Song-Kul Horse Trek & Ala-Kul Hike - 7 Days

Today the riding asks a little more of you as the trail climbs toward Jalgyz-Karagai Pass at 3300 m. The effort pays off at the top, where Song-Kul opens out below in a wide sheet of blue ringed by summer pastures.

After the descent and lunch, you ride west along the shore, passing nomad camps and grazing herds. The night is spent at the Tuz-Ashuu pasture beside the lake, with nothing between you and the stars.

You retrace the high country over Tuz-Ashuu Pass and down to Kyzart Village, leaving the saddle behind after a final morning among the pastures. Lunch and a chance to freshen up follow at the homestay.

In the afternoon we drive to the southern shore of Issyk-Kul, threading through canyons and open hills as the great lake comes into view. The day ends at a guesthouse in Bokonbaev Village.

The morning brings an eagle hunter and his bird, a tradition still kept alive in these villages. From there we visit the Fairy-Tale Canyons, where wind and water have shaped the sandstone into strange, glowing forms, and stop in Tamga Village for lunch.

The afternoon takes in the Barskoon Waterfalls and the red rock ridges of Jety-Oguz Valley before we reach Karakol. A short tour of the town rounds off the day ahead of dinner.

A short transfer brings you to the trailhead in Karakol Gorge, where the trek begins. The path climbs gently through alpine forest, following the river, with a picnic by the water to break the walk.

Beyond the rest stop the trail steepens and turns rocky underfoot as you gain height. The day ends at the Sirota hut, the staging point for Ala-Kul, where you settle into a yurt for the night.

This is the big day, so we start early. A sandy path climbs steeply beside a rushing stream until the turquoise of Ala-Kul appears, held in a ring of snow-streaked peaks. It is a hard pull but an unforgettable reward.

From the lake the trail crosses Ala-Kul Pass at 3900 m, then drops through Keldike Gorge into the Altyn-Arashan Valley. A guesthouse and its natural hot springs wait at the end, the perfect place to ease tired legs.

A final walk down through river and forest brings you out at Ak-Suu Village, where the trekking ends. We drive on to Karakol for lunch before the long road home.

The route follows the northern shore of Issyk-Kul back toward the capital, with the lake at your side for much of the way. You reach Bishkek around 8 or 9 in the evening, the journey complete.