Kosh Moynok Yurt Camp to CBT Yurt Camp, via Sary-Bel Pass (and 10km in a pick up truck)

11.57km + 2.51km

4hrs 57mins + 44 mins

439m +259m total ascent 

Another day, another big descent. This morning started with coffee and chocolate oats watching the sun hit the peaks around us, but staying painfully far from our campsite. We all gradually got ready and one by one found ourselves standing in the sun on the other side of the river up the hill waiting for the rest of the group. The nights here are cold, so that first hit of sun in the morning is just heavenly. 

Today we only had a short climb up to a pass not far from our campsite, and from here we were bracing ourselves for a very long walk down. Me and my body don’t like big drops. Famously as a kid, Mum and Dad used to have to help my little sister with her pack on the big ups, and me with mine on the big downs. My knees and ankles never seem to be made for it, even at age 10. So safe to say I was bracing myself for the 1000m+ descent over the next 10km+. Thankfully the trail was beautiful (duh, we’re in Kyrgyzstan). 

From the pass we had a long sidle with views to surrounding peaks and rocky cliffs, it felt reminiscent of Northern California with super interesting rock formations and conifers dotting the slopes around us. We dropped down into a river gorge which turned into a bit of a canyon. I wasn’t expecting that at all and it was really cool geologically. Kyrgyzstan really has it all! At the end of the descent we did what we do best and found a spot next to the river to relax, swim, eat and make coffee while enjoying the warm afternoon sun. It was only 12 PM but this was the end of our walk today, as from here we planned to get a ride up the valley to skip 10km of road walking and save ourselves a day. We feasted on salami and cheese and reunited with our Italian friends, two German guys and a French couple who were all on a similar schedule to us. 

Once down in the village proper we went to the first house where a wee girl asked us if we wanted “food or taxi”, so clearly most visitors here are after the same thing!! While we were waiting for our taxi the family shared their apricots with us fresh off the tree, and the neighbours children took their pet camel for a walk down the street. The taxi arrived, and all ten of us piled onto the tray at the back, and clung on for dear life as we made our way up the valley. This was saving us over 10km of walking uphill on the road, and another 1,000m climb, so we were happy to pay the seemingly expensive $20 NZD each for the ride. We thought this was a bit steep seeing as there were 10 of us in there, but at least someone from the village was getting a payday. 

Even though this hike is growing in popularity for a couple months of the year, this is a very isolated area, and I can’t imagine it’s an easy place to live, work, raise a family and earn money. We arrived at a very deserted looking yurt camp, and realized the one we wanted was actually another 2.5km up the road! The driver was insistent he couldn’t take us any further, so we all strapped our packs back on and continued up the road. Again we had climbed up out of the lower valley, and were walking through a sparsely vegetated, rocky landscape. A picnicking family offered us chai along the way, but we were set on getting to the campsite before the sun ran away up the cliffs. Josh and our new Italian friend made it to the river just before the sun left, with enough time to have a quick wash in the sun. I was just behind them, but didn’t quite catch those last rays of sun, so it was a cold wash for me. We stayed at a yurt camp where you could sleep in the yurts, have dinner and breakfast, and between the ten of us we all did varying combinations of those three things. Josh and I opted to camp and eat our own food, but were very grateful to be invited into the heated dining tent for chai after dinner. Again it was so nice to be with a big crew, and by this point we had all bonded and were looking forward to walking the final day together.