A complete guide to everything you need to know before doing the Ala-kul Lake trek: how to get there, hiking itineraries, the best yurts to stay in and visiting the Karakol Peak valley.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commision if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
- HIKE DURATION: 3 to 4 days. Most commonly done in 3 days.
- MAXIMUM ALTITUDE: 3,920m (12,860 ft)
- YURTS & WILD CAMPING: yes.
- TOTAL DISTANCE: route dependent. Anywhere between 42km and 55km point to point, not including detours/extra stops.
- BEST TIME: June and August.
- GUIDE: not mandatory.
In this blog post I will guide you through everything you need to know about the Ala-Kul trek before embarking on one of the best adventures you will do in all of Kyrgyzstan. I personally found it really difficult to find solid information online about the trek, where to stay other than the busiest/most popular yurt camps (not always the best) and accurate details about the main trail and detours to incredible view points that you can easily add into your itinerary if you know about it beforehand.
ala-kul lake
Ala-Kul Lake is the most brilliant turquoise alpine lake surrounded by rocky mountains, snow-capped peaks and breathtaking colors, situated in the Tian Shan mountains, specifically in the Terskey Alatau Range. And let me tell you, it is even more beautiful in reality than you see online. Not only is the lake as breathtaking of a landscape you can see on this Earth. But the mountains that surround it are out of this world.
What makes this trek to Ala-Kul lake so special is how the landscapes change so much from lush green alpine meadows, flowers decorating the trails and flowing rivers meandering through the valleys, to steep rocky slopes and cascading waterfalls, to the gorgeous turquoise lake with grassy fringes, butterflies, glaciers and giant snow mountains, to the dramatic colorful valleys and hot springs of Altyn-Arashan.
The Ala-Kul trek can be done as a multi-day trek in its own. Or as a part of the 6 to 9 day Ak-Suu traverse which spans from Jyrgalan to Jeti-Orguz or Karakol Gorge.
Ala-Kul Lake really is a mountain lover’s dream trek! You can watch my partner’s full youtube video below to gain a deeper insight into this epic adventure.
WATCH OUR FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE:
how to get tO THE START OF THE TREK from karakol TOWN:
Everyone doing the Ala-Kul trek will either start from the Karakol Valley side (more common) or the Altyn-Arashan side (less common). I will share both routes with all of the options below.
KARAKOL TOWN TO KARAKOL VALLEY SIDE:
- Take Marshrutka #101 from the city centre to the Karakol National Park gate. This is the most affordable option. But you will need to hike an extra 1.5 to 2 hours to get from the gate to the first bridge where most trekkers start from. It costs about 25 soms one way.
- A private taxi from Karakol town to the entrance of the park which can be anywhere between 150 and 300 soms depending on what the driver feels like charging you.
- The easiest but most expensive way to get all the way to the first bridge where most hikers start their trek from is with a 4×4/jeep. This can be arranged by your accommodation hosts when you arrive in Karakol. The cost for the vehicle is anywhere between 2000 and 3000 soms. It just depends on who you book the jeep through. The more people that share the jeep with you, the more affordable it will be as the total is shared between all of the passengers. You can also opt to just take a private jeep and pay the full amount.
WE STAYED IN SNOW LEOPARD HOSTEL IN KARAKOL. THEY HAVE AFFORDABLE DORM ROOMS AND MID-RANGE PRICED PRIVATE ROOMS.
KARAKOL TOWN TO ALTYN-ARASHAN SIDE:
- Take Marshrutka #350 from the Big Bazaar bus station to Ak-Suu Kurort. Just remember to ask the driver to drop you off at the Altyn-Arashan turn-off. From here you can walk the extra 1-2km to the start of the trek.
- Shared jeep from Karakol all the way to the start of the trek. The cost for the vehicle is around 3000 soms and can be shared with other passengers.
You have the same options at the end of your hike. If you don’t want to hike all the way back to the entrance gates of the park, you can arrange a shared jeep with a set time and date for them to pick you up at the end-point of your hike. Or you can finish your hike and see if there are any jeeps waiting around to fill seats. We did the latter and it actually didn’t work out so well because there were no jeeps with any space for us. We only found one person to share with. So it ended up costing us a lot to get back to Karakol.
HOW TO GET TO KARAKOL FROM BISHKEK:
The fastest way to get from Bishkek to Karakol is by a 40 minute flight. Flights depart from the Bishkek International Airport and land in Karakol International Airport. You can find the best prices with airlines like TezJet and Asman Airlines on Skyscanner. Prices can sometimes be as low as around $50 one way!
The most popular way to get there is with the Marshrutkas from the Bishkek Avtovokzal station. They depart from 6am every morning and wait until seats fill up before leaving. A seat is about 600 soms but the drivers like to charge more depending on how big your bag is. Do not let them take advantage of you as a tourist. It is important to stand your ground because the drivers in Kyrgyzstan are some of the most scammy I’ve ever encountered along my travels. The journey takes about 6 to 7 hours.
