Elmira is founder of Ecotour Kyrgyzstan, which was founded in 1998 and is one of the best established trekking and adventure travel specialists in Kyrgyzstan.
Trekking in Kyrgyzstan
An expert guide to trekking in Kyrgyzstan
I’ve been trekking in Kyrgyzstan since 2012, hiked in virtually every oblast of the country, and travelled several times to the remotest corners of the state. Every other valley seems at times to be capped by some glacier or waterfall, not to mention the nearly 2,000 alpine lakes scattered across the country.
Even after all these years I feel like I could devote every summer of the rest of my life to hiking here and still not see it all.
It’s not always easy, of course. Linguistic difficulties and severely limited public transport to trailheads are always a challenge for tourists to overcome, and the cold winters mean trekking season is limited to the non-frozen months of the year.
But Kyrgyzstan is the kind of place where travellers come back again and again until, in my case, deciding it’s easier just not to leave.
Trekking in Kyrgyzstan: At a glance
My favourite Kyrgyzstan hike: If pushed I'd say the Ak Suu Traverse from Jyrgalan to Jeti-Oguz route via Ala-Kol might be my favourite. With lakes and waterfalls, one or two passes everyday for a week, and with the Altyn Arashan hot springs right in the middle, it has a bit of everything that makes trekking in Kyrgyzstan delightful.
The best time to go: Ideal hiking season is mid-June to mid-September. You can hike in Kyrgyzstan outside this season, if you're prepared for low temperatures, plenty of rain, and snow at high elevations.
Difficulty: Trekking here is largely non-technical, but expect constant ascents and descents.
Permits: Only required in border areas, permits can be arranged in person but it's much easier done in advance via a tour company.
The best treks in Kyrgyzstan
Some popular, and lesser-known, trekking routes
Altyn Arashan Valley
Ak Suu Traverse
The Ak Suu Traverse isn't a trek to approach light-heartedly. The 110 km beast of a hike demands a seven-day hiking commitment and winds through some of the most beautiful landscapes in Kyrgyzstan's Terskey Alatau range. Starting from Jyrgalan village and concluding in Jeti-Oguz, it introduces you to some of the country's most striking mountainous terrain. The trail passes valleys, dense coniferous forests, and across rivers, with near-constant views of glacier-capped peaks. The trail ascends towards Ala-Kul Lake and then to the panoramic Ala-Kul Pass. However, the hike’s highlight is the hot springs at Altyn Arashan before reaching Ak-Suu village. The springs offer a perfect place for a soothing dip, a reward on your descent after a challenging climb. Accommodation typically includes guest houses, yurt camps, and camping sites.
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Trek to Merzbacher
ExperienceThis is a really special hike, and probably my top recommendation in all of Kyrgyzstan. It's quiet and remote (you're unlikely to see any other trekkers the entire time), and it culminates at one of the most quirky geological locations in the whole country – the so-called "disappearing" Merzbacher Lake, on the border with China and Kazakhstan. This is a seasonal glacial lake that fills with meltwater from the Inylchek Glacier each spring and drains in spectacular fashion in late summer. This phenomenon is a rare – and incredibly dramatic and noisy – only witnessed by a lucky few. You'd be exceptionally lucky to time your arrival to witness the lake draining, and the lake itself is not hugely impressive, but the surrounding landscapes make it all worthwhile. You'll be hiking four to six hours each day, often along rugged and challenging paths. You'll spend the night in tents, or maybe in semi-permanent yurt camps if you're booking an organised trip.
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Issyk-Kul to Naryn
For experienced trekkers and those looking for a real challenge I usually recommend this route from Issyk-Kul over the dramatic Terskey Ala-too mountains to Naryn town. The route starts out gently over the Zhazy Kechuu pastures but quickly climbs into the mountains, crossing three high mountain passes, the highest of which, the Jakyp Bolot pass, reaches an eye-watering 3,960 metres. It’s essential you acclimatise before setting off and build rest days into your itinerary where necessary. I find it hard to describe just how beautiful this route is: you need to see it to believe it. You hike surrounded by snow capped mountains, past dramatic lakes and gorges, through forests and pastures, maybe passing the camps of nomadic herders. It’s a tough route, and not one you can do solo, but you won’t see any other trekkers out there and the scenery is out of this world.
