Khaplu

At the heart of Ghanche District is Khaplu, a historic town gracefully set by the banks of the Shyok River. As travelers approach, gardens and dense forests embrace the road. 

Khaplu is one of the coldest inhabited places in Pakistan, nicknamed the “third pole,” with winter temperatures plummeting to minus twenty degrees Celsius. Amid its natural beauty lies Khaplu Fort, originally built in 1840 by the Yabgo Raja, whose dynasty from Yarkand ruled the area for 700 years.

Restored beautifully and now operated as a Serena Hotel, the fort overlooks a village where an ancient wooden mosque stands cloaked in centuries-old stillness, inviting quiet reflection.