Kyrgyzstan: Shatyly Panorama Кыргызстан: Панорама Шатылы Shatyly Panorama is a short but rewarding viewpoint hike from the Boz-Salkyn Valley (near the town of Bokonbaevo) to an overlook with incredible views of the South Shore of Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kol Lake. Barely even long enough to call it a hike in Kyrgyzstan, we […]
Kyrgyzstan: Chon Kaindy Valley Kyrgyzstan’s Chon Kaindy Valley (sometimes transliterated as Chong-Kaindy of Chong-Kaingdy instead) is not among the well-known trekking routes in the Chuy Oblast surrounding Bishkek, and therein lies much of the appeal. There are no epic peak panoramas, but an abundance of beautiful verdant nature away from […]
Kyrgyzstan: Ak Kol Loop Hike This Ak Kol Loop route begins and ends in the quaint log-cabin village of Ak-Kol in Naryn oblasts’ rarely-visited Jumgal region. Though access to the village isn’t easy (requiring a private transfer from the nearest village at Chaek), the surroundings are beautiful and the village […]
Kyrgyzstan: Ak Suu Arboretum Dayhike Ak Suu Arboretum is an easy dayhike outside the city of Karakol in the east of Kyrgyzstan. Not very physically demanding and with reasonably pleasant walking and nice views, it makes for a nice rest day in Karakol or a simple dayhike for travellers who […]
Kyrgyzstan: Ala-Archa Valley Trail Only a 30-45 minute drive from the capital city of Bishkek, the Ala-Archa Valley Trail inside the Ala-Archa National Park is perhaps the most accessible hiking destination in all of the Kyrgyz Republic. There are several marked trails and a number of unmarked options, but seemingly […]
China: Jiuzhaigou National Park（九寨沟） Not to oversell it, but Jiuzhaigou National Park is in our opinion the single best natural area in China. This is not ‘Wild Hiking’ of course, but compared the the mostly paved paths of many of China’s natural areas the dirt trails of Jiuzhaigou and crystal […]