Tian Shan – here we come (finally)
Our aim is to explore the Tian Shan Range (translated celestial mountains) away from overcrowded tourist roads. But first we need to get there. It starts as a mess and ends with a ride through paradise. Our plan was to take a bus and go via the Tourugart Pass to Kyrgyzstan to join a well known bikepacking route in Naryn. Although asking specifically if taking the bikes is okay when buying the tickets we are not allowed to take them on the booked bus. The bus to the city Osh is standing next to us at the bus station, willing to help us and take us and the bikes to Osh. So we change the tickets and decide to head that direction. Three border checks and scans later we get a peak of the Pamir range. Soft glaciers glaze the mountains, like pillars they sit enthrowned over the valley – calm and steadfast. The fields, vivid and free. A confluence of two rivers, so unlike – a blood painted red river and a crystal clear stream meet and mix in this fairytale. Excitement!
We arrive in Osh late at night, planning to continue straight away to the capital. But we only reach Jalalabad long after midnight after an unfortunate transport attempt directly to Bishkek. Looking back at 25 hours of logistics disaster, missfortune and miscommunication. Happy Birthday Julsi!
Spending a few hours in a hotel, replanning our route for the fifth time. And then we start – sleep deprived – the next stretch of our journey by bike. Via golden fields, fruit trees and green hills we ride towards our first pass: Koldomo Pass.
We climb 2000 meters up that day in steaming heat, on those gravel serpentines and couldn’t be any happier. The waterfall shower on the upper half of the pass revived the spirits for adventure. The emerald green valley lies in a soft light – gentle and calm. A crisp night awaits us on top of the pass where sheep close to our tent soothe us to sleep with a gentle „meh-ing“. An overwhelming feeling of relief and happiness overcomes us about the purity of nature we were able to experience just within the past few hours.
It smells like summer in the country side, so pure and full of hopes. Wildflowers swaying in the fields. We descend to Kazarman where a surprising well stocked supermarket awaits us (with peanut butter)! Following a winding new asphalt road and we arrive in the valley that will lead us to our next pass: Karakol Pass. As soon as we are on track of the route we meet many cyclists crossing our way. Within one day, more than we have met the entire route of Mongolia and China together. Once we arrived in Kizil Oi, Ralfi is the happiest person someone can imagine, reminiscing about the time he spent there a few years ago.
We ride further into that dreamy valley, next to iceblue rivers and summer camps with herds grazing peacefully. A few river crossings later- yes we’ve even missed those – we find a beautiful campspot just below the pass. Hiding out the evening thunderstorm, rolling over the peaks a few altitude meters above us. Karakol Pass leaves us stunned with the view on the glacier and the impeccable view. Happy Birthday Rolfilein!
The weather is unpredictable and thunderstorms surprise us at any time of the day. The rain is a welcome change from the dry ans steaming days behind us.
We ride up Kyzart pass after getting soaked for the second time that day and Pereval Tjilbel Pass in burning heat (wishing for a nature shower) – with 1kg of flour and at least double the weight of veggies in our bags. Ready for pizza and pancakes on the break day at the SongKul (lake) in our own private bay. Songkul is the second largest lake of the country – located above 3000meters – lies like a mirror close to the sky and surrounded by green meadows and thereafter gentle mountains.
Rain follows us when riding up our next pass Moldo-Ashuu from the lake. We are winding down the picturesque serpentines into the valley. Happy to pump into a group of funniest Malaysian cyclists and join in on a coffee/drying break at the foot of the pass. The landscapes are incredible, the winding roads, the vertical walls surrounding by green and the golden fields in the valleys.
We ride towards a more arid area and climb up Börülü Pass in the afternoon heat – after spending the morning chatting with some other cyclists in the town of Baetov. Our plan: to sleep at the top of that pass, until at least 8 am, was interrupted at 5 am by a grumbling thunderstorm which we manage to sneak away from, passing the infamous MELS (Marx,Engels,Lenin,Stalin) pass and Kulak Pass and riding towards the tourist attraction Tash Rabat (an old caravanserai). At that point asking ourselves: how many beautiful mountain passes can one country have? One more asphalt pass and we arrive in Naryn. Until this point we camped every night.
A few shopping trips later, a visit of an art gallery we are ready to leave Naryn.
