Manthoka and Khamosh waterfalls
Overview
A three-day trip east and west of Skardu to the Manthoka waterfall in Kharmang and the Khamosh waterfall in the Rondu gorge. Short, entirely road-based, and in a part of Baltistan that almost every itinerary passes through without stopping.
Manthoka
Manthoka falls in the Kharmang valley, south-east of Skardu toward the Line of Control, and it is the one Pakistanis come for. It drops into a pool with a terrace of walnut and apricot around it, and it is a genuinely pleasant place to spend a few hours rather than photograph and leave.
Khamosh
Khamosh — the silent waterfall, which it is not — sits in the Rondu gorge west of Skardu, on the road toward Gilgit. The gorge itself is the spectacular part: the Indus running fast through a deep narrow cut with the road picking its way above it. Most people drive this stretch as transit between Skardu and Gilgit and see none of it, including everyone heading for Deosai.
Rondu
We give the gorge a day rather than treating it as a connection. It is the most dramatic stretch of road in Baltistan and it deserves better than a wing mirror view.
When it runs
April to October. Both falls are at their fullest in early summer when the melt is running.
What is inside the price
All permits and fees, our own 4x4s and drivers, hotels, all meals, and a guide on our payroll. Medical kit and a published evacuation procedure. It pairs naturally with Katpana and the Baltistan forts. See the rest of Rondu and Kharmang and our other jeep safaris.
- Duration
- 2 – 3 days
- Trek days
- 0
- Maximum altitude
- 2,300 m [confirm]
- Grade
- Easy
- Group size
- Max 10
- Guides
- 2 certified, 1 WFR
- Season
- April – October
- Starts / ends
- Skardu / Skardu
- Accommodation
- Hotels in Skardu and Kharmang
- Manthoka in Kharmang, with a walnut and apricot terrace around the pool
- Khamosh in the Rondu gorge, west of Skardu toward Gilgit
- The Rondu gorge given a day rather than driven through as transit
- Both falls at their fullest in early summer when the melt is running
- Two valleys almost every Baltistan itinerary passes without stopping
Private departures and group pricing
Your party, your dates. The per-person figure falls as the party grows, because the guides, the vehicles and the camp cost the same split more ways. Everything in the inclusions list applies, and the safety standard is the one published above.
| Party size | Price per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | USD 1,500 | A full crew for two people |
| 3 – 4 | USD 1,250 | |
| 5 – 8 | USD 1,050 | Second guide joins at six |
Deposit is 25% of the trip price. The payment schedule and the cancellation terms are published and sent with every quote, before you pay anything.
Day by day
Buffer days are built in, not padding. If the weather takes them, nothing downstream collapses and you are not charged twice.
01 Skardu to Kharmang and Manthoka Hotel
South-east up the Indus into Kharmang. The falls in the afternoon, with time to sit rather than photograph and leave.
02 Kharmang to the Rondu gorge Hotel
Back through Skardu and west into the gorge. Khamosh, and the Indus running hard below the road.
03 Rondu to Skardu —
Back up the gorge with stops you choose, and on to whatever comes next.
What is included
- Visa sponsor letter
- All permits, park fees and NOCs
- Met inside the terminal, all transfers
- Our own 4x4s and drivers
- Certified guides and insured crew
- All meals and accommodation throughout
- Medical kit, oxygen where the route calls for it
- Satellite comms and a daily message home
- International flights
- Visa fee itself
- Travel insurance covering evacuation and repatriation
- Personal equipment
- Tips
If our price is wrong for you we will move you to a lower tier or remove a named inclusion. We do not discount a published price, and we do not cut the crew.
Fitness and difficulty — read this honestly
No fitness requirement. Both waterfalls are reached from the road with short walks on uneven ground and some steps down to the pools.
The footing near the water is wet rock and it is slippery — most of the few injuries that happen on trips like this happen there rather than anywhere dramatic. Sensible shoes rather than sandals, and we will tell you where not to stand. Nothing on this trip is high enough for altitude to matter.
Kit list
The full list with quantities is sent with your quote. Rental is available in Skardu for most of it, priced separately. Your kit is checked item by item in Islamabad, not the night before the trek.
Group — we provide
- All vehicles, drivers and fuel
- Group first aid
- Satellite phone where there is no mobile signal
Personal — yours
- Layers for a wide temperature range; valley heat and pass cold on the same day
- Comfortable walking shoes for short walks off the road
- Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
- Power bank; mains power is intermittent outside the towns
- Personal medication and a declared medical history
Safety, evacuation and insurance
Helicopter rescue in the Karakoram is not guaranteed. Weather, altitude, daylight and clearance all decide whether a helicopter flies, so every stage carries a named drive-out or walk-out plan. Your insurance must cover helicopter evacuation and repatriation to the maximum altitude on your itinerary, and we verify the certificate before the trip starts.
A graded medical kit sized to the trip, oxygen, a portable altitude chamber, a satellite phone and a messenger, and a wilderness first responder in the crew.
The lead guide’s decision to turn back is final. Not a guest, not an agent, not this office — whatever has been paid.
Getting there
Islamabad
Met inside the terminal by a member of our team, not a driver with a sign outside it. Briefing the same evening, SIM and cash sorted.
Islamabad to Skardu
A short flight that is weather-dependent, or a long road that is not. We build a buffer day either way and quote both.
On the ground
Our own 4x4s and our own drivers from Skardu onward.
Questions people actually ask
How many days do I need?
Three, because the two falls are on opposite sides of Skardu. Two covers one of them properly. Most people attach this to time they were already spending in the valley.
How fit do I need to be?
Not at all. Short walks from the road with some steps down to the pools. The footing near the water is wet rock and slippery — sensible shoes rather than sandals.
When are the waterfalls at their best?
Early summer, when the snowmelt is running. By late season both are noticeably thinner. April to October is the window either way.
Is the Rondu gorge worth a day?
Yes, and it is the part of this trip people are most surprised by. It is the most dramatic stretch of road in Baltistan and almost everyone drives it as transit between Skardu and Gilgit without looking.
How high does it get?
Around 2,300 m. We have no reliable second source for that, so it prints with a marker. Nothing here is high enough for altitude to matter.
Do I need a permit?
No. Both valleys are open zones and your Pakistan visa is the only paperwork. Kharmang runs toward the Line of Control and there are checkposts; we handle the registration.
What does it cost and what moves the price?
Party size and hotel standard. This is among the cheapest trips in the catalogue — short days, a vehicle and two nights. Deposit is 25 per cent.
Can this combine with other trips?
Easily. It sits either side of Skardu, so it fits before or after Deosai, the cold deserts, Baltistan heritage or anything starting on the Baltoro.
If this one is not quite right
The commonest reason a trip is wrong is that it is too hard or too easy, not that it is in the wrong place.
- A step harder Deosai plateau and Sheosar Lake
If this one is not right
Naltar valley
Phander and Ghizer
Babusar Pass
Easy
Shigar & Braldu · Jeep safari