Please note that the southern border territories of Kyrgyzstan are experiencing increasingly volatile domnstrative unrest; though generally a safe country, travellers are advised to check the foreign office website before travelling to these areas.
It is an intimidating prospect for many westerners to visit one of the ‘Stans which once fell under the umbrella of the USSR and are now in varying states of decay or disfunction. Kyrgyzstan, however – along with neighbouring Kazakhstan – is a wonder, in virtually every way. It is a country which many westerners would forget about if not reminded, and even then would give it little consideration. But in terms of the outdoors, this place is utterly extraordinary, located along the same magical shifting ground between desert and high mountain occupied by areas such as Tibet, Pakistan and Mongolia.
It is also probably the easiest of these to access, and has a fledgling tourist industry which is opening doors to travellers who want a truly adventurous, relatively virgin territory to explore.
The biggest lure is the mountains. Along with Tajikstan (heard of that?) Kyrgyzstan has the highest mountains in the world outside of the true Himalayas, and is an ideal country to take a high mountain trek away from most of the paraphernalia of commercialisation. That said, go with an operator to Kyrgyzstan and you are sure to get a lot of bang for your buck. One of the most popular mountaineering treks in the area is an ascent of Lenin Peak, properly Ibn Sina Peak (7,134m) – on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikstan and the second highest mountain in the Trans-Alay mountains. It’s considered one of the easiest 7,000m peaks in the world - and is certainly a quirky one. An ascent of this huge mountain is not particularly technical but is highly serious, about equivalent in technical grade to Mont Blanc, but involving all the ingredients of a high altitude climb: glacial traverses, rocky ridges equipped with fixed ropes and a series of camps ascending the mountain. The expedition typically takes around 21 days, offered by operators such as Mountain Tracks (www.mountain-tracks.co.uk) for around £3K all-in.
Other outdoor distractions in Kyrgyzstan include the National Park Ala-Archa, which ranks very highly on any visitors to-do list, and it’s elementary why: a mere 40 miles from the capital of Bishkek, the national park is a paradise of parallel canyons, mountains, glaciers and lakes with something for every travellers whim. The park varies in altitude from 1,500m to 4,895m – over the height of Mont Blanc – over its 200 square kilometre area, offering some 50 mountain peaks and spellbinding natural features such as the Adygene gorge, and the (admittedly very slim) chance of spotting the ferociously rare Snow Leopard.
Kyrgyzstan is also home to the highest portion of the famous mountain massif of Tien Shan, which straddles the confluence of several countries including China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and India.
The highest peak in the Tian Shan is the Jengish Chokusu, or Victory Peak, which at 7,439 metres (24,406 ft), is also the highest point in Kyrgyzstan – though it is shared with China. The Tian Shan's second highest peak, Khan Tengri, (7,010m) straddles the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border. It is though that these are the two most northerly peaks over 7,000 m in the world.
For something a bit more modest while you are this eastern area of Kyrgyzstan, head for Lake Issyk. This is the second largest saline lake in the world (after the Caspian Sea) and from its sandy southern beaches, the views of the Tien Shan mountains are ethereally jaw-dropping. It’s often aesthetically compared to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, which is the only mountain lake in the world bigger in terms of volume. There are superb treks of varying grades around the Issyk Kul region, where your ideal base would be the city of Karakol. Highlights include the Terskey Ala-Too region, which is a prime destination for trekkers, who link destinations of interest by ‘pass hopping’, include the alpine lake of Ala-Kol, the Archa-Ter pass, the Altyn-Arashan canyon and the summit of the Terskey Ala-Too range, Karakol Peak (5,181m) which is home to absolutely huge amounts of ice and snow. Treks lasting weeks can be strung together in this region, spanning forests, canyons, moraines and riverside camps. Also here is the Kyrgyzstan portion of the famous Silk Road, an ancient trading route between Europe and Asia. The main attraction of the route in Kyrgyzstan is the alpine scenery of the Kyrgyz Altau, as well as the Tien Shan range and Issyk-Kul lake. The difficult but wonderful journey between Bishek and Kashgar (China) via the Torugart Pass is also popular with trekkers.