Juuku Gorge

Juuku cuts south from the lake into the Terskey Ala-Too and is notable for its colours: red and rust-coloured rock walls in the lower gorge, unusual in a region of grey and green, giving way higher up to spruce, meadow and glaciers at the head. Hot springs sit partway up the valley in simple pools used by locals. A track continues over the Juuku pass at around 3,600 metres and drops into the Naryn side, a route used by shepherds and by four-wheel-drive and bike travellers crossing between the lake and the interior. The valley is quiet, with a few yurt camps in summer and little else. Waterfalls run off the side walls in early summer when the snow is melting.

What you actually see

• Red rock walls - the coloured lower gorge.
• Hot springs - simple local bathing pools up the valley.
• The high pass - the route over into the Naryn basin.
• Summer waterfalls - side-valley falls at snowmelt.

When to go

June to September; the pass is passable from about July. Waterfalls are strongest in June. The valley empties from October and the pass closes with the first heavy snow.

Honest expectations

The valley road is rough and the pass needs a capable vehicle and local knowledge. There is almost no infrastructure: no marked trails, few camps, no shops. The hot springs are unimproved. Weather at the pass changes fast even in summer.

Nearby

Bokonbayevo lies west; Barskoon is east along the shore.