Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(park gate) where entry fees for the
Ala-
Archa¨state¨nature¨park
(foreigner/motorist
80/120som)
are payable. Another 12km be-
yond, the sealed road ends at the main trail-
head known as the
alplager
.
GeoID's (p244) 1:50,000 topographic map
Prirodnyy Park Ala-Archa
covers the area
should you wish to go off-trail. Alpine Fund
has an online
climbing¨guide
(http:alpinefund.
org/Ala-Archa%20guide.html)
.
waterfall (frozen November to May) to ad-
mire at around the half-way point to Ratsek.
For mountaineers, Ratsek is used as the
base camp for a series of acclimatisation
peaks, notably Korona (4860m) and Uchit-
yel (4572m). There are also two unmanned
first-come, first-served cabins closer to the
glaciers. Ornithologists have reported spot-
ting Alpine Accentors (Prunela Colaris) here.
Ratsek Hut, aka
Ak-Say¨Mountain¨Lodge
(Ratsek Hut;
%
bookings via Yaroslav 070-179 9931;
dm/camping 500/150som;
h
late-Jun-Sep)
, has
two 14-space bunk rooms (the upper one
feels less claustrophobic), and a six-space
'private' room. But don't assume there'll be
mattresses or blankets. You'll need your own
mat, sleeping bag, food and light as there's
no electricity. A caretaker can usually heat
up the
banya
(for a whopping 3500som),
rent you a saucepan, and sell you firewood,
but bring your own food. Left luggage for
climbers costs 100som per day.
ALPLAGER
АЛЬПЛАГЕРЬ
ELEV 2100M
Ala-Archa's trailhead is a seasonal gaggle
of yurts selling
kymys
(fermented mare's
milk), plus a pair of small hotels. The river
divides 300m north of here where two
idyllic Alpine valleys converge. Relatively
well-marked trails lead walkers up both
branches - left to the initially steep Ratsek
hike, right through the main Ala-Archa
Canyon. The area gets relatively busy on
summer weekends but can be altogether
deserted from October to May.
Recently renovated the small but conspic-
uous five-level A-frame
Ala-Archa¨Lodge
(
%
055-155 1024; Alplager; d/ste 2500/4000som)
has hotel-quality rooms, albeit with al-
ready new bathrooms. Of the four 2500som
rooms, two are spacious doubles, while the
others are rather tight singles. Room 3 is the
best deal.
Alp-Lager¨Hotel
(Ala-Archa; d with/without
bathroom 2000/500som)
has simple, musty
old Soviet-era rooms but the beds do have
clean sheets. 'Toilet' outside.
MAIN CANYON
Forking right where the river valley divides
just above the
alplager
offers an initially
clear, easy route up the main Ala-Archa Can-
yon past a couple of yurts. The way is pretty,
but the second bridge has now degraded to
little more than a single precarious plank
that is not for the faint-hearted.
ADYGENE VALLEY
From the
alplager
, backtrack around 300m
towards Bishkek and cross a footbridge and
you should find yourself heading southwest
up the Adygene Valley (you may need to ask
for a little help to find the start of the trail).
Along this way is a poignant climbers' cem-
etery in a larch grove. The track continues
for about 7km to 3300m, below Adygene
Glacier. Where the track divides it's best to
keep left - you can return by looping back
the other way, but if you fork right, the way
is harder to find outbound and involves a
scramble across a landslide at one point.
RATSEK HIKE
Where the river valley divides 300m north of
the
alplager
, the left branch of the trail leads
you in four to five glorious hours to a glacier
viewpoint. The viewpoint is just 200m up a
minor ridge above the isolated 'Ratsek' hut
(3370m), which is set in a little handkerchief
of meadow surrounded by rocky spires with
Patagonian ambitions.
In dry summer conditions it's a strenu-
ous but straight-forward day hike to Ratsek.
However, snow can fall in almost any month
and wet conditions can leave a few steep sec-
tions seriously muddy, and high water can
make the two stream crossings virtually im-
passable. Check conditions with returning
hikers. Even if you don't make it all the way
to Ratsek hut, there are marvellous alpine
views from the 'split-rock' viewpoint just
40 minutes' climb from
alplager
(well be-
fore the first stream crossing), and there's a
8
Getting¨There¨&¨Away
If you're taking a taxi, be sure to clarify that the
agreed price is to the
alplager
(typically 500som
one way) rather than the Ala-Archa park gate
(
vorota zapovednika gate
, 250som). Otherwise
you'll need to hitch the last 12km or pay a very
considerable supplement. Especially of season,
it might be worth arranging a pickup to take you
back again. Bargaining might be necessary as
some drivers ask a whopping US$40 return,
especially when ordered through hotels. You can
