ALA-KUL TREK - KYRGYZSTAN

Your vehicle will drop you off the dirt track that rears to your right from the village of Ak-Suu. If you have a brave driver, then he may attempt to get inside the dirt track for another km or so.

The first day’s trek is likely to start at the first twist that you see on your left.

There really is no difficulty in navigation. It is a motorable road all the way to Altyn Arashan. So chances of getting lost are slim.

The motorable road climbs over boulders and stones cutting through lovely swatches of coniferous trees, and open grounds. You are immensely taken in by the scenery. As you climb through the narrow valley, cross the first metal bridge that shifts the gushing stream to your right. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the bridge.

There are plenty of shady spots on the way where you can stop and take a break and take in the views. It takes about an hour to get to the first natural springs that flow into the road from where you can fill water. The spring waters are cold, clear and very good to drink.

From there on, you get these springs in about frequencies of 40 minutes, sometimes sooner. There is really no necessity to fill more than a litre of water from Ak-Suu for your hike to Altyn Arashan.

About halfway through there are small shepherd houses in open clearings about half way down.

After the shepherd’s hut (you’ll see a wooden bridge across the river), the road climbs rapidly in the first of its climb. You can avoid the switchback of the motorable road by forcing a trail that diagonally traverses the switchback.

After the climb it is another flatish walk for a kilometer or so, until you get to another small climb. The climb opens up to your first views of the snow covered mountains of the trek.

Sitting in the grassy meadows, taking in the view is a good spot for a break.

Further, the trail dips for a while, almost for a kilometer or more, before making the final ascent towards Altyn Arashan.

It is a fairly long, but not difficult climb to the mound just above Altyn Arashan.

From the top of the mound, you get great views of the Altyn Arashan meadows that are peppered with Yurt huts, guest houses, and hot springs.

Trivia: Yurt Huts are known to be portable. They are round with a wooden framework covered with a layer of felt, usually made of wool.

In front is a massive snow covered summit of Mt. Palatka (Tent Peak). The views take away the tiredness of the long day’s trek.

Staying at Altyn Arashan

You can stay at any of the Yurt camps or guest houses.

The hot springs of Altyn Arashan are overrated. You can give them a miss. However, a dip will cost you about 228 Kyrgyz Som.

If you camp at any of the premises of the guest house, you do not have to pay any money. However for any services there is a fee. For example, if you wish to use their kitchen to prepare a meal, they may charge you approx. 114 Som.

You can also camp anywhere in the open meadows. Look for a spot where you get water flowing. In fact, there are not too many such spots.

A make-do arrangement is to camp anywhere and cross the river on a permanent wooden bridge to collect your drinking and washing water.

Start the day early as it is a long walk to the Ala Kul Base Camp.

From Altyn Arashan, cross the wooden bridge in front of the Elza Guest House to get to the other side of the Arashan river. Once across, take the trail that follows the river upstream (to your left).

You’ll pass a few clear water streams as you gradually leave Altyn Arashan behind.

There are good places to fill water. There are no water spots on the entire stretch to the Ala Kul base camp. It would be wise to carry 2 litres of water with you that day.

There are two stream crossings on this day. But none of the stream water has good, clear water to drink from.

Continue to walk on the well-marked trail as it snakes through the coniferous forest, getting to a beautiful, wide clearing in half an hour.

While the trail continues on the other side, there is an upward trail that takes you on a short hike, climbing quickly through the forest to get to the Arashan stream in about 10 minutes. A fallen log over the stream helps you to cross the stream easily, getting you to the left of the stream. You’ve also entered a different valley that faces east-west direction.

The trail climbs rapidly though the beautiful coniferous forest — a section that you will end up loving a lot. The trail is steep but extremely beautiful.

In about 40 minutes of climb, the trail jumps out of the tree line to get to the start of the meadows. The steep climb gradually stops as a gradually ascending climb until you get to the the meadows.

As you climb into the meadows, the beauty of the meadows will show up.

Spread through the entire width of the valley, climbing on the flanks of the mountain sides with streams flowing on either side of the meadows, the greenery is astounding, a sight we have not seen on many of our treks.

