Visiting Ala Kul Lake is the most popular three or four-day hike to complete from Karakol. In our detailed travel guide, we tell you everything you need to know to complete this hike, including the three and four days itineraries, where to sleep, where to get water, and what you can expect on the trail, and we provide you with valuable tips so you can enjoy your journey to the fullest.
The mesmerising beauty of the turquoise blue alpine lake nestled between the dramatic snow-capped peaks, in 3500 m, attracts hundreds of adventurers worldwide every summer. And no wonder the beauty of this place is truly stunning, and you will have the adventure of a lifetime by completing this hike.
This is one of the easiest hikes in terms of logistics, as it is pretty easy to get to and from the trail by public transport; there are yurt camps along the way, plenty of options to refill your water bottle, and the trail is easy to navigate.
Before you go, ensure you have proper travel insurance covering high-altitude trekking. In the Ala Kul Lake hike, you will go over the mountain pass at 3900 m altitude and not all travel insurance cover such altitude. One of the great insurance providers is IATI Insurance. They cover high-altitude trekking and the expenses related to Covid 19, and their customer service is very helpful. As a reader of Broken navigation, you get an exclusive 5% discount.
Get your 5% discount with IATI Insurance here.
Quick overview of the Ala Kul Hike
The hike starts from Karakol and ends in Ak Suu village. Both places are easily connected with Karakol by marshrutkas running frequently. It is the most popular hike from Karakol. Almost all hikers coming here will eventually hike this trek.
- Duration: 4 days/ 3 nights (could be 3 days/2 nights – see the itineraries below)
- Distance: 50 km
- Start: Karakol
- End: Ak-Suu village
- Highest Point: Ala Kul Pass, 3900 m
- Difficulty: medium/hard
- When: Mid-July – Mid-September
- Why go: Turquoise alpine lake, views of peaks in the area and glaciers, yurts, wild nature, hot springs
- Weather: Unpredictable weather high in the mountains; make sure you check the forecast before you go! It gets pretty cold at night so have warm clothes with you.
Why go?
The Ala Kul Lake hike is one of the best hikes you can do in Kyrgyzstan. It is very easy to organize everything yourself, even though you don’t have camping gear. The hike is very diverse, and we loved that every day is filled with a different kind of adventure and that nature is constantly changing. You will see the wast meadows on your first day; you can sleep in a yurt camp and have food there. Watching the sunset and sunrise over the Ala Kul Lake is the top experience, as well as crossing the Ala Kul pass in 3900 m, from where you get a jaw-dropping view of all the peaks in the area. Then you descend to the valley of nomads, with other yurt camps and horses and cows running freely. And you end this trail with a dip in a natural hot spring in Altyn Arashan. Convinced? We bet you are! The hike is not easy, it is a challenging trek, but it is totally worth your effort.
How many days should you go for
We strongly recommend you do this hike for 4 days/3 nights, as it’s the most enjoyable. Not only is it good for acclimatization I can’t imagine doing the hike in only three days. It would be too much rush without actually enjoying the moment.
If you are short on time and still want to do the hike in 3 days, there are ways to do so. You can skip the first or last day of the hike by arranging 4WD transport to/from the yurt camps. You can do so in Destination Karakol or CBT Karakol. They help you to book a car for you. It is not cheap as you pay for a car from 6000 som. We saw many people skip the first and last day of the hike by taking the transport. So they just climbed up to the lake, stayed overnight and then went down to Altyn Arashan hot springs, from where they had a car waiting to take them back to Karakol.
Below, we share itineraries for a 4 and 3 days hike so you can decide yourself.
Do you need a guide?
In our eyes, no. You don’t need a guide if you have at least two people in the group. The trek is very easy to navigate; make sure you have Maps.me, as the app has a perfectly marked trail. Or you can stop by Destination Karakol to buy a map for 300 som. They also answer all your questions about the hike and give you useful tips.