Another option is with a company called GoBus. These are larger coach buses that depart overnight or during the day time.
Lastly, you can also choose a private or shared taxi. This is the most expensive option as a private taxi can cost anywhere from $150 to over $200. It is so much cheaper to fly or take the bus. But I know some travelers love to do more of a road trip adventure with the freedom to stop along the way and appreciate the beauty of the countryside.
YOU CAN READ MY COMPLETE GUIDE ON EXPLORING BISHKEK HERE.
ENTRANCE FEES TO THE NATIONAL PARK:
For foreigners, it costs 300KGS to enter the Karakol National Park. You will pay this at the entrance of the park. Remember to keep your receipt handy for when you pass the second bridge as there is usually a ranger there to check that you’ve paid.
No special permits are required for the Ala-Kul trek.
If you are driving your own vehicle into the park it will cost an extra 50KGS.
If you have your own camping gear you will also pay an extra fee of 150KGS.
Please note that some rangers try to charge more for the car and tent fee. For example they might ask for 200 soms instead of 150 soms for the tent fee.
THE CLASSIC ALA-KUL ITINERARY
The classic Ala-Kul trek is a 3-day / 2-night itinerary. It is more strenuous with longer days of hiking. I personally found this itinerary to be too rushed for someone who loves to take their time in the views, take photos and not feel pressured to rush to the next camp with enough time to rest, eat and enjoy the nature. If you are on a tight schedule then the 3-day itinerary is great because you can still see everything and do it in this time-frame.
I will share the classic 3-day itinerary with you and also my own custom itinerary that my partner and I did according to what we wanted out of the trek.
DAY 1:
- Transfer from Karakol to Karakol National Park. If you are going with the shared jeep, you choose to be dropped off either at the first or the second bridge. Being dropped off at the first bridge adds an extra 10km to your day. The hike from the first bridge to the second bridge is pretty much straight with a few gradual inclines. It took us about 3 hours to reach the second bridge. It can take between 3 and 4 hours depending on your pace.
- Second bridge to Sirota Camp. A 3km ascent with 450m elevation gain which takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. This is a continuous steeper climb all the way to the yurt camps.
- Sleep at Sirota Camp.
DAY 2:
- Sirota Camp to Ala-Kul Lake (1000m elevation gain), over the Ala-Kul Pass (3,900m) and down to Altyn-Arashan (1,300m descent) – a total of 15km which takes around 9 to 10 hours.
- Soak in the hot springs at Altyn-Arashan.
DAY 3:
- Hike from Altyn-Arashan to Ak-Suu. A 17km hike downhill to the entrance at Ak-Suu.
- Jeep back to Karakol town.
Trekkers who start from the Altyn-Arashan side do it in reverse. From this side, it is more steep going up to the Ala-Kul Pass. You can sleep overnight at the Altyn-Arashan Camp or right below the pass at Keldlike Yurt camp. From there, you can make your way up the Ala-Kul Pass and sleep at the lake. On the last day you can descend all the way from the lake to the second bridge where you get the shared jeep back to Karakol.
There is also an option to take a horse from Altyn-Arashan to the start of the pass. Please make sure you choose an ethical and reputable company for this activity to ensure the horses are well taken care of and treated fairly.
our CUSTOM 4 day ala-kul itinerary WITH KARAKOL PEAK
We did the Ala-Kul trek quite differently to how everyone else does it. My partner and I tailored our trek to exactly what we love to experience. And honestly we had the absolute BEST time. We were able to spend as much time as we wanted in the most beautiful spots without feeling rushed or pressured to reach the next yurt camp in time. We basically did an in-and-out trek from Karakol Valley side over 4 days.
This is a map depiction from Alto Karakol (who we booked our yurt stays through) to give you an idea of our itinerary as explained below:
day 1:
- Hike from the first bridge to our first yurt stay – Karakol Gorge Camp (10km)
- We dropped our bags off, had a tea and then hiked to Karakol Peak. On the map I shared above it says 6km but we hiked about 8km into the valley to the best view point of Karakol Peak. You can walk even further than that all the way to the glacier if you wish. It is about 13km from Karakol Gorge Camp.
- Hike back from Karakol Peak to Karakol Gorge Camp, about 8km back.
- Sleep at Karakol Gorge Camp.
day 2:
- Hike from Karakol Gorge Camp across the second bridge up to the first view of Ala-Kul Lake (steep ascent of about 7km) and then to Alakol Camp (another 4km). You can walk down to Aziz Camp from the first view of the lake, then descend to the path that meanders around the lake to get to Alakol Camp.
