Our own photo, taken on this route
The hot springs
Altyn Arashan means “golden spa”. Here is what is actually there, what it costs and which bath to use.
Book a seat · from $45The springs come out of the ground at around 40°C, mineral-heavy and slightly sulphurous, along the valley floor at 2 600 m. There is no single spa building — there are half a dozen bath houses, each belonging to a guesthouse, plus a few wild pools built out of rocks by the river.
The three kinds of bath
| Kind | Cost | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Wild pools by the river | Free | Rock-walled pools, variable temperature, no privacy, no changing room. Charming in summer, grim in rain. |
| Guesthouse bath house | ~250 som per person | A concrete or wooden room with a filled tub, indoors, door that closes. This is what most people mean by the hot springs, and it is what our day trip includes. |
| Private cabin, booked | $12 per person for an hour | The better bath houses, reserved for you alone for a set hour. Worth it if you are two people or if it is January. |
Not every pool here costs money: the wild springs on the riverbank, including the Swallow’s Nest, are free and a twenty-minute walk away. Where they are and how to reach them.
Practical
- Bring a swimsuit. Most bath houses are private enough that people do not bother, but the wild pools are not.
- Bring a towel. Guesthouses will sometimes lend one, and it will be a small one.
- Twenty minutes is plenty at 2 600 m. People get lightheaded and blame the water; it is the altitude.
- No card machines anywhere in the valley. Bring som.
- Do not go in with an open wound, and do not take a hot bath and then walk up towards Ala-Kul in the same hour.
Is the bath included in the transfer price?
No, and we would rather say so plainly than surprise you at the door. Our price is the vehicle, the driver and his waiting time; the bath is about 250 som per person, paid to whichever guesthouse you use. Nobody in the valley takes cards, so bring som. The wild pools by the river cost nothing at all.