Ghanche

Ghanche is a breathtaking region in Gilgit-Baltistan known for its rugged, needle-like peaks, sapphire rivers, cascading waterfalls, and charming highland settlements. Traveling from Skardu into Ghanche, visitors pass through tight valleys lined with poplar trees, their interlaced shadows dancing across the road.

In autumn, golden leaves blanket the tarmac and drift alongside the quietly flowing Indus River, painting a poetic landscape. Crossing an old wooden bridge over the Indus — worn and fractured with age — ushers travelers into Ghanche’s dramatic realm, where the mighty Shyok River, ominously known as the “River of Death,” begins to accompany the road. This remote frontier holds a beauty so intense it is said to be felt more deeply than described.