Khaplu Valley

The “Khaplu Valley” is the Land of love, peace and natural of Gilgit Balistan. This is easternmost valley in Pakistan. To The Khaplu valley’s northeast is China, to the north and northwest is Skardu District, to its west is Astore District and to its south is Ladakh District in the Indian
state of Jammu and Kashmir. This Khaplu valley is 103 kms (64 miles) from Skardu and 3 hours by jeep or any vehicle. There is a sprawling valley perched on the slopes of the steep mountains that hem in the river. Many famous mountains, such as Masherbrum, K-6, K-7, Sherpi Kangh, Sia Kangri, Saltoro Kangri etc. are located here.The Khaplu valley is a base for trekking into the Hushe valley. The valley is attractive for mountaineers and trekkers as it is surrounded by several famous mountain peaks like Mashabrum, Sharpi Gangri, Sia Gangri and Saltoro Gangri. Khapli town is also famous for a historical mosque named Chaqchan built by Syed Mir Ali Hamadani during 14th century A.D
How To Reach
Khaplu is the beautiful valley at a distance of 103Km from Skardu. It is 3 hours drive by jeep or coaster. This is the coldest place within Pakistan also called the “Third Pole” with temperatures reaching below –
Where to stay
There is a motels that has 16 rooms, restaurant offering local food, Satellite TV and Rent-a-Jeep facilities. The Motel of Khaplu is situated at a distance of 103 Kilometers from Skardu involving about 3 hours traveling time.
Other facilities
A daily flight from Islamabad to Skardu (all flights are subject to weather). From Skardu jeeps and Taxi’s are conveniently available on hire.
You can do camping here as well, people usually get back to Skardu after visiting Khaplu.
There is no other facility available except a small cafe.
Beauty of Khaplu
As you move above to the Khaplu you will see an old fort and as well as Masjid which is made up of wood and was built in 12th century.
Khaplu is a small town, as you proceed from Khaplu you will see a beautiful picnic spot, covered with greenery named as Saaling, there you saw the beautiful ponds, full of fishes, the species of fish are increasing here day by day.

Laila Peak (Hushe Valley)

Laila Peak
Laila Peak from Gondogoro Glacier

Laila Peak in Hushe Valley near Gondogoro glacier is in Karakoram range and is 6,096 metres (20,000 ft) high. It has a distinctive spear-like shape. Its northwest face has a slope of 45 degrees in more than 1500 vertical metres.
It has been climbed by Simon Yates, among others. According to the local people in Hushe, Laila peak has been climbed only twice, a total of only seven people have summited.
The height of the Laila peak in Hushe Valley is controversial. Some believe it to be 6200 metres whereas some mention it as 6614 metres. In a Japanese mountaineering map by Tsuneo Miyamori (published in 2003), the height of Laila Peak is mentioned as 6096 metres.

First Skiers and Snowboarders on Laila Peak

In the summer of 2005, the first ever ski attempts on Laila Peak were made by Fredrik Ericsson and Jörgen Aamot from Scandinavian countries. Although they could not reach the summit, they skied down the North-West face of the peak. They described it as "one of the most amazing mountains they have ever seen, like a needle it points straight up in the sky".
Frederik and Jörgen reached the base camp of Laila Peak (4150 metres) on June 18, 2005, and they were at Camp1 (5000 metres) on June 22. They made their first attempt to summit on Friday, June 24. They started climbing from 5000 metres at 2:30 am and after seven hours of climbing when they were only 100 metres from the summit, they realized that it was too icy to continue, and started skiing down on the North-West face of Laila Peak towards Gondogoro Glacier.

The second group ever to attempt to ski the mountain was Paul Holding (UK), Brendan O'Sullivan (Ireland), Ed Blanchard Wrigglesworth (Spain) and Luca Pandolfi (Italy). All were the first snowboarders (two on splitboards) on the mountain except for Ed Blanchard Wrigglesworth, who was on skis. They reached the col at 5,400m only to find that the whole left side of the face had avalanched down to rock while they were climbing from the south side, scuppering any attempts for that year. A full account of their story can be found here.

Permit

The mountain lies in a restricted zone. The village of Hushe is the gateway to the mountain, in the Masherbrum Valley below but the Gondogoro and Chogolisa valleys are restricted. In order for non Pakistani citizens to visit these valleys a permit must be purchased from the Ministry of Tourism ($50 per person), and a licensed guide is required for the duration.