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The cost of a Skardu Deosai tour from Islamabad depends on a total of five factors: whether you fly or drive, group size, selected hotels, a possible inclusion of jeep hire for Deosai, and the number of nights in the valley. Each of the five factors has the power to dictate the price of the tour, so a quote without mentioning all five factors is incomplete.
We will go over each of the five components, the factors that influence the price, the basic price, and what you ultimately may be looking at as a final price for different types of travelers.
HospitalityTours.com.pk offers Skardu Deosai packages from Islamabad. We have named hotels, private vehicles or flights, a 4x4 jeep included for Deosai, and an all-in price that lists every single component included and every single component excluded before confirmation. Send us your dates via WhatsApp. Contact at the end.
The drive from Islamabad to Skardu is approximately 600 km over two days with an overnight in Besham or Chilas. Factoring in the cost of the vehicle for two days, two nights of accommodation, and fuel for the Karakoram Highway, the travel to reach Skardu becomes quite costly.
A one-hour flight from Islamabad to Skardu removes the long drive, the overnight stay, and two more days of driving. The flight ticket cost goes up, but it now only takes an hour to get there compared to driving, and it adds more risk as it can potentially be cancelled. Skardu International Airport is located at 2,230 meters with planes that fly visual approaches. Clouds usually cancel the flights, especially in winter.
The best option is to fly to Skardu and drive back to Islamabad through Gilgit via the Karakoram Highway. This option will keep the risk of cancelling a flight to a minimum, and you will also be able to enjoy the drive and the beautiful scenery.
Flying from Skardu is going to save you money for a couple. For larger groups (4+ people), the flight will cost more due to the transportation expense for the drive.
After access, the cost of accommodation is going to be the next biggest expense. Hotels in Skardu range from no-frills guesthouses along the bazaar to the Serena heritage hotels in Shigar and Khaplu.
Simple hotels and guesthouses located in Skardu Bazaar. Rooms with basic amenities and a generator, but no restaurant. Good for budget travelers who don't mind losing some comforts
Standard tier. There are several named city hotels in Skardu, segmented into 4 options: Avari Xpress Skardu on College Road, PC Legacy Skardu (near the airport), Mountain Lodge Resort (for some elevated views), and Arish Luxury Suites (near the Manthal Buddha Rock). They all have restaurants on-site and generators, with rooms that fit the price. This is most families' and couples’ price range.
Heritage tier. These hotels are 30 km and 100 km east of the city, respectively. The first is Serena Shigar Fort and Serena Khaplu Palace; both are restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, and both are operated by Serena Hotels. Both require booking at least a few months in advance. Neither hotel is in the city, so both will require a drive each day to book any city sites/activities.
Luxury add-on. Himmel Skardu by Luxus is in Wazirpur, Shigar Valley (18 km from the airport) with a spa and pool that is only open during the summer (and closed during the winter). The chalet rooms have the best views. Since this hotel is further from the city, confirm this location before booking it for your itinerary.
Deosai National Park has an entry fee for each person and each vehicle at the Satpara checkpoint before crossing it. This is sometimes included in a package and other times payable directly. You should ask for confirmation either way.
Getting to Deosai requires a specific vehicle. A good 4x4 with decent ground clearance is the optimal choice both to get to Deosai from Satpara and to traverse the plateau. A saloon car or standard SUV, particularly if the road is wet, would not be able to get you across. Most problems involving vehicles getting stuck on Deosai are from people using the wrong type of vehicle or from people attempting to cross who have not been on the route in years.
The trip to Deosai from Skardu is a full-day trip. You should expect to leave Skardu at 7 am, and you would return to Skardu in the late afternoon or in the early evening. Other major sites cannot fit into this itinerary.
A locally licensed guide will provide you with information about the sites Kharpocho Fort, Manthal Rock, and Shangrila, as well as facilitate the logistics related to the Deosai crossing. Some packages will include a guide for site visits only; some include guides for the entire trip; and some do not.
A guide will not be needed for all of your site visits to Skardu. You can go to the Katpana Desert and the Kachura Lakes without the guide. However, a guide for Kharpocho Fort and the rock carving will be needed if you are to enjoy them. A guide for Deosai will be beneficial only if you know where the bears have been spotted that week.
Make sure you understand if a guide fee is included in the package deal, and if not, be sure to ask how much the guide will cost per day when you arrive.
The cost of the meal is usually included in the room rate for the breakfast offered at named hotels. For lunch and dinner, it can differ. In case of a full board package, logistics to find a restaurant in a city where most restaurants have unpredictable opening hours are taken care of.
On the Deosai day, a packed lunch is the only feasible option. There is nothing between Satpara and Skardu on the way back. Check if it is covered or not.
During driving days between Islamabad and Besham or Chilas, meals are at road stops and at your own expense unless the package says otherwise.
Six nights, seven days with flight.
Day one. Fly from Islamabad to Skardu in the morning, and check in to the hotel. Rest in the afternoon to acclimatize to the high elevation.
