Places to Visit in Khaplu Valley

The main places to visit in Khaplu are Khaplu Palace, the restored home of the Yabgo rajas, and the Chaqchan Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Gilgit-Baltistan. With more time, walk up to Thoqsikhar, the hilltop where the old fort stood, then cross the Shyok to Saling and drive up the Hushe road to Machulu, and on to Hushe for the view of Masherbrum. The town itself takes half a day; the valleys around it need a second day and a jeep.

Khaplu is 103 km east of Skardu, about three hours by road. This guide goes through the sights in the order most people see them, says how long each takes, and ends with how to fit them into one day or two.

Khaplu Palace

The palace is the reason most people come. Yabgo Raja Daulat Ali Khan built it in 1840 to replace the older fort on the hill, and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture restored it between 2005 and 2011. It is now part Serena hotel, part museum.

Walk round the Mughal-style garden, look up at the carved wooden bay on the front, and see the museum rooms inside the old palace, with their royal clothing, utensils and weapons. Non-guests pay an entry fee at the gate. Our full guide to Khaplu Palace covers its history, the museum, tickets and staying in the heritage rooms.

Chaqchan Mosque

A short walk from the palace, the Chaqchan Mosque is traditionally dated to 1370 and linked to Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, the Sufi credited with bringing Islam to Baltistan. It is a two-storey building of timber, stone and mud, with carved verandahs and painted ceilings, and looks more like a Himalayan monastery than a mosque.

It is a working mosque, so go outside prayer times, dress modestly and take your shoes off at the door. Non-Muslim visitors have generally been asked to view it from outside. Our guide to the Chaqchan Mosque covers its history, architecture and visiting etiquette.

Thoqsikhar: the old fort above town

Before 1840 the rajas of Khaplu lived in a fort on the rocky hill above the town. Little of it survives, and its timber is said to have gone into the new palace. A small mosque now stands among the ruins.

The walk up is the best short walk in Khaplu. It takes 40 minutes to an hour each way, through the village and orchards and then up a steeper path to the top, and the view takes in the whole of Khaplu, the wide bed of the Shyok and the mountains across the river. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when it is cooler, carry water, and wear shoes with grip for the loose sections. Ask in town for the start of the path.

The Khanqah and old Khaplu

Besides Chaqchan, Khaplu has a large khanqah, a Noorbakhshi Sufi prayer hall built in 1712, with fine walnut woodwork. Like Chaqchan, it is a place of worship rather than a monument, so the same rules apply: modest dress, shoes off, and no visits at prayer times.

Walk rather than drive between the sights in town if you can. The lanes pass old stone and timber houses, irrigation channels and small orchards, and on foot you see far more of daily life than from a car.

Saling

Saling is across the Shyok from Khaplu, 15 to 20 minutes by road over the Saling bridge, at the mouth of the Hushe valley. It is a green village of apricot orchards, wheat and potato fields, and it is known locally for its fish farms, where you can sometimes eat fresh trout.

It is an easy outing of an hour or two from Khaplu, and the first stop on the way to Machulu and Hushe. A normal car can manage the drive over the bridge.

Machulu

Machulu is one of the largest villages in the Hushe valley, roughly halfway between Khaplu and Hushe. It is a farming village of stone houses, terraced apricot and apple orchards and long irrigation channels lined with trees. Its old wooden khanqah stands in the middle of the village, though parts have since been rebuilt in concrete.

On the way to Hushe, it is worth an hour's stop to walk a stretch of the water channels and see the mosque. Keen walkers use Machulu as the start of a trek to Machulu La, a high viewpoint from which, on a clear day, K2 and other 8,000-metre peaks can be seen. That is a proper trek, with a local guide, rather than a stroll.

Beyond Saling the road narrows and soon becomes a rough track, so hire a jeep with a local driver in Khaplu for Machulu and anything further up the valley.

Hushe and the view of Masherbrum

The road ends at Hushe, the last village in the valley, at a little over 3,000 metres, below the south face of Masherbrum (7,821 m). It is two and a half to three hours from Khaplu by jeep, so it is a full day's outing there and back. Hushe is also the base for treks to Masherbrum base camp, the Charakusa glacier and the Gondogoro La. Our Hushe valley guide covers the road, the guesthouses and when to go.

Further afield: Kharfaq and the Thalle valley

Two more places lie on or near the road from Skardu, and each needs time of its own:

• Kharfaq Lake, above Kharfaq village near Yugo, is a steep climb of around three hours on foot from the village. It is an outing for fit walkers, not a roadside stop.
• The Thalle valley turns north off the Skardu road at Doghoni, shortly before Khaplu. It is a long, quiet valley of villages and fields, and trekkers cross from its head over the Thalle La to Shigar.

How many days do you need in Khaplu?

• As a day trip from Skardu: the palace and the Chaqchan Mosque, with lunch in town. That is what our Skardu and Deosai trip does, as one full day of a week in Baltistan.
• With one night: the palace and Chaqchan on the first afternoon, Thoqsikhar early the next morning, then Saling before the drive back.
• With two nights: add a full day by jeep up the Hushe valley to Machulu and Hushe.

Our Skardu to Khaplu guide covers the drive and the stops on the way.

Is Khaplu worth visiting?

Yes, if you like history, quiet and walking. Khaplu has one of the finest restored palaces in Baltistan, one of its oldest mosques, and valleys where you will meet more farmers than tourists.

It is less suited to anyone who wants lakes, boating and resorts, which are around Skardu, or to a short trip of three or four days, where six hours of driving eats too much of the time. For small children, the palace and a walk in Saling's orchards are enough; the Hushe road is a long, bumpy day.

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