Деосаи: Плато Гигантов в Гилгит-Балтистане

National park in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan

Deosai National Park is a high altitude alpine plain and national park located between the Skardu District, Kharmang District and Astore District in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. The Deosai Plains are situated at an average elevation of 4,114 metres (13,497 ft) above sea level and considered the second highest plateaus in the world.

'Deosai' means 'the land of Giants' in Urdu. The Balti people call this place 'Ghabiarsa' , meaning 'summer's place' because it is only accessible in summer.

Deosai National Park is located in Western Himalayas in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. It has an average elevation of above sea level, making the Deosai Plains the second highest plateau in the world after Changtang Tibetan Plateau. The park protects an area of It is well known for its rich flora and fauna of the Karakoram West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe eco region. In spring, it is covered by sweeps of wildflowers and a wide variety of butterflies.

The soils of this area are severely eroded, of a coarser nature and mixed with gravel and stones of various materials and sizes. In flat areas between mountains, soil is deep with marshy vegetation.

Deosai is accessible from Astore District in the west, Skardu District in the north, and Galtari in Kharmang District in the south east. It is also accessible from Mehdiabad via Mehdiabad Dapa Road. Deosai is located approximately 30 km from Skardu city, which is the shortest route to visit Deosai. Another route is from Astore valley via Chilim. It is also accessible from Shila valley. The people of Galtari travel via Deosai. While it is a National Park, the Gujjar Bakwarwal travel large distances to utilize the Deosai National Park as grazing lands. There is another route called Burgi la via Tsoq Kachura valley Skardu.