Six days through the old Baltistan — two restored palaces, a 14th-century wooden mosque, and the Shyok valley up to Hushe.
Baltistan was a set of small Tibetan-speaking kingdoms until the middle of the 19th century, and the buildings are still there. Shigar Fort was the seat of the Amacha dynasty; Khaplu Palace belonged to the Yabgo. Both were restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and both are now hotels you can sleep in.
This itinerary uses them as bases rather than as sights. Days are spent in the villages around them — the Chaqchan mosque at Khaplu, built in 1370 and still in use; the wooden Amburiq mosque in Shigar; the polo ground; the apricot drying yards in September.
The last two days go up the Shyok to Hushe, the roadhead for Masherbrum, where the valley narrows and the granite walls of K6 and K7 close in on both sides.
01
17th century, restored 2005, and the best building in Baltistan.
02
1840, terraced up the hillside above the Shyok, with the finest terrace in the region.
03
Built in 1370 when the valley converted, and still in daily use.
04
The roadhead for a 7,821-metre peak, at the end of a valley that closes in around you.
05
September departures coincide with the drying yards, which take over every flat roof in the valley.
Arrive Skardu, drive up to Shigar. Afternoon at the fort and its museum, then the village below it.
Amburiq mosque in the morning, then up the valley toward Askole road for the views back down. Afternoon in the orchards.
Back through Skardu and east along the Indus and Shyok. Arrive Khaplu mid-afternoon; evening on the palace terrace.
Chaqchan mosque, the old settlement, and the polo ground. Afternoon walk up the irrigation channel above the village.
Three hours up the Shyok to Hushe at 3,050 m, below Masherbrum. Short walk above the village, then back to Skardu for the night.
Transfer to the airport or the Gilgit road.
Included in the price
Not included
Prices vary by date: high season costs more, and the shoulder weeks are the quietest on the route.
4.9
from 1 review
Margaret Ellison
United Kingdom · Travelled September 2025
Our guide had been part of the AKTC team at Khaplu and could tell you which beams were original and which were replaced. That turns a nice hotel into something considerably more interesting. Hushe on day five is a complete change of register and I would not skip it.
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