Kyrgyz Republic Mountain view from Karakol gorge

The entire hiking area around Ala-Kul Lake is a paradise for hikers who enjoy tours lasting several days and are rewarded with a variety of nature and vegetation.

In Camp Karakol Gorge you can have a rest with a nice view into the valley with their huge mountains in the back.

At Karakol Gorge Camp, take a break in one of the yurt camps. After some refreshments, it's worth staying here for a while before exploring the area. Even if you are tired, you should play around with your telephoto lens and observe the play of light and shadow through the clouds.

You can start your route directly from Karakol national park entrance up towards Karakol Gorge. The way up is around 14km with an ascent of around 650m.

Alternatively, you can start a little further north and complete the first stage towards Altyn-Arashan before crossing the pass to Ala-Kol Lake on the second day and going down to Karakol gorge.

Due to the rapidly changing weather, you should have the right hiking/mountaineering equipment with you. On the hike itself, you can rent yurts to spend the night in the respective camps. You can also buy food there. There are also sources of drinking water that you can use free of charge.

Depending on the weather, the hike can be very challenging. You may encounter very muddy, steep paths, river crossings through suddenly raging rivers without bridge crossings (sometimes destroyed) or steep gravel paths up to the pass that are slippery due to rain. Be sure to take hiking poles with you!