Hiking Guide: Ak Suu Traverse: Know Before You Go
HIKING
Should I hike the Ak Suu Traverse?
The Ak Suu Traverse should not be underestimated - it is a difficult hike, with multiple mountain passes with the added challenges of the altitude - but it is one of the most incredible hikes in the world, from what I have seen so far!
The scenery was incredible, and coupled up with the fact we didn’t see anyone for days on end, it felt like we had stumbled upon this magical peace of undiscovered land. We likely would have not had this experience if we had hiked even a week earlier in September - they had only just taken the yurts down and stopped guided tours a few days before we set off mid-September.
Would I recommend this hike? Absolutely, but only if you have a lot of experience hiking - especially if hiking unguided. AllTrails was very helpful, but the trail itself can be hard to navigate in some points.
Cost
All up, we spent (per person):
Taxi (Karakol to Jyrgalan): KGS1,850/AUD$32.25/USD$21.45
Taxi (Jeti-Oguz to Karakol): KGS 2,000/AUD$35.25/USD$23.20 inc. tip
National Park Entry: KGS 500/AUD$8.85/USD$5.75
note: we did not have to pay this fee in off season
OPTIONAL: Accommodation Jyrgalan(one night, inc. dinner + breakfast): KGS 5,000/AUD$88.00/USD$58.00
When to Go:
The best time to go is during the summer season that commences mid-June, and finishes in early-September. We hiked the trail in mid-September, but needed to be fully self-sufficient as the yurts were closed for the season.
The temperatures varied a lot from day to night, and from low altitude to high altitude:
Daytime:
Lower altitudes (valleys): 8–20°C
Higher altitudes (above 3,000m): 4–14°C
Nighttime:
Lower altitudes: 0–5°C
Higher altitudes and passes: -5 to -15°C
We faced everything from sun, rain, hail, snow and thunderstorms at this time of year, so we needed to be prepared for anything and everything!
What to Pack:
Given we hiked the Ak Suu Traverse by ourselves, we needed to pack everything to be self-sufficient for 11 days. The temperatures also ranged greatly, so we needed to factor this in as well.
If you are hiking the trail during the peak season, you will have the option of buying some of your meals at yurts along the way or even ditch the tent and sleeping bags and stay in the yurts.
Check out my list below of everything I packed:
Getting There and Back
The easiest and most common place to start the Ak Suu Traverse hike is Karakol - a small town located about 400km from Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek.
We travelled from Bishkek to Karakol via goBUS, and tickets were only KGS 500/AUD$8.85/USD$5.75. On the way back we opted for a private vehicle so we could stop at the Fairy Tale Canyon, another one of Kyrgyzstan's amazing sites.
From Karakol to the trail head, Yandex (the equivalent of Uber) or the local bus (Marshuka) are your best options. We opted for a Yandex as the Marshuka only leaves a couple of times a day, and we got the timings wrong! It was good to have the extra space with our bags however, as the bus can be very crowded.
On the way back from the trail, we had cell signal when we neared the end, so we ordered a Yandex to collect us.
You can learn more about our travel to Karakol in my Karakol post here!
Final Tips
Backpacking food can be hard to find in Karakol, so if possible, bring some dehydrated meals from your home country. We hadn't done this, so we got creative with our pasta combinations!
We also picked up a couple of sachets of meat from a small camping shop in Bishkek. They weren't enough to eat as a meal on their own, but they were a great additional to our meals for extra iron and protein. The shop was called XXX and they only cost a few dollars each.
Cell signal was non-existant on the trail, so we downloaded the map on AllTrails before we left. Although there was no signage, the trail was pretty easy to follow.
Water is easily found along the trail, you can refill your bottles at any of the multiple streams you will pass each day. Note however that you will need to use a LifeStraw (or similar) and/or water purification tablets, as the water is not safe to drink.
Don't forget to reapply sunblock through the day - even though the temperatures are relatively low the sun is strong when you are so high up!
Read my blog post on Karakol (link below) to plan help plan your stay here!