If you travel solo, we don’t recommend going alone to this, or any other challenging hike, at such an altitude. But don’t worry, Karakol is the awesome base to find a travel buddy! Many people go on the hike every day, so you can meet them in some hostel or the Destination Karakol office; there is a board where people write their name, contact and the date they want to go for a hike so you can join each other! Optionally, you can arrange there your private guide who will accompany you, and they also book all the accommodation for you so you don’t have to worry about the thing.
Can you do the hike without a camping gear?
Absolutely! You don’t need any camping gear with you. Yurt camps or tent camps are along the way, and in Altyn Arashan, there are plenty of guesthouses. For renting camping gear, get in touch with CBT Karakol.
Where to sleep & eat on the hike
Every day of the hike, you will encounter at least one possibility of accommodation. It is better to book it in advance, as it gets busy in summer. Your hostel can help you with that, or Destination Karakol and CBT.
If you sleep in yurts, dinner and breakfast are included, so bring some lunch and snacks. If you are camping alone, you must carry all your food yourself. Even though we are sure, they will cook for you if you ask in yurts. We bought all food in Karakol, as there is a big supermarket with everything you need.
How difficult is the Ala Kul Lake hike?
We believe if you walk at your own pace, everyone with a medium fitness level can complete the hike. Take it easy, have enough breaks, do it in 4 days for proper acclimatization and have nutritious food with you. But a certain level of fitness will be beneficial for the hike as especially day 2 and 3 gets challenging in altitude between 3500 m and 3900 m.
Is it safe to hike to Ala Kul Lake?
The hike was very safe; we didn’t hear about any dangers along the way and only had a great experience. Rockfall is a potential danger you can face along the way – the area between the beginning of the lake and the Ala Kul Pass has a warning about rockfalls in the area, so be extra careful.
INFO 2022: All bridges are repaired as of July 2022. All Yurt camps are open.
There is only a few small river crossing on day 3 of the hike. You either jump over the rocks or take your shoes off and cross them. It’s not a big deal. The biggest issue on the trail is altitude sickness. The signs are usually a headache, dizziness, difficulty with breathing thanks to thin air, and in the worst-case scenario, vomiting. To avoid these symptoms, the best thing you can do is to acclimatize properly – sleep in camp one the first night (see the itinerary below), drink enough water, eat sweets (raisins, snickers, chocolate etc.), have proper breaks on your way up and don’t push it too hard. If you still feel bad, the best you can do is to go down to a lower altitude. For example, if you feel bad when camping by the lake, you can hike a bit down where the waterfall is or try even lower to the areas below 3000 m. This could mean going back to camp Sirota, a couple of hours from Ala Kul lake. For potable water, be careful if you don’t have a water filter, as some streams are polluted from stock walking around, and the glacier river is generally dirty from ash.
What to bring with you to Ala Kul Hike
When going to the mountains, you should be prepared for the worst, which is no different in Ala Kul Lake Hike. The weather can get really bad in a matter of seconds, and the terrain is quite challenging since you ascend to 3900 m and then descend again. Make sure you are well dressed for potential rain and freezing weather – rain jacket, rain cover for bagpacks to keep everything inside dry, warm clothes – it gets cold up there, stove for cooking, warm sleeping bag and mat, a tent that can survive in the wind. Remember a water filter. Even though the mountain water seems clean, it is always better to filter it before drinking.
If you’re missing something from your gear, rent it in Destination Karakol.
A swimming suit is a must since, on day 3/4, you go through Altyn Arashan, where you can bathe in their indoor hot springs. Trekking poles get extremely helpful on this hike. And a map of the hike is a must – either an offline map on Maps.me or a paper map.
Before you go
- Check the weather forecast.
- Inform somebody about your exact plans.
- Prepare maps.
- Buy enough food.
- Download Maps.me.
- Book accommodation in advance.
Where to stay in Karakol before and after your hike
Budget I Snow Leopard – we stayed here and can only recommend this lovely place. It is a family-run business; you can safely store your bags here and get lots of information about the area. You can also have some delicious homemade meals, and there is everything a hiker needs – kitchen, laundry, spacious rooms with private bathrooms, and the pearl is…there is even a sauna! We also met other travellers here, so it is just a perfect place to be.
