Day One: Song Kul Lake Walk & Yurt Camp From Kochkor, we planned our independent-ish journey to Song Kul, a 29-kilometer long, freshwater lake ringed by nothing but rolling mountains and surrounded by miles and miles of high, open pastureland…grazing nirvana for the many cows and horses we would meet along the way. Fortunately, the livestock, like the nomadic people, live…
From Karakol to Kochkor From Karakol, we journeyed five hours back west to the town of Kochkor, where we would stay for two nights before beginning our journey to Song Kul. To get there, we passed through some stunning terrain, parts of it reminiscent of the American Southwest, while other bits were indistinguishable to any beautiful place we’ve been before.…
Day 1: Karakol to Bulak Say Yurt Camp 15.6 kilometers, 6 hours, Elevation Gain: 970 meters, or 3,182 feet. It has been more than two years since we’ve done our last overnight trek in Ecuador, and after concluding one of the most epic and rewarding hikes yet in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan, we keep asking ourselves why are…
From Almaty to Karakol From Almaty, it was time to traverse to our next location in our ‘Stan a Plan, which would be a two-day, 12.5-hour journey to Karakol, pausing overnight in Kyrgyzstan’s capital of Bishkek. Yes, to go east, of course, you gotta go west first. Oh yes, we are indeed moving again… To leave Almaty, we traveled to the…
