Skardu Blossom Tour
Request a quoteExplore
Couples & Honeymoon (by air)
An unhurried seven-day trip for couples by air, from the Kachura lakes and Shigar Fort at Skardu to Karimabad, Attabad Lake and sunset at Duikar in Hunza.
- 7 Days
- Easy
- 2,850 m (Duikar viewpoint)
- April – October
At a glance
Duration7 Days
GradeEasy
Max altitude2,850 m (Duikar viewpoint)
Group size2–6
Best seasonApril – October
Start / endIslamabad
TypeTour
RegionSkardu, Hunza
Group pricing
Per person in USD, full-board — the larger your group, the lower the per-person cost. We confirm your exact all-in figure in writing before any deposit.
| Group size | Per person |
|---|---|
| 7–10 people | $1,200 |
| 4–6 people | $1,400 |
| 1–3 people | $1,750 |
Excludes international flights, Pakistan visa, insurance, personal equipment and tips.
Fixed 2027 departures
Guaranteed small-group dates for the 2027 season. Prefer your own dates? Every trip can also run privately inside its season window.
| 15 Apr 2027 → 21 Apr 2027 | Book this date |
|---|---|
| 15 May 2027 → 21 May 2027 | Book this date |
| 15 Jun 2027 → 21 Jun 2027 | Book this date |
| 15 Jul 2027 → 21 Jul 2027 | Book this date |
| 15 Aug 2027 → 21 Aug 2027 | Book this date |
| 15 Sept 2027 → 21 Sept 2027 | Book this date |
| 5 Oct 2027 → 11 Oct 2027 | Book this date |
Trip highlights
- Flights into Skardu and out of Gilgit, weather permitting
- Shangrila Resort on Lower Kachura Lake, a classic honeymoon spot
- The quieter Upper Kachura Lake
- The restored 17th-century fort-palace at Shigar, now partly a heritage hotel
- Katpana cold desert dunes in the late-afternoon light
- A boat on the turquoise water of Attabad Lake
- Sunset over Rakaposhi (7,788 m) from Duikar, the Eagle's Nest
Overview
This is a relaxed seven-day trip for couples and honeymooners, flying from Islamabad to Skardu and travelling on to Hunza. It pairs the lakes and old fort of Skardu with the forts, Attabad Lake and sunsets of Hunza, at an easy pace, with comfortable hotels and a private vehicle. It suits those who want scenery and quiet, not adventure.
Baltistan's main town, Skardu, sits at about 2,230 m in a wide basin beside the Indus. The lakes are the draw: Lower Kachura Lake, with the Shangrila Resort on its shore, and the quieter Upper Kachura Lake beyond it, both a short drive from town. Shigar Fort, or Fong-Khar, is a 17th-century fort-palace that the Aga Khan Cultural Service restored and that is partly a heritage hotel today, and a good place to linger.
Getting from one valley to the other means the Skardu Road, which follows the Indus gorge to the Karakoram Highway at Jaglot; the highway then runs through Gilgit and up the Hunza valley. It is the one demanding stretch of the trip, ten hours or more with stops, so we start early and break the journey for lunch and views. In Hunza, Karimabad is the base: Baltit and Altit forts, the bazaar, a boat on Attabad Lake and the evening light on Rakaposhi (7,788 m) from the Duikar viewpoint above the village.
The pace is deliberate: three nights in each valley, late starts and free afternoons. There is no trekking; the hotels are comfortable, the vehicle and driver are private, and a local guide comes with you, with only short walks that you can skip. Both valleys are quiet and fairly conservative, so expect long dinners and good views rather than nightlife, and pack modest clothes. Flights to and from the mountains depend on the weather, and we keep the roads as the backup.
When to come
The trip runs from April to October, when the roads and hotels in both valleys are open. The month you choose changes the mood more than the plan: spring brings blossom and cool, bright days, summer is warm and green, and October brings autumn colour and cold nights.
- April to May: blossom in the orchards, strongest in April, with cool clear days and snow lingering on the high ground.
- June to September: warm and green, with long days; the July and August rains can occasionally interrupt flights and the Karakoram Highway south of Gilgit.
- October: golden poplars and clear mountain views, with cold nights in both valleys.
- November to March: not run; Skardu and Hunza are cold and often under snow.
Itinerary
7 stages over 7 days, starting and finishing in Islamabad. Routes can be shortened, extended or privately dated.
An early flight from Islamabad to Skardu takes about an hour, and on a clear day Nanga Parbat can be seen from the plane. We check in at the hotel (Skardu is at about 2,230 m) and keep the rest of the day free, with a short walk if you feel like one. Skardu flights are often held up when cloud closes in on the mountains; if ours is, we take the next flight or the road via Chilas and shorten the Skardu days.
