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WILD KARAKORAM
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Lake or water

Satpara Lake

Skardu district · 2,600 m

Satpara Lake, at 2,600 m, is an emerald lake above Skardu with an ancient Buddha carving on the way.

Satpara, spelled Sadpara in the guidebook, sits about 8 km above Skardu and is spoken of as one of the pearls of Little Tibet. Its emerald waters gleam in the sun, and the lake lies at the foot of a majestic mountain, fed by streams coming down from the Deosai plains. The canal built from here in the time of Ali Sher Khan Anchan still runs through the heart of Skardu.

Kind Lake or waterDistrict SkarduElevation 2,600 mPosition 35.229° N, 75.630° E

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Skardu district. Every place marked here has its own page.6 places

About Satpara Lake

On the way to the lake there is a Buddhist carving you will want to stop for: a meditating Maitreya Buddha surrounded by bodhisattvas, cut into a large boulder and said to date from around 900 AD. It is also called the Sadpara or Manthal Buddha, and it is beautifully preserved. You reach it by crossing a small stream and climbing a rocky slope.

The best way to see it all is on foot. Follow the water channel from the aqueduct in the middle of town up to the lake, then come back by the main jeep road, which gives lovely views over Skardu and the Kharpucho fort.

The people of the nearby village of Sadpara speak Shina, not Balti, a small reminder of how many peoples have made their home in these valleys.

Elsewhere in Skardu

Swipe along the district, from the valley floor to the summits.