Kyrgyzstan: Ak Tash (Naryn Region)
Кыргызстан: Ак Таш (Нарынская область)
Ak Tash (literally White Stone) is a small ridge just east of the city of Naryn – these forested hillsides with panoramic mountain views are an excellent dayhike out of the city, offering a fairly easy route with a lot of payoff for minimal effort.
Total Km: 14km
Total Days: 1
Elevation Gain/Loss: 837m+ / 867m-
Start Point: Alysh village
End Point: Kenesh village
GPS Files
The Ak Tash trek is a casual walk along two green valleys, stopping for a break to enjoy the views along a panoramic ridge (the eponymous White Stones) before descending via a stop at the large Kozho Unkur cave and back down to the Naryn valley highway. It’s a lovely dayhike out of Naryn, and a great addition to a travel itinerary for those who want to hike in the area but don’t have time for the longer multiday hikes in the region.
The Ak Tash hike starts from Alysh village, about 15km to the east of Naryn, just before the entrance to Salkyn Tor National Park. From the trailhead follow a dirt road that curves off towards the southeast for around 1300m to where it ends at a shepherd’s house, and then continue onwards along the horse trails that continue past the house and lead up the small valley beyond (including to a small spring around 3.7km from the trailhead, if for some reason you haven’t packed enough water).
The route up is quite straightforward, climbing slowly along this little valley and through small forest stands gently for a little under 4.5km from the road turnoff before doubling back upon itself for the last kilometer of climbing up to a long flat stretch of ridge past a small saddle. From the top, from where there are excellent panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, the logic behind the name Ak Tash becomes apparent: a long stretch of white rock caps the ridge here.
This is a great spot to stop and enjoy a picnic lunch, assuming you’ve started the trek late enough in the day to make the timing viable.
From the saddle, the route descends gently into the valley to the west, stopping after around 2km to have a look inside the pretty Kozho Unkur cave. As with much of the mid-mountains terrain in Kyrgyzstan, this cave serves double duty for shepherds by housing livestock in the cooler months when they’ve descended from the high mountain jailoos. It can be a touch smelly.
Beyond the cave, the route descends the last 4.5km or so through the valley and back down to the highway at the village of Kenesh. Following well-trodden horse trails over gently descending terrain, it’s very pleasant going and in all likelihood you’ll meet a few shepherds along the way. When the route eventually meets a road outside of the village, turn left/west for the last 400m stretch of walking back into Kenesh, and post up wiht locals outside of the small store at the junction to wait for your ride back to Naryn.
Alternate Options for Ak Tash
The start of the Ak Tash route is just beside the turnoff for Salkyn Tor National Park, a popular daytrip spot for locals that doesn’t get much attention from international visitors to Naryn. One could conceivably combine these routes into a multi-day walk with camping equipment, but the proximity to Naryn city typically makes it easier to just visit as separate daytrips.
Good To Know
There are no entrance fees or costs associated with the Ak Tash hike, and no special equipment required. There are very few services, including shops, in the trailhead villages here so plan to pack your own food and water from Naryn. It’s possible to arrange Ak Tash as a horse trek through CBT Naryn – in which case they’ll typically also arrange transportation from the city.
Getting to Ak Tash
From Naryn, shared taxis in the direction of Eki Naryn and marshrutkas to the villages just east of Naryn can drop tourists at the trailhead for Ak Tash – around 16km from the Naryn Avtovokzal. The most widely-recognized landmark here is Salkyn Tor, so ask the driver to drop you there. For transport from Kenesh village for the 11km back to Naryn, expect the same.
Where to Stay and Eat
Given the close proximity to Naryn, most tourists will prefer to stay in the city and hike Ak Tash as a daytrip. We prefer the excellent Datka Guesthouse, but for a more traditional hotel experience Khan Tengri is also quite popular.
