Home / Tours / Ak-Suu Three-Pass Trek to Ala-Kul - 5 Days
Ak-Suu Three-Pass Trek to Ala-Kul - 5 Days
The best five days of the Ak-Suu Traverse, from Jergez Gorge back to Karakol. You cross Ailanysh Pass at 3,676 m, Ortok Pass at 3,650 m and Ala-Kul North Pass at 3,906 m, soak in the Altyn-Arashan hot springs and camp on the shore of Ala-Kul. Three nights are in yurts. For fit hikers who want the heart of the route in under a week.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 3 nights at yurt camp, 1 night at tent camp
- Activities: trekking - 5 days
- Departures from: Karakol
- Local certified English-speaking guide
- Private transport & airport transfers
- Small group or fully private
- 24/7 support team in Bishkek
What to pack
- Proper hiking boots with ankle support for rocky, uneven trails
- Trekking poles to ease the climbs and descents
- A comfortable daypack with a refillable water bottle and snacks
- A waterproof, windproof jacket and warm layers for the passes
- Sun protection: a hat or cap, sunglasses, and high-SPF sunscreen
Full packing list and arrival tips: Easy from abroad: visas, arrival and logistics
Before you go
- Visa: most Western and East-Asian passports enter visa-free for up to 30 days within any 60-day period (the rule changed at the end of 2025), so check your own nationality on evisa.e-gov.kg
- Money: the local currency is the Kyrgyz som; carry cash for villages and camps, as card payments mostly work only in towns
- Connectivity: mobile data is decent in towns, but there is usually no signal at high mountain yurt camps, so let people know you may be offline
- Altitude: camps sit around 2,500 to 3,900 metres, so take it easy on the first day and drink plenty of water
- Drinking water: stick to bottled or boiled water, and bring enough for stretches where none is available
Read before you go: The complete guide to the Ala-Kul trek · Staying in a yurt: nomad culture & etiquette
Day-by-day itinerary
Tap any day to expand. Every itinerary can be tailored to your dates, pace and fitness.
We meet in Karakol for a briefing and a gear check. A 30-minute drive takes us to Kara-Kyz village, and the walking starts right there.
Today has no pass. It is a warm-up day that lets your legs and lungs get used to the height.
The trail climbs gently up Jergez Gorge beside the river. Shepherd yurts dot the slopes, and families graze their horses in the upper valley. We sleep in a yurt at the head of the gorge, with the first real mountain views.
This is where the traverse gets serious. We cross a small river and climb toward Ailanysh Pass at 3,676 m.
Just below the pass, two Ailanysh lakes lie at 3,445 m in a bowl of grey rock. They are cold, clear and very still. From the top you look out at the Ak-Suu glacier wall and peaks close to 4,000 m.
A long descent takes us into Almaluu Gorge. Shepherd families camp along this stretch, and stopping for tea with them is often the moment people remember most.
If you still have energy, there is an optional afternoon hike to a waterfall. The night is in a yurt camp at 2,800 m.
The morning is a steady 800 m climb up Almaluu Gorge to Ortok Pass at 3,650 m.
On the far side the land changes fast. Rock gives way to grass, grass gives way to pine forest, and the air warms as you drop.
Altyn-Arashan means Golden Spa in Kyrgyz, after its natural mineral springs. After three days on the trail, a late afternoon soak is exactly what your legs want.
We sleep in a yurt among the pines at 2,500 m. Rest well, because tomorrow is the biggest day.
Today you climb 1,400 m, from the valley floor at 2,500 m to Ala-Kul North Pass at 3,906 m. The trail crosses alpine meadow, then boulder fields, then loose scree on the last steep stretch. Your guide sets the pace and the rest stops.
From the pass the whole Terskey Ala-Too range opens up. It is the widest and highest view of the trek.
A short descent brings you to Ala-Kul at 3,550 m. The glacier-fed water is a deep turquoise, ringed by peaks higher than five thousand metres.
We pitch the tents right by the water. Nights up here are cold, so bring warm layers.
If the sky is clear, get up early. The peaks catch the sun before the lake does, and that first light gives the best photos of the trip.
After breakfast the trail heads west from the lake and down the upper Karakol Gorge. Pine forest and the river come back, and the walking is mostly downhill and kind to tired legs.
Halfway down, an old Soviet alpine base camp makes a natural tea stop. At the road a 4x4 waits to take you into Karakol.
Sights visited on this tour
Karakol
A characterful eastern town with a wooden mosque and Russian church.
Altyn-Arashan
A green hot-springs valley cradled by peaks above Karakol.
Ala-Kul Lake
A turquoise glacial lake reached by a demanding high-pass trek.Gallery
Common questions
It runs 5 days, starting and ending in Karakol.
It's moderately paced, with 5 days trekking. Good general fitness is enough, and there is no technical climbing.
A mix over the trip: 3 nights at yurt camp, 1 night at tent camp.
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