Trekking Ala-Kul in One Day

Coming to Kyrgyzstan, trekking Ala-Kul was one of my main goals. Although it was the beginning of June and the lake was still frozen, I wanted to trek Ala-Kul to prepare my body for the 3 day trek that would lie ahead in the upcoming days. Getting to Ala-Kul was fairly simple, I organized a tour with Visit Karakol for the 1 day trek, which cost $160.

Getting there….

The next morning, two men picked me up from my hotel and we made our way to the base camp. The route was so scenic, hands down the most beautiful route I have ever seen in my life! I knew Kyrgyzstan was scenic, but I didn’t think it would be that beautiful. I was in awe by just how pristine the landscape was.

On the downside, the ride was long and extremely bumpy. It was the beginning of June and the road to Ala-Kul was damaged, so it made for an uncomfortable journey. The ride was so bad I had to use one hand the entire time to hold my position in the car.

Halfway through the journey, we took a quick break in the middle of this incredible valley. I can’t stress enough how beautiful Kyrgyzstan is.

The trek up Ala-Kul…

In the late hours of the morning we finally arrived at the base camp. The guides parked the jeep and we grabbed our bags for the hike up.

I’ll be honest, this hike was not easy. Being in hiking shape is way different from being in just regular shape. I was tired early on and needed frequent breaks. I told myself to avoid looking at the peak to keep my mind off the distance remaining.

Luckily, lunch time rolled around and provided me with a huge boost of energy. The guys at Visit Karakol packed a heavy lunch for me: tons of fruit, cheese, pastries, sandwiches, eggs, and some candy. By the time it was time to eat I worked up an appetite so heavy that I quickly demolished the entire lunch set in less than 5 minutes.

The hike became considerably more difficult after lunch. The weather was wildly unpredictable, one second it was cold and rainy, another it was hot and sunny. By the time we reached the last 45 minutes, there was a decent amount of snow still on the pass, which made the last leg of the climb that much harder.

When I finally reached the top, all I wanted to do was lie down and rest, and I did just that. Although the lake was frozen, it was still beautiful in its own way. I considered walking on it, but quickly realized that was an incredibly stupid idea.

I took a seat next to a large rock and drank the rest of my water while enjoying the view. 20 minutes later I heard a voice, “My friend, you ready? Let’s go.” Then I realized, “We need to go all the way back down?!” I took a huge deep breath and took the first of many steps back down…