Best of Alay Mountains Trek

The best time for hiking and trekking in the Alay or Alai Mountains in southern Kyrgyzstan is from July to mid-September. The temperature goes from +5 to 15 degrees Celsius at night and up to mid-20s Celsius during the daytime during the summer season. The temperatures vary during the day depending upon the altitude, wind and other weather conditions, so it’s still important to bring layers to stay warm. The sun is very strong at these high altitudes, so be sure to protect your skin and your eyes.

We can run the Best of Alay Mountains Trek in early June or late September when there is some snow on the high mountain passes.  This requires the use of porters to carry luggage and gear until the mountain passes will be cleared of snow and possible for the horses to cross.

Our recommended packing list for the Best of Alay Mountains Trek includes the following:

• Warm clothes and layers as it gets warm during the day, but it can go below freezing at night and when it rains. This means having layers like fleece and light jackets during the day, as well as a down jacket for comfort at night.
• Good hiking shoes. Ankle support is not necessary, but it might be useful to have when going up some of the steep inclines.
• Small day pack to carry a camera, water, sunscreen, snacks, extra clothing layers.
• Sun protection as the sun is very strong at altitude: Sunglasses, sunscreen (SPF 30 or above), and a sun hat /cap
• Water- and windproof jacket and pants. It gets especially windy on the mountain passes and this provides another layer of warmth, in addition to protection from rain.
• Walking sticks are recommended (we can provide for an additional fee if you don’t have them)
• Medical kit for treating blisters, traveler’s diarrhea and other minor illnesses
• Water purification tablets or drops if you want to clean the spring water
• Refillable water bottle as we want to avoid single-use plastics waste in the fragile environments of the mountains
• Lip balm: your lips get chapped very easily in the mountains
• Wet wipes and/or anti-bacterial gel to clean hands
• Hat and gloves to wear at night for warmth
• Head lamp to navigate campsite and yurt camps at night
• Warm sleeping bag (you can rent this from us if you don’t have one). Yurts and homestays provide blankets. Some people like to bring a sleeping bag liner with them as well for extra warmth and comfort.

All our hiking and trekking tours in the Alai Mountains include luggage transfer by horse. We ask all to leave all the unnecessary luggage in Osh city at our office and take only the items needed for this trek. You can take two bags: a small day backpack carried by you each day where you put your bottled water, wallet and other personals items and a bigger backpack carried by the luggage horses where you can put your clothes, pants, sleeping bag and other gear. The bigger backpacks carried by horse should weigh 10 to 15 kilos. Horses have special bags designed for the trek. Each horse carries about 60 to 70 kilos.  

We rate the Best of Alay Mountains Trek as Medium-Difficult because it is quite challenging in some parts, especially the rocky and scree-covered trails before and after Sary Mogol (4,306 m) and Jiptick Pass (4,185 m). In addition, the trek goes to some high altitudes with three mountains passes over 4,100 meters, which can also be difficult if you don’t have prior experience hiking or trekking at altitude. Taking time to acclimatize before and during the trek is very important.

Therefore, we recommend that you are reasonably fit with some trekking experience to undertake the entire trek without any issues. Even if without a lot of trekking experience, we let people join the Best of Alay Mountains Trek and help them do the difficult parts on horses as our tours always include luggage horses that can be used in this purpose.

The Alay Mountains include several types of accommodation: homestays or guest houses, yurt stays and camping (tents). These different accommodation options provide visitors with a comfortable and authentic experience in this remote mountain region of southern Kyrgyzstan.

We at Visit Alay work directly with local families to provide accommodation on all of our trekking and cultural tours. This provides travelers have an opportunity to meet and engage with local people, learn more about Kyrgyz traditional culture and cuisine, and also benefit the local communities through this additional income.

The Best of Alay Mountains Trek includes the following accommodation. You can find the more information on this in the detailed itinerary above.

Homestays and Guest Houses

When spending the night in a family homestay or guesthouse, expect to share a room with 3-5 people. You will be provided with a bed and warm blankets. The toilets are flush toilets (shared) and are often outside. Hot showers are available at these guest houses.

Yurt Stays

Sleeping in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt is a highlight for many travelers. One yurt usually sleeps 5-6 people and you will sleep on mats on the ground with blankets piled on top to make sure you are warm and comfortable. Toilets are outside, so be sure to have a headlamp with you to navigate there at night. Yurt camps have access to water to wash face and hands, but not usually hot water for showers.

Tents 

We will stay in tents at our tent camp set up after Sary Mogol pass. The tents will already be set up and come with a mat to sleep on. You will need a sleeping bag for this, but if you don’t have one you can rent one from us.

One of the benefits of trekking and hiking in the Alay Mountains is that you will have access to delicious homemade Kyrgyz dishes at the different family-run accommodations.

On our trekking tours, including the Best of Alay Mountains Trek, most of the evening meals are home-cooked and provided by the yurt camp, homestay or guesthouse. These traditional Kyrgyz meals usually include some sort of meat (often beef or mutton) served with potatoes, rice, or home-made noodles for a hearty dinner after a long day of hiking. Fresh bread rounds are also a must at every meal and you’ll often find homemade jams and traditional sour cream to go with this.

Lunch is usually picnic style and served at a beautiful overlook or near an alpine lake. This usually includes meats, vegetables, cheese, and other items that can be used to make sandwiches or light meals. 

Vegetarian or Vegan Food

The homestays, guest houses and yurt stays are able to cook vegetarian and vegan food. Please inform the company and guide in advance in you are vegetarian or vegan so we can make the proper arrangements for the food needed along this tour.

Gluten, Lactose or other Food Allergies

Please let us know if you have any specific food allergies or preferences about food. We will inform the different accommodation providers and also be sure that the picnic lunches have the right foods.

