How a nomadic tent network opened the untamed ‘Mountains of Heaven’ to hikers

A 70-mile trekking route across the Tengir Too (or Tien-Shan) mountains of Kyrgyzstan offers spectacular views of a little-explored wilderness in Central Asia. (Stephen Lioy via CNN Newsource)

ALA KOL, Kyrgyzstan -- Just a few dozen steps over snow-covered scree remain to the top of the pass, and then I finally climb up to a panorama of mountain ridges backdropping a stretch of blue glacial water.

The surrounding peaks are known as the “Mountains of Heaven” — roughly translated from Tengir Too in Kyrgyz and Tien-Shan in Chinese — and from where I stand, now on top of the world, it’s hard to argue. The view over Ala-Kol Lake is the highlight of many highlights along a 110-kilometre trekking route through Kyrgyzstan.

The Ak-Suu Transverse trail, or AST, explores some of the most beautiful stretches of the Kyrgyz Tien-Shan. It was once only tackled by hardcore hikers willing to haul heavy packs stuffed with days’ worth of tents, food and clothing.

Recently, thanks to entrepreneurial repurposing of boz-ui yurts — the traditional circular tents used seasonally by nomadic shepherds — to create a relatively comfortable network of accommodations across this remote wilderness, it’s become possible to walk the route carrying just a day sack.

I’m about to head down to the sixth yurt stay of my Transverse expedition, on the shore of Ala-Kol, when a storm abruptly rolls in from the southern horizon, and the mist thickens progressively into a full deluge. The chilling rain soaks through my layers as I yell goodbye to the handful of other trekkers and turn alone down a side track directly to the lake’s shore a few hundred meters below.

My descent from the pass is clouded by doubt. Will I even find the yurt camp if the rain continues? Will anyone be there this early in the season to let me in? Why do I keep doing this?

As the darkness and self-doubt draw in and the lake waves lap just at the rocks beneath my feet, I hear my name called out from high above: “SteeeeeffffeeeEENNNNN.” The shouts ring louder and louder, until a lone figure flies straight down the slope and disappears around the curve of the lake’s shore.

Worth the splurge

He turns out to be the camp’s host. I follow him to the yurt and by the time I squelch through the doorway half an hour later, the tea is ready and plov — the hearty Central Asian staple of rice, meat and vegetables — is on the stove.

Peeling off soggy clothes in the radiating warmth, I’m convinced that paying for the yurt stays was worth it.

Starting from the ecotourism hub of Jyrgalan in the far east of Kyrgyzstan, the Ak-Suu Transverse hiking trail climbs seven passes and over 21,600 feet of vertical elevation. It takes in alpine lakes and crashing waterfalls in the jailoo pastures where shepherds graze their herds in the summer.

It’s typically completed in nine days, with overnight yurt stays now available across the route.

Shepherds’ felt yurts have been a mainstay of the landscape for centuries in Kyrgyzstan. They come out of village storage each spring — very few of even the hardiest shepherds remain fully nomadic after Soviet-era collectivization — following herds of sheep, horses, cows and yaks into the mountains to graze across the best pastures as the summer wears on.

In 2024, local trail guide-turned-entrepreneur Daniyar Alymbekov pivoted his Kyrgyz Life tour company from organizing expedition teams with guides, chefs, and porters to establish a full network of yurt camps all the way along the route.

Alymbekov says he was inspired to set up the accommodation after seeing that three camps already on the route were flourishing. He initially thought about adding just three more locations. “But later I understood that it will grow and I need to have the full AST,” he adds.

Travelling light

Now, the camps have expanded into small villages, and business continues to boom, despite some logistical problems.

“We also faced the problem that it got really complicated to find staff, especially because it’s a seasonal job. Our number of bookings were growing each year, but at one time we could serve a maximum of two or three big groups; with the camps nowadays we have up to 40-50 tours per day across all our camps and still have some space.”

In contrast to the vast majority of Kyrgyzstan’s trekking routes, the Ak-Suu Transverse’s wild mountain trails can be solo hiked with just a daypack and a pair of trekking poles.

With Kyrgyz Life’s yurt camps providing meals, shelter, and even bedding, trekkers only really need a change of clothes and a camera to make the most of the trek. No tents, sleeping bags, or heavy food supplies translates to no big backpacks.

And with lighter bags comes more freedom to wander — opening up the possibility of side-hike scrambles up to viewpoints of the 14,600-foot Tashtambek-Tor Bashi peak, or to small side valleys dotted with lakes in Boz Uchuk and the Anyrtor valleys.

For Alymbekov, this potential to open Kyrgyzstan’s most beautiful natural spaces to visitors who may not have previously had access is one of the key benefits of the yurt-to-yurt hike.

“Before, with carrying tents and everything ourselves, it was much more complicated, but now even non-trekkers can handle it,” he says. “It’s our third year, and this year the stretch from Jyrgalan to Arashan some days has even more tourists than Arashan to Jeti-Oguz.

“Many people see the trail as a challenge, so they challenge themselves to pass seven passes and 100 kilometres like a kind of marathon. This year we’ve started presenting ‘Ak-Suu Finisher’ medals to guests who get stamps from each of the yurt camps along the trail.”

A waiting pot of tea

Mid-hike, the difference is obvious. Where years ago trekkers might have seen no more than a handful of shepherds along the first five or final two days of the route, I encounter several groups of hikers making their way towards Ala-Kol.

Pushing one breathtaking step at a time toward the Anyrtor Pass, despite shared dismay at a false saddle 820 feet below the main ridge, the mood is upbeat. With no roads, no lifts and no real infrastructure at all in the backcountry here, the general consensus is that such wild nature is increasingly hard to find in popular tourism destinations.

Atop the final scramble to Ala-Kol Pass, sore feet and long kilometres fade immediately from memory. Where the Transverse joins the more popular three-day loop through the hot springs complex of Altyn Arashan up to Ala-Kol Lake and onwards to the Karakol Valley, the solitude is briefly broken but the views are even more spectacular.

Beyond the lake and the mile-long Takyr-Tor glacier that feeds it, layers of peaks more than 16,000 feet tall form a full-frame panorama that lingers in memory long after rain-soaked boots are forgotten. And at a yurt camp somewhere nearby, a warm pot of tea is always waiting.

“As someone who’s done a few hikes all over the world this one truly has it all,” says Tara Fenwick-Smith, a U.S. hiker who has completed the AST. “Challenging passes, lush valleys with snow-capped mountains, rushing rivers with tricky crossings, more horses than people, and the odd friendly shepherd who hasn’t seen a tourist in months and invites you into his yurt for some chai.

“Not only were we able to see some incredible scenes of Kyrgyz back-country but also get a glimpse of the incredibly warm culture that is there. Could not recommend this hike more, bring a raincoat!”

Practical details:

Trekking hub Karakol’s airport (IKG) has been designated as international since its long-awaited reopening in 2024, but the only flights currently operating are domestic routes between the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, and southern Osh.

Nearby Issyk-Kul International (IKU) sees seasonal service from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia while Bishkek’s Manas International (BSZ) is well-connected to major airports in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

An all-inclusive self-guided hike with yurt stays and three daily meals starts from 5,600 Kyrgyz som (approximately US$64) per day when booked directly through Kyrgyz Life.

If necessary, guides and horses are also available at an additional cost, though for budget-conscious small groups weekly fixed-date departures in the summer high season are also an alternative. To hike the Ak-Suu Transverse independently, hikers should expect to pay a nominal entry fee of around 300 Kyrgyz som (approximately US$3.50) at the entrance to Karakol National Park, plus transportation costs to and from the trailhead.

Stephen Lioy, CNN