Day two. Climb Kharpocho Fort at sunrise. Spend the rest of the day at Katpana Desert. Head to Satpara and spend the night at the Katpana Desert.
Day three. Visit Shangrila Resort at Lower Kachura Lake and the Upper Kachura Lake in the afternoon.
Day four. Deosai tour. Leave at 7 am for Sheosar Lake, return to Skardu in the evening.
Day five. Go to Shigar Valley in the morning and return by the poplar- and orchard-lined route. Spend the night at Shigar Fort.
Day six. Visit Khaplu and Khaplu Palace. It is about 100 km and takes about 2 hours to reach from there. You can also visit the museum if you do not stay the night there.
Day seven: Skardu to Gilgit, 4-5 hours. Drive south on the Karakoram Highway for the night, then continue to Besham. Or fly to Islamabad if the schedule demands it.
Five nights, six days: Khaplu day dropped. Shigar becomes a half-day from Skardu instead of an overnight stay. Deosai remains a must.
Four nights, five days: Visit city attractions on day two, Deosai on Day three, Shangrila and lakes on Day four. Both ways. Basically Deosai coverage.
Group size A 4-person group in a private SUV costs less than a couple. An 8-person group in a coaster costs less per head than a 4-person group in an SUV. Hotel costs per head come down with twin sharing. Cost of flight remains the same even for a group.
Off-season: September and October costs in Skardu are lower than July and August. Around 15-20% of the hotel rates are cheaper for the same property.
Driving over flying. When the group is big enough to have low vehicle costs, then driving means no flight and saves a lot of money per person. For couples and small groups, flying is often the better choice if one includes the cost for accommodation en route, driving days, and all the time we spend on the road.
Both end flights. The price of a flight per person is covered by the group on a road trip. Time-crunched travelers think this is a good deal. For travelers with flexible time, one flight and one road leg is the most reasonable option.
Stays in heritage hotels. Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace charge a lot more than most city hotels for one night. A stay at either permanently alters the itinerary in a positive way, which helps rationalize the cost, but still is a drag on the budget.
Small group size. A couple traveling in their private vehicle pays the full vehicle and driver cost for two instead of four or six. Per-person cost for a couple will always be higher than a group for transport-related expenses.
Booking during peak season. High season (July and August) prices for named Skardu hotels are higher than low season (September and October). If a couple shifts their date from August to September, they can have the same itinerary with a better view of the mountains at a lower cost.
Name of each hotel.
Flight inclusions, road contingency amount, and costs covered by each traveler in case of flight cancellations.
Meals: breakfast only, half board, or full board, at each stop.
Driver accommodation and meals, and whether they are included in the package.
Cancellation policy: what you lose at fourteen and at seven days respectively.
What is specifically excluded, in plain language.
Confirm that Deosai is open on your dates. The plateau road closes from late September through to late June, with the opening and closing date varying each year. Packages that offer Deosai and quote dates beyond the closing date should not be booked.
Ensure that the Deosai vehicle is a 4x4. A package offering a trip to Deosai that is a standard sedan should not be booked.
Confirm the hotel name and check it yourself. There are many hotels in Skardu, and “a good hotel” in Skardu means different things to different people.
Don’t book a same-day connection to an international flight from Skardu. There are a high number of flight cancellations, and a buffer day to travel to Islamabad is essential rather than a safety measure.
Book Shigar Fort and Khaplu Palace three to four months in advance to secure a room for the summer, as both Palace hotels are popular and have only a few rooms.
To travel to Skardu from Islamabad, cash is required in local currency. The last bank in operation is in Gilgit, and ATMs in Skardu are extremely unreliable and non-existent along the routes to Deosai, Shigar, and Khaplu.
How much does a trip to Skardu and Deosai cost? Prices can change depending on the group size, the drive versus the flight, and the duration and standard of accommodation. A package including a flight each way and a 5-night stay in standard city hotels would cost a lot less than a 7-night package including a drive and a night stay at Shigar Fort. Before accepting any offers, make sure you know the five variables that ultimately determine the price.
Is a Skardu package always inclusive of a Deosai jeep? It varies. A lot of packages include a jeep, while some operators charge for it upon arrival. Always ask what is included in the package before confirming your booking.
How can one travel to Skardu and Deosai as cheaply as possible? Travel in a large group and drive both ways, stay in standard accommodation, and travel in September versus August. Travelers save a lot of money by booking a package for two people with everything included versus driving and avoiding flights.
Is the Deosai entry fee included in the package? Ask. Not always. It is payable at Satpara check post and is non-negotiable.
How long do Skardu and Deosai take? Four nights is the bare minimum if one wants to see Deosai. Five is ideal to see the city. Six and seven nights give enough time to see Shigar and Khaplu valley.
There are no trails at Deosai. The main access road closes in late September, October, or early November and remains closed until late June. Check on their current status before finalizing your travel dates.
Let us know which dates you'll travel, the size of your group, whether you prefer to fly or drive yourself to the sites, and the specific sites that you want to be guaranteed to visit. Once we have that information, we'll break down the cost for flights, hotels, ground transport, jeeps at Deosai, and the services of a guide.
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