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Ak-Suu Traverse: a still from my film

Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan · June 2025 · Solo

Ak-Suu Traverse

68.2 KM · 4 DAYS · 4,315 M

4 days through the Tian Shan in Kyrgyzstan.

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At a glance

Where
Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan
Distance
68.2 km (42.4 miles)
Days
4 hiking days, 3 nights (2 wild camps, 1 night in my tent inside a yurt frame at a yurt camp)
Climbing
About 14,150 ft (4,315 m) up, 13,000 ft (3,960 m) down
Season
Mid-June to September; the Ala-Kul pass is most reliably free of snow from about mid-July to mid-September
Difficulty
Moderate to challenging: high passes, snowmelt streams, daily storms and no marked trail over most of it
Route
The dirt road up the Boz-Uchuk valley to The bridge over the Karakol River at the end of the jeep road
When I went
June 10 to 13, 2025, solo, in early summer at the tail end of snowmelt
Relief map of the Ak-Suu Traverse route: 4 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Boz-Uchuk valley, Karakol valley, Ala-Kul and Ala-Kul Pass.
Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Highest 12,810 ft (3,906 m)

Elevation, start to finish: highest 12,810 ft (3,906 m), lowest 7,080 ft (2,157 m).

My GPS recording on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts. The GPX files come with the guide.

Everything I made about it

The films

Photos

  • The river winding down the Boz-Uchuk valley on Day 1, from the air.
    The river winding down the Boz-Uchuk valley on Day 1, from the air.
  • First light on the ridge up to the first pass, Day 2.
    First light on the ridge up to the first pass, Day 2.
  • The treeless valley below the Anyrtor pass on Day 3, from the air.
    The treeless valley below the Anyrtor pass on Day 3, from the air.
  • Ala-Kul from above the pass on Day 4.
    Ala-Kul from above the pass on Day 4.
Me at the top of the Ala-Kul pass on the last morning, June 13, 2025.
Me at the top of the Ala-Kul pass on the last morning, June 13, 2025.

The guide · 61-page PDF + GPX files · 2027 season edition

Do it yourself

4 days through the Tian Shan in Kyrgyzstan.

  • All four days
  • Straight answers
  • Getting there and back
  • Passes, streams and camps
  • Yurt camps and villages

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Look inside the guide

Free sample

Try Day 3 free

The whole Day 3, Anyrtor pass, Altyn-Arashan and the Arashan valley page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each, and this route's own list on top. Both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

Gear on this trip

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What I carried in 2025

Filming kit

Music in this films

All music

What I'd take now

My current kit

Everything I use, in Tools

Asia bundle

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Short answers

How many days does the Ak-Suu Traverse take?
I walked it in 4 days with 3 nights out, 42.4 miles on my GPS. My whole trip, from landing in Bishkek to leaving Karakol, took a week.
When is the best time to hike the Ak-Suu Traverse?
Local operators run this area from about mid-June to September, and the Ala-Kul pass is most reliably free of snow from about mid-July to mid-September. I went June 10 to 13, 2025, when every pass still had snow.
Where do you sleep on the Ak-Suu Traverse?
I carried a tent and wild camped two nights next to water. On the third night I pitched my tent inside a yurt frame at a yurt camp. Most yurt camps I passed would feed you and give you a bed for cash.
Do I need a permit for the Ak-Suu Traverse?
No trekking or border permit is needed for these valleys. Foreigners pay a Karakol National Park entry fee, 250 som per person according to local sources in 2025 and 2026, plus a small tent fee if you camp in the park.
How do you get to the start of the Ak-Suu Traverse?
Get to Karakol from Bishkek by private driver (about $75 for me), minibus or flight. There's no public transport up the Boz-Uchuk valley road, so take a private taxi or 4x4. At the end, a jeep took me out of the Karakol valley for $100.

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