Ala-Kul Trek - Day 2

We'd heard that day 2 of the Ala-Kul Trek was by far the hardest (19km distance, 1km elevation gain over 5km and 10hrs or more in duration), so we set off straight after breakfast to make sure we made it during daylight. From the yurt camp, it was a long, tough 2.5hr climb (almost vertical in some locations) to Ala-Kul Lake, where we were rewarded with views of the turquoise waters. We had only a quick break there as we knew we had another tough climb up to Ala-Kul Pass, which was made tougher by having already climbed for 2.5hrs, and feeling worse today from our colds. We eventually made it to the pass, with Mike coming back to carry my bag for me for the last hundred meters. We timed it well, with the rain that hit us during the climb passing by the time we reached the top of the pass. With the hardest part of the trek behind us, we descended down some scary scree slopes and valleys to Altyn-Arashan village, where we would stay for the night.Read more