Ala-Archa Canyon

Ala-Archa Canyon

Ala-Archa Canyon

The Ala-Archa canyon is located in the highest, central part of the Kyrgyz Ridge which is famous for its eternal snow-stretching plot for almost 200 km and such peaks as Dvurogaya (4,380 m), Korona (4,860 m), Baylyanbaish (4,700 m), and the highest peak of the Kyrgyz ridge – Semenov-Tian-Shansky (4,875 m).
The Ala-Archa canyon is the center of the Ala-Archa National Park, one of the main tourist attractions in Kyrgyzstan. The national park (at the height from 1600 m to 4860m) is situated 45 km from the capital of Kyrgyzstan – Bishkek. The total area of the Park is 19,500 square kilometres.
The name of the national park, Ala-Archa, means many-coloured juniper, which suggests the abundance of this tree here. A river with the same name crosses the canyon. This river, like all the rivers in Kyrgyzstan, originates from mountain glaciers. The Ala-Archa, the Adygene, and the Ak-Sai are the largest rivers in the national park.
There are 160 species of birds in Ala-Archa. Local fauna also includes the snow leopard, a butterfly called the Night Peacock Eye, wolves, snakes, owls, and many others. The Ala-Archa canyon has about 1,100 species of plants: wormwood in the steppe zone at the mountain foot, different grasses, bushes, and juniper forests on mountain slopes that are replaced with alpine meadows.
This grand, rugged but very accessible gorge is offering dozens of walking and trekking possibilities, including hikes to glaciers and, for the serious mountaineer, treks to the region’s highest peak. There are basic shelters scattered throughout the park but the best way to enjoy the area is to bring your own tent and supplies. You can use the Upper Ala-Archa Mountain Ski Base (2100 m) as a starting point from which to ski on glaciers, even in summer.