Budget I Duet Hostel – another backpacker place where travellers meet. Great place to relax and base yourself for the hikes in the area. You find the kitchen, laundry, luggage storage and a place to chill here.
Mid-range I Ordo Hotel – Beautiful place with clean and comfortable rooms, breakfast included and guests like the homemade breakfast from lovely owners. It is just a short walk from Karakol centre, and wifi works very well here.
Tip: Go on the hike as lightly as possible and leave your things in the hostel in Karakol. For this reason, it is important to find a safe place to stay where they will keep your things locked. We recommend you Snow Leopard Hostel, where we felt absolutely incredible.
Ala Kul Lake hike: Day-by-day itineraries
The Ala Kul Lake hike starts in Karakol and ends in Ak-Suu village. You can decide from which side you start, but we recommend you to start from Karakol Valley, as the hike this way is more enjoyable, and you also get the best views from this side. We decided to hike for 4 days/3 nights, and it was the best decision to have enough time to enjoy the views and not rush too much. We also carried our own camping gear and food and wild camped.
FOUR DAYS ITINERARY
Day 1: Hiking through the Karakol Valley
- Distance: 17 km
- Ascent: +625 m
- Descent: -15 m
- Approximate time: 4.5 hours
- Camp/facilities: Camp by the bridge – food, drinks, water, pit toilets
- Water sources: streams along the way, campsite by the bridge
- Food possibilities: in the yurt camp, own
Start early morning by taking Marshrutka 101 from Karakol (30 som), which drops you off by the entrance of the Nature Reserve in the Karakol Valley. First, you must buy an entry ticket for 250 som per person. Keep the receipt as the ranger will check it at the first campsite.
Important note: New scam is taking place when they ask you if you have a tent with you and want you to pay 650 som for it. This is a scam, and by any means, this is not true! To avoid unwanted push – tell them you are unsure if you will use it or sleep in a Yurt; therefore, you won’t pay for it now. In the evening of the first camp, the ranger, who probably cooperated with the entrance personnel, pretended he wanted to see the receipt for the tent. We pretended we didn’t understand, showed him our receipt that we got at the entrance, and then he just left.
From the entrance, the trail leads along the dirt road for 4 km until you reach the bridge over the river. This part of the trail is quite boring as you go along the road, but you can easily skip it by hitchhiking. It is not a frequent road, but few cars come that way. We didn’t even hitchhike and were offered a lift, which took us 2 km. After crossing the bridge, the best part of the day can start.
You go through the forest and lush green meadows, and after a couple of hours, you will reach the perfect area for lunch. The view of the valley opens up, the river is gushing wildly, and you see the snow-capped mountains in the distance. This is where we first get very excited about what will come. The first day is relatively easy compared to days two and three, but it isn’t flat terrain. You go most of the time slightly uphill with a bigger hill before the campsite. If this is your first hike after some time, you might find yourself quite tired after the 17 km walk.
You will likely reach the second bridge in the late afternoon, and it is the place where you should camp tonight. Even though you might be pumped to continue, don’t. After the bridge, the trail gets steep very quickly, and getting to another camp is a challenging 2 hours hike. It is better to stay and enjoy the surrounding nature and camping.
It is easy to recognize the area where to camp, as by the bridge, there is a tree with wooden signs. You can either camp on the flat land directly by the bridge. Or continue a few meters towards the valley, cross the river over the little bridge made of fallen trees and pitch your tent wherever you like. After you cross the river, you will have a yurt camp on your right, and you can use the pit toilets there.
Water sources for day one:
There are a few smaller streams along the way where you can refill your water bottle. And the main potable water resource is in the camping spot near the Yurt camp. Once you cross the bridge leading to the Yurt camp, turn right where the camping spot next to the yurt is. There you will see a clean river running from the mountains. You can refill your bottles there.
Day 2: From Karakol Valley to Ala Kul Lake
- Distance: 5.6 km
- Ascent: +1000 m
- Approximate time: 4.5 hours
- Camp/facilities: Sirota camp (water, food&drinks in nomad yurt), first lake camp (water from the lake, no facilities), second lake camp (food, tents, water, pit toilets).