We drive the short distance to Lower Kachura Lake, with the Shangrila Resort on its shore, for a slow morning of walking by the water and tea beside the lake. In the afternoon we continue to the quieter Upper Kachura Lake and return to Skardu at an easy hour. The day is short on distance, so there is time to stop wherever you like.
The Shigar valley road is the one trekking parties follow towards Askole and K2; we take it as far as Shigar Fort (Fong-Khar) and have the morning to wander its courtyards and rooms, with time to sit and look. Coming back, we stop at the Katpana cold desert, where sand dunes run down to the Indus beneath the mountains and the light is softer in the late afternoon. The evening is free in Skardu.
The Skardu Road follows the Indus gorge to the Karakoram Highway at Jaglot, and the highway then runs through Gilgit and up the Hunza valley to Karimabad (about 2,500 m). This is the one long day of the trip, ten hours or more with stops, on a narrow road, mostly paved, where a rockfall or roadworks can hold us up for hours. We start early and stop for lunch and views; if you would rather split the journey, a night in Gilgit adds a day.
An unhurried day among the forts: Baltit above the bazaar in the morning, then Altit, the older fort, with a long lunch in between. Both forts have been restored and are run as museums, and the walking is short, though the lanes up to Baltit are steep. The afternoon is yours, for the bazaar or simply a seat in an orchard.
After a late breakfast we drive north to Attabad Lake, the turquoise lake left by the landslide of January 2010, and take a boat across the water. We are back in Karimabad for the afternoon, then go up to Duikar, the Eagle's Nest viewpoint, to watch the sun go down over Rakaposhi (7,788 m) and the peaks around it. It gets cold on the ridge once the sun goes, so bring a warm layer.
We leave early for the two-hour drive to Gilgit and the morning flight to Islamabad, about an hour in the air, weather permitting. If the flight is grounded we go by road instead: two long days on the Karakoram Highway, with a night at Chilas. Please leave a day or two in hand before an international departure.
What’s included
Included
- All ground transport in Pakistan as per itinerary
- Experienced native English-speaking guide
- Hotel accommodation on the road sections
- Full camping equipment and kitchen crew on trek
- All meals during the trekking / climbing period
- Porters for group and personal equipment (within weight limit)
- Trekking / climbing permits and national park fees
- Government liaison officer where required
Not included
- International flights to and from Pakistan
- Pakistan visa fee
- Personal travel and high-altitude rescue insurance
- Personal climbing and trekking equipment
- Tips for guides, cooks and porters
- Any expenses of a personal nature
These are the standard inclusions for our tour programmes and are confirmed in writing on your final itinerary before any payment is taken.
Questions about this trip
We fly Islamabad to Skardu and Gilgit back to Islamabad, each leg about an hour, and use a private vehicle between Skardu and Hunza. Mountain flights are weather-dependent and often delayed or cancelled, in which case we switch to the road along the Karakoram Highway, which adds at least a day at each end.
It is the one long day of the trip, ten hours or more with stops, along the Indus gorge on a narrow road that is mostly paved. The vehicle is private, we start early and stop for lunch and views, and the next day is easy. A night in Gilgit would split it, at the cost of one more day.
It may be possible. The programme visits Shangrila and Lower Kachura Lake on Day 2, and we can check availability for a night there, but it is a popular place, so ask early. Otherwise we use comfortable hotels in Skardu.
Yes. The walking is short and gentle, apart from the lanes up to Baltit Fort, and every day has free time. Skardu is at about 2,230 m and Karimabad at about 2,500 m; the high point, the Duikar viewpoint at about 2,850 m, is reached by road.
This is graded easy. Most days are easy and hotel-based, with a private vehicle and only short, optional walks rather than trekking; the main demands are the long mountain drives and the thin air on any high pass or plateau. If you tell us a little about yourself we will give you an honest answer.
The season is April – October. We can also arrange a private departure on your own dates within it.
2–6. Smaller and private groups are available and often cost less per head than you would expect — ask us for a quote on your own dates.
The headline is the per-person rate for a standard group of 7–10; smaller groups pay a little more per head because fixed costs — guide, permits, liaison officer and transport — are shared across fewer people. Prices are full-board, and we confirm your exact all-in total in writing before any deposit.
Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first to review the couples & honeymoon (by air).
Plan this trip
Practical guides to help you prepare for the couples & honeymoon (by air):
You may like
All trips Similar adventures
Hunza Apricot & Cherry Blossom Tour
Request a quoteExplore
Hunza Valley Classic Tour
Request a quoteExplore
Hunza & Skardu Highlights
Request a quoteExplore