- Sleep at Alakol Camp.
day 3:
- We woke up super early even before breakfast is served to hike up to the Ala-Kul Pass from Alakol Camp. You will see a path leading straight up the mountain from Alakol Camp. This is a very steep and strenuous hike up to the pass which is why we left early to avoid the intense heat of the sun. It took us about 1.5 hours to reach the top of the pass.
- From here you can see the valley that leads to Altyn-Arashan, the beautiful snow-capped mountains and the lake.
- We stayed up here for a couple of hours before descending back down to the lake and then to Alakol Camp.
- We spent the entire day just photographing the landscapes and enjoying the lake.
- Sleep again at Alakol Camp.
day 4:
- Hike from Alakol Camp all the way back down to the second bridge, 11km descent.
- Jeep back to Karakol.
PRO-TIP: you won’t believe me when I say that there are thousands of mosquitos and bugs down at the lake! Especially in the mornings and at sunset time. It can be so intense to deal with (as you can see on our YouTube video!). So I highly recommend to bring bug spray with you just in case.
KARAKOL PEAK VALLEY HIKE
Instead of going to Altyn-Arashan we decided to add Karakol Peak into our itinerary because of how epic it is!
When you reach the second bridge, you will continue straight passed the Karakol Gorge Camp through the lush green valley and alpine forests along the river and gradually ascend to the Karakol Peak view point. You can decide to stop at the view point or continue on for a few more kms to the actual glacier of the mountain.
Just a note: walking all the way from the first bridge to the view point or the glacier is an extremely long day of hiking. You should make sure you have enough time to get all the way there and back in time for dinner at your yurt camp.
The hike into the valley is absolutely breathtaking and very much worth adding into your itinerary! We actually didn’t meet many people along the trek who had done this. It ended up being one of the most beautiful places we saw in all of Kyrgyzstan. One moment you are making your way through fairytale meadows and the next you are greeted by a giant-looking 5,216m snow mountains in the middle of this magnificent green valley.
If you are excited to do the Karakol Peak hike, I do recommend staying at the Karakol Gorge Camp instead of at Sirota Camp because you will need to hike an additional 3km to Sirota after an already long day of hiking.
why our yurt camps were the best!!
I cannot even explain how grateful I am that we found Alto Karakol. They literally had the BEST yurt camps! Not only were they beautifully situated and comfortable. But you will pay the same price for a private yurt as you do for a shared yurt in camps like Sirota Camp. Most yurt camps are shared, meaning you will share with anywhere between 4 and 6 people. Larger yurts can be between 10 to 12 people.
For my partner and I, sharing a small sleeping space with a bunch of other people after long days of hiking wasn’t the vibe we were looking for. Alto Karakol offers private yurts for one or 2 people for the same price or cheaper than most other camps so it was a no-brainer for us.
KARAKOL GORGE CAMP:
Karakol Gorge Camp was so cozy! We loved our yurt and the common area where you eat your meals. All of the horses roam this area. You’re surrounded by the scenic forest landscape. And it is perfectly situated close to the second bridge and for those who want to do the Karakol Peak hike.
Also, they had such a yummy spread of snacks and treats for hikers to enjoy between meals!
ALAKOL CAMP:
Alakol Camp is by far the most amazing camp around Ala-kul lake. I was so surprised to see how many people choose to stay at the camps closer to the first view of the lake. Alakol Camp is only a few extra kilometers further around the lake towards the Takyr-Tor glacier.
The biggest difference between the camp sites at the start of the lake and the Alakol Camp is that from the first camp sites you only get a partial view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. From Alakol Camp, straight from your yurt tent, you have the most insanely breathtaking view of the giant snow mountain, the river flowing down from the glacier into the lake and the most stunning perspectives of the lake – especially in the mornings when the colorful reflections show up!
There is also a short hike you can do from Alakol Camp to the Takyr-Tor glacier. You can also immediately start ascending to the pass from Alakol Camp.
We absolutely loved their yurt tents and they also had comfortable mattresses and bedding for a good night’s sleep!
CAN YOU WILD CAMP WITH YOUR OWN GEAR?
Yes, you can absolutely wild camp with your own camping gear. Just remember that you will pay an extra 150 soms at the entrance of the park per tent. You are allowed to put up your tent anywhere along the lake or the open meadows. There is so much flat ground and grassy spots to pitch your tent comfortably and easily.
ALA-KUL TREK DIFFICULTY
When you look up the difficulty of this trek it says moderate to difficult. And honestly, even though there is no technical hiking involved with ropes or climbing, the steepness of the trails and the length of hiking per day makes it strenuous. I would agree that it is a moderate to difficult hike. Especially if you take into account the 3,920m Ala-Kul pass.
Both the ascents and descents are steep and can be slippery with loose rocks or uneven footing if it rains or snows. It is SO HELPFUL to have trekking poles to make your life easier. And to make your backpack as light as possible if you are carrying your own gear or even if you are just carrying your essentials and staying in yurt camps.
