Homestay in Skardu and Baltistan: Hushe, Shigar and Khaplu

A homestay in Skardu usually means a room in a family-run guesthouse in one of the town's residential colonies, booked online, with home cooking on request. In 2025 and 2026 listings these started at roughly PKR 2,800 to 5,500 a night. The more traditional village stays are further out: in Shigar, around Khaplu and, most of all, in Hushe, the last village below the Masherbrum peaks, where staying with a family is the main way to sleep indoors.

This guide covers where homestays are found across Baltistan, what each place offers, how to book and what to expect as a guest. For how homestays work across the whole north, see our guide to homestays in northern Pakistan.

Homestays in Skardu town

Skardu is the easiest place in Baltistan to find a family stay, because so many families have turned spare rooms or a second house into a small guesthouse. On Booking.com these appear under homestays and are scattered through residential areas such as Hassan Colony, College Road and around Alamdar Chowk rather than on the main hotel strip.

What you get is a clean room with an attached bathroom, a host who can arrange a car or a Deosai jeep, and, in the better ones, a home-cooked dinner. Dawn's Images magazine wrote in December 2025 about Lavender Cottage and Guest House in central Skardu, a family-run place with a flower garden known for Balti dishes such as mamtus dumplings and tresspi balay, a beef soup with homemade noodles. That is the kind of stay worth looking for.

Prices are low by hotel standards. Airbnb listed Skardu stays from about USD 10 a night in 2026, and travel sites listed guesthouses from about USD 19, roughly PKR 2,800 to 5,300. Expect more in July, August and around Eid. For the full range of rooms in town, see where to stay in Skardu.

Shigar: village guesthouses near the fort

Shigar is about an hour north of Skardu, a Balti-speaking valley of orchards, wooden mosques and the restored fort. Its guesthouses are small and family-run, and listing sites showed rooms from about USD 13 to 15 a night in 2025 and 2026, around PKR 3,600 to 4,200.

A night here suits travellers who want a quieter base than Skardu and a short drive to the Shigar fort and the Amburiq mosque. If you want more comfort, the fort itself is a heritage hotel; our guide to staying at Shigar Fort covers it, and hotels in Shigar covers the rest.

Khaplu: cottages and family lodges

Khaplu, three hours up the Shyok river from Skardu, has a handful of small guest cottages and family-run lodges alongside its hotels. They make a good base for the palace, the Chaqchan mosque and day trips up the side valleys. Prices vary widely with the room, so ask for the rate with meals included. Our guide to hotels in Khaplu covers the options, from the palace to simple guesthouses.

Hushe: where the homestay is the hotel

Hushe sits at about 3,180 metres at the head of its valley, the last village in Ghanche district and the starting point for treks towards Masherbrum and the Charakusa glacier. The Central Karakoram National Park describes the accommodation simply: homestays in the village, one or two basic guesthouses and tent camping on the treks. There are no hotels in the usual sense.

The village's link with visitors is long. Hushe men began working as cooks and porters for mountaineering expeditions in the 1960s, and many families are used to having trekkers in the house. The drive from Skardu takes five to six hours by jeep through Khaplu, so most people stay at least two nights. Our Hushe Valley guide covers the road and the walks.

Expect a simple room, shared or basic bathrooms, dal, rice, roti and tea, and cold nights even in summer. Bring a warm layer and a torch. The CKNP gives June to September as the season, with July and August the most reliable.

How to book a homestay in Baltistan

• Booking.com and Airbnb cover Skardu well and Shigar partly.
• Chkar, a platform founded by people from Gilgit-Baltistan, lists homestays and family guesthouses across the region.
• By phone through your driver or hotel, for Khaplu and especially Hushe, where much is still arranged by word of mouth.

Confirm three things before you go: whether meals are included, whether there is hot water and heating, and whether the room has its own bathroom.

Being a good guest

Baltistan is a conservative, mostly Shia and Noorbakhshi region, and a homestay puts you inside a family's home.

• Dress modestly, men and women alike.
• Take your shoes off before entering rooms.
• Ask before photographing anyone, and always before photographing women.
• Eat what is offered and say early if you have dietary needs.
• Pay the agreed rate, and pay for meals separately if they were not included.

Homestay or hotel: which suits you?

A homestay suits couples, small groups of friends, trekkers and anyone curious about Balti family life. It is good value and the food is often the best part.

A hotel suits families with young children or older parents, anyone who needs reliable hot water and heating, and travellers on a tight schedule who want a car and front desk on hand. A common pattern is hotel nights in Skardu with one or two village nights in Shigar or Hushe. Our Skardu and Deosai tour uses hotels throughout, and our Skardu destination guide covers the wider region.

Frequently asked questions