Discover the Majestic Shigar Fort

Shigar Fort is known as ” Fong Khar ” in the local Balti language. The word “Fong” means “huge stone” & “Khar” means “house or Bangalow”. The fort is located in the beautiful valley of Shigar in Skardu. The whole fort was built with stone and wood. Beautiful artwork has been designed on doors & windows by hand.

The fort consists of more than 20 plus rooms with an attached common room & bathroom. The rent of each room per night can be seen on the Official Serena Fort Website.

History Of Shigar Fort

Shigar Fort was built in the 17th century by the king Amacha of Raja Shigar. In 1999 the fort was given on lease to the Agha Khan Foundation for more than decades. The AKF has spent till now  Approximately US$1.4 million to renovate the fort and turn it into both a museum and a five-star hotel and serving both local and international cuisine & dishes.

Location Of Shigar Fort

Shigar Fort is located in the region of the world’s 2nd highest peak K2. There is only a 30 to 40-minute drive from Skardu. The whole valley is covered with lush green valleys, white snow covers mountains and meadows. You can also watch K2 from this region & every year hundreds of domestic & International tourist comes to triumph K2. If you are still confused about the fort location then hire a local tourist guide who will guide you in your whole Gilgit Baltistan trip.

How to arrive at Shigar Fort

If you are coming from Punjab then you have two choices. If you are fond of traveling and want to watch other places like Naran, and Kaghan Chekas then you can take local public transport which can charge you a maximum of 2000 to 3000. The road trip from Islamabad to Shigar is above 24 to 28 hours. But if you want to escape from the trouble then take 1 hour flight from Islamabad to Skardu from PIA. The flight cost usually 30k to 50k during peak tourist season.

Activities to do at Shigar Fort

The following activities can be done in Shigar Fort:

Photography: Capture the beautiful fort stunning picture in your camera lens and make your tour more memorable.

Museum Visit: The Shigar administration has established a museum in one portion of the fort and preserved all old Balti traditional things.

Visit to the garden :

After visiting the fort rest your leisure time in the Seerena Fort’s beautiful garden and enjoy nature.

Taste Local Foods :

You can also order local famous dishes like prapoo, Marzan, and Balay.

Outdoor Activities

• Fishing
• Visit to nearby villages
• mountaineering
• Shopping in the local market
• tracking
• Horse riding
• bike \ jeep safari in Sarfarana desert

Best Season To Visit Shigar Fort

the best season to visit Shigar Fort is June to August. In these seasons the temperature usually remains 17 degrees to 18 degrees and the whole Shigar valley is covered with beautiful greenery with glacier melted water coming from mountains making the valley more charming.

Entry Ticket

The entry tickets vary for domestic & international visitors. Usually, the fort administration charges 700 to 1000 for domestic visitors, and for international visitors, they change between 1000 to 3000 per person.