Baltistan
Khaplu & Shigar
Restored Balti palaces above orchards of apricot and walnut.
When to go
April to October
Where the Shyok meets the Indus, the Yabgo kings built fort-palaces of timber and lime. Both Khaplu and Shigar have been restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and are now run as small heritage residences, staffed by the villagers below, with food drawn from the orchards.
Days here are slow. A walk to the 14th-century Chaqchan mosque, a polo match if the season is right, an afternoon along the Saling stream, dinner served on the palace verandah as the granite turns the colour of brass.
Signature experiences
- 01
Two-night stay at Serena Khaplu Palace
- 02
Walk to Chaqchan mosque with a Balti historian
- 03
Apricot harvest lunch in a village courtyard
Journeys that include Khaplu & Shigar
