Skardu VS Hunza: A Detailed Comparison For Travelers
Gilgit Baltistan is one of the hottest tourist attractions in the world today. Thanks to the internet and social media gives a space to showcase the real beauty of the Northern Area of Pakistan Skardu Baltistan.
There are unlimited natural spots full of natural beauty in Gilgit Baltistan. But today I a going to share and compare two famous places in Gilgit Baltistan. Skardu vs Hunza, and Which Place to visit in Gilgit Baltistan?
The reason for doing this comparison of Skardu VS Hunza is just to give our readers information about these two beautiful places in GB. There is no such intention that we are favoring one.
Skardu and Hunza Which Is Better?
It is true that Skardu is far better than Hunza in every aspect.
Every domestic and international tourist love Skardu compared to Hunza. Because all the tourist points like K2, Shangrila Resort, Deosai National Park, Ghanche Baltistan, Raja Palace Khaplu, and many other famous historical places are in Baltistan which is the actual reason behind the popularity of Gilgit Baltistan.
Based on the below things, we will compare Skardu and Hunza.
- Landscape
- Geography
- Road Access
- Hotels
- Transportation
- Communication
- Lakes
Skardu
Skardu is the capital of the Baltistan region. Skardu is known for its landscapes, lakes, and other natural beauties. Tourists around the world visit Skardu Baltistan every year to enjoy the pleasant weather.
One of the main reasons for International tourism attraction is the World Second Highest Mountain K2 is also in the region.
Landscapes in Skardu Baltistan
Skardu has a number of beautiful landscapes attracting Thousands of tourists from all over the world.
- Khaplu Hanjor
- Basho Valley Skardu
- Shigar Village
- Kharmang Manthoka Waterfall Area
Road Access
Skardu can be accessed by road in just 15-20 hours after the recarpeting and reconstruction of the road by FWO.
The Karakoram Highway is now fully ready and functional for all kind of traffics.
Transportation
Skardu can be reached through many mediums.
In terms of transportation Skardu has a wide range of private and government companies providing transport from major cities of Pakistan to Skardu city.
If we talk about the transport system from Islamabad/Rawalpindi to Skardu you can get these services.
- PIA Pakistan International Airline
- NATCO The Northern Areas Transport Corporation
- Private Bus services
- Private Car Services
- Bike Tour
1- PIA Pakistan International Airline
PIA is the only airline service that has it’s operating in Skardu Valley for years. Skardu has an international airport.
2- NATCO – The Northern Areas Transport Corporation
NATCO Northern Areas Transport Corporation is a special bus service started by the Government of Pakistan only for the people of Gilgit Baltistan from major cities of Pakistan including Rawalpindi and Karachi.
NATCO is the oldest bus service started before any private company and NATCO has the highest number of customers as well. But it is also a fact that with time the service of NATCO was compromised and private companies started giving much better services than NATCO.
But here our main concern is to discuss the major difference between Skardu and Hunza. And Skardu has the facility of NATCO services that Hunza lacks.
3- Private Bus services
Skardu has a number of private bus services that are providing the best services.
Names of private bus services from Rawalpindi Islamabad to Skardu are:
- GEO Bus services
- Anchan Travel
- K2 Travel and Tour
- New K2 Tour and Travel
- Mashabrum Travels
- Faisal Movers
- K2 Himalaya
- SAMA Travels
4- Private Car Services
With the passage of time, more people are jumping into the tour and travel car service business and now there are private car services from Rawalpindi Islamabad to Skardu city.
Some famous private car service companies travel from Rawalpindi to Skardu
- Cars service’s
- Shaheen Rovers Car Services
- Beautiful Baltistan Car Services
- Darbar travels
- Explore rent a car
- Buraq rents a car
- Kamil rents a car
- Faisal travels
- Asia rents a car
- Travel Mate
- Leopards trip
- Cayz 99
5- Bike Tour/Services
This is not a complete travel service but you can take your own bike to reach Skardu. Skardu Bike Tour is a dream tour for many travelers.
In the summer season, you can meet a lot of tourists who came from all the big cities of Pakistan on bikes to Gilgit Baltistan.
Hotels
If you are traveling to Skardu Baltistan but worrying about hotels. Just forget and stop worrying. Tourists can find all kinds of hotels from luxury hotels to normal kinds of hotels in Skardu.
Guest houses are available for a 1-2 day stay.
If we compare the hotels in Skardu Valley and Hunza then the hotels in Skardu City are much better, more comfortable, and full of modern facilities than Huna Valley.
Here is a list of some famous hotels in Skardu:
- Masabrum Hotel
- Serena Hotel Shigar
- Serena Hotel Khaplu
- Geo Hotel
- Serena Hotel
- Shahi Deewan
- Hilton Hotel
- Ibex lodge
- Mondoq palace
- Deewan khas
- Legend Hotel
- Shangrilla resort
- Byar sa Hotel
- Snow land
- Tibbat hotel
- Shinwari hotel
- Sondus inn
- Hargeisa hut
You will get all the necessary facilities in these hotels, like, high sped internet connection with Wi-Fi, Hot, and cold water, and modern bathrooms.
The best things about these hotels in Skardu are they have their own free pick-and-drop service for tourists from Skardu International Airport and bus stations.
Communication
In Skardu, you can enjoy all the cellular company services include, including Telenor Pakistan, Ufone, Jazz, Warid, Zong, and SCOM. SCOM is the only cellular company serving in Northern Areas of Pakistan and the Kashmir Region.
So there is no need to worry about communication because you can contact your friend and family at any time. Because almost all the major tourist spots have good-quality network coverage. In fact, you can video call your family members and let them enjoy the beautiful places of Skardu Valley.
Lakes In Skardu
Skardu has been blessed with a number of beautiful natural lakes with a lot of sea animals. There are hundreds of small and large lakes in Skardu Baltistan which have been not explored yet by travelers. Only local peoples know about those lakes.
Most of them are located in high-altitude mountains.
List of Famous Lakes in Skardu Baltistan
- Sadpara Lake Skardu
- Lower Kachura Lake Skardu
- Sheosar Lake Deosai
- Kharfaq Lake Ghanche
- Katpana Lake
- Ghandus Lake Kharmang
- Upper Kachura Lake Skardu
- Xarba Tso (Blind Lake) Shigar
- Xhoga Lake Khaplu
- Bara Lake Khaplu Baltistan
- Daholi Lake Khaplu Ghanche
- Ghanche Lakes Khaplu
- Ghorashi Lake Kharmang
