Terskey Alatau, Tian Shan · Kyrgyzstan · 4–9 August 2026
Five passes and sixty-eight kilometres between the Jyrgalan valley and the hot springs at Altyn-Arashan — a group of ten walking, a Kyrgyz crew of guides and horsemen, and the duffels travelling ahead by horse the whole way.
Jyrgalan (≈2,260 m) to Altyn-Arashan (≈2,440 m). The red dots are the nights — tap one for the where and how high.
● camps · profile reconstructed from itinerary elevations and pass heights, not a GPS trace — see notes
Distances and ascents from the operator's route card. Hover a day to light its segment on the profile.
A two-hour drive from Karakol to a village at the head of the Jyrgalan valley, then the first walk: a steady climb beside the river to a camp on its bank, the water loud with snowmelt off the glacier upstream. Off the beaten track immediately, as promised.
9.2 km · +600 m · 4–5 hrs
Up and over the first pass into the Tyrgon Valley — a vast grassy expanse where herds roam free and their shepherds camp in yurts on the valley floor.
13.8 km · +630 m · 5–7 hrs
Fully self-sufficient now — guides, horsemen, pack animals, and nothing else. Camp at the base of the next day's climb, deep in country with no light pollution at all.
10 km · +700 m · 5–7 hrs
From the top of Bosuchuk a completely new set of mountains opened up. A shorter day on paper and it didn't feel like one — steep on both sides, a river crossing, then a sheltered camp at the bottom of the Ailanysh climb.
8 km · +530 m · 5–7 hrs
Up to a remote freshwater lake clean enough to drink from — we filled bottles straight out of it — then over the highest point of the route. The longest views of the trip from the top, and a descent to camp at the foot of the final pass.
13 km · +500 m · 6–7 hrs
The biggest day saved for last: 840 metres up over Ortok with a glacier in view, then a long knee-testing descent into the Altyn-Arashan valley — "Golden Spring" — where a nomad's yurt, natural hot springs, and purchasable beer were waiting in exactly that order of importance.
14 km · +840 m · 6–7 hrs
| Day | Date | Stage | Pass | Dist | Ascent | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 4 | Village → Jurgalan River camp | — | 9.2 km | +600 m | 4–5 |
| 2 | Aug 5 | → Tyrgon Valley | Jurgalan · 3,500 m | 13.8 km | +630 m | 5–7 |
| 3 | Aug 6 | → base of Bosuchuk | Tyrgon · 3,500 m | 10 km | +700 m | 5–7 |
| 4 | Aug 7 | → base of Ailanysh | Bosuchuk · 3,400 m | 8 km | +530 m | 5–7 |
| 5 | Aug 8 | Ailanysh Lake → base of Ortok | Ailanysh · 3,671 m | 13 km | +500 m | 6–7 |
| 6 | Aug 9 | → Altyn-Arashan | Ortok · 3,609 m | 14 km | +840 m | 6–7 |
Distances, ascents, and pass heights are from the operator's route card for this itinerary; the six-day total of 68 km agrees closely with the 43.3 miles recorded on a groupmate's Garmin over the same days. The elevation profile above is a reconstruction drawn through the known camp and pass elevations — it is honest about shape and height, but it is not a GPS trace, and the slopes between points are schematic.
The route is the eastern half of the full Ak-Suu Traverse, which continues from Altyn-Arashan over the Ala-Kul Pass (3,860 m+) to Jeti-Öguz — roughly 100 km and seven passes in all. That western half remains unhiked. For now.
With thanks to Kevin Williams — for the Garmin record that anchors these numbers, and for the inspiration to make this page.