TRAIL RUN KYRGYZSTAN
NEW EXPERIENCE: 28 JULY - 07 AUGUST 2024
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“The tour with Pure Trails was incredible. Great guides, expert tips, and a whole lot of fun and passion for running and mountains all rolled into one. I loved every minute and am still buzzing! Can’t wait for the next one!”
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EXPERIENCE OVERVIEW
Kyrgyzstan is one of the world’s most incredible places to visit, an unfamiliar landlocked country. Tucked away in the heart of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is personified by natural beauty, skylines are dominated by jagged peaks, alpine lakes and pastures filled with yurts.
We are likely one of the first groups to trail run a route exploring the high mountains and valleys in the Terskey Alatau mountain range dominating the country's south-eastern corner.
We’ll spend seven days trail running and hiking empty trails, following a route that takes us through gorges, canyons, high mountain passes and meadows. Our highest point sees us take a radial trail run to a base camp overlooking the mighty Karakol Peak (5,216m).
Alongside the mountains, we’ll also see the very best that Kyrzgystan has to offer in the ex-soviet capital of Bishkek, as well as have some well-deserved chill time on the shoreline of Lake Issy-Kul, and not forgetting soothing tired legs in hot springs and mountain saunas.
As we spend a chunk of time away from civilisation our nightly accommodation will see us stay in a yurt and tented encampments which adds to the experience.
DATE: 28 July - 07 August 2024
TRIP ADVENTURE GRADE: C2-3
DISTANCE: 10 - 20km per day
MAX. 12 RUNNERS
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HIGHLIGHTS
Trail running in the spectacular and remote Tien Shan mountain range of Kyrgyzstan
Experience a fully-supported adventure travelling only with light-packs
Stay in yurt and tent encampments as we get off-grid and spend time running mountain passes, through alpine meadows and alongside glacial lakes
Relax in hot springs in the Altyn Arashan gorge with a slice of cultural sightseeing as we experience the very best Kyrgyzstan has to offer
ITINERARY
Click to explore in more detail.
+ DAY 1: ARRIVE IN BISHKEK
Arrival into Bishkek
Meet with our guide and transfer to our hotel to relax (early check-in included)
Get to meet the rest of our group with tea and a briefing
Visit Osh Bazaar
Lunch at a local restaurant
Easy urban sightseeing run starting in Ala-Too Square, Manas Monument, changing of the Guards of Honour & Victory Square
Time to chill
Welcome Dinner
+ DAY 2: BISHKEK TO KARAKOL
Breakfast, pack up and transfer to the mountain town of Karakol in South-Eastern Kyrgyzstan (6 hours)
We have a beautiful drive as we head east along the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul towards Karakol with stops to visit Burana and ancient stone statues
Lunch en route in a local restaurant
Arrival in Karakol, check-in and relax
Exploratory walk around the old town, dinner and a briefing about the next few days
Overnight Karakol Guesthouse
+ DAY 3: DJETY OGUZ GORGE
Relaxing morning with some further sightseeing
Lunch and meet our local Kyrgyz trail running guide and transfer to the Djety Oguz gorge
See 'The Broken Heart' & 'Seven Bulls' rock formations on our way through the gorge, surrounded by Tien Shan blue spruce forest our route takes us to the Flower Meadow
Arriving in the meadow we reach our Yurt camp which is our base for the evening
Relax & prepare for beginning our trail run tomorrow
Dinner and overnight in the Yurt Camp
+ DAY 4: DJETY OGUZ - TELETY PASS
Breakfast
Pack up our kit and leave our yurt camp after breakfast
16km (+450m) trail run through the narrow wooded gorge of Bay Tor, lush alpine meadows, and riverbank running along the Telety river
Arrive at the tented camp at the foot of the Telety Pass and relax
Dinner and overnight at the Tented Camp
+ DAY 5: RUN TELETY PASS - KARAKOL GORGE
Breakfast
18km (+750m) trail run up the Telety Pass (3,800m), wide-open descent through alpine meadows along the east of the Telety river
Woodland trails down through the Karakol gorge to our tented encampment in the forest
Arrive at camp, relax
Wild swimming and campfire to relax
Dinner and overnight at the Tented Camp
+ DAY 6: RADIAL RUN TO THE FOOT OF KARAKOL PEAK
Breakfast
16km (+700m) radial trail run/hike to the foot of Karakol Peak
The trail runs along the Uyun Tor river, and blue spruce forest until we reach a stone hill with amazing views of the highest peak in the Terskei Ala-Too range
Stop for lunch at the hill to soak up the views
Return to camp via the same route
Wild swimming and campfire to relax
Dinner and overnight at the Tented Camp
+ DAY 7: KARAKOL GORGE TO ALA-KUL LAKE
Breakfast
10km (+1100m) trail run to the spectacular Ala-Kul Lake
The trail takes us on a 1km descent through the gorge, before further river crossing and forest running
We'll relax at the fairytale lodge for lunch
The trail continues uphill past a waterfall until we descent to our camp on the shoreline of Ala-Kul Lake
Dinner and overnight at the Tented Camp
