Ever since we arrived in Kyrgyzstan, Lenin Peak and the surrounding mountains had been staring at us, just asking us to head in and explore. They are the prominent mountain range visible from both Sary Tash and Sary Mogul, and create a dream-like backdrop for the whole area. After our time in the Alay Mountains, as well as a failed attempt about a week or so ago, we were really excited to finally get up there. Our objective was ‘Traveller’s Pass’, a 4,130m pass on the way to Camp One of Lenin Peak. There are also a few very cool looking 6,000m peaks that are considered more ‘hikes’ than ‘climbs’, but unfortunately we didn’t have time to give these a nudge this time. 

After we got out from the Heights of Alay trip we had a day and a half of heavy rain which only looked worse in the mountains, so we used this as an opportunity to rest and reset. It was still rainy but clearing when we got the taxi into Tulpar Lake, with plans to either stay in a Yurt or camp overnight before getting an early start on the walk the next morning. Once we got to Tulpar Lake we realized it wasn’t going to be very nice to stay there in the rain, so we put our jackets on and continued up to Lenin Peak Base camp, about two and a half kilometers further. There is just something special about walking in the rain (and snow!) that makes you feel so alive. 

It was an easy walk but we were all very wet and cold once we arrived. We found some of our friends from the HoA trek parked up at a very fancy cafe waiting for the weather to improve, and we were more than happy to join them with hot chocolates and pots of tea. Lenin Peak Base Camp is like a little village, with multiple different yurt camps and spots to eat. We had ended up at one of the fancier set ups with great facilities, including a shop, hot shower block and the cafe we were waiting at. We contemplated camping further up the valley but it was really cold and we were already quite high up, so we decided to make the most of the facilities and enjoy their fancy tents. These included beds, linen, towels, charging and a heater!! To compensate for the budget blow out, we ate sardines and crackers for dinner in the fancy cafe while asking them to fill up our tea pot with water for the third time…I am sure they loved us!!

While exploring the camp a little more we saw a sign for a “bath house” which looked to be a sauna… upon further investigation we realized our suspicions were correct, and suddenly the $50 we had spent on the tent seemed totally worth it. We got to enjoy the sauna for about 15 minutes before we got kicked out, turns out it was only for use by those paying for the very very expensive yurts. But what a great 15 minutes it was. Ask for forgiveness, not for permission I say!

The next morning we were up at the crack of dawn (actually it was still pitch black), to get up to Traveller’s Pass for sunrise. It was freezing cold, I had all my layers on and still couldn’t stop for longer than a couple of seconds without getting the shivers. It’s an easy walk, mostly along a valley with two steeper climbs to get you up to the pass, with really amazing views of the mountains the whole way up. At about 6 AM it started to get light with the sun hitting the surrounding peaks, and it first hit us just as we climbed up onto the pass!! From here we had the most amazing views of Lenin Peak right in front of us, it felt so close. People do say this is the best view in Kyrgyzstan and I understand why. There was a ridge up to the side of the pass that looked super achievable, so Josh and I scrambled up to get to a higher vantage point. With the ground slowly thawing underneath us some parts were a little dodgy, but we got up and the view was 100% worth it. I would have loved to stay there all day exploring, but we had a highway to get to! We high tailed it back to the camp where we enjoyed a coffee before walking back to Tulpar Lake. This time it was blue skies and totally still, a contrast to yesterday's treacherous walk in. 

We got a taxi back to Sary Mogul, and did some final shopping and packing before getting on the road to begin the mighty Pamir Highway and cross into Tajikistan! I was very pleased we managed to tick this walk off before leaving Kyrgyzstan and on such a beautiful day too. 

HoA Day Four

CBT Yurt Camp to Sary Mogul, via Jiptik Pass

14.42km 

7hrs 45mins

858m total ascent

Our final day started with a steep climb, one that didn’t stop until we had once again climbed over 4,000m. Josh and I enjoyed putting the gas pedal on a little and watching the valley disappear below us and we made swift progress up towards the pass. We realized about halfway up that we had the snacks, so we left a packet of lollies in the middle of the track for Tommy and Orshi to find. We communicated through excited waves that they had found them, and they were very grateful to have an energy boost up the final zig zags. 

