Skardu

Skardu is the capital city of Baltistan a subdivision of the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It is also the name of a district in Gilgit-Baltistan. 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. Quite high (near 2500 m o.s.l.), the town is surrounded by gray-brown coloured mountains, which hide the Karakoram range eight-thousand-meter-high mountains, which are relatively near. From Skardu two roads lead to the Askole and Hushe Valleys, main doorgates to this snowy giants, and to the huge glaciers of Baltoro, Biafo, Trango, ... Here begins the way for climbing legend mountains like K2 (Chogori), Gasherbrum or