+ DAY 8: ALA-KUL LAKE TO ALTYN ARASHAN GORGE
Breakfast
18km (+200m) trail run to the Altyn Arashan Gorge
The trail ascends to the Ala-Kul Pass, before descending to the Altyn Arashan valley where our encampment is waiting for us Relax in the hot springs
Dinner and overnight at the Tented Camp
+ DAY 9: ALTYN ARASHAN GORGE TO CHOLPAN ATA
Breakfast
Relax in the Altyn Arashan and soak up the mountain views from the hot springs
Pack-up and vehicle transfer by military truck to Karakol Town (2 hours)
Lunch in Karakol
Vehicle transfer to Cholpan Ata a pretty town on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul
Check-in, relax
Dinner and overnight at our hotel
+ DAY 10: CHOLPAN ATA BACK TO BISHKEK
Relaxing morning before we head back to Bishkek
Visit the Stone Garden petroglyph site
Transfer to Bishkek (approx. 5 hours) with lunch en-route
Check-in, relax at our hotel
A celebratory meal in central Bishkek
+ DAY 11: HOMEWARD BOUND
Breakfast
Free time to do some last minute exploring
Group transfer to the airport
Onward flight home
OUR ROUTE
Approximate details*:
Total Distance: approx. 78.0 km
Total Running Days: 7 Days
Lowest Elevation: 800m
Highest Elevation: 3,800m
*The daily distances and itinerary may change according to local weather conditions and the group’s condition.
INCLUDES:
11 nights of accommodation in 3-4* hotels, mountain guesthouses, yurt and tented encampments (twin or double share)
Fully-supported trail running trip
Cultural sightseeing
Full board throughout
All transfers
4:1 Runners to Guide Ratio
Porter service (12kg packed weight carried whilst on the trail)
Trails & Trees: with every booking, we plant a tree
EXCLUDES:
International flights
Beverages and snacks
Personal equipment
Laundry
Travel Insurance (REQUIRED before the trips departure - for cancellation, accidents, health and emergency evacuation, loss, theft, or damage to baggage or personal effects)
Tips
Single Supplement
Visa and visa support fee (if necessary)
WHERE WE
STAY
Navat Hotel, Bishkek
Recently opened in 2019, the Navat Hotel is one of the best boutique places to stay in central Bishkek.
Colourful, fun and very hospitable we love using the hotel as our base pre/post-travel into the mountains.
Tented Encampments
Our trail takes us to some wild and wonderfully remote spots in the Tien Shan mountain ranges, as such we will be spending the majority of our stay in tented encampments.
The encampments are erected early season and have all the comforts you can imagine from an established campsite.
For the duration, we will be the only guests in camp, with bathroom and private toilets, along with spacious tents and blow-up mattresses.
FAQ
FLIGHTS
We specialise in arranging excellent trail running holidays but do not book international flights. There are a handful of options flying into Manas International Airport (FRU) with the majority of airlines going via Istanbul.
All arrivals land in the very early hours of the morning (usually landing between 03:00 - 05:00), as such we have included early check-in for our entire group giving you time to rest and relax before meeting up later that day.
VISAS
British, EU, Australian and US citizens can enter and remain in Kyrzgystan for a maximum of 60 days without a visa.
GROUP MANAGEMENT
Being a group of max. 12 runners with a mixture of ages and running abilities we may decide to split into flexible groups, all of which will be supported by our Kyrgyzstan running guides who will travel with us on the trip.
By splitting the group will allow us all to move more fluidly, allowing all team members to run at their own comfortable pace, without feeling pressured.
TRAIL RUNNING
Travel through the Tien Shan mountains is nothing short of spectacular. We will almost certainly be one of few groups on the trail and almost guaranteed to be the only trail running group. As such the trails will be very quiet.
This is a challenging route with the majority of time away from civilization as we take high mountain routes via alpine meadows, mountain rivers, spruce forests and mountain passes. We obtain an altitude above 2000m for several days of this trip.
We’ll balance the trip carefully as we have back-back days of trail running distances of 10km+ with suitable ascent involved as well. Hiking will be adopted where necessary to enjoy the general movement of the group and careful acclimatisation is obtained.
Our large luggage will be transported by porters (max.12kg) on all of our trail days. The luggage will move in advance of our group leaving camp which allows us to move fluidly and enjoy each of our days.
TEMPERATURES
August is prime time to be in Kyrgyzstan with daytime temperatures hitting 30 degrees C in Bishkek. When we are up in the mountains all of the passes will be free of snow and clear for travel. You’ll notice temperatures dip a touch when we get into the mountains with daytime temperatures sitting within the mid-20 degrees C.
At night temperatures drop considerably (approx. 5 degrees C) and as such suitable warm clothing will need to be packed.
READY TO
BOOK
NEWS FROM BASECAMP
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