Hiking Ala Archa National Park | Hiking Trail Guide up to Ratsek Hut

No matter how last minute my Kyrgyzstan trip is (due to my late application of Kyrgyzstan E-Visa but saved by Visa On Arrival), it would be so wrong not to hike in Kyrgyzstan. It’s like going to Dubai and not see the Burj Khalifa, a travel stereotype you may say but you get what I mean. A couple of research (I mean endless hours) after, hiking in Ala Archa National Park seems the easiest one given my limited time. Curious how did it go? Let me tell you below!

Disclaimer: I did this hike with @kyrgyzgirl__ who arranged the transfers and a guide for me. Not my usual cup of tea (to arranges transfers and guides) but I opted to have one this time. No regrets of arranging one and if you need any type of services around Kyrgyzstan, you may approach Beka through her Instagram account.

Hiking Trail Overview:

• Route: Left Trail / Waterfalls Trail up to Ratsek Hut
• Distance: 13.66 km (acc. to my Strava record)
• Moving Time: 5h01m (acc. to my Strava record) but clocked at 6 hours up and 3 hours down with rests in between
• Difficulty Level (own opinion): 2 out of 5 but the last part (from Waterfalls to Ratsek Hut) is 3 out of 5

If you’re looking for an easier hike, you may want to stop at Waterfalls and not continue to Ratsek Hut. Another option is Kol Tor Lake Hike which I recently did!

How to Get to Ala Archa National Park and How to Get Out:

Despite so close from Bishkek, the public transportation is quite tricky as the marshrutka runs up to the gate only. From the gate, there’s a 12-km in between where you can start your walk or hitch hike. So instead of stressing out on the transportation issues, I arranged my own transfers in advance.

However, if you prefer to do it by public transportation, I suggest you to check The Gone Goat’s (Pashmina) write up about her day hike experience. She wrote down instructions on how to go by marshrutka as well. I’ve read her guide multiple times but I’m really new to hitchhiking so still a little hesitant to follow her footsteps.

Hiking Trailhead:

As witnessed by my own eyes, the actual trailhead is really far from the gate of Ala Archa National Park. So in between is the 12-km walk/hitchhike part plus the Ala Archa River which looks really amazing I can gaze all day long.

The actual trailhead comes, the Alplager Hut an A-frame structure with an accommodation facility if you prefer to stay for the night.

Ala Archa National Park Trail Sections:

There are two MAIN trails (NOT including the trails towards other Peaks) within Ala Archa National Park, the left and the right. This post is entirely dedicated about the LEFT TRAIL which goes to the Waterfalls up to Ratsek Hut* or Razeka Station.

*I’m using the term Ratsek Hut all throughout the post for consistency concerns.

Alplager Hut to Broken Heart

A few meters from the Alplager Hut, you will see this map where the trail actually starts. The trail is on the left side which is away from the main road.

While the trail is established and easy to follow, there are trail signs to follow along the way as well. The trail signs looks like exactly as the photo below, in white-blue-white pattern (trail sign added in my collection!). Albeit quite far from each other (or I missed the others) but for sure it won’t cause you off track.

Here comes the not so famous ants crossing sign! And if trail humor is a competition, Kyrgyzstan for sure wins this one!

Going a little higher means you will be surrounded by Coniferous Trees and Juniper Trees. There are few forks along the way and other blogs (can’t find who) says all trail leads to the same trail. I can’t swear on this so please use your best judgment instead.

Once you get out from being deep within the conifer tress, the Broken Heart awaits you. Like in Jeti Oguz, the rock is called a Broken Heart as it is naturally split into two thus looking like a broken heart.

Not only this became our rest stop but a photo stop too. The view from the broken heart rock is amazing. Haven’t seen conifer trees this much and it surely captivated my heart!

Broken Heart to Tepshi Plato

Moving forward is a rolling section towards the plateau called Tepshi Plato. Not only the trail is relatively flat, a great deal (and colors) of flowers are seen here.

