Altyn-Arashan

Altyn-Arashan sits at around 2,500 metres in a valley of spruce and pasture below the pyramid of Palatka peak, and hot mineral water comes out of the ground there, channelled into a handful of simple bathhouses attached to guesthouses along the valley floor. The combination of soaking in hot water while looking at a snow peak is the draw, and after a day's walk it is a considerable one. Getting there is genuinely part of it: the track from Karakol is one of the roughest driveable routes in the country, taking old Soviet vehicles two hours to cover fifteen kilometres, while walking it takes four or five hours through forest and is by most accounts the better option.

Highlights

• The hot bathhouses - simple soaking pools attached to valley guesthouses.
• Palatka peak - the pyramid at the head of the valley.
• The walk up from Karakol - forest and river track, four to five hours.
• The Ala-Kul connection - the valley is the standard end point of the Ala-Kul trek.

When to go

June to September, when the track is open and the valley is green. Snow closes it in winter, though a few hardy guesthouses stay open for ski tourers. Nights are cold at this altitude even in summer.

What to expect

The drive up is genuinely punishing and vehicles break down on it regularly; walking is slower, cheaper and more pleasant. Guesthouses are very basic, with shared rooms, outdoor toilets and limited electricity, and they fill in August. The bathhouses are simple concrete or wooden sheds rather than anything resembling a spa, and cleanliness varies.

Nearby

Karakol is the base town; the Ala-Kul pass and lake lie over the ridge.

Key facts