Mountain Biking Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Welcome to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s biggest city and the jumping-off point for any adventure into the rugged beauty of the country’s great outdoors. Try to arrive as early as possible so you can explore the so-called “Garden City,” where wide, leafy boulevards and Soviet-era architecture are framed by the snow-capped peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau. You can tick off the main sights in the afternoon before we meet for our trip briefing and welcome dinner. Don’t miss the candy-coloured Zenkov Cathedral in Panfilov Park or the bustling Green Bazaar. If you arrive today we will pick you up from the airport.

It is time to hit the road! In the morning, we transfer around two and a half hours into the Turgen River Gorge. We jump on our bikes where the asphalt ends near the small settlement of Batan, beginning our adventure with a steady climb up towards the Asy Plateau. It’s a testing start but, after approximately 13 km, we reach the Oi-Zhailau Pass at nearly 2,600 metres ASL. From here on, the terrain becomes more forgiving as we weave across the plateau on gravel tracks – the sky is vast, the grass a vibrant green, and the mountain panorama endless. We finish the day with an 8 km descent to our campsite on the banks of the Asy River.

Today we ride from one river valley to another, crossing the rugged, deeply weathered slopes and ridges of the Northern Tian Shan mountains. The first 20 km are a thrilling challenge as we make our way up and down the legendary Zhambas Pass. This is gritty mountain biking in remote Central Asia with steep zig-zagging climbs and technical descents. The second half of the ride is gentler as we stick to the floor of a narrow valley before one final hump leads into the day’s crowning descent to the banks of the Zhinishke River.

We warm up with an easy 10 km along the Zhinishke River. Then the real action begins as we strike south out of the valley on a 15 km, rocky ascent that gets progressively steeper, with epic switchbacks clawing their way up the mountainside. As we climb, dry canyon walls give way to high-alpine meadows and scattered spruce trees. Reaching the summit, the views open up across the ice-clad peaks of the Kungey Alatau, and we ride through a high-altitude wilderness before a 10 km descent into the wide valley of the Shilik River. We finish the day in the village of Saty, staying in a simple but cosy local guesthouse.

A change of pace today as we trade off-road for tarmac, making our way from Saty to the eastern fringes of the Northern Tian Shan mountains. The road, which is generally in good condition, rises and falls with the contours of rugged mountain steppe. Besides wide, rolling grasslands we pass through a string of villages and small towns, offering a glimpse into the settled lifeways of the Kazakh highlanders. In the afternoon, we’ll arrive at our tents pitched on the banks of the Kensu River. Here, at close to 2,000 metres ASL, we enjoy the crisp mountain air and sleep under the great, star-filled skies of Central Asia.

Today begins with an early challenge as we climb out of the valley of the Kensu River and enter the Kegen Plateau. Here, the landscape opens up into a staggering expanse of high-altitude steppe, where herds of Kazakhstan’s “Five Jewels” of livestock — horses, sheep, goats, cattle and Bactrian camels — can be found roaming the grasslands or drinking by the rivers. The riding is on paved, relatively flat roads all the way to the remote border post of Karkara where we cross into Kyrgyzstan with our bikes. From here it is a final gently rising 20 km to the Karkara Base Camp, a hub used primarily for climbers looking to tackle the 7,000-metre peaks of the Central Tian Shan, but also a very welcoming home for intrepid cyclists like us! We’ll be here for two nights, sleeping in walk-in tents, with hot showers, a sauna, and drinks for elevated comfort mid-trip.

Our tour’s flagship moment has arrived: boarding a Soviet-style helicopter to lift us to a mountain ridge at 3,500 m ASL before cycling back to base. It’s an experience that is hard to put into words: the thrill of soaring above Central Asia to the rhythmic churn of the rotors, hopping off with our bikes, and descending along nomadic trails past forests, pastures and roaring rivers framed by snow-capped peaks. The afternoon is free to relax back at Karkara Base Camp. Please note that on rare occasions, the helicopters may be grounded due to weather conditions; in the event of a cancellation, we will head out for a scenic loop ride in the local area.

We say goodbye to Karkara Base Camp and gear up for the next chapter of our journey, venturing deep into the remote backcountry of eastern Kyrgyzstan. We are now in the Central Tian Shan, home to the mighty Khan Tengri ('Lord of the Sky') — the region’s most iconic peak, long revered as the sacred throne of the supreme deity by nomadic societies. Today’s ride along the Karkara and Turuk rivers is a steady ascent, though with an average gradient of 3% it is very manageable. We return to the true wilderness tonight, sleeping under canvas in our mountain tents at 3,000 m ASL.

We start the day by continuing upstream along the Turuk River system. The first 15 km are a steady ascent on gravel tracks, leading to the summit of the Aktog Pass. On a clear day, the unmistakable pyramid-shaped peak of Khan Tengri dominates the horizon. From the pass, we enjoy a long descent to the Saryjaz River, which braids along the valley floor in silvery, glacier-fed strands, dissecting the rolling jailoos (summer pastures). We ride leisurely through the valley with no further major climbs, following the river all the way to this evening’s campsite.

Today marks our tour’s last major transition as we ride from the Central Tian Shan mountains into the Issyk-Kul basin. We begin with a steady 30 km climb on a paved road to the summit of the Chon Ashu Pass, which sits at nearly 4,000 metres ASL. After soaking in the incredible vistas, we relish a fabulous descent that takes us from alpine tundra through spruce forests and lower-lying foothills carved by the Turgon-Ak-Suu River. We finish our ride after 70 km and camp along the river near the village of Ak-Bulak.

It is time for the home stretch! Our last ride is short but sweet as we follow a mildly undulating, paved provincial road into the city of Karakol. We pedal past vast Soviet-era agricultural grids growing wheat and potatoes, re-acclimatising to the increasing traffic which, after the remote silence of the mountains, can feel a bit foreign at first. We aim to arrive in the city by lunch and, in the afternoon, drive to Issyk-Kul. Hemmed in by the mountains, this is the second-largest alpine lake on the planet. It is so vast that it never freezes and even creates its own microclimate, offering a massive coastal contrast to the high-altitude tundra we conquered only yesterday. You’ll have time to lounge by the shore and go for a swim before we return to Karakol for the night.

We come full circle, returning to the bustling streets of Almaty. We depart from Karakol after breakfast for the six-hour drive back into Kazakhstan. We break up the journey with lunch near the Charyn Canyon, a vast labyrinth of sheer red sandstone walls and bizarre rock formations that drop away suddenly from the flat steppe. Depending on our arrival time in Almaty, you may have the afternoon to explore at your own pace — perhaps lounging at a pavement café or stocking up on dried fruits and local chocolate at the Green Bazaar. We reconvene in the evening for a celebratory farewell dinner to toast our adventure.

Time to say goodbye to Almaty and head home or travel to your next destination in Central Asia. There are plenty more surreal places to explore in the region which are just a quick flight away, such as the turquoise Silk Road cities of Uzbekistan. If you have a flight out today, we’ll bring you to the airport.