Skardu
Skardu (Urdu: سکردو) is a district and the capital city of Baltistan, a subdivision of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It is located in the wide (10 km) and long (40 km) Skardu Valley, in the very place in which the Indus River receives the Shigar River waters. Skardu is also a district of Gilgit-Baltistan. Situated at nearly 2500 m (8,200 feet), the town is surrounded by gray-brown coloured mountains, which hide the 8,000 metre peaks of the nearby Karakoram range. Skardu is the headquarters of the Northern Light Infantry (earlier Gilgit Scouts under British), that fought in the Kargil War.
Major hub for expeditions
Skardu is one of the two major hubs of all trekking expeditions in Northern Areas, a region that includes four of the fourteen Eight-thousander peaks (8,000m and above) of the world. The other hub is Gilgit. The tourist season is from April to October.
From Skardu two roads lead to the Askole and Hushe Valleys, main doorgates to the snowy giants, and to the huge glaciers of Baltoro, Biafo, and Trango. Here begins the way for climbing legendary mountains such as K2, Gasherbrums, Broad Peak and the Trango Towers. This makes the town a major summer tourist hotpoint, which results in many hotels and shops in the area, and in the trekking season, expensive prices. Treks to the highest plains in Pakistan, Deosai Plains either start from Skardu or end at Skardu. At a height of about 4,100m (13,500 feet), these are the second highest plains of the world, second only to Tibet.
The town
The town is built up along the main road, and both sides of this grows up the New Bazaar (Naya Bazaar) in which hundreds of shops offer almost everything. To the west one finds Yadgar Chowk, with a ugly monument, and from there, the quarter behind Naya Bazaar, in the right hand side is Purana Bazaar, the old one. Following west from Naya Bazaar, there is a polo ground, and next Kazmi Bazaar. Skardu appears as a dusty town, but its people are colourful. Streets are full of men (almost no women), mainly Baltis, but many other ethnicities pack the streets of the bazaars: Pashtun, Hunza, and even Uyghur, due to the close border.
Climate of Skardu
The tourist season is from April to October. The maximum temperature is 27C and the minimum (October) 8C. However, in December-January, the temperatures can reach below -10C. The Skardu valley is snowbound during the winter months. Often the road blocks at Karakoram Highway cut the road link (Karakoram Highway) of areas like Gilgit, Skardu and Hunza from the rest of the country. The air travel is also disturbed by the unreliable weather of Skardu and on some occasions flights are be delayed by several days because of weather.
Skardu Fort (Karpachu Fort)
Skardu Fort or Karpachu Fort is a fort that lies on the eastern face of the Khardong or Mindoq-Khar ("Castle of Queen Mindoq") hill 40 ft above Skardu city. There is an old mosque inside the fort as well. The fort dates from the tenth century CE. A view from these monuments brings into vision the entire valley, the Indus River and the settlement below.
Lakes in Skardu
There are three lakes in Skardu:
Kachura Lakes
There are two Kachura Lakes; the Upper Kachura lake and the Lower Kachura Lake. The latter is also known as the Shangrila Lake. The Upper Kachura lake is not as famous as the Shangrila Lake.
There is resort at Lower Kachura lake that is known as Shangrila Resort. It is another popular destination for tourists in Pakistan. The resort has a unique kind of restaurant that has been set up inside the fuselage of an aircraft that crashed nearby.
Satpara Lake
Satpara Lake or Sadpara Lake is the main lake in Skardu Valley which supplies water for the town of Skardu. It is one of the most picturesque lakes in Pakistan. In 2002, the Government of Pakistan decided to build a dam on the Satpara Lake. [1] The Government allocated Rs. 600 million ($10 million) for Satpara Dam project in 2004's financial year. [2] The progress on the project, however, has been slow. [3]