Overview

Few landscapes in Pakistan feel as unexpected as Sarfaranga — a genuine cold desert of golden sand dunes sitting at over 7,000 feet, ringed by 6,000m peaks and running alongside the Indus River. It’s one of the highest cold deserts in the world, and in recent years it’s become known for something beyond its scenery: it now regularly hosts the Sarfaranga Desert Rally and has turned into one of Skardu’s main spots for paragliding and paramotoring, with pilots taking flight over the dunes for views that mix desert, river, and snow-capped mountains in a single frame.

Just along the route to Sarfaranga, on the way from Skardu toward Shigar Valley, lies Blind Lake — known locally as Zharba Tso or Xarba Tso. Unlike most lakes, it has no visible inlet or outlet; its still, undisturbed water (which gives it the “blind” name) sits quietly between sand, rock, and grass, making it a scenic, easy stop before or after the main event at Sarfaranga.

This tour combines both: a scenic half-day of sightseeing at Blind Lake and the Sarfaranga dunes, capped with a tandem paragliding flight over the desert and the Indus River — no experience necessary, since flights are flown tandem with a certified pilot.