Our own photo, taken on this route
Walks straight from the valley
Ala-Kul is a full day and a real trek. Here is what you can walk from the valley itself in one to four hours, with no guide and no gear.
Book a seat · from $45| Walk | Round trip | Difficulty | What is there |
|---|---|---|---|
| The wild springs by the river | 40–60 minutes | easy | Free hot pools including the Swallow’s Nest. Details |
| Loop around the camp | ~45 minutes, 2.8 km | easy | The meadow, the river, the spruce, both walls of the gorge. Enough to stretch your legs after the drive |
| Up the valley | 1–4 hours, as far as you like | easy | Above the guesthouses the valley opens out and flattens — pleasant to walk and impossible to get lost in |
| To Palatka glacier | 5–6 hours per the guidebooks | moderate | The head of the valley under the Ak-Suu wall. Most people turn back earlier, and they are right to |
| To the Ala-Kul junction | half a day and up | moderate | The start of the trek climb up the side valley. The lake itself is 7–9 hours one way — that is not a walk |
Up the valley — the best walk if you have two hours
Above the guesthouses the valley widens and flattens: grass, streams, spruce along the sides, snow peaks ahead. You can walk exactly as far as you feel like and turn around at any point — there is one path and it follows the river. At the head of it stand Peak Palatka (5,052 m) and the Ak-Suu wall (5,022 m), and the view of them opens long before you get anywhere near.
To the glacier itself the guidebooks give five to six hours, with several streams crossed on stones along the way. That does not fit a day trip — you have four hours in the valley. For anyone staying the night, it is an excellent second day.
The Ala-Kul junction — honestly, what it is
A side valley climbs away from the main one, and that is the way to the Ala-Kul pass (3,890 m) and the lake. Walking to the bottom of that climb and having a look is fine. Walking to the lake and back in a day from Arashan is not: reports give 7–9 hours one way and rate it moderate to hard. If you want Ala-Kul, it is its own day and it is better with a night in the valley. How the trek logistics work.
What to wear and carry
- Ordinary trainers with a bit of grip. Hiking boots only matter if you are going for the glacier.
- A windproof layer: air moves down the valley along the river even when Karakol is hot.
- Water. There are springs, but not where you will want to drink.
- A hat and sun cream: at 2,500 m you burn quickly and without noticing.
What fits into the four hours of a day trip?
Comfortably: the wild springs plus a walk up the valley. Or a bath house plus the loop around the camp. Ala-Kul is nowhere near possible in that time.
Can I reach Ala-Kul from Arashan and get back in a day?
Realistically no. It is 7–9 hours one way over a 3,890 m pass. That is a proper trek and it needs an overnight.
Do I need hiking boots?
For the valley and the springs, no — trainers are fine. For the glacier or the pass, yes.
Are the trails marked?
Not properly, and they do not need to be: the main path runs along the river on the valley floor and there is nowhere to leave it.