You can also make the distances per day shorter and preserve your energy for the entirety of the trek if you do it over 4 or 5 days instead of 3 days.
LEAVE EARLY!! I cannot stress this enough. During the peak summer season the sun is brutal. Walking up long steep paths in the heat of the sun is intense. And honestly just makes your hike more difficult. It was so much easier to go up the pass at around 5:30am because it is so much cooler and the sun isn’t tiring you out all the way up. I know this isn’t always possible because of breakfasts being served at specific times at the yurts. But if you can make it happen with a packed breakfast or some snacks for the morning then you will be happy you left early!
DO YOU NEED A GUIDE FOR THE TREK?
A guide is not mandatory for the Ala-Kul trek. You are allowed to hike the trails independently as long as you feel comfortable and confident in your hiking skills to hike without guidance. There are thousands of people who come to hike this route every season. You never have to feel like you are alone if you ever need help or there is an emergency.
The trails are also very clear to navigate independently. I highly recommend downloading Maps.me or Organic Maps to access the offline maps for the trails so you can be extra sure about navigating your route correctly.
If you have any concern about trekking in higher altitudes or you are navigating the trails outside of the peak summer season when trails are clear, then perhaps looking into having a guide will be a good option for you.
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GUIDE…
You can easily find a guide for the trek in Karakol at one of the local travel agencies. You can choose between paying a guide per day or having an all inclusive guided package.
Although we didn’t have a guide, we did book all of our yurt stays through Alto Karakol. They were so helpful and answered all of our questions about the trek and where to stay based on the itinerary we wanted to do. I highly recommend going through them if you want a guide, need yurts booked, food organized and any other information. You can easily visit their office at Alto in Karakol or contact them on Whatsapp through this number: +996 709 044 144.
Another option you can go through for a guide is Snow Leopard Hostel. So many trekkers choose to stay here and arrange their trek through the owners. Just a side note, this is one of the busiest hostels and it can be a bit chaotic mid-season time. I would personally recommend Alto as a first option because their yurts are awesome. But if you are staying at Snow Leopard then it is also convenient to have them organize everything for you as well.
RENTING YOUR OWN GEAR:
You can easily rent your own gear from the same places I mentioned above. Alto Karakol has everything you need and more! Renting your own gear and being self sufficient for the Ala-Kul Trek is much more affordable than staying in yurts and dining at the yurt camps. It just requires of you to make sure you have everything you need and carry your own gear for the entirety of the trek.
THE ALA-KUL TREK SHOULD BE AT THE TOP OF YOUR KYRGYZSTAN TRAVEL BUCKET LIST!
Now that I have covered the entire trek with you and shared some of my most beautiful captures of this region, I am sure you can understand why I say that the Ala-Kul trek should be at the top of your bucket list for Kyrgyzstan!
You can really experience one of the most beautiful parts of the Tian Shan mountain range here. Between the pretty flowers, alpine forests, crystal blue lake, snow-capped mountains and the breathtaking colors of these landscapes, this is really one of the most beautiful and rewarding hikes to do.
I also love that you can choose between independent hiking, wild camping, staying in traditional yurts and customizing your itinerary for the entire trek. That is quite unique as so many multi-day treks in higher altitude mountains involves having everything organized by guides and a team of porters carrying tents, kitchen equipment and all the necessities. Having yurt camps, facilities and kitchens along the route is amazing in that you don’t have to wild camp if you don’t want to. And if you are a wild camper then you still have that option!
Ala-Kul Lake is definitely one of the most beautiful nature destinations in all of Kyrgyzstan. Especially in the mornings when the lake reflects the surrounding mountains (you will see what I mean when you get there, it’s even more magical that my photography shows!). I am so excited for you to experience all the beauty that this trek has to offer you.
Let me know in the comments about your experience and whether this is also one of your favorite mountain destinations ever!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
HOW LONG IS THE TREK?
The trek can be anywhere between 3 and 4 days. Doing the trek in 3 days is more strenuous and covers more distance each day. But you can opt to do it in 4 days to have more time to enjoy every stop over and take your time each day.
WHAT IS THE HIGHEST ALTITUDE OF THE TREK?
The highest altitude on the Ala-Kul trek is 3,920m (12,860 ft) which is the Ala-Kul Pass.
IS IT SAFE TO SOLO TREK TO ALA-KUL LAKE?
Yes, hiking the Ala-Kul route is safe for solo trekkers. As long as you are confident in your hiking skills and stick to the designated trails, it is a safe hike to do on your own. There are hundreds of other trekkers on the paths, wild camping and staying in the yurt camps so you are never fully alone and can ask people around you for help if you need. The trails are also easy to navigate with signage to yurt camps that you can follow along the way.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.