Auto-trekking in the desert and Heavenly Mountains
Combined tour in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. AT-1
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Duration: 20 days;
Accommodation: 4 nights in hotels, 2 nights in yurts, 13 nights in tents;
Season: May 1 - October 1;
Group size: no more than 12.
Travel itinerary: Almaty - Big Almaty gorge - Small Almaty gorge - Chimbulak - Altyn-Emel nature reserve - Charyn canyon - Kolsai lake - Karakol - Djety-Oguz - Lake Issyk-Kul - Balykchi - Tokmak town - Bishkek - Almaty
Day 1: Evening arrival to Tashkent - the capital of Uzbekistan. Transfer to the hotel and accommodation. Rest after a long flight.
Day 1. Arrival in Almaty. Meeting in airport, transfer to hotel Otrar ****, accommodation. Rest. Breakfast. City sightseeing: visit to the 28 Panfilov guardsmen memorial, Cathedral, Museum of national musical instruments, National museum, Medeo gorge, Republic square (4 hrs.) Lunch. Dinner. Night in hotel.
Day 2. Breakfast. Transfer: Almaty - Big Almaty gorge (28 km.) The vehicle drops us at "The Alpine rose" hotel and we hike up to the "Moon glade", then on to the old moraine of Big Almaty Lake (2527m) (4 km.) Lunch. Hiking at the lake. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 3. Breakfast. Hiking: Big Almaty lake - confluence of the Ozernaya and Turistov rivers (3000m) (6km.) From the lake, the route runs to the southeast on an old deserted road. To the left, Sovetov peak (4317m) can be seen. We ford the Ozernaya river, and to the right a large glacier and Almaty-Alagir (4223m) peak is visible. We reach the moraine of Constitution glacier and eat lunch there. Return to camp. Night in tents.
Day 4. Breakfast. Transfer: Big Almaty lake - Almaty - Small Almaty gorge, Kim-Asar Peak(4200m)(42 km.) Walking in the upper region of the Kim-Asar river, ascent to Butakovskii pass (2870m) (4 km.). Lunch en-route. Return to camp. We leave behind a small cabin and move up the gorge on the old road. Tien Shan spruces, grasses and flowers cover the nearby slopes. Dinner at the "Kazakh Aul" restaurant. Night in tents.
Day 5. Breakfast. Transfer: Kim-Sar gorge - Chimbulak ski resort (10 km.) At Chimbulak, we take the ski lift to Big Talgar pass (3163m). Right in front of us we see the flat summit of Chkalova peak (3892m). From here, along the left side of the valley we hike to Bogdanovich glacier (4000m) (2 km.) Lunch. Transfer: Chimbulak - Almaty (25 km.) Accommodation in hotel "Otrar". Dinner at a local cafe. Night in hotel.
Day 6. Breakfast. Transfer: Almaty - Kapchagai - Ili river (101 km.) Rafting on the Ili river (21 km, 4 hrs) Beneath the Kapchagai water reservoir, the Ili flows in a deep rocky canyon, up to 200 meters wide. The river in this part is full-flowing with a rapid current and clear water. The canyon is about 100 meters deep, and there are small islands. In 1.5 - 2 hours more cliffs are seen to the right - this is Tamgaly-Tas gorge, where on one of the rocks, the image of Buddha is engraved. Lunch en-route. After visit, continue rafting to base camp, which will be situated 2 km down river. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 7. Breakfast. Transfer: Ili river - Chengeldy village - Altyn-Emel nature reserve (150 km.) On the way, a stop and visit to tortoise colony. Visit to the Besshatyr Saks burial mounds (7th-4th c. BC) There are 31 burial mounds here, from 45 to 105 m in diameter. Lunch en-route. Transfer to the "Singing" dune (45 km.) On the hot sands we hike to the top of the sandy hill, which is 200 m high and 500 m long. Two more dunes stretch to the south. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 8. Breakfast. Transfer: "Singing" dune - White mountains (48 km.) Visit to the White mountains. On the territory of the national park, from our vehicle, we may see wild deer, mountain goats, foxes, hares, and birds. Transfer: White mountains - Aidarly village - Chundja village - Temerlik river (140 km.) Lunch en-route. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 9. Breakfast. Hike to Temerlik canyon. Transfer: Temerlik canyon - Charyn canyon (60 km,). Lunch on the way. Visit to Charyn canyon. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 10. Breakfast. Transfer: Charyn canyon - Jalanash village - Saty village - Kolsai lake 1(2100m) (130 km.) Lunch on the way. Free time. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 11. Breakfast. Day hike to Kolsai lake 2 (2500m) (5 km.) This is one of the most beautiful lakes of the Northern Tien Shan, surrounded by spruces, Alpine meadows and flowers. Lunch en-route. Return to camp. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 12. Breakfast. Transfer: Kolsai lake 1 - Kegen village (1848m) - Bayankol valley (2167m) (240 km.) Lunch on the way. After the lake, our route winds among intermontaine hollows and dry river beds. We pass by Kegen pass (1900m) and Sholadyr pass (2065m). Hike down into a wide valley that borders the Central Tien Shan mountains. In clear and fine weather, the highest summits of the Central Tien Shan, Khan-Tengri (7010m) and Pobeda (7439m) peaks, may be seen from the road not far from Tekes village. Lunch en-route. Passing another two villages, we enter the wide Bayankol valley. The rapid white-gray Bayankol river flows to our left. Our camp is set up in Kaishi gorge, near a shepherd's house. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 13. Breakfast. Trek to Obzornaya mountain (4370m) (6 km.) From the mountain, we see the Central Tien Shan, with peaks over 600 meters, in China and Kyrgyzstan. In clear weather, Khan-Tengri and Peak Pobeda can be perfectly seen. Lunch on the way. Return to camp. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 14. Breakfast. Transfer to Kyrgyzstan. Transfer: Kaishi gorge - Karkara village - Syptas pass (1987m) - Santash pass (2185m) - Teplokluchenka village - town of Karakol (200 km) Pass by a number of Kazakh villages. In one of the villages we'll see the statue of one of the Kazakh Khans, Kaishi. Near Karkara village are immigration and customs check points, checking of documents. Accommodation in yurt camp. Dinner. Night in yurts.
Day 15. Breakfast. Transfer to the Altyn-Arashan ("Golden springs") hot springs (30 km.) Bathing in hot springs if desired. Temperature is +31 C to +57 C. Spring waters contain radon. Trek to the upper part of the gorge to visit a waterfall on the Kashkasu river. Meeting with local shepherds. Lunch. Return to Karakol. City sightseeing: dungani mosque, orthodox church, local market. Dinner. Night in yurts.
Day 16. Breakfast. Transfer: Karakol - Djety-Oguz - Lake Issyk-Kul - Kochkorka village - Song-Kol lake (385 km.) Stop at the Red Rocks of Djety-Oguz ("Seven Bulls") The Red Rocks are so beautiful and unique that in 1968 their image was printed on the national postage stamps of Kyrgyzstan. The south shore of Issyk-Kul is the most beautiful and picturesque part of the lake. The road runs at a distance of 30m from the lake in the some places. On the way - a stop at Kadzhi-Sai village for swimming. Our route continues to the west. Pass Ortokoy reservoir. The Chu river - one of the largest rivers in Kyrgyzstan, flows into and out of this reservoir. Soon we stop at a bazaar in Kochkorka village. Lunch on the way. Beyond Kochkorka, the road turns to dirt and runs into the mountains. Camping on the shore of Song-Kul lake. Dinner. Night in tents.
Day 17. Breakfast. Full day on the shore of Song-Kul lake. Visit to shepherds' yurts, free time, ascent of one of the nearby hills - from here we can see a beautiful lake panorama. Lunch. Dinner. Overnight in tents.
Day 18. Breakfast. Transfer: Song-Kul lake - Kochkorka village - Balykchi - Tokmak town - Bishkek (390 km) Passing Balykchi, the road runs through the beautiful Boomsky gorge, through which flows the Chu River. Along the way: visit and excursion to the Burana Tower (the ancient capital of the Karakhanid state in the 10th-12th c.); visit to archeological museum. Accommodation in hotel "Ak-Keme"****. Dinner at a local cafe. Overnight in hotel.