The trail continues to be a grassy path on the meadows, sometimes merging with the grass, to eventually drop down to the Arashan stream in about 40 minutes. The stream needs to be crossed over, and you need to take off your shoes. The stream is not deep, usually not more than ankle or calf deep at any point.

Cross the stream, put on your boots and climb to the meadows on the other side. The trail continues to climb through the meadows with junipers dotting the trail all along.

The scenery continues to astound as the grasslands spread out on the entire valley, and you get a vantage point from your position high above the trail. The trail is clearly marked and is peppered with lots of trekkers from various countries making their way to Ala Kul or descending from it.

The relentless gradual climb can take its toll as it continues to make its pass and travels to the base of the Ala Kul Pass. The Ala-Kul Pass is now clearly visible from the trail in the far distance. Target a spot that is directly below the pass to camp.

The meadows are gradually left behind, as the trail moves towards a narrower valley towards the Ala-Kul Pass. Moraines and rock dot the landscape, though it's mostly grasslands that you walk on.

Continue to climb out of the grasslands in short bursts of steeper sections until you begin to find Ala kul Pass getting closer to you.

Your camp is across a small stream. Not until you get to your first stream can you think of camping. You are now on the last ledge of the grassland, directly below the Ala-Kul Pass. Find a good spot to pitch your tent to end a spectacular but tiring day of trekking.

Tip: Avoid going all the way to the wide riverbed to pitch your camp. It may be at the foot of the pass, but the setting is not as great as the grasslands around the defunct yurt camp where we pitched our tents.

Begin your day early, preferably by 8.00 AM as you want to be ready for any eventuality.

While camping at Ala Kul is lovely, there are not many spots. If all camping spots are taken then you must have enough time to move to the next camp at Sirota. Get to the foot of the Pass by crossing the wide, stony stream bed that comes down the fang of the mountain side.

It takes about 20-30 minutes to get to the base of the Pass. From the base, the trail turns extremely scree laden and loose with no firm grip. Using your trekking pole, in a series of micro-steps, make your way up what flank, leading the pass.

The trail is very steep, and the ground beneath you is shaky. Yet, it is not a long climb to the pass. In about 40 minutes, you must be on the top of the Pass, to get your first amazing views of Ala Kul and surrounding snow-capped mountains and the Palatka glacier.

Tip: On your climb to the pass, there are small flats on the side of the trail or a stony outcrop where you can take a moment’s breather.

Away from the summit, you can see the grand views of Mt. Palatka (Tent Peak) and its glacier that leads almost all the way to the waters of Ala Kul. The most prominent summit is Mt Karakol, slightly to its right. The rest are moraine covered mountains with snow patches that lead to small streams surrounding the Ala Kul lake in a complete circle of a cauldron.

Our Founder and CEO, Arjun Majumdar says “The light green waters of Ala-Kul are very different from any other alpine lake that I’ve seen. The lake is large, almost 6 kilometers in circumference, and wide, reminding you of the Tarsar lake in India.”

The Pass to climb and descent are different. So continue on the ridge that leads slightly upward towards the north to get to another panoramic viewpoint 5 minutes later. From here, the trail descends down to another point on the Pass that is used to get off on the other side. This is the true Pass. 

Look out of a steep descent that porters sometimes take to get down to Altyn Arashan side. It can stop anyone’s heart for a moment. Getting off the pass is not as difficult or steep as the trail you climbed up. Though initially the trail is gravely, before you get down to bouldery ledges.

Continue on the trail that is sometimes lost in the maze of small boulders under your feet but points generally in the north west direction towards the lake. It is a lesser inclined trail sometimes passing over loose scree, but generally safe.

In about 30 minutes, get to a point on the trail which is directly below the cliffs of the mountain sides on your right. A board in yellow signals a rockfall area for the next 300 mts. The trail is flattish with small sections that climb upward.

After the rockfall section, the trail again climbs briefly until you get to a spot where the trail forks. A smallish trail leads you to the Ala-Kul lake, and the main trail continues to Sirota. Take the smaller trail that descends to Ala-Kul, mostly to a large permanent set of camps that is meant for trekkers to stay overnight.

