Trekking en Patagonie asiatique

On arrival at Manas International Airport, your guide and driver meet you and transfer you to Bishkek (about 30 km, 45 minutes). Check in at the hotel (early check-in is included) and rest. Afterwards, visit the famous Osh Bazaar, the liveliest market in the city and a good place to buy handmade souvenirs and dried fruits. Then a walking tour of the city center around Ala-Too Square and its Soviet legacy: the Manas Monument, the State Flag with the changing of the guard of honor, the monument to the 2010 revolution and the White House, the Lenin statue and the old Ala-Too Square, Oak Park with its open-air sculpture gallery and the Kurmanjan Datka monument. The tour ends at Victory Square, dedicated to the Second World War. Lunch and dinner at a local café. Overnight at a hotel in Bishkek (800 m).

Bishkek, Osh Bazaar (Bishkek), Ala Too Square, Bishkek Oak Park, Bishkek Victory Square

Au cours de la nuit : Bishkek (Hôtel)

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, transfer to Manas International Airport for the domestic flight to Osh. In the southern capital, meet your trekking guide and drive to the village of Uzgurush in Batken, the youngest region of Kyrgyzstan, with small villages and orchards of peaches, apricots, apples and cherries. Lunch at a local teahouse in Batken; on the way you also pass the Tortkul Reservoir, built in 1971. In Uzgurush you stay with a local Kyrgyz family and prepare for the trek. Dinner and overnight. Please note: pack your belongings (up to 12 kg per person; extra weight is charged) into the special trek bag provided by us and hand it to the horseman in the morning. The horses carry the luggage from camp to camp, and you collect it at the end of each trekking day. Homestay altitude 1,450 m. Drive about 340 km, 7–8 hours.

Osh, Batken, Uzgurush

• Bishkek → Osh
• Osh → Uzgurush (340 km)

Au cours de la nuit : Uzgurush (Homestay)

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, hand your luggage to the horseman and start the trekking day with a walk south through the village. Beyond the village the trail leads through wild pistachio trees and walnut orchards along the Buldzhuma River and climbs to the Buldzhuma Pass (2,900 m), with a wonderful view of the nearby gorges and the Uponym Pass to the west. Descend into the valley for a lunch break by the Ak-Tash River, then continue along the river, crossing it in several places (sandals recommended), to the tent camp hidden among bushes on a green meadow. Dinner and overnight. Tent camp altitude 2,700 m. Ascent +1,450 m, descent -200 m; 15 km, 6–7 hours.

Uzgurush

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, cross the Ak-Tash River near the camp and walk along it to the foot of the Dzhalgychy Pass (3,780 m); on the way there is often a chance to meet nomad families. After a traverse of several hundred meters, a zigzag trail leads to the top, with a panoramic view of the Turkestan Range, the western face of Piramidalnyi Peak (5,509 m) and the Turo Pass (4,525 m). Descend along the Dzhalgychy gorge to its confluence with a nameless gorge to the southwest, turn left and cross the nameless river (sandals recommended), then climb a small hill to the tent camp. Dinner and overnight. Tent camp altitude 3,100 m. Ascent +1,100 m, descent -700 m; 11 km, 4–6 hours.

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, trek up the grassy slope between the Dzhalgychy and Kashka-Suu gorges, along the river and across it at one point (sandals recommended). The trail then winds through juniper bushes up to the pass; from the top you walk along the ridge to the other side, with a panoramic view of the Orto-Chashma gorge – a perfect spot for lunch. Descend on a narrow trail into the Kashka-Suu gorge, cross the small river and walk to the confluence with the Orto-Chashma gorge. Dinner and overnight at the tent camp, where a sauna helps to relax the muscles after the day. Tent camp altitude 2,800 m. Ascent +500 m, descent -800 m; 7 km, 3–4 hours.

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, trek along the Orto-Chashma River to the foot of the pass, passing stone houses of shepherds. A good trail through the forest climbs to the Kosh-Moinok Pass (3,260 m); after an easy descent you cross a small river (sandals recommended) and climb the second pass of the day, Kara-Suu (3,760 m). From the top there is a wonderful view of an "ocean" of pointed, snow-capped peaks of the Turkestan Range, with the fortress-like northwestern faces of Kotin Peak (4,521 m) and the 1000th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus Peak (4,507 m) in front of you. Descend to the Kara-Suu River, cross it on a bridge and walk a few hundred meters along the river to the tent camp. Dinner and overnight. Tent camp altitude 2,800 m. Ascent +960 m, descent -960 m; 16 km, 6–8 hours.

