Gilgit Baltistan is the number one tourist destination in the world. The region have been visiting by mountaineers, trekkers and backpackers for years. Recently due to social media and internet the region became a world tourist destination. There are more than 100 places to visit in Gilgit Baltistan. There are three division in GB: Baltistan, Gilgit and Diamer. The most visited places are Hunza and Skardu. Most people ask the questions which place is best to visit Skardu or Hunza? It is a very difficult question. Both Skardu and Hunza has its specialty. In this post we will include Astore and all four districts of Baltistan in Skardu tour and Gilgit, Nagar, Ghizer and Hunza will be included in Hunza tour. We are not favoring any place but we will compare landscape, geography, road access, hotels, transportation, communication and lakes. So lets start the comparison.
Skardu
Skardu is a name of district and a city in Gilgit Baltistan. In this post Skardu means the tour which will start from Jaglote. The specialty of Skardu is its unique landscape, mountains, lakes, valleys, deserts, meadows and forested valleys. Read More
Hunza
Hunza is a district in Gilgit Baltistan. In this post Hunza means the tour which starts from Jaglot to Khunjarab. The specialty of Hunza is rich culture, food and landscape. Read More
Lakes
There are more than 20 lakes in Skardu region (Baltistan). Most of these lakes are not explored yet. Some of the famous lakes are:
- Upper Kachura Lake
- Sadpara Lake
- Lower Kachura Lake
- Xarba Tso (Blind Lake) Shigar
- Sheosar Lake Deosai
- Kharfaq Lake Ghanche
- Katpana Lake
- Ghandus Lake Kharmang
- Ghorashi Lake Kharmang
There are some famous lakes in Hunza:
- Atabad Lake
- Borith Lake
- Rush Lake
- Khalit Lake Ghizer
- Karombar Lake
Road Access
Skardu is connected by two roads Jaglot Skardu Road (JSR) and Astore Skardu Road via Deosai. FWO is reconstructing Jaglot Skardu Road. FWO has made significant progress on widening and re-carpeting of Jaglot Skardu Road. Now it takes 4 hours to reach Skardu from Jaglote. In past the travelling time was 6 to 8 hours. So after constructing Jaglote Skardu Road , Skardu is more accessible than Hunza. Hunza can be accessed via Karakoram Highway. It takes 7 to 8 hours to reach Hunza from Jaglote.
Airport
Skardu is connected with Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Multan and other major cities by flight. PIA operates regular flight from Islamabad and Skardu. Airblue also started test flight for Skardu on 16 June 2022. Skardu airport is also the only international airport in Gilgit Baltistan. Prime Minister inaugurates Skardu International airport in 2021. So in sum up, you can easily fly to Skardu, but you can’t directly fly to Hunza. You have to fly to Gilgit then travel by road to Hunza.
Landscape
In terms of landscape Skardu is better than Hunza. The landscape of Baltistan is diverse. From snow capped mountains of Karakoram to lush green meadows of Deosai and from hot natural spring water of Chutron and Kondus to amazing waterfalls of Manthoka and Khamush and from sandy deserts to fresh water lakes it has a diverse landscape.
Hunza is famous for Rakaposhi view point, Atabad lake and Khunjarab Pass. So in terms of landscape Skardu is better than Hunza.
Lush Green Valleys
There are lush green valleys in western Skardu. The most famous valleys are Bashu, Xoq (Soq) valley, Bilamik, Staq and Gultari. There are also lush green valleys in Astore . The valleys are Minimarg, Qamri, Rama and Ratu.
In Hunza tour Naltar is one of the lush green valley. Other than Naltar there is no such green forested valley in Hunza tour. Therefore, in terms of greenery Skardu is better than Hunza.
Mountains
Rakaposhi, Diran Peak , Lady Finger, Ultar Sar are some peaks located in Hunza. Four among the ten highest mountains are located in Baltistan. K2, Broad Peak, G1 and G2 are eight thousanders mountains (mountains height above 8000 meters). Baltistan is the hub of mountaineering in the world after Nepal.
Also Read 10 Must Read Books About Karakoram and Himalayas
In terms of mountains Skardu is again better then Hunza.
Culture and Historical Sites
Although Baltistan is rich in culture and historical sites. But the historical sites are not preserved except Shigar fort, Khaplu fort and Chaqchan mosque. Moreover the cultural foods are not available in market except few places like Khaplu fort, Dewan e Khas restaurant. While in Hunza there is a tradition of presenting local foods in the market. Also Read Famous Balti Traditional Dishes Foods of Baltistan Skardu Shigar Khaplu
In terms of local food Hunza is better than Skardu.
Transportation and Distances from Main City
All types of transportation are available in Skardu for Astore, Deosai, Khaplu, Shigar, Soq Valley, Bashu , Bilamik and Askoli. In Hunza all types of transportation are available in Karimabad and Gilgit city.
So Skardu is better or Hunza? We leave the final answer to the readers.
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