You can choose to stay at the camp, if you are not carrying a tent or do not find a place to pitch your tent. It costs approx. 1600 Som to stay overnight with lunch, dinner and breakfast covered. There are small camping grounds to the right of the permanent camp across the clear spring that flows next to it.

The flat grounds to pitch the tent are not too many and most of them are uneven. Yet, it is possible to pitch around 4-5 tents in this wide area. The spot is grand and gives a spectacular view of the Ala Kul lake, perhaps at the best vantage point to get great views of the lake.

Wake up to a spectacular sunrise over the grassy embankments of the Ala Kul lake. The sunrise and the settings around that time are magical.

The day’s trek is a long descent to the Karakol Base Camp, where you get the entire Karakol Valley view. Traditionally, trekkers are advised to camp at Sirota, but Sirota does not offer any great camping spots. Not only are the spots few, they are cramped, extremely dirty and offer no views.

You will be making your way to the Karakol Base Camp, which has spectacular huge open grassy clearing, easily one of the best camping grounds of the trek.

Take the trail that climbs out of the permanent trekkers camp at Ala-Kul to rejoin the main trail passing over the lake in about 15 minutes. The trail now climbs over loose stones and boulders, making a path towards the mouth of Ala Kul lake, but high over it. In another 15 minutes or so, you lose the last sign of Ala-Kul.

You are now faced with a steep descent over gravel, scree and loose stones. The Ala-Kul stream thunders to your left as it rapidly falls down the steep mountains. The descent is through a narrow valley flanked by steep barren moraine filled mountain sides on both sides.

While the setting is beautiful, you cannot take your eyes off the trail even for a minute. Take watchful steps and keep your first stage to a large, green ledge next to a small roaring waterfall of the Ala-Kul stream. It takes around 40 minutes to get to the ledge.

With a small break at the ledge, continue on your descent through a similar trail to the first grassy sections.

From the ledge, you get the first glimpse of the Sirota camp, a spot where Ala Kul stream turns into a large green pool, surrounded by coniferous trees. The trail continues to be slippery as it rapidly drops altitude before slightly easing out as it gets into the early undergrounds of the trek.

The trail is no longer over loose stones or gravel, but it continues to be a steep descent through the undergrowth, heading towards your first clump of shrubs, short trees and a few coniferous trees. You still need to be watchful of every step.

At this stage, you are likely to meet many trekkers coming upstream and heading towards Ala Kul. Most of them are doing the trek in the reverse direction.

Looking back sometimes to catch the sight behind you at the monstrous mountain flank leading to Ala Kul reminds you of the spectacular descent that you are making.

There is likely to be a section or two of the trail that’s broken off, especially close to the stream. You’ll have to make your way through the undergrowth, sweeping away branches and twigs, forcing your way to join the main trail.

As you approach Sirota, the undergrowth increases, occasionally going beneath the bows of the coniferous trees. It takes about 3-3.5 hours to get to the wooden hut of Sirota Camp.

It is a small nondescript wooden hut with dirty surroundings. There aren’t too many open spaces around it. Take a small break here or at the clearings surrounding the green pools of the Ala Kul stream, about 5-7 minutes ahead.

The clearings are also used for camping by hikers coming upstream. But none of the clearings are great as camping spots, and most of them are littered by trekkers’ garbage.

On your left, Ala Kul stream forms a large pool and then disappears underground to never appear again on your trek.

Continue on the trail that heads towards the bottom of the valley as it snakes its way through the undergrowth.

The undergrowth of this trail is not attractive, but something that needs to be navigated through. In about 15 minutes, the trail opens up and your first view of the Karakol Base Camp is far below at the bottom of the valley. Even from above, the camp looks spectacular and inviting.

Continue on your rapid descent towards Karakol. In about 30-40 minutes, you get to an open clearing before the start of the coniferous forest. Take a break at the clearing before you take the final plunge through the coniferous trees towards the Karakol river.

The trail snakes through the trees before getting to a fork in the trail in the next 10-15 minutes. Leave the trail that goes to the right, and take the trail on the left that hangs close to the left side of the valley.

The Karakol river can be heard clearly now, but not visible as you make your way through the forest. Continue on the descent until the narrow trail bottoms out at the river. The trail moves along the river until you get to the wooden bridge across the Karakol river.

