Hiking Guide: Ak Suu Traverse - Intro

The Ak Suu Traverse is a challenging multi-day hike through Kyrgyzstan’s stunning mountains, offering dramatic passes, turquoise lakes like Ala Kul, and rugged alpine landscapes. Perfect for seasoned hikers, this unforgettable outdoor adventure showcases the best of Central Asia’s wilderness.

This is hands down the hardest hike I have done to date. Multiple mountain passes, high altitude, and in parts slippery terrain made it extremely challenging - and but the scenery made it entirely worth the struggle.

We hiked the Ak Suu Traverse in Kyrgyzstan in mid-September, which is the tail end of summer. Due to the end of the season, all the yurts normally dotted along the trail for hikers to stay in had been taken down. This meant we had to be fully self-sufficient and bring our own tent/sleeping bag, and food for the 11-day hike.

We had originally planned to set off on this hike a week earlier, however I fell sick with the flu (or COVID) and I was stuck indoors for my first week in Karakol - a small town near the starting point of the hike. I still had a lingering cough by the time we set off, unfortunately this meant my strength wasn’t back to 100% so I decided to do the hike in two parts. Luckily there are a few exit points for this hike if you don’t want to hike the entire trail in one go, so I decided to finish at the halfway point - Ala Kul.

This point of the trail was the first civilisation we saw in days, and a good point to break the journey up. Given my lingering sickness and the multitude of blisters my feet managed to produce I decided to go from here back to our hostel in Karakol, whilst Tim finished the trek. Luckily, Tim is a much happier person in the mountains than anywhere else, so he was keen to do the second half of the trek again with me once I had recovered.

Over the next few posts, I will break down our itinerary, and share our adventures!

Fast Facts:

• Location: Eastern Kyrgyzstan, connecting the villages of Jyrgalan and Jeti-Ögüz.

• Distance: Approximately 100–110 kilometers (62–68 miles), depending on the exact route.

• Duration: Typically 9–12 days, depending on pace and acclimatization.

• Difficulty: Very challenging, with high passes exceeding 4,000 meters, steep ascents/descents.

• Highlights: Panoramic mountain vistas, wildflower-filled meadows, alpine lakes, and glacial valleys.

• Best Season: July to mid-September, when snow has cleared from the high passes.

• Permits: None required at time of writing (November 2024).

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Day 0 - Karakol to Jyrgalan

We didn’t start off the trek that well. We arrived at the bus station at 9:40 AM, expecting a 10:00 AM bus, only to find out there wasn’t one and we had been told the wrong information. The next bus wasn’t until 1:30 PM.

Instead of waiting around, we shelled out for a taxi to take us to Jyrgalan, which cost us KGS1,850 (AUD$32.25/USD$21.45). The drive was 1.5 hours, so we thought despite it being about 18x more than the bus cost, it was still good value for money. A drive that distance would be a lot more expensive in other parts of the world, plus it was a lot more comfortable!

Jyrgalan is a tiny village with next to nothing apart from locals homes and guesthouses there. On Google Maps it said there was a restaurant, “Peak Restaurant”, however this was closed when we arrived hungry - likely due to it entering into the low season.

Initially we had planned to start the hike that day, but it was already midday and I still didn’t have much energy after being sick (see photo of me waiting for the bus below as proof!).

We made our way to the “Destination Jyrgalan Valley” tourism office to ask about trail conditions, and they happened to have a guesthouse attached that served dinner and breakfast/ We decided to spend the night there and start the trail (hopefully) fresh in the morning.