Craftsman's Desk
All the happenings, stories and snippets from the vibrant world of Serena Hotels Pakistan
A magical horse safari in the Shigar valley
Our horses and guide setting off on our magical horse safari
Wow – what a fantastic afternoon I had yesterday on a horse riding safari organised by the team at Shigar Fort Residence. Shigar has a great tradition of Polo dating back to the 16th century so it is not difficult to find excellent horses. We set off from the Fort and rode through the streets of Shigar town – I am not sure that the locals had ever seen a woman ride before – it was clear that I was an exciting site for all and sundry! Despite the odd car and motor bike at the start the trail was totally vehicle free. Our first stop was to see the Buddha engravings dating back to the 5th century or earlier. Amazing to think that we were riding along one of the ancient pilgrimage routes for Buddhists travelling from Tibet and other areas of Baltistan (once known as Little Tibet).
After 2 hours of riding we proceeded along the final stretch of sandy river flats to the beautiful Jarbasa Lake. It was just on sun set and the lake was alive with all kinds of birds (if only I had some binoculars). I soon discovered that the lake’s crystal clear spring water make it perfect for swimming (the water is not too cold) as well as an idyllic place for a picnic.
As the Shigar Valley started to get dark my horse and I cantered across the sand dunes with the wind in my hair, the first evening star in the sky and the Shigar River turning from blue to silver. Yet another magical moment in Baltistan.
To book your horse safari in at Shigar Fort Residence contact Adeel Anjum on +92 (0) 581 5467 108
Riding along the Shigar Valley towards Jarbasa Lake
Swimming in the spring waters of Jarbasa Lake
Dusk in the Shigar Valley
Craftsman's Desk 
Great stuff from Serena Hotel.
Would love to visit Shigar fort residence in the near future.
Iman
Melbourne
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We look forward to welcoming you!
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ALL I CAN SAY “JUST GREAT”
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Thanks Barkat – we look forward to sharing more blog posts with you on this incredible area of Pakistan. Very best wishes from the Team at Serena Hotel’s Gilgit-Baltistan Collection. http://www.serenagilgitbaltistan.com
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assalamualaikum. i am going to spend my holidays at shigar fort residence & khaplu residence in mid august. please do brief me on the weather and activites that i can do there. will be there about 2 nights each resort. TQ
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Wa alaikum assalam! Great to hear you will be spending your holidays in Shigar and Khaplu. You will be assured of having an amazing time. The weather in August will be excellent – you may get the odd rain of shower as a product of the monsoon but nothing too bad. The best place for you to visit is our website http://www.serenagilgitbaltistan.com and more specifically go to the experience Page of each hotel which will tell you what there is to do.
Do you like hiking? or horse riding? picnics? or culture and heritage? or food? what are your interests and then we can make the best recommendations for you. Do let us know.
If you wish to book anything in advance contact the activities manager at each hotel. For Shigar its Mr Adeel Anjum and at Khaplu its Mr Abid Hussain. You can obtain their telephone numbers from the contact us page of the website. Hope this helps. Very best wishes, the Serena Hotel’s Gilgit-Baltistan Collection Team
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