7 days
Southern Kyrgyzstan: Osh, Alay and Arslanbob, 7 days
Osh and Sulaiman-Too, the Alay valley under Lenin Peak with nights at Sary-Mogol, Tulpar-Kul and the Achik-Tash base camp, then the walnut forests and waterfalls of Arslanbob.
The south is a different country from the north: hotter, older, closer to the Fergana Valley, and backed by the Trans-Alay wall with a seven-thousander in the middle of it. This week pairs the two things the region does best — the high Alay valley under Lenin Peak and the walnut forest above Arslanbob — with a Silk Road city at either end.
How hard it is
There is one real walking day, from the meadow at the Lenin Peak base camp with a local guide, on open ground at 3,600 m where every slope is felt. The rest is short: an hour up the ridge of Sulaiman-Too in Osh, an hour and a half to the larger waterfall above Arslanbob, easy walking on the shelf at Tulpar-Kul. The driving is harder than the hiking. Osh to Sary-Mogol is 220 km and four hours over the Chiyirchik and Taldyk passes, the second at 3,588 m; beyond the village the tracks are gravel with river fords.
Altitude and permits
This is the highest of our routes. From Osh at about 960 m you sleep at 2,980 m, then 3,500 m, then 3,600 m on consecutive nights; the night in the village first is what makes the two above it bearable. Broken sleep, a headache and breathlessness on any slope are normal up there, and anything beyond that means going down. The Lenin Peak area is a border zone and a stamped paper permit is required for the base camp and now the lake as well. We arrange it, but it takes days to weeks.
The nights
Hotel rooms in Osh at either end of the mountain leg, a family guesthouse in Sary-Mogol with dinner cooked in the house, two nights under felt in the Alay — beds in a yurt, meals in a dining tent, cold after dark — and a guesthouse in the walnut forest. Only the Osh nights have reliable power and hot water; the rest is simple and paid in cash.
When it runs
Mid-June to the end of September. The Alay camps run from about 10 June into early October and the tracks above Sary-Mogol are dependable from mid-June; Arslanbob has a longer season, May to October. July and August are above 30 °C in Osh while the Alay stays cold at night — the contrast the week is built on.
Changing it
The Alay half can be lengthened for acclimatisation or for a horse trek up to the lakes on the shelf, and the Arslanbob half can grow into a three-day ride to Holy Lake. The Karakhanid brickwork and rice bazaar at Uzgen is a half-day from Osh. Tell us what matters most.
Day by day
The route
Day 1
Osh and Sulaiman-Too
Overnight: Osh
- Osh: double room in a boutique hotel by the river
- Osh: guided walk on Sulaiman-Too
- Sulaiman-Too cave museum entrance
Day 2
Over the passes to Sary-Mogol
Overnight: Sary-Mogol
- 4x4 with driver for a mountain route, per day
- Sary-Mogol: guesthouse with dinner and breakfast
- Sary-Mogol: Kyrgyz folklore show
Day 3
Tulpar-Kul lake
Overnight: Tulpar-Kul Lake
- 4x4 with driver for a mountain route, per day
- Tulpar-Kul: bed in a shared yurt with breakfast
- Tulpar-Kul: dinner at the yurt camp
- Tulpar-Kul: yak show
Day 4
Walk to the Lenin Peak base camp
Overnight: Lenin Peak Base Camp (Achik-Tash)
- 4x4 with driver for a mountain route, per day
- Lenin Peak base camp: two-hour horse ride
- Lenin Peak base camp: local hiking guide for a day
- Lenin Peak base camp: twin yurt with all meals
Day 5
Back to Osh
Overnight: Osh
- 4x4 with driver for a mountain route, per day
- Osh: double room in a central hotel
Day 6
Arslanbob
Overnight: Arslanbob
- Arslanbob: home-cooked lunch at the beekeepers' house
- Arslanbob: beekeepers' family guesthouse with breakfast
- Arslanbob: beekeeping workshop
- Arslanbob: private transfer from Osh
Day 7
Walnut forest and waterfalls, then Osh
- Arslanbob: big waterfall entrance
- Arslanbob: plov cooking class with the host
- Arslanbob: local guide for a day hike to both waterfalls
- Arslanbob: private transfer from Osh
What the price includes
- —Six nights: hotels in Osh, family guesthouses and two yurt camps
- —A 4x4 with a driver on the mountain roads and the Arslanbob transfers
- —Border zone permit for the Lenin Peak area, arranged in advance
- —Guided walk on Sulaiman-Too with entry to the cave museum
- —A full day with a local guide at the Lenin Peak base camp
- —Horse riding at the base camp and a guided day in the walnut forest
- —Waterfall entry, a beekeeping demonstration and a plov cooking class
- —Breakfasts and dinners at the guesthouses, full board at the base camp
Not included
- —International flights, and the Bishkek to Osh domestic flight
- —A visa, if your nationality needs one
- —Travel and mountain rescue insurance
- —Lunches not listed above, and all drinks
- —Personal spending, laundry and souvenirs
- —Tips for the driver, guides and host families
On this trip
Places you stay
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
- How fit do I need to be?
- Moderately. The longest day is a guided walk on open ground around the Lenin Peak base camp, and at 3,600 m an easy gradient feels twice as steep as it is. Elsewhere the walking is an hour or two: the ridge above Osh, the paths to the Arslanbob waterfalls, the shore of Tulpar-Kul. You do not need mountaineering experience, but you should be comfortable walking uphill for a few hours.
- How serious is the altitude?
- It is the hardest part of the week. You sleep at 2,980 m, then 3,500 m, then 3,600 m, having started the trip below 1,000 m in Osh. The night in Sary-Mogol before going higher is there precisely to take the edge off that. Expect poor sleep and a headache on the first high night. Symptoms that keep getting worse mean going down, and the drive down takes several hours, so speak up early.
- Do I need a border permit, and who arranges it?
- Yes. The Lenin Peak area is a border zone: a stamped paper permit is required for the Achik-Tash base camp, and from the summer of 2026 the checks have extended to Tulpar-Kul. Your driver needs one too. We arrange the permits as part of the trip, but they are issued through offices rather than on arrival and take days to weeks, so we ask for passport details well ahead.
- When is the best time to travel?
- Mid-June to the end of September. The yurt camps in the Alay run from around 10 June into early October and the tracks to them are only dependable once the snow has gone. Arslanbob works from May to October and is at its busiest during the walnut harvest in September and October. Osh is above 30 °C in July and August, while a frost in the Alay in the same month is unremarkable.
- Can the route or the dates be changed?
- Yes, within the season, and the week is built around dates that suit you rather than a fixed departure. The Alay section can be stretched for extra acclimatisation, and the walnut forest section can grow into a multi-day ride. The permit is the one thing with a real lead time. Ask us about changing anything after beds are held and we will tell you what the camps and guesthouses allow.
- What should I bring for the high camps?
- A warm layer to sleep in, a hat and gloves, a windproof shell and boots with grip, whatever the forecast says: nights above 3,000 m drop below freezing all summer. Also sun protection, since the light at that height is fierce, and cash in som drawn in Osh, the last place with banks and gear shops before the Alay. Power at the camps is limited, so carry a battery pack.
Your route is one conversation away
Tell us your dates, your pace and what you would like to see. We will put together a route from our own suppliers.