Ala-Archa — Adygene Gorge

Adygene is a left tributary of the Ala-Archa River, flowing into it a little downstream from the mouth of the right tributary, the Ak-Sai River. The Adygene Valley, together with the Ak-Sai Valley and the main Ala-Archa Valley, is one of the three main valleys of the national park. In the upper reaches of Adygene, at an elevation of over 3,500 meters above sea level, lies a lake of the same name, and next to it — a base camp used for ascents of several nearby peaks: Adygene Peak itself, as well as Electro Peak, Panfilov Peak, and others. The circular route described here (sometimes referred to as the “Adygene Loop”) is less ambitious: the maximum elevation gain does not exceed 700 meters, and completing it in full, even with breaks, is unlikely to take more than 5–6 hours. Near the crest of a small moraine separating the Ala-Archa and Adygene valleys, there is a memorial to fallen mountaineers (not from this particular area, but from the mountains of Kyrgyzstan in general) — a place that invites reflection.

You can reach the park entrance by private car or by bus No. 1, which regularly departs from T. Usubaliev Square (behind the building of the Historical Museum). Inside the park, electric buses operate around the clock, taking you free of charge to the start of the hiking section of the route and bringing you back at any time of day or night. If you happen to be traveling in an electric vehicle, you may also enter the park on your own. It is best to get off the electric bus / leave your car at a parking area about one kilometer before the end of the route (ask the driver to stop near the trail to Adygene). If you go all the way to the end by mistake — no problem, you’ll just need to walk back a little.

Unlike the route through the Ak-Sai Valley, this trail is less popular and sees far fewer people. Leaving the Ala-Archa Valley behind quite quickly, you almost immediately find yourself away from civilization. For this reason, and also due to several non-obvious river crossings, we do not recommend this route for a first introduction to the mountains. Nevertheless, the route is very scenic, and if you are tired of busy trails, we highly recommend considering this option. Naturally, you should bring appropriate gear and remember that at altitudes around 2,700 meters (the highest point of the route), an unacclimatized person may already begin to experience early signs of altitude sickness.

The route can be walked in either direction — clockwise or counterclockwise. Below is the description for the counterclockwise variant shown on the map. After crossing the watershed between Ala-Archa and Adygene, you will descend into the Adygene Valley and cross to its left bank via logs (see the main photo on the place’s page). The next section involves a steep ascent along the left bank of Adygene toward a ford across a small left tributary (marked as Uragan-Jar on the map). Near this ford, many maps show a dotted path crossing Adygene at about 2,550 meters, but we were unable to find any trace of this crossing on the ground: the river is quite full here, and traversing it could be problematic. If you continue along the left bank up to about 2,600 meters, you’ll reach a beautiful meadow with a view of the steep river section above — a perfect spot for a snack. Here, Adygene receives a fairly large left tributary (Tez-Tor on the map), which can be crossed by descending a short but very steep bank. Finally, the main river channel can be crossed via a kind of metal bridge (also shown in one of the photos). From here begins the descent along the right bank of Adygene, which, passing the memorial to fallen mountaineers, will lead you back to the watershed with Ala-Archa.