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Song-Kul to Issyk-Kul trek
ExperienceThis is a popular route that offers a relatively easy introduction to the stunning Tian-Shan mountains as you hike between the two largest lakes in Kyrgyzstan: Song-Kul and Issyk-Kul. The route is offered by some operators as a three day itinerary, but in my opinion that’s a touristy option and not a great experience. I usually advise visitors to spend at least six days on this trek, partially to enjoy the beauty of the landscapes, but also to acclimatise to the altitude as you’ll cross three high passes over 3,500 metres along the way. The total distance is between 58 and 62 km with between seven and 12 hours hiking per day, depending on the conditions. There are some small rivers that have to be crossed and there are two options for the descent into Tuura-Suu. The exact route you follow will depend on the weather and the water levels in the rivers. You’ll follow ancient trading routes and donkey trails through the mountains, meeting nomadic herdsmen who live there with their horses, sheep and yaks during the summer months. This is where a good guide comes in handy – helping with the language and cultural barriers, and maybe securing an invite to take tea with a herder and their family. You’ll be staying in yurts at both lakes and wild camping during the hike, and organised treks will use horses to carry your equipment and baggage. The route is only really passable from June until mid-September.
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Ala-Köl trek
ExperienceThe 55 km Ala-Köl Trek is the most popular (and busiest) hike in Kyrgyzstan, drawing hikers with iconic views over Ala-Köl lake. This is a good hike to spend a few days at a high elevation in Kyrgyzstan's beautiful mountains, and only of moderate difficulty. This trek begins from the Karakol Valley and ends in the Altyn Arashan Valley. The journey traverses diverse terrains, from meadows to forests, through the Terskey Alatau mountain range in the Tian Shan Mountains. The highlight is the Ala-Köl Pass, with its lake and mountain peak views. And accommodation is a mix of guest houses, camping, and yurts.
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Talas Range to Sary-Chelek
This trek is an intense, eight-day journey across breathtaking landscapes and challenging terrain. The trek is best experienced from the end of June to mid-September and is notable for the abundant and varied wildlife in Sary-Chelek National Park. This adventurous hike takes you over the majestic Talas Range, crossing two passes over 3,000m, requiring good physical condition and appropriate equipment. Along the way you’ll encounter nomadic life, orthographic art by indigenous communities, and might even catch a glimpse of marmots and griffon vultures. The trail winds its way through scenic river valleys, glaciated landscapes, and walnut and fruit forests, leading to the stunning Sary-Chelek Lake, nestled at the foot of the Chatkal mountain range. The lake’s greenish-blue waters are an exquisite sight, rivalling the beauty of the world's finest lakes. Accommodations include a mix of camping and local home stays.
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Heights of Alay Valley
The Heights of Alay Valley is a scenic long-distance trek that cuts through Kyrgyzstan's picturesque southern region. Most nights will be spent camping under the stars, providing a genuine connection with the wilderness or local community at a local yurt homestay. The trek involves crossing several high-altitude passes, including the Koshmoinok and Jiptik passes, where you'll be rewarded with views of the Pamir and Tian Shan ranges and the expansive Alay Valley. You traverse vast pastures, rugged slopes, and riverside trails, with the chance to encounter local shepherds and their livestock. And famously, you see the red rock formations of “Three Dragons Gorge."
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Arslanbob Holy Lakes hike
The Arslanbob Holy Lakes hike takes you on a four-day round trip through the largest walnut forest in the world and a community deeply rooted in traditional Kyrgyz culture. Starting and ending in Arslanbob, the trail ascends into the mountains, through forests, meadows, and eventually, to the trek's highlight - the two serene Holy Lakes. Local folklore preaches that these lakes are where the Prophet Muhammad prayed and left his footprint. The Holy Lakes hike provides an ideal blend of cultural immersion and natural beauty, with the added allure of local legends. Accommodation ranges from guesthouses in the village to camping near the lakes.
