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Ala-Archa

Sample tour: Easy Hike in Ala-Archa

Duration

6 hours

Group size

2 to 12 people

Format

Group

Difficulty

Easy

Age

7+

Starts in

Бишкек, площадь Ала-Тоо

Ends in

Бишкек

Half a day in the national park 40 minutes from Bishkek: a walk up the gorge along the river, juniper groves and a picnic by the water.

The best way to swap the city for the mountains in half a day. We leave central Bishkek in the morning, and 40 minutes later we are at the park entrance. We follow the trail along the Ala-Archa river to a waterfall and a meadow with a view of the glaciers. On the way I talk about archa, the mountain juniper that gave the gorge its name, about the snow leopard that still lives in the upper reaches, and about the mountaineers who started their climbs here. The elevation gain is small, and the trail suits children and anyone who has not been to the mountains for a while. In the meadow we have a picnic: tea from a thermos, flatbread and fruit. We are back in the city by lunchtime.