Hiking Guide: Ak Suu Traverse: Days 5 + 6

Day 5: Ak Suu River Yurt Camp to Altyn Arashan

Distance: 19km

Ascent: approx. 950m

Time to walk: 9 hours inc. breaks

Well, I chose the mountain pass. I decided 18km back to the closest village was too far to walk on my own, and the next exit point on the other side of the pass was also a popular hub for day hiking and hikers doing the shorter Ala Kul Lake trek, so I’d be more likely to find a ride.

At first I thought I was doing really well on the pass. It was hard, and steep, but I was coping. It wasn’t until I got to the “top”, and then realised it actually was not the top at all and I still had another 300 metres to go. All up, the climb was only about 700 metres, but it was a tough and steep one.

By the time I reached the top of Bozuchuk Pass, I was in literal tears from the pain—every step of the climb had pushed me to my physical and mental limits. But the moment I stood at the summit, all 3,600 meters of effort seemed to fade. The views were absolutely breathtaking, stretching out over the Terskey Ala-Too mountains. Rugged, snow-dusted peaks towered in every direction, and below, the valleys I had just climbed through.

I pushed through the exhaustion and set my backpack down. I began to explore the pass, climbing over the boulder-strewn terrain to take in the views from different angles. Though my legs ached and my blisters were stinging, the views were enough to distract me!

On the way down, the weather started to turn, and by the time we reached the valley it was overcast and raining. It felt like a long walk through the valley to the next camp spot which was amongst the small touristy village of Altyn Arashan Valley, and we had to dodge a lot of cows.

Altyn Arashan village is where one end of the short 3-day Ala Kul Lake hike starts/ends, depending on your direction. The Ala Kul Lake is probably the most popular hike in Kyrgyzstan, so this village has year-round yurt camps and guesthouses, as well as hot springs set up for tourists.

We found a free-camping spot about 1km out of the village. It did mean I was going to have to backtrack for 15 minutes the next morning when I left, but it made it easier for Tim who had a huge next day ahead of him.

Day 6: Altyn Arashan to Karakol

Distance: 14km (walked 7km)

Time to walk: 3 hours

Taxi cost back from Ala Kul Village to Karakol: KGS 620/AUD$11/USD$7.15

Drive time: 20 minutes

For once, we actually managed to get up and pack up early - mostly due to how much warmer it was down in the valley, back at 2,600 metres, but also Tim had a challenging 1,300 metre climb to Ala Kul Lake.

Meanwhile, I walked back down the dirt road towards the village of Ala Kul. Originally I was hoping to get a taxi, as there were a few local taxis in the village, but they were extremely expensive - they quoted me KGS4,000 which is AUD$70.50/USD$46.40! I wasn’t that desperate to fork out that much money, so the dirt road it was. It was only 14km, and I was lucky and got picked up by a tour van half way so I only ended up walking a couple of hours.

I got back to Karakol by mid-afternoon, and went straight back to the Snow Leopard Hostel where I ordered a MASSIVE feast of sushi and fries to be delivered - and you best believe I ate every last bite!

Although my journey ended here, it was just temporary! Keep reading to discover the rest of the Ak Suu Traverse, after a few days of reset and recovery.