TRAIL RUN KYRGYZSTAN
NEW DATE: 26 JULY - 04 AUGUST 2025
PRICE:
£2695PP
BOOK WITH JUST 10% DEPOSIT + PAY OFF IN SIX INSTALLMENTS
SINGLE ROOM UPGRADE: £195 PER PERSON
“If you want the trip of a lifetime surrounded by amazing people, then definitely go with Pure Trails. Special thanks to Charlie, Andrew and Dave for the smooth, friendly and inspiring operation of the trip, their enthusiasm for trail running and making the most of every moment is infectious!”
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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.
INCLUDES
10 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
SHARE THIS TRIP
ITINERARY
+ DAY 1: ARRIVE IN BISHKEK
+ DAY 2: BISHKEK TO KARAKOL
+ DAY 3: DJETY OGUZ GORGE - TRAIL RUN TELETY PASS
+ DAY 4: RUN TELETY PASS - KARAKOL GORGE
+ DAY 5: RADIAL RUN TO THE FOOT OF KARAKOL PEAK
+ DAY 6: KARAKOL GORGE TO ALA-KUL LAKE
+ DAY 7: ALA-KUL LAKE TO ALTYN ARASHAN GORGE
+ DAY 8: ALTYN ARASHAN GORGE TO CHOLPAN ATA
+ DAY 9: CHOLPAN ATA BACK TO BISHKEK
+ DAY 10: HOMEWARD BOUND
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OUR ITINERARY
DAY 1 | ARRIVE BISHKEK
Welcome to Bishkek!
Capital of Kyrgyzstan and what a surprising place to visit. It is surrounded by mountainous scenery and packed full of cultural wonder.
We pick you up in the arrivals area of the airport (you won’t miss us!) and whisk you to our hotel in the central part of the city by private air-conditioned minibus.
We include early check-in as most international flights arrive early, giving you time to rest before meeting up as a group a little later. Our plan for today is a walking trip to the city to ease our start to life here. We’ll check out the Osh bazaar where handmade souvenirs and dried fruits are sold. We’ll also head to Ala-Too Square to see the legacy of the Soviet Union with the Manas Monument, the State Flag and the ceremony of changing the Guards of Honour. Once we’ve finished we’ll head back to our hotel for some well-earned rest, a briefing over dinner with the rest of the time to chill.
DAY 2 | ONWARD TO KARAKOL
NO TRAIL RUNNING. TRAVEL DAY.
After breakfast and a final kit check, we’ll catch our mini-bus as we travel to the southeast of the country, our final destination being the town of Karakol.
It's a long drive today (approx. 7 hours), but we'll be making stops along the way including the ancient Burana Tower - a minaret from the 9th century - near the city of Tokmok. We’ll have lunch before we continue.
Once we arrive in Karakol, we check into our guesthouse, explore the surrounding area and feast on some delicious Kyrgyz cuisine.
DAY 3 | DJETY OGUZ - TRAIL RUN TO TELETY PASS
TRAIL RUNNING: APPROX. 16KM / 450m+
After breakfast, we'll head on a short sightseeing tour of the town, visiting the Dungan Mosque, Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the Prjevalskii Memorial.
After lunch, we’ll drive to the Djety Oguz Gorge 35km outside of town. The gorge is located on the Northern slopes of Terskei Ala-Too with the chance to see the “The Broken Heart” and “Seven Bulls” rock formations.
We’ll spend time in the gorge, before continuing our journey along a trail that is covered with 25km of blue spruce along the fast-flowing mountain river, crossing five log bridges before the trail opens into the Flower Meadow.
This is our gateway into the mountains, and we’ll prepare for our first trail once we arrive. We start running along the riverbank in a very narrow wooded gorge called Bay Tor, the trail leads to a beautiful alpine meadow. From here, on a flower carpet into the mountains, the air is sweet and clear, and the views are amazing.
We’ll make a selection of stops along the way and continue to our tent camp at the foot of Telety Pass. As we near the camp, we cross a large river by bridge which is a lovely stop before we arrive. Check in to our tent camp, with time to relax and soak up this beautiful spot.
