How To Get to one of the Highest Valleys from Skardu
You might not be familiar with the Hushe Valley, but if you want to get to the Karakoram Range, the valley in north Pakistan will get you to some of the highest peaks of the Karakoram mountains.
And even if you don’t plan on trekking the famous mountain range, the Hushe Valley is stunning and well worth a trip to explore the several villages along the Hushe River.
Hushe Valley
Located in the Gilgit-Baltistan district, the Hushe Valley starts from the Shyok River opposite from Khaplu and extends up to the Masherbrum mountain.
The Hushe Valley is known for some of the highest mountains in Pakistan, including several peaks above 6,000 meters, and even 8,000 meters. Most notable within the valley reach are Laila Peak and the Masherbrum (K1) at 7,821 meters. Simply astonishing!
Villages in Hushe Valley
From Khaplu up to Hushe, a series of villages occupy the valley: Machollo, Thalis, Marzicon, Kanday and finally Hushe village. It is the last one in the valley, in turn, the starting point of many treks.
As we traveled this part of Pakistan end of July, some of the wheat fields in the villages at a lower elevation at Machollo were ready for the harvest. In comparison, the areas in Kanday and Hushe were still green and would not be harvested until the end of August, another month after our visit.
Machollo (also spelled Merchulu)
The bigger village in the Hushe Valley, with about 5,000 villagers, Machollo spreads from the higher grounds of the foothills down to the lower side by the Hushe river. The village is defined by structured chaos: terraces after terraces of wheat fields, apricot trees, water irrigation systems lining up the side of the mountains together with tall birch trees to help with soil stabilization.
As we walked the narrow dirt roads passing by small houses, we came upon a beautiful small construction. Our first thoughts were the building was a mosque, but it was an Astana (moussdrouk in Balti, the local language), the resting place of a saint.
Our feet led us to a gathering by a small square, with food being prepared. As we approached, we got invited for tea (chai, chai!) and led to the inside of a nicely decorated house. Our host brought us a Zan, a special Balti meal made of flour, water, and apricot oil. The meal (chetour in Urdu, osse in Balti) is served at a funeral ceremony, as we learned we had stumbled upon.
Where to Stay in Machollo
The village has two hostels, both close to high school and the police checkpoint going up the Hushe Valley. A small local guesthouse is supposed to be nearby, close to the central hostel run by the Felix Foundation. This guesthouse has a couple of rooms, with shared bathroom, a restaurant, and relatively good wifi. Rooms start at 2,000 rps.
The work of the Felix Foundation is visible everywhere; schools for boys and girls, women vocational training center, water irrigation, mobile ultrasound devices, etc.
Consider making a donation to support their fantastic work in Baltistan
How to Get to Machollo
If you have your car with driver, reaching Machollo is easy. By public transportation, small minivans leave Khaplu in the morning from the central bus station. Cost is about 50 – 100 rps per person. To return to Skardu from Machollo, one daily bus leaves at 6 am from Machollo.
Kanday
The small village of about 1,500 people is the second to last in the valley. A couple of tiny shops are available, but there is no guesthouse. Kanday is the last stop of the regular jeep run done by Jamil (see below for details).
From there, special arrangements need to be made to reach Hushe, about 30-45 minutes away.
Hushe Village
The last village in the Hushe Valley, the Hushe village stands at around 3,000 meters. Nestled between the fast rushing Hushe River and on the slopes of mountains some 6,000 meters tall, Hushe is another traditional Pakistani village living off the wheat fields and vegetable patches, with the occasional apricot trees. Kids play in the streets; the older men sit quietly on the side; women work the field or wash clothes.
We spent a couple of days in Hushe, first as part of our trek to Humbrok, and then to appreciate the tranquil life in the village.
Given the central location in the Karakoram mountain range, Hushe is indeed one of the main hubs for trekking in Pakistan. About 1,000 people go through Hushe during the summer months of the trekking season.
During our stay in Hushe, we met different individuals who worked as guides, cooks, porters, for expeditions past. Sometimes among the first to ascent new peaks, or working with men of legends like Messner. Such a man was Aju Gulam Rassoul, who was indeed a guide, cook, and porter, during one of Messner’s expeditions.
Where to Stay in Hushe
There are two guesthouses in Hushe – a Spanish-run hostel called the Refugio, and a local guesthouse run by a Hushe resident, Hussain Guesthouse.
The rooms at the Refugio are from around 4,000 rps, and Hussain Guesthouse from 1,000 rps, though it is also possible to camp.
We stayed at the Hussain Guesthouse, in a basic double bedroom (though without an actual bed but sleeping on a thick mattress Pakistani-style) and private bathroom. No hot shower and no wifi, but family feel and Hussein is an excellent cook and attentive host. We can recommend Hussain Guesthouse for your stay in Hushe.
How to Get to Hushe
There is no regular bus going from neither Skardu nor Khaplu as the road after Machollo is primarily a dirt road.
- Take a regular minivan from Skardu to Khaplu. Note that this bus station is on the east side of Skardu, which is a different bus station than the one were buses from Gilgit reach.
- Minivans leave about every hour at the top of the hours (from 6 am to 2 pm).
- The ride takes about 4 hours and costs 300 rps per person.
- There is limited public transportation on Sundays.
- -From Khaplu, you need to take a jeep to Kanday which once every day,
- Usually leaving in front of the Ghanche Continental hotel around 2 pm.
- The Jeep ride takes about 2 to 3 hours
- Cost about 140 rps per person
- Contact Jamil on 03554176762. Jamil owns a jeep and runs the Kanday – Khaplu road every day. He speaks good English and will be of great help to you to organize your travel to Hushe. We can heartily recommend Jamil.
- In case you can not reach Jamil, try Anwar Ali at 03555195524who is also a jeep driver from Khaplu to Hushe. We did not use his services.
- From Kandy, you will need a special pickup or ride to Hushe. Jamil is most likely the one you can organize this ride with, as he can push to Hushe after finishing his run to Kanday, his home village.
- The ride from Kanday to Hushe costs 2,500 rps for about a 30-minute drive
- The road can be quite rough, and minivans don’t go up that road
- Skardu
Leave a Reply