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Khan Tengri Base Camp
ExperienceKhan Tengri is one of the highest peaks in the Tian Shan Mountains, standing over 7,000 metres. The Khan Tengri Base Camp trek takes you up close to Khan Tengri, all without the commitment of a more technically challenging summit climb – but this is still serious business, with the potential for heavy snows even during the narrow trekking window of July and August. The journey begins in At-Jailoo (via Karakol) and traverses approximately 40 km over six to eight days to reach the base camp situated on the South Inylchek Glacier. The trek takes you through valleys, across streams, and over moraines, all while offering captivating vistas of rugged peaks and sprawling glaciers. You'll also pass Merzbacher Lake, which is an interested trek in its own right. However, the trek's highlight is the panoramic view of Khan Tengri from the base camp, nicknamed "Blood Mountain" at sunset. Nights are spent in tents, which will be provided by your trekking operator. You'll need to bring your own sleeping bag (four seasons) and a sleeping mat. Most people on organised tours leave basecamp by helicopter, although of course it's perfectly possible to hike back out again.
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Bulak-Ashuu Lakes trek
ExperienceIf you are hiking in Kyrgyzstan, it's fair to guess that you'd prefer to skip the busy trails and get off the beaten path. One such hike is the Bulak-Ashuu Lakes Trek, which ventures to the pristine Bulak-Ashuu Lakes in the Alay mountain range. This is a remote and tranquil camping trek, through some truly stunning scenery. Starting and ending at Jyrgalan village, the trek's terrain varies from valleys, alpine meadows, and rugged mountain paths. One of the key attractions of the trek is the chain of azure Bulak-Ashuu Lakes. The hike offers exceptional views of these high-altitude lakes and snow-capped mountain peaks.
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Peak Karakol (Pik Karakol)
ExperienceThis is a rewarding but tough trek in the Karakol area and makes a quieter alternative to some of the region’s more popular routes. Note that it’s not a peak trek – unless you're mountaineering you don't reach the summit of Karakol Mountain, but you do get to the ‘basecamp’ where you can spend time exploring the Ontor glacier. It can be easily combined with other hikes in the region, such as the popular Ala Kol trek.
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Lenin Peak
ExperienceLenin Peak is a fairly well-known and commercially organised trek in the southern Pamir-Alay range on the borders of Tajikistan and China. The trek is offered as a basecamp trek or a summit climb to the very top, a stonking 7,134m above sea level with views stretching right across the Pamirs to China, the Hindu Kush and beyond. The summit climb is a serious undertaking and requires prior experience, skill and plenty of prior acclimatisation. The basecamp trek gets you to a more achievable 4,400m.
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Peak Palatka
ExperienceAn exceptional, and little-known summit trek to the roof of the Tian Shan mountains. At 4,770m, climbing Palatka is certainly a challenge but one that requires no technical mountaineering skills, just better than average fitness and an iron will! You might question your life choices on the way up, but the scenery – especially the views from the summit – are life changing. There are around eight days of actual trekking, with at least one rest / contingency day built in. Most organised trips will also include several buffer days beforehand for acclimatisation and organising logistics.
Read more-
Ak Suu Traverse
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Trek to Merzbacher
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Issyk-Kul to Naryn
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Song-Kul to Issyk-Kul trek
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Ala-Köl trek
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Talas Range to Sary-Chelek
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Heights of Alay Valley
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Arslanbob Holy Lakes hike
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Khan Tengri Base Camp
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Bulak-Ashuu Lakes trek
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Peak Karakol (Pik Karakol)
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Lenin Peak
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Peak Palatka
Trekking in Kyrgyzstan: Need to know
Everything you wish you'd known before you booked
DIY vs organised treks
DIY trekking in Kyrgyzstan is possible, if not always easy to organise outside of the most common routes, although I’d strongly recommend you engage the assistance of a guide – for the cultural interactions as much as for safety.
