Khan Tengri Trekking Tour

Upon arrival at Manas International Airport you will be met by a guide and driver. Transfer to Bishkek, check-in at hotel (early check-in included) and time to relax after the trip. Your city tour begins with a visit to the Osh Bazaar, one of the most colorful markets in Central Asia. Here you can stroll among stalls selling aromatic spices, fresh dried fruits, handmade crafts, and many other goods that reflect the culture and traditions of the region.

Next, take a walking tour of downtown Bishkek. On Ala-Too Square you will see the Manas Monument and the national flag, where the changing of the guard ceremony takes place. Nearby are the 2010 Revolution Monument and the White House building. Continue to the Old Ala-Too Square with the Lenin Statue and buildings
from the Soviet era. 

The route continues through Oak Park, home to a unique open-air gallery and a monument to Kurmanzhan Datka, a legendary female military leader. The walk ends at the Victory Square, dedicated to the memory of those who died during the Great Patriotic War. During the day, lunch and dinner will be served in one of the cozy local cafes. Overnight in a hotel in Bishkek.

After breakfast we will leave for the Karkyra Valley. The drive from Bishkek takes about 7 hours. The road passes through the Boom gorge and then along the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. Lunch will be served at a café in the town of Cholpon-Ata. After lunch you will drive through the village of Tup and continue east to Karkyra camp.
Accommodation is in a tented camp with buffet-style meals where you can choose your own food.

Upon arrival, you can take a walk around the camp, hike to the Chymyn-Sai Pass (2700 m), or just relax. The pass offers views of the entire Karkyra Valley, the entire Char-Kuduk region, and the Tup Gorge. The hike is not difficult and allows tourists to prepare for higher altitudes. The trail passes through a wide gorge where nomadic yurts are located, providing a good opportunity to see the way of life of a disappearing culture. Dinner and overnight at
Karkyra base camp.

An easy walk through alpine terrain to the Chamyn-Sai Pass. You will walk along the border between Kazakhstanb and Kyrgyzstan, then begin the ascent to the 2700 m high pass, which offers a view of the entire Karkyra Valley, the entire Char-Kuduk area, and the Tyup Gorge.

The hike is not difficult and allows tourists to prepare for higher altitudes, but it requires the guide to have a clear knowledge of the route. The trail runs through a wide gorge populated by nomadic yurts and provides a good opportunity to see the way of life of a disappearing culture. Dinner and overnight stay at the camp.

After breakfast we will enjoy an exciting helicopter flight to the Engilchek Valley, the starting point of our trek, known as Prisim.

From here we will hike up the valley to the foot of the majestic Engilchek Glacier. On the way we will enjoy impressive views of Nansen Peak (5690 m) and Tyuz Pass (4001 m).

Nansen Peak was first noted in 1902 by the German geographer Gottfried Merzbacher. After visiting the Alps, the Caucasus, the Himalayas, and the Karakoram, he was struck by the beauty and grandeur of the southern ridge that closes the Engilchek Valley. Mighty snow-capped peaks of bizarre shapes, created by nature, stretch from west to east, forming, in Merzbacher’s words, one of the most impressive alpine panoramas on earth. In the afternoon we arrive at the “Iva” Tent Camp, where you will be welcomed by the friendly staff. Accommodation, dinner and overnight at the camp.
camp.

After breakfast we will pack our lunch and leave the camp. Today’s route follows the lateral moraine of the Engilchek glacier to its confluence with the Putevodny glacier. Steep ascents and descents will make this day particularly intense and require additional stamina. Whenever possible, we will follow the right slope.
It is important to remember that there are sections of the trail with rock falls, so you need to be extra careful. The route is constantly changing in altitude, sometimes up and sometimes down. Lunch is planned right on the glacier, surrounded by majestic mountain scenery.

After a rest we will climb another steep terrace following a narrow path. The combination of changing landscapes and steep slopes will give you even more adrenaline and vivid impressions. Upon reaching the Glina camp, situated on a green clay plateau, we will enjoy a cup of hot tea or coffee and relax after a busy day. In the evening dinner and overnight stay in a tented camp.

Today, we will hike along picturesque terraces with ascents and descents. Although the total distance is about 9–10 km in a straight line, the route will be intense. We will cross a small glacier only once, cross a river, and have lunch on the shore of a cozy mountain lake – a great place to take a break and enjoy the silence. After the break, it will take about an hour to reach the camp.