- Water sources: Sirota camp, waterfall, lake
- Food possibilities: nomadic yurt by Sirota camp, second camp by the lake
Even though you will hike the least km of your four-day hike today, it doesn’t mean it is an easy day. You have to ascent 1000 m in a relatively short distance. Start the day by crossing the bridge. As of July 2022, there is a new bridge, so the crossing is safe. The old bridge got broken, and it wasn’t possible to use it anymore. Then turn right and follow the forest path, which soon turns into a steep uphill trail.
You hike for around 2 hours until you reach another small yurt camp, where you can have tea or even a beer as a nomadic family lives here in summer and sell some drinks and snacks to hikers. Continue 350 m further, and you will reach the camping spot with a log cabin called ,,Sirota”. A perfect place to have lunch and a little rest before you push for the most challenging part of the day. You can refill your water here. After our one-hour lunch break, we already felt slightly tired.
From now on, the hike gets more serious. First, you go over the rock fields, and sometimes it is unclear where the trail is, but the sure way is to be close to the river on your right. It will take roughly 2 – 2.5 hours of hiking on a loose gravel terrain until you reach the waterfall. Another perfect spot to take a small break. You already feel the air is thinner, and breathing is more difficult. But don’t give up! You are almost by the lake. The final stretch of the trail is the most difficult. The path is very steep and leads through gravel and slippery rocks. It can take around an hour, and you finally arrive and see the majestic Ala Kul Lake. We felt both happiness and relief that we finally reached the place for tonight. The first look at a lake left us speechless. What a beauty!
You can camp directly in the camping spots you see in front of you. There are walls built from rocks to protect your tent from the wind. We advise you to camp here if you have your own camping gear. The views over the lake and sunset are stunning, and it is also much quieter than in the other camp.
If you want to continue, follow the path on the left side of the lake. It takes 30 minutes to reach the Ak-Sai camp. It is on higher ground; you will find a dining tent and pit toilets here. If you need camping gear, this is another campsite you can book in advance, and they prepare for you tent with a sleeping bag and mat. And you can have dinner and breakfast here. This is not a yurt camp! But a regular tent camp.
Water sources for day 2:
You can refill your bottle in Sirota camp from the river. Then the trail leads by the river all the way almost to the waterfall with some easy spots to refill. Another water source is at the first campsite, where you can take water from the lake. In Ak-Sai camp you need to walk a bit further to reach the lake to refill the water as the camp is quite high.
Day 3: From Ala Kul Lake to Altyn Arashan
- Distance: 12.4 km
- Ascent: +390 m
- Descent: -1400 m
- Approximate time: 2 hours and 45 minutes from lake to summit, 4hours and 15 minutes from summit to Altyn Arashan. Total 7 hours
- Camp/facilities: Altyn Arashan (food, water, hot springs, toilets), camp 2.5 km before Altyn Arashan (water, no facilities)
- Water sources: lake, yurt camp, river crossing, streams along the way, Altyn Arashan
- Food possibilities: Yurt camp after descent from the lake, tea house 2.5km before Altyn Arashan, Altyn Arashan
This was our favourite day as it was packed with amazing views. Wake up early, as the day is long and challenging, and you also want to have enough time just to stop and admire the views. From the campsite, follow the steep trail on the left side of the lake. You will go through an area with frequent rockfalls, so be very careful and keep your eyes open.
You go mostly on slippery rocks and loose gravel terrain, which is the trail’s most challenging part. Take your time. It will take roughly 2 – 2.5 hours to reach the summit of Ala Kul pass in 3900 m. You will feel the attitude – the breathing is more difficult, and the air gets thinner. Ensure you drink enough water and eat some sweets to avoid headaches.
Once you reach the summit, enjoy it. Have a snack, sit down and watch the stunning peaks unfolding before you. You will feel like you are at the top of the world. Now the fun begins. The trail takes you quickly down. We can’t emphasize enough but this part is the most dangerous. The downhill path is very steep, so please be very careful. Use your trekking poles and go slowly. Every step sends rocks and gravel down the trail.
