Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
up to Ala-Köl, and then over to Altyn-Arashan and Ak-Suu. There are some tough sections;
it's not for beginners!
Kyzyl-Suu¨to¨Altyn-Arashan,¨via¨the¨Jeti-Öghüz¨&¨Karakol¨Valleys
To hike from Kyzyl-Suu to Altyn-Arashan, via the Jeti-Öghüz and Karakol Valleys, you'll
need to set aside at leat six to eight nights. From Kyzyl-Suu head up the Chong-Kyzyl-Suu
Valley to the Jyluu-Suu hot springs or on to a camp site below the 3800m Archa-Tör Pass.
The next day cross the pass, head down the Asan Tukum Gorge into the Jeti-Öghüz Valley.
From here it's over the Teleti Pass to the Karakol Valley and to Ala-Köl, Altyn-Arashan and
Ak-Suu.
Extending¨Your¨Trek
You can combine any number of these parallel valleys to make as long a trek as you like.
You can also add on wonderful radial hikes up the valleys, for example from Altyn-Arashan
to Pik Palatka or up the Kul Tör Valley at the head of the Karakol Valley for views of Karakol
Peak (5218m).
There are also longer, more technical variations of these routes that should not be at-
tempted without a knowledgeable guide and some experience with glacier walking.
When¨to¨Go
The trekking season around Karakol normally runs from late June to early October. Augut
is a popular time for picking mushrooms; blackcurrants are in season in September. For
Altyn-Arashan only, you could go as early as May or as late as the end of October, but
nights drop below freezing then and the surrounding mountain passes are snowed over.
Weather is the region's bigget danger, with unexpected chilling torms, especially in
May, June, September and October. Streams are in lood in late May and early June; plan
crossings for early morning when levels are lowet.
Maps
The 1:100,000
South-East Issyk-Köl Lake Coast Trekking Map
is sold by the TIC (p263) in
Karakol and GeoID (p244) in Bishkek for 250som.
'Fifth Bridge' continuing several kilometres
into the heart of the Valley of Flowers. The
name is for a mass of poppies that turn the
local
jailoos
red in May.
4
¨Sleeping¨&¨Eating
From June to early September, a handful
of yurt camps appear in Kök-Jaiyk, includ-
ing one at the point where the access lane
first emerges onto the upland meadows, and
others around the fifth bridge in the valley
way below. There's also a small homestay-
guesthouse on the southwestern edge of
Jeti-Öghüz village. At Jeti-Öghüz Korort, the
modest but brand new
Kök¨Jaiyk¨House¨
Hotel
(Kachim Kulbayev 9, Jeti-öghüz Korort)
is
nearing completion opposite the dreary, but
well-located,
Sanatorium
(
%
039-469 7711;
Jeti-öghüz Korort; d/tr 784/1176som, lux 1060-
1590som)
, an almost comically stereotypical
Soviet affair where dinner is served school-
lunch style at 7pm precisely (100som) and
various 'treatments' include paraffin-wax
compresses, mud-electrocutions, sulphur
baths and a kind of blanket mummification
procedure (all cost around 100som).
There are two shops, one with a basic
cafe, near the sanatorium gates.
8
Getting¨There¨&¨Away
Public transport is very limited and not time-
tabled. Marshrutka 355 runs from Jeti-öghüz
Korort to Karakol around 9am, returning around
noon (40som, 30km, one hour). It sometimes
makes a second trip mid-afternoon.
Marshrutka 371 runs from Jeti-öghüz village to
Karakol several times daily (20som), though the
irst service rarely travels
from
Karakol before
11am. A shared/private taxi costs 30/200som
each way. Be aware that Jeti-öghüz village, while
pleasant and with a ine mountain backdrop, has
no sights per se and is 12km north of the Korort,
ie 5km south of the Karakol-Tamga main road.
Shared taxis between the village and Korort cost
30/120som per person/car. Out of season these
only run a few times daily. The village's minibus/