DAY 4 | TRAIL RUNNING KARAKOL GORGE
TRAIL RUNNING: APPROX. 18KM / 750m+
We leave the tent camp after breakfast and start our ascent to the Telety Pass. Our first km of the trail is hidden among bushes of juniper which follows a narrow path until we start ascending the pass. We’ll take our time as we climb to 3,800m where we are blessed with amazing panoramic views.
The trail descends along a wide slope covered with flowers and across alpine meadows with various herbs and plants, along the East Telety river. A little later we run along a root-covered trail surrounded by woodland until we head down into the Karakol gorge. The last km continues down an old dirt- truck road that leads us to the tent camp, located in the forest.
DAY 5 | RADIAL TRAIL TO KARAKOL PEAK
TRAIL RUNNING: APPROX. 16KM / 700m+
Today, we have a radial trail that takes us to the foot of Karakol peak (5,216m), it’s a hybrid day with hiking that takes us to see some showstopping viewpoints.
We travel along the Uyun Tor River where part of the way is the old dirt-truck road that ends after a small river. After we cross the river the trail continues through Tien-Shan blue spruce forests with blooms of snowdrops, tulips, primrose, alpine aster and edelweiss.
After the forest, we continue up a stone hill and reach a viewing point of the highest peak in the Tersjeu Aka Too range - Karakol Peak. We’ll have some lunch overlooking the mountain, before heading back down to our tented camp along the same route.
DAY 6 | JOURNEY TO ALA-KUL LAKE
TRAIL RUNNING: APPROX. 10KM / 1000m+
We have an amazing day today as we head towards Ala-Kul Lake. Our trail starts by descending along the gorge for about 1 km and later crosses the river over a bridge and into a forest. We’ll likely hike a rather long ascent that finishes at a steep slope covered with grass. The trail then turns into a series of switchbacks before we arrive at the “Sirota” mountain log hut. It’s a nice place akin to a fairytale surrounded by forest with a selection of tables and benches to relax by.
As we continue the trail goes higher, leaving the forest until we reach a beautiful waterfall which flows down from Ala-Kul Lake. We pass the waterfall and ascend a natural dam from where we get amazing views of the turquoise lake, continuing on one final kilometre to our tent camp. Rest, relax and soak up this amazing place.
DAY 7 | THE TRAIL TO ALTYN ARASHAN
TRAIL RUNNING: APPROX. 18KM / 200m+
The beautiful Ala-Kul stretches from east to west within this valley, surrounded by mountains and changing colours as the sunlight reflects off it. We’ll start our final day on the trail after breakfast, first ascending the Ala-kul pass which boasts wonderful views of the lake and the surrounding Terskei Ala-Too range. As we move over the pass we begin a beautiful and long descent firstly over rocks, but soon the valley widens as we enter Keldike with its picture-perfect landscapes, herds of cattle and flocks of sheep grazing.
We arrive at our tented camp with the opportunity to relax in the nearby natural hot springs. The thermal baths can reach up to +50C in the valley. We’ll spend the entire rest of the afternoon relaxing, with dinner and our final overnight at the tent camp.
DAY 8 | ONWARD TO CHOLPAN ATA
NO TRAIL RUNNING. TRAVEL DAY.
In the morning a special military truck will come to our tented camp to pick us up. We’ll finish breakfast and start our drive towards Karakol town along the gorge. The road descends over green fields with blooming flowers and crystal mountain springs. The final 5 km of the gorge is very narrow, not more than 30 m wide with high rock walls. At the entrance to the gorge, we pass by a village – Ak Suu (the name comes from the hot springs). Here we transfer into another vehicle which will drive us back to Karakol for lunch.
In the afternoon we’ll start the longer drive to Cholpan Ata, a resort town located on the northern shores of Lake Issyk-Kul which gives us a great opportunity to firmly relax after our time in the mountains. The total drive time today is between 4 - 5 hours.
DAY 9 | RETURN TO BISHKEK
NO TRAIL RUNNING.
We will have the entire morning to relax in Cholpan Ata and aim to leave back to Bishkek later this afternoon.
