Sary Chelek Trek

Manas airport - Bishkek

• Your driver will pick you up at your arrival at the Manas airport. Transfer to your hotel.

• Your guide will pick you up at 11H30 at the hotel lobby, to start exploring Kyrgyzstan’s beautiful nature. After a small one-hour hike in the valley of Chunkurchak, we settle for a delicious barbecue. You can enjoy your afternoon, relax in this calm environment, or continue your hike up to a waterfall.

Bishkek - Talas

• We leave the mountains towards the city of Talas, a town that used to be on the Silk Road. We go through the magnificent Suusamyr Valley and its many yurts. We can see herds of horses, cows and sheep in the background. As we go on, the road becomes steeper, with two passes to cross: Too Ashu (3400 m) and Otmek (3326 m). We arrive in the Talas Valley, and discover its birch forest and waterfalls.

• As we reach Talas, we visit the Manas Ordo complex, where you’ll be able to see the Manas mausoleum, in honor of Kyrgyzstan’s great hero.

Urmaral gorge - Koiondy

• Early in the morning, we take the road to the Urmaral Gorge, the beginning of our hike.

  After meeting the team that will accompany us on this journey and preparing our equipment, we get started and follow our guide along the Urmaral River. We’ll set our camp for the night at the juncture of the Chiym Tash and Shor-Alysh Rivers.

Koiondy - Chiym Tash

• We leave towards the Chym-Tash Pass (3615m), and we leave behind us the green colors of the meadow, now giving place to morain glaciers. We set our camp at the foot of the pass, and enjoy a good night’s rest under the stars.

  Elevation: 1000m

Chiym Tash - Kara-Kulja valley

• We walk on a rocky terrain, devoid of vegetation. The pass offers a breath-taking view on the Tian Shan summits, on the Kara-Kulja valley below us. We carefully go down in this direction. The descent is short but abrupt.

• After a nourishing breakfast, we leave to climb the Jety Sart Pass (3300mbefore going down in the valley of Kashka Suu . We walk through this alpine pasture to meet a few herds grazing here in the summer months. We cross a river, and set our camp for the night.

  Elevation: 800m

• A beautiful climb is planned for today. We leave the green meadow dotted with white and yellow flowers for a ground decorated with dark rocks. We climb up slowly. At the summit, we are welcomed with a triumphal view on the Kara Suu Valley. We find again a green landscape, nourished by a river. On the way, we’ll see a couple of riders. We set our camp close to the Kara Suu Lake.

  Elevation: 700m

• Today, we get to relax by the lake. We’ll go for a short hike near the Kara Suu alpine lake, nestled in the mountains at 2200m. We’ll be able to go for a swim.

Kara-Suu lake - Yiri-Kol

• We climb up the last pass in our adventure. The wooded path brings us to Koterme (2246m), from which we’ll be able to admire the surrounding lakes, including the Sary Chelek Lake. We go back down towards the Yiri Kol, at an altitude of 1800-2040m. We spend the night on the shores, after having enjoyed a swim in the lake.

Day 10

• We enjoy this free day around the lake. You’ll be able to explore the surroundings, or simply, to rest. You can also go horseback riding.

  At the end of the day, we’ll be transferred to the village of Arkit, where our hosts will be waiting for us.

Arkit village - Toktogoul Lake

• We take the road towards Toktogul, a large artificial lake of 284km2. The landscape is breath-taking, with mountains and cliffs of all colors. We go through the magnificent Low-Naryn gorge, and follow a river of the same name. The turquoise water only adds to the beauty of the scenery.

• Back in Bishkek, we visit the Osh Bazar, one of the most fascinating markets in Kyrgyzstan. Enjoy the colors and the smells coming from stands of dry fruits and spices. You can also buy a few traditional souvenirs to bring home.

• Walk on the Ala Too Square in the center of Bishkek. Meeting place for Bishkek’s youth, it comes alive every evening with families and friends who come here to relax. It’s also an important historical place, since it hosted several revolutions.