The floating DC-3 restaurant, the turquoise lake, the ancient chinar trees. Pakistan's most famous lakeside resort, 35km from Skardu.
Shangrila Resort, built on the shores of Lower Kachura Lake in the 1980s by General Agha Humayun Amin Baig, earned its nickname "Heaven on Earth" from a line in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. The setting justifies it: turquoise lake, ancient chinars, snow peaks, and the famous floating restaurant inside a vintage DC-3 airplane fuselage half-submerged in the water.
The resort is 35km from Skardu city (45 minutes). Day visitors pay Rs.500 entry. Staying overnight puts you on the lake at dawn, when the mist lifts and the peaks reflect in the still water — one of the better hotel experiences in Pakistan.
| Day visit | Rs.500 entry per person. You can walk the grounds, see the plane restaurant, have chai, and use the boat jetty. Boats: Rs.300-500. |
| Accommodation | Rooms in the heritage cottages: Rs.15,000–30,000/night. Book well ahead June–September. |
| The plane restaurant | A decommissioned PIA DC-3 aircraft has been converted into a restaurant, partly floating on the lake. The novelty is part of the appeal. |
| Best time to visit | Sunrise and early morning (7–9am) for mirror-calm reflections. Late afternoon is also beautiful. |
| Combined with | Upper Kachura Lake (15km further north). Satpara Lake (back toward Skardu, 9km). Cold desert (Katpana, 17km from Skardu). |
The heart of Shangrila is Lower Kachura Lake, ringed by ancient chinar trees and backed by snow peaks. The water turns from green to deep turquoise depending on the light, and a quiet boat trip across it is the classic thing to do here. The other signature sight is the floating restaurant built inside the fuselage of a decommissioned DC-3 aircraft, half-resting on the water — a piece of novelty that has become the resort's emblem.
If you have time, carry on to Upper Kachura Lake, about 15km further north, which is quieter and good for those who want to escape the crowds. Back toward Skardu you pass Satpara Lake at 9km, and the Katpana cold desert sits 17km from the city, so Shangrila slots easily into a longer loop of the valley's water and desert landscapes.
Day visitors pay Rs.500 per person, which lets you walk the grounds, see the plane restaurant, have chai, and use the boat jetty.
It is 35km from Skardu city, about a 45-minute drive, at Lower Kachura.
Yes. Rooms in the heritage cottages run roughly Rs.15,000 to Rs.30,000 per night. Book well ahead from June to September.
A decommissioned PIA DC-3 aircraft converted into a restaurant that partly floats on the lake.
Sunrise and early morning, around 7 to 9am, for mirror-calm reflections, though late afternoon is also beautiful.