On our transfer back to Bishkek city we’ll stop en route to visit the stone garden petroglyphs, a selection of 3 - 4 century AD carvings in a dry river bed. From the top, you have amazing views of Lake Issyk Kul. The drive time will take approx. 5 hours. Continuing onto the city we’ll check into our hotel and relax.
DAY 10 | HOMEWOOD BOUND
NO TRAIL RUNNING.
It’s time to pack up and bid farewell to your newfound trail-running friends and our local team.
A group transfer is arranged for you back to Bishkek International Airport in time to connect with your onward flight back home this morning.
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.
IMPORTANT NOTES
+ DO I NEED A VISA?
British / European citizens can enter and remain in Kyrgyzstan for a maximum of 60 days without a visa.
Requirements are different for other nationalities; please visit your country’s official travel advice website or contact the nearest consulate.
Please note that it remains your responsibility to organise visas when required. However, we are more than happy to give advice, help or provide supporting documentation, where necessary.
+ WHAT IS THE WEATHER GOING TO BE LIKE?
The best time to visit Kyrgyzstan is during the summer months of July and August. Although it’s very hot in Bishkek, with temperatures around 30°C, this is when the country’s bazaars are at their most lively.
It’s also the ideal season to explore the country’s mountainous areas and trails, which are out of bounds at other times of the year. The high-altitude winters linger for a long time, barring travel through high mountain passes. Kyrgyzstan’s position in the heart of Central Asia means it has a continental climate, with hot, dry summers where temperatures can reach 32°C and bitterly cold winters where they can plummet to -5°C.
For our adventure, we arrive in the country's summertime, so you can expect low rainfall and temperatures to rise steadily. We can expect temperatures in the mountains to sit between 15 - 20 degrees C where the air is refreshingly cool on clear days, but temperatures can drop below 10 degrees C at night.
Above 3000m it’s not impossible to have the occasional snowfall during the summer. Regardless, the conditions are perfect for trail running.
+ A TYPICAL DAY
A typical day on the experience will see us depart our tent camp after breakfast around 09:00 am, and maybe earlier depending on how hot the weather will be.
On average we will be on the trail between 3-5 hours a day covering mileage ranging between 10-20km. This is not all outrunning, we’ll be making sure we stop to soak up the views, take pictures and ensure we are getting the most out of this remarkable place.
We’ll also have two trail guides with the group at all times which gives a greater ratio of guides to runners and the ability for you to run at your own comfortable pace.
We will also be carrying a picnic lunch with us each day we are on the trail. Our trail finishes each day at our next tent camp where our luggage will follow closely behind.
+ WHAT IS THE FOOD LIKE?
Kyrgyz cuisine has been influenced by many countries such as China, Russia, India, Iran & Pakistan. Largely meat based, Kyrgyz love their food to be soupy, such as that eaten by the Russians, but the spices that are used to bring their dishes to life are more similar to those in Indian and Pakistani cuisine.
Appetizers usually begin with tea and a selection of breads, dry fruits and a variety of meats cooked in a range of different ways. After this, the main meal begins. Along with besh barmak, plov (rice, vegetables and meat) is served to honoured guests. Different varieties of noodles and pasta are hugely popular also and often accompanied by some fried, boiled or baked meat.
Tea is considered to be the most popular drink in the country but beer and vodka are also very popular. There are also drinks such as koumys (fermented mare’s milk) which may not appeal to a foreign palate, but by refusing an offer of koumys you run the risk of causing offence.
+ WHAT IS THE TRAIL RUNNING GOING TO BE LIKE?
We'll likely be out on the trail each day for around about 3 - 5 hours spent on our feet, however, it's not all out running as we aim to jog the flats, run the downhills and walk the up hills.
We'll be making plenty of stops to soak up the views at all opportunities. Our aim is for everybody to enjoy the experience and there is no pressure on running speeds. We'll naturally spread out as a group as individuals' pacing will be different, however with two running guides one of us will always be close by. There will likely be a lot of hiking to complement the trails when walking up hills.
Please note that the itinerary is subject to minor changes. We may run distances further or less depending on the general feeling of the group. Start and finishes times may also vary.
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