Deosai : The Land of Divine Giants
There’s magic in the air when you find yourself on the world’s highest plateau, surrounded by series of giant mountains all around and raw beauty at it’s absolute best.
There’s magic in the air when you find yourself on the world’s highest plateau, surrounded by series of giant mountains all around and raw beauty at it’s absolute best. That’s Deosai, the land of divine giants located between Kharmang, Astore and Skardu in Gilgit Baltistan province of Pakistan.
Deosai is the combination of two words ‘Deo’ (giant) and ‘Sai’ (shadow). For a very long time, it was considered that this place is haunted by giants, thus the name ‘The Land of the Giants’ came into being. Deosai plains remains covered with snow for eight months but the rest of the four months are like havens on earth, where it presents colours & greenery on 3000 sq. km plateau.
One can start their journey to Deosai plains from Skardu & in an hour, you will reach the top of Deosai plains at ~4700 meters elevation. However your infatuation will really begin when you completely cross Deosai, starting from Chilam (south side) & ending at Skardu. Deosai plains are known for their versatile weather, even in summers & the same was the case with us when we started our journey from Astore. A bright sunny day, which is a delight for any photographer & what came out to be a mesmerising experience of our lives. Astore is a small city located 110 km, east of Gilgit & one can stay at PTDC Rama Lake or Kamran Hotel, depending on your budget.
The entry to Deosai National Park is made at Chilam and it marks the start of an epic day. A mountainous trek at the start which is then converted to a lush green plateau. The plains are famous for their silence and you can feel your own heartbeats every now and then.
The first milestone of trek is Sheosar lake which truly attracts you and this serene place makes you think about your Creator and His blessings. The lake is one of the highest lakes in the world. The deep blue waters, with snow-covered mountains in backdrop and greenery with wild flowers in the foreground offers an out of this world view all together.
On a clear day, one can see Rupal face of Nanga Parbat (a.k.a the killer mountain) from the lake, it’s a rare scene for which you must be very lucky.
Deosai Plains are famous for their Himalayan Brown Bears along with Himalayan ibex, red fox, golden marmot locally called Phia, gray wolf, snow leopard and a number of resident and migratory birds. A lot of focus has been given by the government to protect brown bears and their habitat, which indeed is commendable.
People can camp at Sheosar lake or at Barra Pain bridge which itself would be an amazing experience. However Deosai has one of the most dangerous species of mosquitos and adequate arrangements have be made to avoid any issues.
The weather in our case turns cloudy very quickly and in no time, its started raining which gave us another view of the plains. It is important to note that the temperature drops to below 10C in such weathers and adequate protections should be taken along with you.
The top point of Deaosai plains is ~ 4700 meters and you can find a tuk shop for some tea and snacks. The people are very hospitable and offer you to come to their portable houses. Truly impressive considering the tough conditions under which they are living in.
A magnificent day’s journey is ended with a beautiful blue lake, named Satpara. It’s a natural lake that supplies water to Skardu. It takes 30 minutes from the lake to reach Skardu city which has many hotels to stay, the best being Shangrila Resort & Hotel Mashabrum.
Deosai plains are like havens on the face of earth and it’s responsibility to protect this serene place. We strongly recommend to take care of trash generated in your trip and bring it back along with you. This would be our contribution towards maintaining a natural habitat for the wildlife.
Information
- PTDC Motel Rama Lake – Astore
Phone : +92 5817 480386 - Kamran Hotel – Astore
Phone : +92 323 5197299, +92 5817 451111 - Shangrila Resort – Skardu
Phone : +92 5815 454941, +92 304 5659052 - Hotel Mashabrum – Skardu
Phone : +92 5815 450395, +92 300 5674589
