A Journey Through the Mountains of Kyrgyzstan
About forty kilometers from Bishkek lies the stunning Ala-Archa Nature Park. But don’t let the word “park” fool you: almost the entire area consists of mountain slopes, passes, glaciers, and trails of varying difficulty. If hiking and trekking aren’t your thing, you can drive to the parking area or a nearby guesthouse and take a stroll along the gorge beside the rushing mountain river. But if you love hiking, stock up on water and sunscreen — and head straight for the peaks.
Literally, “Ala-Archa” means “variegated juniper,” and indeed, the gorge is full of this plant in many varieties. The scenery here is truly breathtaking. According to local legend, the juniper can destroy nearly all harmful microbes within a fifty-meter radius. Juniper thickets are everywhere: sometimes tall and dense like shrubs, other times sprawling low to the ground like cozy natural mats.
During a four-hour hike through Ala-Archa, you can experience several seasons in a single journey. A sun-scorched summer trail may suddenly end at a long snowdrift that refuses to melt, only to return you to blazing summer around the next corner — until you reach yet another glacier. The climatic zones shift just as dramatically here, from broadleaf forests to arctic deserts. Boredom is impossible.
Of course, there’s no internet or cell service on such a hike. The mountains are jealous — they won’t share your attention with anything else. And that’s for the best, because only then can you truly immerse yourself in the gorge’s astonishing natural beauty.
Ala-Archa may have few legends, but it has no shortage of fascinating rumors. The most common claim is that almost every night, UFOs appear here. Observers report shiny black cigar-shaped objects, flying saucers, mysterious pink spheres, and other strange glowing phenomena. Some even speculate that an entire alien base exists somewhere in the area.
Accounts of these strange sightings appear not only in tabloids and blogs but also in documentary reports by actual mountaineers, dating back to the mid-20th century.
Another popular story concerns the Yeti — or some other enormous, fur-covered humanoid creature. Online, you’ll find many reports of giant barefoot tracks near climbers’ camps and even of daring adventurers who deliberately set out to track, photograph, or sometimes hunt this mysterious being. Interestingly, there is no evidence it has ever harmed anyone. Still, even unseen, it is said to inspire panic in those who encounter it.
None of these phenomena have been explained — but that’s part of the magic. The most important thing is the chance to encounter something extraordinary here, which is remarkably high. So, it’s time to set off.
Any mountains, especially grand and majestic ranges like the Tien Shan, stir a numinous awe in the human soul. The steep ascents on Ala-Archa’s trails can overwhelm even experienced hikers, while novices may experience genuine vertigo. Yet even after walking a single kilometer, the rewards are immense — such magical vistas, so accessible, are rare.
With effort, you can visit a waterfall, a high-altitude turquoise lake, cross moraines, see glaciers, walk through clouds, and even spot edelweiss.
This is a truly special, magical place, known not only for its unexplained anomalies but also for its extraordinary power to inspire, uplift, and energize. It captivates, enchants, and mesmerizes. As you conquer its heights, you may not even notice that you are being conquered in turn. Whichever trail you choose, you’ll inevitably want to return — to explore new routes and once again connect with this majestic serenity of the world’s soul, felt most profoundly in the mountains.
Text by Yulia Zemtsova
Photos by Ravshan Kazakov
Translated from Russian by Sofia Zemtsova