Most people trek in Kyrgyzstan as part of an organised tour. International trekking operators organise fully-supported guided treks and walking holidays. This may be a single point-to-point trek, in which case the price will include guides, porters, food, accommodation and all ground transfers. Alternatively it may be a multi-centre type trip, with a few days’ hiking in several different locations.
Spread your wings
You’d be hard-pressed to call any part of Kyrgyzstan “touristy” but the trail to Ala-Köl (Ala Kul) is by far the most popular. I can see why: climbing the final scree-slope steps of the pass is a genre-defining moment. The 360-degree panorama of a long sloping glacier feeding into the turquoise lake backed by layers and layers of Tien Shan peaks is among my favourite trekking views ever, anywhere. But there’s so much more to explore in the country, and sadly, many visitors don’t bother to seek it out.

Stunning scenery around Arslanbob
Kyrgyzstan trekking FAQs
Your questions, our expert answers
Question
When is the best time to go trekking in Kyrgyzstan?
Answer
The high season is mid-June through mid-September, as higher temperatures mean less snow on high passes and in deep valleys, though it is important to be prepared for any weather all year round at these elevations.
Spring sees hillsides covered in wildflowers and autumn brings bright autumnal foliage, but in both hikers will need to be prepared for lower overnight temperatures and plenty of rain.
Winter does see some snowshoe and cross-country skiers, or in the rare desert areas that see no real precipitation, sometimes a tiny few dedicated hikers.
Question
What is June like for trekking in Kyrgyzstan? Will there be lots of mosquitoes or far below freezing at night?
Answer
For most treks, the hiking season for organised/supported tours begins in mid-June. You can hike solo before then, but you'll need to be prepared for the cold and rain.
The night time temperatures in June vary from 7 to 10 degrees C. You won't be troubled by mosquitoes in the mountains.
Question
How challenging is trekking in Kyrgyzstan? Would you recommend it for, say, a fit & active 60 year old?
Answer
Most of the trekking in Kyrgyzstan is non-technical and requires no real skill. But there’s plenty of elevation gain most days and very little flat walking, so the focus should really be on assessing the ‘fit and active’ criteria in the lead up to a trip.
Question
What kind of food should I expect on a trek in Kyrgyzstan?
Answer
Shepherds’ yurt camps will typically offer passing visitors tea or fermented horse milk and some small bites but, if trekking solo, you’ll want to carry in your own provisions as much as possible. The major exception is tourist yurt camps, which typically include breakfast and dinner into their pricing schemes.
On an organised trekking tour you'll be well catered for, with three meals a day.
Question
What sort of accommodations are there? Can we stay with locals in Yurts?
Answer
On DIY trek, there is only the accommodation that you carry in on your back. Yurts do exist in most places, but these are typically authentic shepherd’s yurts and not really set up to receive tourists. You may be welcomed in, but expect a very rustic experience, and at any rate you can’t count on it so you’ll still need to lug a tent along.
On organised trekking tours your operator will take care of the camping logistics: you'll have porters striking and setting up camp each day and horses or vehicles transporting camp equipment from stop to stop.
In more popular tourist areas like Ala-Kol and Son-Kol, local community-based tourism programs have established tourist yurts that do reliably receive overnight guests.
Question
We'd like to go trekking in Kyrgyzstan but not with tent camping – which treks can be done with homestays or yurt camps?
Answer
Traditionally, the Kyrgyz people were nomads who didn't build houses in the mountains but spent the summers there with their flocks in yurts. It is possible to spend a night in these traditional yurts, but it's very rustic and informal and will depend on the contacts of your guide or trekking operator.
To meet growing interest, there are now fixed yurt camps that cater especially for tourists – this is more like a simple safari camp experience, with a meal tent, separate bathrooms, hot water, and other facilities to make it a bit more comfortable. The problem for trekking is that these camps are scattered around, and typically not reachable by foot on a single trek.
There are a few point to point treks that can be done with homestays, guesthouses or yurt camps. The short Ala Kol trek can be done with yurt camps rather than tents, as can the horseback treks in the Pamir Alay Mountains.
