Hushe Valley

Hushe is the last village up its valley and the launching point for a set of treks that are shorter and far less expensive than the Baltoro but scenically in the same league. Above the village the valley splits: one branch climbs to the Masherbrum base camp under a 7,821-metre peak whose north face is one of the great walls of the Karakoram, another leads to the Gondogoro glacier and the high Gondogoro La, the pass that experienced parties cross to reach Concordia from the south. The valley itself is worth the drive, with stone-and-timber houses, irrigation channels cut along the slopes, apricot and walnut trees on the terraces, and a village economy still built around barley, livestock and mountaineering work. Hushe has produced a remarkable number of high-altitude porters and climbers, and the village school and community projects reflect that.

What you actually see

• Masherbrum - the great peak at the head of the valley.
• Stone villages - Balti houses, terraces and irrigation channels.
• Base camp treks - routes to Masherbrum and the Gondogoro glacier.
• Apricot terraces - orchards worked at the edge of the glaciers.

When to go

June to September for trekking; snow closes the upper valleys outside that. Apricot harvest in July and August fills the village with drying fruit on the rooftops. Nights are cold at any time of year.

Honest expectations

The jeep road is rough and the drive from Khaplu is slow. Accommodation is basic guesthouses and camping. Trekking here needs a guide and porters, hired in the village, and the Gondogoro La in particular is a technical crossing requiring ropes and experience. There are no shops beyond the essentials.

Nearby

Khaplu with its restored palace is down the valley; Skardu is further west.