Once we reached the top we were rewarded with the most amazing views out towards Lenin Peak, and made a celebratory coffee to enjoy at the top. The whole group arrived at their own pace and it was so exciting watching everyone reach the pass and soak in the epic view. 

By the descent we felt like we were on the homeward stretch and started dreaming of the beers and chips that were on the menu for tonight. Once again we found a lovely spot for a scenic swim/splash and lunch, soaking our feet and filling our hats with water before continuing the walk down the valley. We walked through fields of yaks, horses and sheep as we made our way back to the road, my favorite being the herds of wild horses that scattered as we approached, cantering across the hillside. 

We thought we had booked a taxi (aka the wizard) but weren’t really sure where or when, so it was to all of our surprise when there was a car waiting at the road end, much earlier than we expected!! It wasn’t the wizard, but it was the Grandad of the guest house, so we figured the two had communicated somehow. I was very sad to say goodbye to this hike, as it had ended a couple of kilometers earlier than I expected!! The drive out was of course very scenic (yes, everything here is), and on the way we saw the wizard driving in. It worked out perfectly as about half our group was still on their way out, so the timing would be perfect. We got back to Sary Mogul and exploded all over the communal area, washing gear, sorting out food and of course, drinking some well deserved beers. 

I felt the most like myself I had felt in a while after being in the mountains, a stark contrast to the anxiety induced by our beloved Nina. We had many more mountain adventures planned for the Pamir and beyond, and this trip made me incredibly excited for a Central Asia trip filled with mountain adventures. 

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.

CBT Yurt Camp to Kosh-Moynok Yurt Camp, via Kosh-Moynok Pass

21.38km 

8hrs 47mins

868m total ascent

After a very average sleep, Josh treated me to coffee delivered in the tent - one of the great joys of life, I think. We were deep in a steep valley, so we all pulled ourselves out of our warm sleeping bags to get walking before the sun hit. Today started with a whole lot of down, we had to drop to a town called Kichi Sary Mogul, at 2,400m elevation. The 1,000m of descent was at least incredibly scenic and as we got further down we could see some more peaks that we had been too close to last night to have good views of. 

Once we reached the outskirts of this small town we parked up next to the river in the sun for a coffee stop and to swim/wash in the freezing water. This time Tommy the Mediterranean had a bit of a splash around, which we were all very impressed with. From the town we hitched a couple of kilometers down the road and found a place for lunch. We paid a ridiculous price for three Manti (dumplings) each, so we made sure to stock up on the chocolates and candy they laid out on the tables for the climb after lunch. 

From the town we had to climb back up to 3,220m to get into the next valley, and somehow we had managed to time this with the heat of the day! We had a bit of a crew forming by this point, we’d met two other lovely Italians from the Dolomites who were on the same schedule as us, and having more company up the hill was really nice. It was hot and dry up the hill, leaving us all finding our own rhythm and hunting for small pieces of shade to take breathers in. 

Of course, it was a great accomplishment reaching the top, but what was even greater was the sight of our campsite below. This place was the most quintessential Kyrgyzstan campsite you could imagine. Make sure you scroll through the photos to find this place, but I’m going to describe it as well. Green fields either side of a bubbling river, sheep, horses and yaks grazing, a couple of yurts, big mountains up behind a big valley, and trees starting to appear down the valley as the river dropped out of view… just magic. 

One of my favorite moments of Kyrgyzstan was when a big flock of sheep came past our tents, followed by a very skilled horseman and a wee boy on a donkey. These guys appeared to be true nomads. His horsemanship was unlike anything I had ever seen before, more befitting the Olympic dressage ring than the mountains. He pulled up at the yurt camp next door where several of the men came to admire his steed, with one of them giving it a test drive. Before long he had trotted back across the river and then continued moving his sheep down the valley. All the camp tasks like cooking, cleaning, putting up tents etc were second nature to Josh and I, but a bit newer to Tommy and Orshi. It was exciting to see them learning to enjoy life in the mountains and testing themselves on a trip they likely wouldn’t have embarked on without us. Sharing these moments with friends makes them all the more special. 

