All details you need to trek in 2 days to the stunning Song-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan starting from the Kyzart Pass. Since there are no signs whatsoever on these trails I strongly recommed to read carefully through this post and download the GPX-files I provide.
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Table of Contents
Where to stay before and after the trek to Song-Kul?
My recommendation would be to stay in Kochkor. This town has some restaurants and nice guesthouses and you can easily arrange all the necessary transportation from here at the local tourist offices.
In total I stayed 4 nights in Kochkor and always at the lovely Malika Guesthouse. Prices were very low, beds were comfy and breakfast was included. Also important to mention, if you want to do some work, the wifi was excellent!
Check availability for Malika Guesthouse or any other accomodation below:
Preparations before leaving on the trek to Song-Kul Lake
General tips
When it comes to preparing for the trek to Song-Kul this is not very different than a trek anywhere in the world. The difference with other countries is that there are no mountain huts or chalets available. If you are not planning to camp with your own gear you can instead sleep in yurts hosted by local families. They also provide breakfast and dinner.
Another very important item to bring is a waterfilter. I know in other parts of the world you could usually drink directly from mountain streams but in Kyrgyzstan there’s pretty much everywhere livestock so if you don’t want to get sick use a waterfilter.
Transportation to Kyzart Pass?
As the trailhead for this trek is pretty much in between different places and not next to a specific spot you will beed to very clear about where you want to be dropped off. I joined a group of tourists from Kochkor that were going to do a horse trek from Kyzart that day and I knew where to be dropped off specifically (use the Google map I provided below). I paid 500 KGS for this at the tourism office next to CBT in Kochkor. You could also try to hitchhike but make sure you leave early enough because it could take a while before someone takes you. Also they most likely are going to ask you money for this 1h30 trip from Kochkor.
Transportation from Song-Kul Lake back to Kochkor
Another important thing to arrange in advance is transportation from Song-Kul lake back to Kochkor (or Kyzart). I didn’t arrange this in advance because I wasn’t sure if I would hike back or not. However I would recommend booking a ride in advance. Most likely you will stay in Kochkor before starting this trek and right outside the center there are 2 tourism offices where you could ask to arrange transport. Do keep in mind that any transportation specifically for tourists is extremely expensive. Always try to bargain prices and also find other travelers to share a taxi with. I joined a family fron Son-Kul to Kochkor and paid 1600 KGS (+/- 19 USD or EUR) but first they asked me 3500 KGS (+/- 43 USD or EUR). This was for a ride that they were going to do anyway and I just asked to join them so this makes it quite expensive if you ask me. In most places in the world they wouldn’t charge anything for hitching a ride like this.
Sleeping in a Yurt
If you decide not to carry your own camping equipment you can sleep in yurts instead. These are mostly hosted by local families. There are also yurt camps from tourism organizations like CBT but I always tried to avoid these and stayed with authentic nomadic families instead. Prices on this trek to Song-Kul range from 1000 KGS to 1200 KGS. Dinner and breakfast are usually included in the price and if you ask I’m sure they’ll prepare, for a small fee, a packed lunch for you as well.
There are different sizes of yurts and depending on availability you could probably have a private yurt. The first night I was the only guest in the yurt camp and I had a large yurt all to myself. The second night I shared the yurt with 2 others. It all depends but if you would book in advance you could probably request a private yurt if you so desire. I didn’t book anything in advance and had no problem finding a spot and this was in July during high season.
Don’t worry about cold temperatures, the families provided me with 3 matrasses and several heavy blankets and I didn’t feel cold at all during the nights.
Alternative ways of reaching Song-Kul lake
One of the most popular ways to reach the lake is by joining an organized horseback riding tour. Also lots of people just arrange a ride to the lake, stay there for 1 or more nights and drive back. Furthermore there are several other options to hike to the Song-Kul lake (and back).
If you wish more information about all the Song-Kul possibilities I would strongly suggest to check out Cynthia’s blog called Journal of Nomads, she’s a fellow Belgian who has traveled extensively in Kyrgyzstan. Cynthia also organises group travels in Kyrgyzstan so if you’re unsure about wether to do this on your own or not, check out Journal of Nomads group itineraries.
Day 1 : Kyzart Pass to Kilemche Valley
Hiking Details
Distance: The total distance for this hike is 17 kilometers (point-to-point hike)
Elevation gain: The total incline was 742 meters
Moving time: According to Strava my moving time was 4 hours and 20 minutes (total time was 6 hours 39 minutes)
Difficulty: I would rate this as an intermediate/hard hike.
Address start: Start trail Kyzart Pass
Price: Transportation to Kyzart Pass was 500 KGS (+/- 6 USD or EUR) and staying at the yurt was 1200 KGS (+/- 15 USD or EUR) with breakfast and dinner included.
Water: Make sure to bring plenty of water because it will take about 12 kilometers to reach the river again.
Use the pinned location below so you can navigate straight to where the hike starts.
Hiking map and GPX-File
Generally speaking for all hikes, the easiest way is to download a GPX file that you can view on a gps device, a smartphone or smartwatch. It will tell you step-by-step how to walk. It also includes an elevation profile of the hike which can help you to decide if this hike is for you or not.
