Khaplu Valley Tour — the hidden kingdom of Baltistan
Two hours east of Skardu along the Shyok river — Serena Khaplu Palace, the 700-year-old Chaqchan mosque, the lily ponds at Saling, and the gateway to the Hushe valley and Masherbrum peak.
Khaplu Valley Tour
Khaplu is a kingdom in the literal sense — the seat of the Yabgo dynasty for 700 years, an independent princely state until 1972, and a place that still feels like it kept its own time. It is 100km east of Skardu along the Shyok river, two-and-a-half hours by 4×4, and the further you go the more dramatic the landscape becomes. Khaplu is also the launch point for the Hushe valley, the K6 and K7 climbing area, and Masherbrum (the 7,821m peak that hides K2 from view).
On this page is the full Khaplu Valley tour — full-day route from Skardu, the overnight stay at Serena Khaplu Palace (heritage hotel and the only place we recommend to sleep), what to see, and how Khaplu folds into a 5-day or 7-day Skardu tour package.
Khaplu Palace — the Yabgo dynasty's restored seat
Serena Khaplu Palace is a 19th-century stone-and-cedar palace, restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture between 2005 and 2011 and now operated as a heritage hotel with 21 rooms. It sits on a slope above the Shyok river with views east to Masherbrum and west to the Khaplu town. Two of the rooms (the Yabgo Suite and the family suite) are the original royal apartments, the rest are in restored outbuildings around the courtyard.
Dining is in the central courtyard for fair weather or in the wood-panelled dining room. The food is half traditional Balti (chapshuro, mantu dumplings, apricot soup) and half international. Service is impeccable — the staff are mostly from Khaplu village.
What you do in Khaplu — beyond the palace
Chaqchan Mosque is the headline cultural site — a wood-carved Sufi mosque built around 1370 by the Persian saint Mir Syed Ali Hamadani, one of the oldest mosques in this part of Asia, and still in active prayer use. Visitors are welcome outside prayer hours; remove shoes at the entrance.
Saling village (12km up the valley) has a string of lily ponds that flower in summer and a famously photogenic mountain backdrop. Hushe village (a further 90 minutes by jeep on a rougher road) is the trailhead for the K6 base camp trek and the closest you can drive to the Masherbrum massif.
When to visit Khaplu
Mid-April to October. Late April-May brings apricot blossom (similar to Shigar but lighter and lasting a week longer at this altitude). June-August is warmest and best for high-valley trips into Hushe. October is autumn — the poplars around Khaplu Palace turn full gold and the air clears for mountain views.
Avoid November-March: Khaplu Palace closes for the winter and the road from Skardu can be cut by snow at the higher sections.
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