Once you overcome this passage, you will get to another yurt camp. The rest of the trail that leads to Altyn Arashan is downhill. You must cross the river, but the water level is not high. After you get down the hill, a beautiful valley opens up, and you will see a tea house, yurts and a house not far from the river. Here you need to cross another smaller river or find a bridge made from two fallen trees – we found it too slippery so we took our shoes off and crossed it a bit down the stream where the cars usually go.
After we crossed the river, we decided to camp there as we felt quite tired and wanted to enjoy the quietness of the last night. There is a place to do a bonfire and water to refill from the stream. If you don’t want to camp here, continue another 2.4 km to Altyn Arashan. Here you will have to walk slightly uphill but nothing too tricky. Then you can end the day in one of the inside hot springs. The price is 200 som.
Altyn Arashan is known for its sulfur springs; every guest house in the area has its own indoor bath. You can ask in the homes, and they will show you their hot tub. We personally like numbers 5 and 6 (by Elza’s guesthouse) the most.
Water sources for day 3:
Take plenty of water with you from camp in the morning. Then you can refill your water after you descend from the Ala Kul Pass, from the stream by the yurt camp. Another stream is where you cross the river and then again by the yurt house where we spend the night. To refill water in Altyn Arashan, it is best to ask in guesthouses as there is no clear stream nearby.
Day 4: From Altyn Arashan to Ak Suu village
- Distance: 15 km
- Ascent: +89 m
- Descent: -723 m
- Approximate time: 5 hours
- Camp/facilities: back to Karakol hostel
- Water: Altyn Arashan, streams along the way
- Food: Altyn Arashan
Today is the easiest hike as most of the trail is downhill or flat. Depending on where you slept the night before, you start the day either by walking or by hot springs in Altyn Arashan. It is a small village, where you can buy some small snacks. And also you can ask for transport to Ak-Suu, but it is not guaranteed you will find a car available. And in any case, the price is 6000 som ($70). Follow the trail out of the village, and roughly after 30 minutes of walking from Altyn Arashan, there is a free hot spring down the road on your left. It is not hot, with around 20 degrees, but it is an excellent stop to relax before walking to Ak Suu.
Today’s hike was a surprise for us as we didn’t expect a lot, but the nature around the trail was just stunning. You go the whole day along the dirt road for 4×4 cars, through the green meadows, along the river and rocks. It’s a pleasant walk which takes roughly 6 hours until you reach Ak Suu village, from where you can take Marshrutka 350 back to Karakol. It costs 30 som and runs every day between 6am and 6pm. If you miss Marshrutka, occasional taxis are going by. It is only 12 km from Karakol.
Water sources for day 4
You can ask for a water refill in guesthouses in Altyn Arashan. Or there are some streams along the way. We advise you to refill your bottle anytime you see a water stream.
THREE DAYS ITINERARY
The three-day itinerary for Ala Kul Lake is suitable only for people with good fitness level and experienced hikers. You will have to hike fast, and the distances are big.
Day 1: From Karakol Valley to Sirota Camp
Follow the same trail as on day one of 4 days itinerary above. But instead of camping by the bridge, cross it and keep going for another 2 hours to the steep hill until you reach Sirota Camp, where you stay overnight. See the beginning of day two for more details.
Day 2: From Sirota Camp to Altyn Arashan
The most challenging day of your hike since you need to ascent to Ala Kul Pass in 3900 m and then descent the steep trail down through the valley that reaches Altyn Arashan. For more details, read above the description of day 3. Start this day very early, as you need enough time to hike safely through some challenging parts of this day. End the day in Altyn Arashan village, and if you still have enough time, you can jump in one of the indoor hot springs.
Day 3: From Altyn Arashan to Ak Suu village
Follow the details of day 4 in the itinerary above. Easy day, mostly downhill. Follow the trail until you reach the bus stop in Ak Suu village, from where marshrutkas number 350 runs to Karakol between 6am to 6pm.
We hope you find this post helpful, and feel free to comment below if you need to know something else that will make your hike to Ala Kul Lake easier.
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