Hiking the Alay Mountains of Kyrgyzstan (Part 2)

On Tuesday, August 11, I published Part 1 of my experience hiking the Alay Mountains of Kyrgyzstan. If you haven’t read that post yet, I suggest you do to get caught up on the first four days on the trek before reading on to Day 5. 😉

Day 5

This was the first time during our trek when we had pancakes for breakfast, while we also had Ayran and another kind of porridge. My left leg felt a lot better than the prior day but going downhill was still a bit stressful. Meanwhile, the day started with our first yak spotting of the trek.

The landscapes from Day 5 were amongst the most beautiful we have seen on the trek.

Some slopes were covered with flowers.

This shot with the brown rocks and lush green hills is my favourite. Almost makes you think you were on another planet.

This dog accompanied us for part of our morning hike.

We stopped by this cave before arriving at a guesthouse in Kozhokelen village for lunch.

Here’s a view from the guesthouse where we had plov with egg and ham salad. We had an option to take showers there, but most of us chose not to since we did the day before.

After the guesthouse, we could either walk the next ten kilometres along a road or rent a vehicle. Since it was relatively cheap at 700 Som per person and we could use saving our legs for Day 6, most of us took the vehicle.

However, Braden and Zoe chose to walk up the road. Here’s a photo of them as we passed by.

We also passed by a horse tour who later called us cheaters.

After arriving at the yurt camp and having some tea, I took a short walk after which Daniel flagged me down to play some volleyball. Not sure if I would recommend playing it among the yurts, though.

Dinner was salad, melon, and a meat and vegetable dish. We were informed by Daniel that Day 6 would be the toughest despite Jitpik Pass being slightly lower than the Sary Mogul Pass at 4,185 metres. That night also saw our yurt become smoky due to a leaky stove.

Day 6

This breakfast was the first (and last) time it was a soup, but it was delicious with egg, beef, and vegetables. We then proceeded towards Jitpik Pass.

Helen used a horse to go up which she really enjoyed.

The scenery on this day wasn’t as great as with Day 5, but we saw this waterfall.

A short break part of the way up to the pass.

Some snow patches could be seen on the last part of the ascent. By this point, I was breathing heavily and my legs were starting to give up, but had gone too far and needed to press on. You could say Daniel wasn’t kidding about the toughest day remark.

Almost on top of the pass.

An obligatory selfie at the top with all six trekkers and both guides.

We then descended to this yurt for lunch consisting of noodle based plov.

We passed by this gate on our way to our overnight yurt camp.

This yurt camp we stayed at had a swinging chair. We got there shortly after 2 PM which was a lot earlier than expected. If there was one main complaint Helen and I had, it was the abundance of downtime after each daily hike. Probably should have brought a book (or two).

We had lagman for dinner, while we shared the camp with a horse-riding tour with three Australians and one Thai rider. Daniel informed us our Day 8 trek would be scrapped because the melting mountain glaciers rendered a bridge to Travellers Pass inaccessible.

That evening, Daniel also expressed some concern about the loss of Kyrgyz language and culture. Certain private schools teach Russian and English instead of Kyrgyz, while the yurts are increasingly oriented towards tourists as evident by those with white plastic tarps. He mentioned there could be a risk of overtourism within the next ten years; a problem which other countries have been experiencing to some extent.

Day 7

Breakfast was light including egg, tomato, cucumber, and porridge. I enjoyed the view of this mountain from our yurt camp before we left.

Today’s hike was an easy 11 kilometre walk back to Sary Mogul, while Helen and Danilo rode horses.

A large herd of sheep greeted us on the way.

Sary Mogul could now be seen in the distance.

Sary Mogul had a couple of these cute small mosques.

We had to walk along the road for the last part to the Sary Mogul guesthouse. Here’s a local bus stop.

After a short stay at the guesthouse for a shower, phone charging, and manti dumplings for lunch, we then continued to Tulpar Lake. Even though it’s about 25 kilometres from Sary Mogul, it took an hour and the road was very bumpy which doesn’t even show in Google Maps. Some parts are also tricky for two vehicles to pass.

Tulpar Lake has several large yurt camps including some eco lodges.

After being dropped off at Tulpar Lake, we then walked around the lake. Here’s a photo Danilo took of Helen and me.

Daniel and Simon were really into this volleyball game when we got back.

After dinner which was the first time we tasted yak – similar to beef but darker and different texture – we then watched the sunset for the only time of the trip. I took this panorama shot to show both the sunset and Lenin Peak.

A look back to the lake from the top of the hill.

Our yurt camp with the reddish hill in the background is in the middle of this photo.

Day 8

Since we couldn’t hike to Lenin Base Camp and Travellers Pass, we drove back to Osh after breakfast. Here’s one last view of Sary Mogul from the van.

On the way back, we pulled over to the lookout at Taldyk Pass which is 3,615 metres above sea level.

Going down Taldyk Pass required navigating a lot of switchbacks. Something which must be stressful for those truckers including many coming from nearby China via Sary Tash.

The Pamir Alay lookout has some cheesy features like this snow leopard and sign.

A couple of bikepackers had stopped by our van. They must have been brave going by those heavy trucks.

Daniel invited us to his family’s home for lunch which included this delicious homemade pizza along with ham and egg salad. We also had beshbarmak with horse meat which was very good.

After we returned to Osh and parted ways, it was time for some much-needed laundry and a shower. Zoe and Braden left Osh the next morning to continue their honeymoon, while we saw Leila on our flight back to Bishkek and had dinner with Danilo that evening in Bishkek.

Tour Verdict

Overall, I found this eight-day trek by Visit Alay to be excellent but certainly one that challenges your fitness. Our group was small enough to allow us to get to know each other a bit while Daniel and Simon were excellent guides. The yurts were comfortable and kept us dry, while the food served was delicious and plentiful. While it was unfortunate we couldn’t hike to Travellers Pass, this matter was beyond their control and it’s essential to ensure the safety of those doing the treks. I would certainly recommend Visit Alay to anyone visiting Kyrgyzstan, but would recommend bringing a book or two given the abundance of downtime. The cost of the trek was $800 USD per person.

Thanks Daniel and Simon for this unforgettable experience, as well as to Leila, Danilo, Zoe, and Braden for also being part of it. I wish my fellow trekkers the best of luck with their future travels. 😊