If you really don't want to camp, you should try staying in a few different yurt or homestays and doing day hikes from there. Popular spots are around Karakol, Son-Kul and Sary Chalek, others are quieter and not yet so well known. These places you still find on the south side of Lake Issyk-Kul and hiking in the Chon Kemin valley are a good option.
Question
Which is your favourite region to trek in Kyrgyzstan?
Answer
I’m a big fan of the village of Jyrgalan in far eastern Issyk-Kul. It’s one of the few areas where you can walk right out the door and into the start of a hike, and also quite popular for freeride skiers in winter.
To pick one best trek, the Ak Suu Transverse from Jyrgalan to Jeti-Oguz route via Ala-Kol might be it - lakes and waterfalls and one or two passes everyday for a week, in varying scenery and with the Altyn Arashan hot springs right in the middle. It has a bit of everything that makes trekking in Kyrgyzstan delightful.
Question
Is trekking in Kyrgyzstan safe? How about for solo female travellers?
Answer
Kyrgyzstan is safe with the caveats of any wild alpine destination: landslides, flash floods, widowmakers (falling tree branches), and avalanches can and do happen in a mountain environment and you should be prepared for these eventualities.
Solo female travellers need have no specific concerns for Kyrgyzstan, beyond the risks that exist anywhere in the world.
Question
Are any special permits required to trek in Kyrgyzstan?
Answer
No permits are required for trekking, but border areas do require a special permit from the Border Guards Service. The most popular tourist and trekking areas that this includes are Peak Lenin Base Camp, Kel-Suu Lake, and Inylchek Glacier and Base Camp areas. While this is possible to do individually, it will require multiple visits over several weeks to various government offices in Bishkek and regional cities. It’s far more practical to pay a tour company $40-50 to do it on your behalf before you arrive in the country.
Question
Can you trek in Kyrgyzstan solo or without a guide?
Answer
Most of Kyrgyzstan’s trekking routes can be done solo, but having a guide or even just a local friend along can open up so many yurt doors and so many incredible interactions along the way: from simply being invited in for tea and a chat to being invited along on horseback to collect the herds from high pastures in the morning.
Despite how amazingly vast the landscapes are, so many of my favourite trekking moments have been borne of these small personal interactions that even the best route planning and map reading could never guarantee.
The major exception might be routes along the southern border with Tajikistan, where recent border clashes mean having a guide and interpreter to hand is probably wise.
Question
What are the hardest and easiest treks in Kyrgyzstan?
Answer
A few day trips out of Bishkek are suitable for basically any fitness and experience level: Ala-Archa’s waterfall, Belagorka waterfall, and Boirok Birch Grove are all top of mind. In terms of most difficult, the sky's the limit. Peak Lenin is one of the most accessible 7,000m+ peaks on the planet, but with a guide and some climbing training can be done by trekkers.
Question
Where can you do horse trekking in Kyrgyzstan?
Answer
Basically anywhere that one treks can be done as a horse trek, with a rare few exceptions like Ala-Kol where the primary trail is in parts either too steep or poor footing for horses. Most visitors will arrange these trips in tourist hubs like Karakol, Kochkor, Naryn, or Sary-Mogol; but in principle anyone with the language and horsemanship skills could arrange this directly with shepherds in the mountains.
Question
What trekking/camping gear can I rent in Kyrgyzstan?
Answer
The full range of necessary gear is available in trekking hubs (especially Bishkek and Karakol), though footwear for anything larger than about 40cm can be difficult to find. However, the gear available is often low-end Russian equipment (some military, more often Red Fox or similar brands) so Ultralight wannabees will need to bring everything from home.
Question
What languages are most useful while trekking in Kyrgyzstan?
Answer
In cities, Russian and Kyrgyz are more or less equally common, with English and other foreign languages also heard in the more touristy destinations. In rural regions and especially deep in the mountains, Kyrgyz is by far the more common with Russian a bit behind. Though, oddly, as part of the Soviet educational system German was widely taught and so some old timers can still converse a bit.
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