Skardu earns its keep as a base. The town itself is worth a day, but the real rewards lie up the wild valleys that fan out from it, each an easy enough excursion by jeep — though several reward an overnight if you have the time.
The Shigar Valley runs northeast about an hour and a half away, a green ribbon of apricot orchards and old Balti villages with the splendidly restored Shigar Fort at its heart. It is also the road that trekkers follow toward the Baltoro glacier and K2. Further east, around 100 km along the Indus and then the Shyok through a series of dramatic gorges, lies Khaplu, once the seat of a small Balti kingdom and home to the restored Khaplu Palace and the 14th-century Chaqchan Mosque. The drive alone justifies the day, and the palace makes a fine overnight.
South of town, the jeep track climbs to Deosai National Park, one of the highest plateaux in the world, open only from late June to early October. You can cross it as a long day-trip, but the wildflowers, marmots and elusive brown bears reward a night camped near Sheosar Lake. Within easy reach there are also the lakes — Satpara and Upper Kachura — and the carved Manthal Buddha Rock at the edge of the valley, all close enough to fold into a half-day.