We follow the smell of fresh hay leaving Naryn until an earthy tasting canyon meets our way. The Eki-Naryn valley leads us via this canyon to open lands and then higher up to the Arabell Pass (3800m) and plateau. The entire plateau is above 3700m and the road is encircled by glaciers. It’s a well maintained road due to the mine that is located further west. Massive flat glaciers on the southern slopes and sharp steep ones on the northern sides. A few shepherds watch after their cattle and flock in the juicy green fields, with the ice sculptures in the background.
Julia finds herself a little hiking loop on the plateau. An ice-free ridge leading above 4000 screaming to be explored. The trackless swampy ascents turns into an easy scrambling alongside the glacier. Getting a peak of the remote mountainscape. No humans, no huts, no tracks just your minion-self and the endless-seeming peaks touching the clouds. The views are impeccable and the loop works out as intended.
Curious about this region we take a detour towards the eastern area and get a glimpse of the immense Kumtor Gold Mine. The mine stretches over a large area of the mountains and the lights by night indicate that even just before the glacier starts mining is conducted. The size of it leaves us speechless (not in the good way this time). Finally we manage to leave this plateau, if we weren’t short on food we could have explored it for weeks. A swamp leads to the Jukuu Pass, which we are happy to descend instead of having to climb it (which would be the case when doing the route in the other direction). We drag and push the bikes down over loose rocks. The Jukuu valley is another highlight. We make our way down – passing a glacier lake, through the narrow valley with intimidating walls, the fields with boulders, the riverbeds and through rivers that spread out, the forrest with giant coniferous trees until a burning red wall appears and the Issyk-Kul on the horizon.
It is hard to grasp how much a landscape can change within one day. We spend the night camping in the garden of a homestay underneath apricots and apple trees at a town close to the lake. While China was the land of Melons for us Kyrgyzstan is the land of apricots. The next day we tried to hitchhike to Bishkek with our two bikes – which semi- worked out. Ralfi drives with the bikes in a van transporting (what else could it be) apricots and Julia takes a shared taxi. Meeting up in a beautiful hostel in Bishkek, enjoying the restaurants the capital has to offer. We meet up with friends of Ralfi and check out every outdoorshop in the city to replace the broken mattresses and rainjacket.
About the route
We followed a well known bike-packing route called the Tian Shan Traverse, adjusted the route slighty due to our transport disaster in the beginning and riding it from west to east (trying to escape the winds this time). The Tian Shan Traverse is a stunning route, with some challenging kilometres but overall on enjoyable tracks in magnificent landscape.
Exploring the Alay Range on the way to the „roof of the world“
After one more transport back to our starting point in Osh we head out to continue further south to explore the Alay valley. We follow the sandy tracks towards the town Kyzyl-Kiya passing gardens with heavily loaded fruit trees. The gardens are well cared after, seem to bloom in this surrounding and the fruits and vegetables shine bright colours. Then we ride deeper into the valley towards the mountain range and reach the entrance of the National Park. The valley is narrow and both of us are impatient to get an impression of the mountains in front of us. We camp close to a summer stable and have a chat with the owner and his son.
But first an energy draining push / hike a bike section awaits us. A huge landslide blocks the road and destroyed a bridge. The alternative path is steep and we dismantle the bikes carrying the bike and luggage in two turns. All of this before breakfast! The coffee afterwards was one of the best on this trip.
After a few kilometres of riding we get off the bikes and hike the bikes for 500 altitude meters in this remote area. Only a thundering rockfall breaks the silence of this fragile appearing valley. Finally we reach the plateau with a lovely camp spot next to a crystal clear stream. The last 400 altitude meters we follow the beautiful serpentine up to the Koi Jol Pass at 3700 meters. It is cloudy and so the mountainscape is still hiding from us.
We descend the well maintained road through colourful valleys and follow the road that will lead towards the Peak Lenin Base Camp.
The hike a bike caught up with both of us and we feel tired, or maybe it’s the altitude or both. Arriving at the camp we spot the gentle giants in front of us: time for a hike break to massage the soles of our feet. We hike up to the Camp 1 and set up our tent away from the many yellow tents of the tour operators. Our goal is Yukhina Peak at 5100 meters. It’s an easy but slightly annoying hike up over loose gravel but a fun way down surfing the rubble. From the top we can observe the last groups of this season making their way up the glacier to two conquer the gentle seeming giants reaching above 7000meters. Back in the valley we visit the Turpan lake and drive with massive head and sidewinds towards SaryTash.
A certain kind of sadness overcomes one of us as a country change awaits us.
Our Path
Kyrgyzstan: 1600km | 24000+
Woanders 
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