Overview

“Kharpocho” means “King of Forts” in Balti, and the name still fits even in ruins. Built in the late 16th century during the reign of Ali Sher Khan Anchan, the Maqpon king who once extended Baltistan’s borders from Ladakh in the east to Chitral in the west, the fort sits on a rocky outcrop directly above the confluence of the Indus and Shigar rivers — a position chosen for exactly the reason visitors climb up today: the view. The fort itself is weathered and partly in ruins (it was damaged in an 1857 attack by the Dogra ruler Ranbir Singh, and later saw fighting during the 1947–48 Indo-Pakistan war), but its walls, towers, and a small mosque remain, and the panorama from the top — Skardu town, the two rivers meeting below, terraced fields, and the Karakoram ranges beyond — is what makes the short, steep climb worthwhile.

Just behind the fort lies Nangsoq (also called Narsok), known locally as the Organic Village — a small farming hamlet established in the 2000s to promote pesticide-free agriculture and sustainable living. Villagers here grow barley, buckwheat, apricots, and vegetables using traditional methods, and the walk through its terraced fields makes a natural, easy extension to the fort hike, since the two trailheads sit close together.