Cross the bridge, turn left and head towards the Karakol Base Camp to your left.

In normal circumstances, it is a straight forward walk, but like in our times, the bridge could be broken. Then the Karakol river needs to be walked across. The river is strong and gushing.

Retrace your steps back on the trail until you get to the section where the trail meets the view. At this spot, there is a faint trail that tunnels through the thick undergrowth but continues to go upstream.

Continue on the trail until you get to a spot that has a natural stream flowing out of the trail. The trail opens out to the wide view of the Karakol river where it branches into smaller rivulets.

This is directly across the wide green pastures of Karakol Base Camp. You have to now get to the water and make your way first to the small clay banks of the river.

The river would be deep in most parts. Strike a path that is slightly upstream and diagonally across. Even though the path is longer, it is safer and offers least risk across the river.

The river water is cold and underneath, full of clay. Often your feet get stuck. Continue to walk across towards the other bank. At places the current would be strong, but the river is unlikely to go over more than your thighs.

On the other side, you are now at the grasslands of the Karakol Base Camp. The views make up for all the trouble that you have taken to cross the river. You’ll have to pay approximately 115 Som per person to pitch your tent at the Karakol Base Camp. If you take up a Yurt hut, it costs around 570 Som per person just for the stay. And it costs about 1368 Som per person, including meals.

There is a pipe that supplies beautiful natural water just behind the kitchen of the Yurt huts. Make your camp at this special camping ground of the trek.

Today is the easiest and one of the prettiest days of the trek. The trail is almost a flattish descent all through on a motorable dirt track.

Cut through the green meadows at the Karakol Base Camp and get on the strong river bed of the  stream. There is a small wooden log kept over the stream that will help you move across. If the log is missing, there are enough boulders up and down the stream to hop across.

The camping space around the wooden bridge is sufficient for multiple tents. It is not a bad option if you want to avoid paying the fees at the Karakol Base Camp.

The trek now is on a motorable road to Karakol. Unlike the road on Day 1 to Altyn Arashan, this road is well-made and descends gradually.

Around a big curve, the road gives you the first beautiful view of the Karakol river as it flows on the wide river bed. Grassy embankments with coniferous trees on the other bank complete the setting. Such settings of the river come across occasionally on the day’s trek, each one of them very different from each other.

In fact, one of the pleasures of the day’s trek is to look out for the next river bed where the river fans out. When the river does not fan out, the road dives into thick conifers, which contrasts the beautiful setting even more.

Look out for natural springs that spill out on the road. Those are good spots to fill water as you continue to trek downhill.

About 2 hours on the trek, there is a break, where a river bed has eaten on the road. Dive into the undergrowth on your left, forage a trail through the undergrowth until you merge again on the road 5 minutes later.

On a few occasions, small streams run over the road. You need to form a path hopping over stones and boulders to avoid getting your boots wet.

As you continue to walk down, the mountain scenery continues to change in the valley. The lush green starts to fade, leading to brown mountains of the hills facing the Karakol plains. Even though Karakol is not visible, you know the trek is coming to an end soon.

Small signs of civilization start to dot the landscape on either side of the river. Small shepherd huts, few settlements start to appear.

4 hours into the trek, you get into your final big clearing. From here, it is another kilometer to the wooden bridge, the final time you will cross Karakol river. The bridge is broken at the end, but conveniently placed boulders make it easy to cross over to the other side. 

On the other bank, few cars are parked. Some of them are waiting to take trekkers to Karakol. However, you don’t get vehicles until you get to the first village another kilometer and half down the road.

If you however ordered a taxi, then it usually arrives at the village to pick you up. It’s not necessary to pre-order a taxi. You start getting phone signals at the last clearing before the bridge. You can order a taxi with your local contact/hotel/hostel when you get to the clearing.

By the time you get to the village, the taxi almost arrives in time to pick you up.

The trek falls under the National Reserve. So on your way out of Karakol, you’ll have to pay a fee of about 285 Som at the check post.

Once out of the check post, your spectacular trek to Ala-Kul in Kyrgyzstan comes to an end.