Not only the flowers and plants entertained me, but I’m one heck of a lucky person to see a marmot with my own eyes! Of course it’s faster than me before I grab my phone to take photos and before I knew it, they’re back in their burrows. As seen quite far from the trail, I couldn’t figure out if it was a long-tailed marmot or a gray one (I’m not even a marmot expert lol). I’m definitely coming back for a photo shoot with marmots next time!

Tepshi Plato to Waterfalls

The trail still remains flat in this part but there’s a short section of loose rocks coming your way before the river crossing. No photos taken and I even stopped taking a video before the actual cross for safety reason as rocks as slippery.

After crossing the river, the trail slightly veers to the right. The trail will then be divided into two: straight/right (going to Ratsek Hut) and left (going to the waterfalls). If you have a full day ahead of you, I suggest to push up to Ratsek Hut but if not, take the left trail to see the waterfalls much closer (I wasn’t able to see it close though).

Waterfalls to Ratsek Hut

From the fork mentioned above, we took the right trail going to Ratsek Hut. Struggling started a few meters ahead – steep trail, loose rocks and slippery section from the melting ice. There’s also a bit of mountain traffic that adds pressure plus the constant worry about being short of time.

At an altitude of around 2300+ MASL, it feels hot and wearing a base layer was a mistake. I couldn’t find a place to remove it either as the trail is so exposed. No shade nor boulders to hide that even peeing was a struggle.

The steep elevation really crushed me so Talay offered to take my backpack several times. I finally threw all my pride at the last stretch and took his offer.

While the trail is not long nor technical, it is steep (plus loose rocks) that makes it challenging. It makes the elevation gain quickly in a short distance. Some fellow hikers even turned around at this point!

After hitting the 3000 MASL elevation, I even thought of giving up. The support of Beka and Talay plus the countless rests in between helped and we finally reached Ratsek Hut! Ratsek Hut is a known base camp for mountaineers planning to summit one of the nearby peaks.

Ak-Sai Glacier is also near Ratsek Hut hence the base camp popularity. As much as I want to see it (I failed to see Gergeti Glacier during our hike in Georgia), I am totally busted!

CrampFix and a short nap helped me recuperate to prepare for the descent! Descend from the same trail and you’ll be back in no time.

Personal Thoughts on Hiking in Ala Archa National Park Trail:

As I always say, we all have different adventure appetite or what I call ‘#hikeppetite’ to begin with. So, a good trail for me might not be a good trail for you and vice versa. And that’s completely okay, we don’t need to agree to anyone or everyone all the time. Anyhow, here’s what I think about hiking in Ala Archa National Park:

Pros:

• The close proximity of Ala Archa National Park makes it a quick getaway from Bishkek. It’s the perfect place to enjoy an outdoor activity without going too far from the city.
• A go-to place by locals and tourists, you can follow and interact with fellow hikers along the trail. Locals are very happy to practice their English. I swear the Kyrgyz community is on another level when it comes to being kind and friendly!
• The trail is established and easy to follow. Getting a trail guide is totally up to your preference and personal concerns.
• Ala Archa National Park (in general) has a variety of options to choose from. There are camping spots where you can have barbecue with friends and families and hiking trails for all levels. A leisure hike to waterfalls is one then the challenging hike to Ratsek Hut is a second option. Summiting one of the nearby peaks maybe an option if you prefer.

Cons:

• As a foreigner reliant on public transportation, getting to the trailhead sounds possible but vague. If you’re not used to hitch hiking (like me), this can hold you back. You may want to arrange a private transfer instead but of course it comes with a price.
• If you’re doing the hike to get away from the crowd, you’re totally mistaken. It’s a go-to place by locals and tourists so you will not have the mountain for yourself.

Although I really struggled (very bad) on the last part of the trail towards Ratsek Hut, I loved every bit of the hike. Overall (distance, elevation, difficulty level and scenery), the hike is exactly what I needed at the moment. My #hikeppetite is so happy and full. I didn’t even bother to push through hiking in Karakol although I regret that. So if you are in Bishkek looking for a day hike, look no further! Hiking in Ala Archa National Park have trails for all levels and up to your liking and heart’s content. Enjoy!

AND AS A GENTLE OUTDOOR ETHICS REMINDER:
LEAVE NO TRACE!