Altyn-Arashan and the Ala-Kul Pass on Horseback

About the Altyn-Arashan and the Ala-Kul Pass on Horseback trek

The Arashan valley is the classic Karakol excursion and this is the way to do it without walking the whole thing. Day one rides up from Jolkolot through Aksu Leschoz to the Altyn-Arashan hot springs at around 2,700 m, with horsemanship instruction before you set off. Day two is the long one — seven to eight hours — riding toward Ala-Köl lake and then, and this is the part to plan for, leaving the horses at the base and hiking the final steep section to the Ala-Kul pass at 3,860 m for the view down onto the water. Day three rides back out. Both nights are in yurts and the hot springs are included, which is the real reward after day two. Get the names straight: Ala-Köl is the lake at about 3,500 m, Ala-Kul is the pass at 3,860 m above it, and the Keldike valley is the descent on the far side. One published operator page contradicts itself on this, giving both 3,860 m and 3,800 m for the same feature; 3,860 m is the figure corroborated elsewhere. If day two sounds like too much, there is a two-day Altyn-Arashan-only version rated soft, about 16 km of riding each way, running April to October — the gentlest option in the valley. Weather is the known hazard: cross the pass before noon, when storms are least likely. There is no reliable signal and no ATM on the trail, so carry som.