There are clean mountain springs throughout the Alay Mountains and specifically along the Best of Alay Mountains hiking trail. We can refill water bottles from these springs. To be on the safe side, bring purification drops or powder to clean river or spring waters. Yurt stays will provide boiled water, if needed. Homestays have bottled waters brought from cities where you can refill your bottle or you can ask for boiled water.

We advise visitors to drink as much water as possible to avoid dehydration and avoid altitude sickness.

The Pamir-Alay Mountains have some high mountain passes (over 4,300 meters) and trails, so it’s important to be take precautions against altitude sickness, especially if you don’t have prior experience trekking or hiking at altitude. 

Some of our clients come directly without doing any high altitude adaptation. They just start the trek one day after they arrive in the country. It affects their sleep and causes headaches during the trek. However, all of our customers manage to do the trek even though they get high altitude issues thanks to the support of our expert trekking guides. 

However, it’s possible to take some simple steps and precautions to avoid altitude sickness for a more enjoyable experience. These recommendations apply to the Best of the Alay Mountains Trek and any of our high altitude trekking tours.

Recommendations to Avoid Altitude Sickness

• Rest for at least one night in Osh after your international flight: This is important if you are traveling a long distance and have jet lag. Starting the trek rested will help your body adjust to altitude in the next days.
• Acclimatize with a lower elevation hike or trek first: We highly recommend you to take a trek at 2000-2500 meters around Kyrgyzstan before this trek. We have other horse treks or treks by foot at lower altitude if you plan to take them.  
• Drink lots and lots of water: One of the best ways to combat altitude sickness is by drinking lots and lots of water. Try and start and end your day by drinking a liter of water. Your body will be thankful for it. 
• Move slowly when trekking or hiking at altitude:  A slow and steady pace walking up hills and when climbing up to high mountain passes is the best way to not tire yourself out and also allow your body to adapt to the higher elevations.

Yes, all of our trekking and hiking tours in Kyrgyzstan are fully guided and supported tours. This means you will always have a mountain guide during the trek to guide and support you along the trail. Our experienced guides have at least three year’s guiding experience and will provide you with all the necessary information you need for the trek and guide you along the hiking trails. They will be with you at all times to make sure everything is OK, safe and provide support if you need additional help. All the guides speak a good English and little bit of Russian.

The Best of Alay Mountains Trek is a fully guided tour with an expert guide, horsemen, and horses to carry luggage/gear. This means that all you need to do each day is enjoy the stunning scenery and experience without worrying about getting lost, where to eat and sleep, and carrying heavy gear. All of that will be taken care of you by us.

Please see above for a full list of what services are included in this trekking tour.

Visit Alay offers the option of both private guided tours as well as group tours (up to 8 people) for its trekking tours in the Alay Mountains. Both options include an experienced local guide, transportation, accommodation, most meals and other support services.

For group departures for the Best of Alay Mountains Trek, you can see the available dates above. 

For private tours, get in touch with us  to let us know which tour you are interested in and for which dates. We’ll respond immediately with all the details you need.

Trekking and hiking in the Alay or Alai Mountains is quite safe and you don’t need to worry about crime or other problems. However, the Pamir-Alay Mountains are quite high in elevation, weather can change quickly, and many of the trekking or hiking trails are quite remote. Therefore, it’s important you take the necessary precautions to keep yourself safe and healthy in these mountain conditions.

This is why we advise you to go on a trekking tour with an experienced guide, stay on designated trails, and prepare for varying weather conditions by packing different layers and protection from rain and wind. Altitude sickness can also be a concern for some people as some of the trails go up to 4,300 meters. Be sure to acclimatize properly, drink lots of water when in the mountains and take appropriate measures to prevent it. You can always ask your guide for help and advice if you begin to feel altitude sickness.

Concerning safety: In the case of emergencies, we usually transport the injured person to the nearest medical clinic. Injured people will be carried by horse to the first village and then transferred to the hospital by jeep. From the farthest spot of a trek to the nearest hospital, the journey by horse and then by jeep will take one full day, approximately 10-12 hours.

In the case of a serious injury, our state emergency department rescues with helicopters. Therefore, it is advisable to have emergency evacuation and international medical insurance that covers helicopter rescue. It will also help if you bring a satellite phone with you.

Most people suffer from diarrhea during the trek. If you feel weak and cannot keep up, you can ride a horse. For this reason, we usually bring one extra horse. Additionally, it would be good to bring water filters and water purification tablets to avoid stomach issues.

The Alay or Alai Mountains in southern Kyrgyzstan are most easily reached from the city of Osh. All of our treks and tours in the Pamir-Alay mountains depart from Osh and transportation is included in the tour price. You can find full details about transportation to Osh here from Bishkek, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan or China.

Flights to Osh

It’s becoming much easier to get to Osh by flight now as there are more and more airlines flying directly into Osh (OSS) airport in southern Kyrgyzstan. You can now find direct flights to Osh from Istanbul, Dubai, Kuwait, Sharjah, and other international cities. This is in addition to regular flights from Bishkek to Osh (45-60 minutes).

Transport from Bishkek to Osh and the Alay Mountains

It’s also possible to travel overland from Bishkek to Osh. It is a beautiful journey going through Jalal-Abad region, but it takes around 10-12 hours. Private taxis from Bishkek to Osh can be arranged through tourism agencies and cost around $150 per car. You can also book a private transfer from Bishkek to Osh with us.

Shared taxis are located at Bishkek’s central bus station (avtovaksal) and the Osh Bazaar. They depart when full and take eleven or more hours to complete the route. Price per seat in a shared taxi ranges from $17 to $20 (1200 to 1500 KGS).