Upon arrival, we are greeted with hot tea or coffee and a breathtaking view of Lake Merzbacher. Merzbacher Meadow is the last grassy spot in these parts, located directly opposite the unique lake. Here, on the glacier, there is a research station where scientists from all over the world come every summer to study glacier movement, the region’s climate, and the lake itself. Around the station is a flat green meadow, ideal for setting up camp. In the evening, dinner and overnight stay in tents under the starry sky.

After breakfast we take our lunch boxes and start a long hike, surrounded by majestic landscapes: snowy slopes, steep cliffs and amazing multicolored ice – black, white and even striped. The first part of the route runs along the right side of the terraces, and before the Shokalsky Glacier, the trail gently descends.

Next we come to a glacier and a dark moraine formed by the Komsomolets Glacier, and follow it straight to the ice massif. The terrain here is varied and full of obstacles: mountain rivers, deep crevasses, steep ascents and descents. Avoiding these areas will take time, effort and attention.

Today is our first night on the glacier. Usually after 4 p.m., strong winds come up and the temperature drops significantly compared to the previous days. In such conditions, hot drinks are especially valuable to warm you up and give you strength. In the evening – dinner and overnight in a tent camp

Breakfast at camp and departure. Trekking in this area of the Tien Shan is simply mesmerizing with its pristine beauty. A distinctive feature of the region is the large number of unnamed peaks of around 5000m that have yet to be conquered by mountaineers.

From the camp we cross the moraine of the Proletarsky Glacier, then climb to the middle of the moraine of the Dikii Glacier and follow it directly to the glacier itself. The first part of the route is quite uneven, with ascents and descents, but as we approach the glacier, the moraine becomes smoother and the cracks and small streams disappear, making it easier to move.

During the lunch break you will have a great view: from here you can see the peaks of Khan Tengri, Pobeda, Gorky, Chapaev and Trekhglavaya. At the camp “Dikii” you can drink hot tea or coffee to warm up and recharge your batteries. In the evening – dinner and overnight stay in a tented camp

Today will be a relatively short day. After breakfast we will cross the entire glacier to the central moraine where the base camp is located. The trail passes through rocks, icy areas, streams, lakes and crevasses, but can be traversed without ropes or crampons.
After arriving at the base camp at about 4000 meters, we will rest and enjoy lunch and hot beverages such as tea
or coffee.

The Engilchek base camp is located in the heart of the Northern Tien-Shan on the southern Engilchek glacier. From here you can enjoy breathtaking views of the majestic peaks of Khan Tengri (7010 m) and Pobeda (7439 m), which attract climbers from all over the world every year. In the evening – dinner and overnight in tents at base camp.

Breakfast at the base camp, then helicopter transfer to Karkara camp. Upon arrival we will transfer to a hotel on the picturesque shores of Issyk-Kul lake. On the way we will stop at a local cafe for lunch.

We will also visit the famous Stone Garden – a site of rock paintings at Cholpon-Ata, an ancient open-air temple associated with the Scythian and Xiongnu cultures dating back to the IX–VIII and III–IV centuries BC. These unique images are located at the foot of the Kungei-Ala-Too mountain range, which offers a magnificent panoramic view of the entire lake.

After the tour we will take a short transfer to the hotel where we will check in. In the evening we will have dinner at the hotel restaurant and spend the night there.

Today we have a full day of rest on the picturesque shores of Issyk-Kul Lake. No transfers or organized activities – just free time to relax, swim in the clear waters of the lake, stroll along the picturesque shores, or simply enjoy the fresh mountain air and the silence of nature. In the evening, enjoy a cozy dinner at the hotel restaurant and spend the night there.

After breakfast we will depart for Bishkek with a stop at the Burana tower, an ancient minaret located near the city of Tokmok. This monument was built in the city of Balasagun, one of the capitals of the Karakhanid state in the XII century.

Here you will also find a collection of balbals – ancient Turkic stone sculptures that hold the secrets of the distant past. On the way we will stop for lunch and then continue to the capital. Upon arrival we will check into the hotel, have dinner and spend the night.

Early in the morning you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home. This concludes the tour.