disappeared as quickly as he arrived, so we thought, why not take our time. We hopped over the rope and captured a few photos and video footage of the iconic red building in the backdrop while the sun glimmered off the lake’s surface. This lake is starting to win me over. 

A cafe within the iconic red building is situated towards the lake’s rear. I let out a yelp of excitement whilst I saw the dessert on offer; they had brownies; we had to try one! We were ecstatic. I, personally, was giddy! After a few days of travelling, I got to eat a delicious brownie! There was no need for my broken Urdu here. The gentlemen spoke perfect English, another surprising aspect of Pakistan: English is very commonly spoken, so don’t let that put you off should you decide to visit Pakistan.

Looking back at this part of our trip to Pakistan, this is a low moment and was one of the few bad memories of Pakistan. This ‘baked good’, was certainly not a brownie. I don’t know what it was, I can taste it now, and it was NOT pleasant! I did eat it anyway, as it’s tough to find brownies on our travels like proper brownies. Please DM us on Instagram if you’ve found good brownies whilst backpacking the world. I don’t care where it is; we will put it on the travel list! We hoped for proper brownies as the gentlemen spoke well of it, but in the end, we got the equivalent of a watered-down version. It was more cake than a brownie. We were left heartbroken once again. To make matters worse, there was a stone inside the brownie; I had a flashback to China when I chipped my tooth and half of it was sliced right off. That was a calamity! Wow, the universe really doesn’t want us to travel, does it?

After the stone in our fake brownie incident, we wandered around the grounds and saw an aeroplane as a standalone art piece. We ventured inside and took a few photos, so check that out on our Instagram if you like. After that brief photo shoot, we were ready to head to our next destination; little did we know we were about to witness the most beautiful place in the world that we had never heard about. Skardu and Pakistan are both full of surprises. 

Toodles

USEFUL TIPS FOR BACKPACKING PAKISTAN:

How to Visit Shangri-la Lake, 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 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 Kachuara lake as we did on our first day in Skardu, Pakistan. The driving distances are long. PLEASE do not be over-ambitious.

Day trips around Skardu will start at around 5,000 PKR for a car or 7,000 PKR for a Prado, and both prices include the driver, vehicle and fuel cost. 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 really is a lot to see.

Typically in Skardu, Pakistan, your hotel will most likely be where you have your meals. Especially if you opt for a remote hotel as we did.

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!