Welcome to Altyn Arashan
Altyn Arashan is a gorge located in the eastern part of Kyrgyzstan, 30 kilometers away from Karakol town, located at an altitude of 2500 meters above sea level.
«Altyn» means gold or golden and «Arashan» from the Sankrit means a healing hot spring. So you can say it is a golden healing hot spring. The valley is very beautiful and nature is indeed can be described as untouched. It is a wildly popular place in Kyrgyzstan both among locals and foreigners.
How to get to Altyn Arashan?
To get to Altyn Arashan is the easiest things to do. First, you need to find an offline map on your mobile phone. We usually use Maps.me. Secondly, you need to find a mini bus #350 in Karakol or take a taxi to get to the Ak Suu village, a place marked on the map below. Taxi costs around 4-5 euro, the minibus is way cheaper. Once you drop off the transport, there is a road, which lies along a narrow gorge. Finally, all you need to do is just follow this road along the gorge and hike for about 4-5 hours. The hiking along the old road is easy and enjoyable that you won’t realize you are already in Altyn Arashan.
You can also get to there by car, but since the road is very bad it will take you almost 2 hours of jolting on the road. The trip by Soviet car will also cost 60 — 80 euro.
You can also get there by horse. We organize a 2-day horse riding tour to Altyn Arashan.
Wild Hot springs.
Hot springs are a great way to relax after a long hike. There are swimming pools of hots springs in the guesthouses. It may cost you 2-3 euros. There are also wild hot springs on the banks of the river near the rocks, just below the guesthouses. We have marked these hot springs on the map below.
Where to stay overnight?
There are many places to stay overnight. We recommend the Guest House Uchkun (Ala Kul). He has delicious food and a very hospitable family. If you want to experience spending the night in a yurt, he has yurts, or if you are too tired from a long hike, and prefer usual settings for a night, he has cozy rooms with beds. You can order dinner and lunch at Uchkun.
You can book the guesthouse by this number or whatsapp. +996708932110
The prices are the following:
- Overnight in yurt or a room with breakfast: 15 eur (1500 som)
- Dinner: 4 eur (400 som) Lunch: 4 eur (400 som)
Usually, there are 4-5 people in one yurt
There are also meals available for vegetarians and allergic. All you need to do is to inform when booking.
Trek to Ala Kul Lake from Altyn Arashan?
From Altyn Arashan you can hike to Ala Kul Lake in a day. Full hiking takes about 8-9 hours on foot or 13 km. You can also rent a horse with a guide to get to the Ala Kul pass, then climb the pass on foot and return back to the horse. The detailed description is here.
Altyn Arashan on the map
What to take with you?
- Recommended taking trekking boots, if not, the sneakers will work too.
- Water ( one liter per person)
- Raincoat
- Warm coat
- Trekking sticks
- Glasses
- Sun cream