Day 19. Breakfast. Sightseeing of Bishkek: Orthodox church, National museum of History, Republic square and Lenin statue, Osh market. Lunch in cafe. After lunch transfer: Bishkek - Almaty (240 km) Accommodation in hotel "Otrar"****. Dinner in cafe. Night in hotel.
Day 20. Departure from Almaty.
| Cost of program (US$) |
| Num. pax |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10+1 |
11+1 |
12+1 |
| Cost p\p |
4953 |
2872 |
2710 |
2191 |
2097 |
1821 |
1788 |
1689 |
1690 |
1713 |
1670 |
1597 |
| Single supplement - US$ 138 per person |
| Price includes: |
Price does not include: |
- Visa support to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan;
- All land transfers;
- Meeting and seeing off at the airport, services of interpreter, cook and his helper;
- Guide;
- Accommodation in hotels (double rooms with breakfast) according to program: accommodation in yurts in Karakol (5 persons in each yurt);
- Sightseeing;
- Entry fees;
- Ecological taxes;
- Police registration;
- Serving of tea/coffee in the tent in the morning;
- Special permits;
- Tents during the auto-trekking on a double basis;
- Full board in the cities and during auto-trekking;
- Packed lunch daily;
- Kitchen and camp equipment;
- Guide consultations;
- Bottled water during transfers: 1.5 L/day/person;
- Safety vests for rafting.
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- Airline tickets, tips;
- Insurance and other medical subcosts;
- Additional excursions not mentioned in the program;
- Personal extras like overweight luggage;
- Laundry, phone, fax, and e-mail services;
- Alcoholic drinks;
- Mini bar and other extra services at the hotels.
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Additional information
1. Rafting on the Ili river. We will have all necessary safety equipment for rafting, including safety vests. The guide will explain the safety rules while rafting. According to international ratings, the Ili river belongs in the 1st category of difficulty, which means that the river is very calm. Starting from May the water in the river is warm. It is possible to swim and fish there. Beneath the Kapchagai water reservoir, the Ili flows in a deep rocky canyon, up to 200 meters wide. The river in this part is full-flowing with rapid current and clear water. The canyon is about 100 meters deep. Water flow in summer varies from 150 to 250 cubic m/sec. Standard rafts for 6-8 persons are used for rafting. They are equipped with safety vests and other necessary equipment. Temperatures on the Ili river may reach +30 C, which is why we recommend wearing long-sleeve shirts, sunglasses, and a hat and use special SPF creams.
2. During daily treks, guests will carry their own personal gear themselves. Treks start from camp in the morning and return to camp in the evening.
3. Roads while autotrekking. The road in Altyn-Emel nature reserve is not paved, and is 180 km long. The road from Karkara village to Teplokluchenka village is also on dirt, for 100 km. Also no asphalt on the road to Altyn Arashan hot springs - 20 km. We use 4WD vehicles with no A/C.
4. Altyn-Emel nature reserve is situated to the east of Almaty, 175 km away. Its total area is 600 sq. km. There are about 634 kinds of plants and 231 species of birds here. 26 species of fish dwell in the Ili river. Snow leopards, stone martens, wolves, foxes, steppe cats, and local wild deer dwell in the reserve. By the beginning of 2000, specialists had counted about 7000 djerains (deer), 3000 Teke goats, 700 kulans (deer), 200 arkhars (deer), and 200 wild boars in the reserve. A unique type of Turanga tree grows there as well. It is up to 20 m high and 1 m wide, and is an endemic species. The Great Silk Road passed through the territory of Altyn Emel in ancient times. Besshatyr Burial mounds is the biggest graveyard of the Saks tribes. They are from the 2nd and 3rd c. AD. The "Singing" dune and White mountains are also importants sights of the reserve.
5. Double-entry Kazakh visa is necessary for this trip.
General information on the auto-trekking programs >>>
We hope you like the program and assure you that we are absolutely open to any suggestions to increase the range of our services for the entire satisfaction of our clients and are happy to meet your special requirements.
You can alter the duration of your tour and places of visits by adding one of the extensions. Our tour operator will work closely with you or your travel agent to carefully prepare an itinerary based on your stated interests.
Reserve tour now >>>
| Notes: |
All rates for tours are valid until December 31, 2008;
The above rates can be changed without prior notification.
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