Sermik valley is the last village in the Skardu district which is a 1-hour drive from Skardu city. The word ‘Sermik’ is a Balti subscript that means ‘Golden eye’ because of its beauty and land fertility. The people of Sermik have very melodious voices. Abbas Anand Abdali belongs to this beautiful valley.
Sermik valley is the home of many unexplored destinations such as:
- Shila Valley
- Khlaas valley and meadow
- Khoshoq Thang Lake
- Ribu Lake
- Chocolate Rocks
- Many other explored lakes around.
Shela valley is at 1.5 hours of travelling from Sermik village. The beauty of Shela valley is splendid but unexplored to date. The people of Shila valley mostly rely on organic foods. The living of people is associated with cattle farming and associated merchandising.
Shila to Khlaas is 45 minutes apart by a jeep road. Khlaas is a small village in Sermik valley. Only the jeep is accessible to this village which makes living there very tough. The people of Khlaas are very simple and loving.
Khoshoq Thang Lake is one of the best destinations in Sermik valley. Khlaas to Khoshoq Thang Lake traveling takes around 2.5 hours. This lake is surrounded by lush green pastureland which helps locals to feed their cattle.
Ribu lake is shaped fully round which is the reason for naming it ‘Ribu’. Ribu means round in Balti script. Khoshoq Thang Lake to Ribu Lake travelling takes around 1.5 hours. The area around Ribu lake is comparatively flat than Khoshoq lake. It is also used by locals to feed their cattle. The people living around Ribu lake supply most of the locally produced butter to Skardu. Karpo Mar (Local buffalo butter) of Sermik is so famous around Skardu.
Sermik valley didn’t come under the spotlight of tourists yet. No one promoted this region via social media. Sermik valley has a lot more potential to attract domestic as well as international tourists.
Before traveling to Sermik, make sure to refill your fuel tanks and cash withdrawal from Skardu. These facilities may not be available once you entered the Sermik village.
Hospitality infrastructure in Sermik is also lagging just because of the lack of attention.