Dropping Nina off to the mechanic felt like leaving a naughty child with a babysitter. Our growing fears that we had purchased a ‘lemon’ had been placated by the ease and confidence of the ‘wizard’, who we were convinced was the best mechanic this side of the Alay Mountains. And, we were finally getting into the mountains! No better way to ease the stress of suddenly owning a swift depreciating multi thousand dollar asset than to head into the hills for a few days. 

The Heights of Alay loop is known as one of the more “off the beaten track” hikes in Kyrgyzstan, although judging by the number of trekkers at our hostel, I think this beta from last summers blog posts is maybe slightly out of date now. It certainly lived up to expectations though, and every day had us walking through more of the movie set scenery that was so stereotypically Kyrgyz. Yurt camps, horsemen, pick up rides and 4,000m passes… it was just a lot of fun. I expected this hike to be a little harder based on what I had read online, but I was pleasantly surprised overall. Of course, 4,000m passes are never easy, but by this stage we were well acclimatized and coping well with the altitude. We wanted each stop on this trip to be shown on the blog, so please excuse a little spam as we list each day separately FTM (for the map). 

Sary Mogul to CBT Yurt Camp, via Sary Mogul Pass

16.71km

10hrs 12mins

1,026m total ascent 

We’d booked a taxi to take us to the start of the trail, and we were equal parts surprised and stoked to see the wizard show up to drive us! Not only the local Lada mechanic, he also drove tourists into the mountains as a side hustle. We all piled in his iconic Maroon Lada Niva, and got to experience the joy of being driven by someone who really knew how to handle this old Russian car. His gear changes were flawless, line choice a real art and I swear we got air on some of the culverts we crossed. 

The drive into the start of the hike was beautiful. A big wide river valley with seasonal yurt camps, mobs of sheep, horses and yaks and peaks rising up all around us. The valley began to narrow and we got dropped in a shady spot above the river. The wizard snapped a quick picture of us before speeding off back down the valley, seemingly (and unbelievably) even faster than we had arrived. We headed off with all our layers on and quickly gained height up above the river. Our goal today was to cross Sary-Mogul pass, actually the highest and supposedly the hardest day of the hike. 

As the river gorged we climbed up above it, walking through herds of yaks and enjoying views back to Lenin Peak behind us. It was warming up quickly, and in typical NZ fashion we found a spot for a swim in a mountain stream. Orshi joined us, but it will take a little more convincing to get Tommy the Mediterranean into the freezing mountain water. Gradually we climbed out away from the river and over a number of false summits, until the actual pass was within view. Nearly all vegetation was gone by now, and it was a gravelly sidle up to the pass itself. At 4,300m the pass itself is no joke, and breathing was tough on the way up. I scrambled along the ridge for a picture, and we recovered from what had been a seven hour climb to this point. We met a number of other walkers at the top, some up for a day trip, and some doing a similar hike to us. There were even a number of horses coming up behind us, and it was very hard to imagine how they were going to get down!! 

The descent was much more treacherous than the way up, but I’m pleased to report that years spent on the scree slopes of the Craigieburn ranges have left me with steady feet and limited fear on that kind of terrain. We slowly made it down the dodgy section, avoiding using the fixed rope with the seriously concerning looking anchor, and were all happy to get to flatter ground. Totally rompable terrain down to camp. We didn’t stay at the Yurt Camp itself, but found a (semi) flat spot below next to the river. Pasta was on the menu for dinner, before putting on all our clothes and climbing into bed. We were still pretty high at 3,500m, and it was not warm! Falling asleep in a tent next to a river is my idea of heaven, and we were all exhausted and asleep in no time. Incessant midnight cramps in my glutes and hamstrings reminded me of the importance of stretching, and also highlighted the fact I’m not 22 anymore, shit. When did that happen?!