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

Today's radial hike follows the Kara-Suu gorge to the foot of Piramidalnyi Peak (5,509 m), the 1000th Anniversary of the Baptism of Rus Peak (Kyrkchylta, 4,507 m) and the twin peaks of Asan-Usen (4,378 m) – the stone walls of "Asian Patagonia". You may also see the legendary "Yellow Wall", famous for some of the most difficult climbing routes. The morning starts with an easy walk along the Kara-Suu River; the trail then climbs onto the moraine and follows it to the foot of the peaks. Climbers from all over the world regard any ascent in this gorge as a great achievement. Return to the camp the same way. Dinner and overnight. Tent camp altitude 2,800 m. Ascent +350 m, descent -350 m; 10 km, about 6 hours.

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, walk back to the Orto-Chashma gorge the same way. From the Kosh-Moinok Pass you can see the highest pass of the trek, Ak-Tubek. About one kilometer before the camp, a small stream flows into the Orto-Chashma River; a little downstream lies an old broken military helicopter, a reminder of events in the region more than 20 years ago. Dinner and overnight at the tent camp. Tent camp altitude 2,800 m. Ascent +960 m, descent -960 m; 16 km, 6–8 hours.

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, trek up along the Orto-Chashma River for several kilometers to a wooden bridge, cross the river and then another stream (sandals recommended). A moderate ascent follows the Ak-Tubek River towards the pass of the same name. The trail passes the stone house of a nomad family, where you can stop to taste Kyrgyz kurut (small salty cheese balls) and airan (yogurt). A few hundred meters further, after one more stream crossing, you reach the highest camp of the trek. Dinner and overnight. Tent camp altitude 3,600 m. Ascent +800 m; 7 km, 3–4 hours.

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, climb to the Ak-Tubek Pass (4,390 m), the highest point of the trek, on a clear trail. From the top there is a majestic panorama of the Iskander Peak region: Iskander (5,120 m), Petrogradets (5,165 m), Admiralteets (5,090 m), Ak-Suu (5,355 m), Alexander Blok (5,229 m) and Ak-Tubek (5,125 m). A zigzag trail descends to the moraine of the Ak-Tubek glacier; cross the moraine to the other side of the gorge and follow the stream to its confluence with the Ak-Suu River. Turn right and walk along the Ak-Suu River to the tent camp. Dinner and overnight. Tent camp altitude 2,800 m. Ascent +800 m, descent -1,600 m; 11 km, 5–6 hours.

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, trek towards Ak-Suu Peak (5,355 m), whose summit is clearly visible from the camp. The trail leads through juniper forest and up a steep glacier moraine into the heart of the Pamir-Alai. This pyramid-shaped peak has a snow cap and an almost two-kilometer vertical wall on its northern side, and peaks such as the two-headed Iskander, Admiralteets, Petrogradets and Alexander Blok surround the grand cirque. Return to the camp the same way. Dinner and overnight. Tent camp altitude 2,800 m. Ascent +600 m, descent -600 m; 14 km, 6–7 hours.

Au cours de la nuit : Tent camping

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

Today is the longest descent of the trek. After breakfast, walk down through juniper forest along the Ak-Mechet River, with close views of Iskander Peak, and continue through a picturesque gorge to Uzgurush village. Dinner and overnight with a local Kyrgyz family. Homestay altitude 1,450 m. Descent -1,350 m; 16 km, 6–7 hours.

Uzgurush

Au cours de la nuit : Uzgurush (Homestay)

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, drive via Batken to Osh, with lunch on the way. In Osh there is time for a short sightseeing tour of the sacred Sulaiman-Too Mountain: the historical museum built into its biggest cave, then the pilgrims' path to the top and the small mosque of Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty, with a bird's-eye view of the city. Transfer to the airport and fly to Bishkek. Dinner at a local café and overnight at a hotel in Bishkek. Drive about 340 km, 7–8 hours.

Batken, Osh, Sulaiman Too

• Uzgurush → Osh (340 km)
• Osh → Bishkek

Au cours de la nuit : Bishkek (Hôtel)

Repas : Petit déjeuner, Lunch, Dinner

Early in the morning, transfer to Manas International Airport (about 30 km, 45 minutes) for your flight home.

Repas : Petit déjeuner