Deosai Plateau to Skardu

Crossing the Deosai Plateau

We woke for sunrise at 0600 but the Nanga Parbat range was slightly obscured by clouds today.  With a long day’s drive ahead, we had an early breakfast at 0630 before departing at 0700.

About 45 mins after a leaving, we made a wrong turn but fortunately that wasn’t rectified too late.

We took a tea stop at 0940 before continuing uphill to Deosai Top (elevation 13500 ft), reaching there around 1130.  Ashfaq said that Babusar and Deosai are closed from December for about 5 months due to snow but snowfall can happen anytime even in summer.

On Deosai Plateau, we took a stop at Sheosar Lake before continuing to a campsite set up for meals.  We had our fastest feed in Pakistan here, from their limited menu of beans or dhall and naan bread (plus some meat options which we ignored).  A few snowflakes fell while we were there.

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Manthal Buddha Rock

We continued our journey to Skardu and stopped at the 8^th Century Manthal Buddha Rock just outside the city area.

M begrudged paying PKR500 (NZD3.20) for seeing the Buddha, after saying that she had paid NZD1000 for a jacket, NZD1000 for a sleeping bag and NZD1000 per day for her arctic trip.  That’s also after saying that her father is super wealthy, she will inherit part of that wealth and that she can’t take the money with her when she “goes”.

I had to explain that these fees go towards conservation and protection, especially in a culture where idolatry is frowned upon and in the most extreme situations, people may deface the artefacts.

She did pay up and entered though, perhaps more so that she could use the toilet inside.

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In Skardu

Around 1700, we arrived at the Himalaya Hotel for a 3-night stay.  We had descended to about 7500 ft but it the elevation wasn’t the only factor.  It was not only warmer but also sunnier and dryer than Murree and Tarishing.  It was even borderline warm to sleep under the thick covers in the night.  What a pleasant change!

The room was spacious and contemporary, and the hot water readily available 24×7.

We popped out around 1815 to check out dinner options nearby.  The two biryani shops next to the hotel didn’t look appealing, so we fell back on the hotel restaurant.  With a longer stay, we were also able to drop our dirty clothes off for washing.

Skardu has been on my list since my last visit to Pakistan 14 years ago.  It was too hard to visit both Skardu and Karimabad by public transport and it has taken this long for me to finally make it back.