Click through to Strava to see all the details:
Download the GPX file right here: 1-2-Song-Kul-trek-Kyzart-pass-to-Kelimche-Valley.gpx
Kilemche Valley
Kilemche valley is situated in the Jumgal region at an altitude of about 2550 m above sea level and is a popular destination for horse trekking tours and hikers on the way to the famous Song-Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan. Generally tourists stay in yurt camps that are managed by local nomadic families or tourism organizations.
Without having a reservation in advance I had no issues finding a spot in a yurt for the night during the month of July.
How I experienced Day 1 of the trek to Song-Kul
When embarking on this journey I didn’ really have an idea what to expect also this was my very first hike in Kyrgyzstan. All I knew was that I would be hiking for 2 days to one of the biggest lakes in Kyrgyzstan. The taxi dropped me off at Kyzart pass at around 10h30 am. I knew the distance wasn’t terribly far so I didn’t worry much about timing.
Only a few hundred meters into this hike I realized already that I was in for a real adventure, one I never experienced before. Trail markings were basically non-existent so I was glad that I had preloaded a GPX track on my watch. I would definitely recommend you to do the same!
After about 2 kilometers the first real climb of the day started. A section of about 4 kilometers with an elevation gain of 400 m. It was pretty steep but not the worst ever. What made it hard however was the weather. Locals told me afterwards that it was one of the hottest summer days they had experienced in this region in recent history.
When reaching the first peak I decided to eat my packed lunch before continuing the journey. It was while eating my sandwich that I met 2 portuguese guys and those were the only other hikers I met over the 2 next days. I met plenty of nomadic sheppards however!
From that peak all the way to when I reached around 12,5 kilometer the trail is flat or downhill. That felt good after this first steep section! I even had a celebratory refreshment in the ice cold river (see video).
Over the next 2 kilometers there was again a steep section from around 2550 m up to 2750 m. I was pretty tired already at that time. Not because the hiking was difficult but more because the temperatures were so high!
Now it was time for the last 2 kilometers which were all downhill, luckily, because I was pretty broken by then. As I was approaching Kilemche Valley dark clouds started rolling in. I couldn’t be more excited to see some yurt camps!
I stayed in the first camp I encountered. It was owned by local farmers which had their farm next to the camp. If you use my GPX-file it will lead you straigh to it. There was a very lovely lady that served good food. In my Youtube video below you can see more of the yurt camp and the food I got served.
Day 2 : Kilemche Valley to Song-Kul Lake
Hiking Details
Distance: The total distance for this hike is 13 kilometers (point-to-point hike)
Elevation gain: The total incline was 874 meter
Moving time: According to Strava my moving time was 3 hours and 43 minutes (total time was 6 hours 30 minutes)
Difficulty: I would rate this as an intermediate/hard hike.
Address start: Anywhere in Kilemche Valley
Price: Staying at the yurt was 1000 KGS (+/- 12.5 USD or EUR) with breakfast and dinner included.
Water: Make sure to refill all your bottles at Kilemche Valley because it will take pretty much till the end of this hiking day to find a river again.
Hiking map and GPX-File
Generally speaking for all hikes, the easiest way is to download a GPX file that you can view on a gps device, a smartphone or smartwatch. It will tell you step-by-step how to walk. It also includes an elevation profile of the hike which can help you to decide if this hike is for you or not.
Click through to Strava to see all the details:
Download the GPX file right here: 2-2-Song-Kul-trek-Kelimche-Valley-to-Song-Kul-lake.gpx
Song-Kul Lake
Song-Kul is an alpine lake that lies at an altitude of 3016 m above sea level. It has an area of about 270 km2 and is the largest fresh water lake in Kyrgyzstan.
Around the lake there are huge pastures where thousands of animals roam freely, mostly horses and cows. The lakes temperature during the summer months varies between 10 and 15 degrees Celcius. The most common question among locals is: “Do you dare swimming in Song-Kul?”. Honestly I swam in it twice and the temperature felt quite alright.
How I experienced Day 2 of the trek to Song-Kul
After spending a night in a yurt for my very first time I was ready to start day 2 of this trek to Song-Kul. Similar to day 1, but way harder, the trek started with a huge climb. It was 6 kilometers to reach the first peak with an elevation gain of 800 m. Because it was higher than 3000 m for a while the oxygen became a bit of aproblem as well. I won’t deny that I took several small breaks before I reached the top. In total it took me 2 hours to reach the peak. There was a rewarding view when reaching the 3330m high peak, Song-Kul lake became visible in the distance which obviously helped with my motivation!
To get a better feel of this trekking day to Song-Kul I would recommend you watch my Youtube video below:
The next 6 kilometers were either flat or slightly downhill. And mostly I was walking between cows, sheep and horses which added something extra to the beauty of these stunning Kyrgyz landscapes.
It was when I was refilling my water bottles that I was approached by the kids of Andash. They spoke a few words of English and invited me to have some tea at their yurt camp. Eventually I ended up staying there for the night.
Let me know in the comments or through my Instagram if you enjoyed this hike!
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