South Inylchek Glacier to Khan Tengri

Day 1 - Fly London to Bishkek.

Depart London on your overnight flight to Bishkek.

Overnight: In flight

Day 2 - Arrive Bishkek. Transfer to hotel. Rest of day at leisure.

Arriving in Bishkek you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. You will now have time to rest from the flight and perhaps do a bit of exploring. This capital city is a textbook example of Soviet planning with all streets arranged on a grid with wide boulevards and avenues and a surprising amount of green space with its many parks and woodland dotted around. The city is said in fact to have more trees per person than anywhere else in central Asia. There is a constant reminder of the alpine landscape which lies just beyond the city with views, to the south, of the nearly 5,000m/16,404ft high, snow topped ridge of Ala-Too. There will be a group guided sightseeing tour here at the end of your trip. Tonight it will be a good idea to get a good night's sleep, recover from the flight and prepare for the travel and trekking ahead.

Overnight: Asia Mountains Hotel or Similar, Bishkek

Day 3 - Transfer to Karakol by bus - 8 hours. Meet your mountain guide in Karakol, 1,700m/5,577ft.

Today after breakfast you will take the long bus ride to Karakol where you will meet your mountain guide and learn more about your trek. Lunch will be taken on the way in a local restaurant and you will get a chance to try some of the typical Kyrgyz food.

Karakol is a sleepy old Russian town situated at the foot of the Tien Shan Mountains. It was first developed as a Russian settlement in the middle of the 19th century with a largely Cossack population and later grew as Dungans, Tatars, Uyghurs and Ukrainians moved here. This town has not always been called Karakol however - back in 1888 the town was re-named Przhevalsk to honour the Russian explorer Nikolai Przhevalsky who first arrived in the 1860's and later returned in 1888 and died here. In 1921 Lenin decided it should revert to its original name of Karakol, followed by Stalin commanding it to be changed back to Przhevalsk in 1939. Finally in 1991 when Kyrgyzstan became independent the name once more changed - going back to the original, Karakol!

Overnight: Amir Hotel or Green Yard Guesthouse or Similar, Karakol

Day 4 - Morning sightseeing tour of Karakol. Transfer to Karkara Base Camp, 2,200m/7,218m - 3 hours.

This morning you will have a guided tour of the town. It is set in the typical Russian grid style with long poplar lined avenues. Most of the buildings are old wooden 'gingerbread' houses with neat gardens of flowers, fruit laden orchards and picket fences. During the tour you will visit the Dungan mosque built in the typical Chinese style and resembling a pagoda, it was constructed by the Dugans, Muslim people of Chinese origin who live in this area. In contrast, you will also go to the wooden Russian Orthodox Church, built without a single metal nail.

You will have lunch at a local café in Karakol town after which you will transfer to Karkara Base Camp, where you will spend the night and prepare to begin your trek. Located 120km south east from Karakol, the drive will take about 3 hours. The road passes through Tup village, then continues eastwards towards checkpoint Karkyra (here you will need to show your border permit and passport, since this is a border zone). You will leave your permits here.

At camp your tents will be ready for you and dinner prepared. Time to reflect on your first impressions of this country and to look forward to the start of the trek tomorrow.

Overnight: Karkara Base Camp

Day 5 - Helicopter flight to Inylchek Valley. Trek to Iva Camp, 2,900m/9,514ft – 10km, 3-4 hours.

After breakfast you will take the half hour helicopter flight to the start point of your trek in the Inylchek Valley, at a place called Prijim. You then trek up along the valley to the foot of the Inylchek Glacier until you reach Iva Camp. This will take about 3-4 hours. On the way you can see Nansen peak, 5,690m and Tuz pass, 4,001m.

In 1902, Nansen peak was noticed by the German geographer Gottfried Merzbacher. Even he, who had seen the panorama of many mountains on the globe, including the Alps, the Caucasus, the Himalaya and Karakorom, had a feeling of surprise and delight at the sight of the giant ridge that bounded the valley of Inylchek from the South. Its mighty snow-capped peaks, of the most varied sculptural forms, are visible all the way from west to east. "Among all the proud phalanx, the most magnificent is the peak that rises opposite the Tuz Ashu pass. It is difficult to conjure up a picture of the mighty, extended slopes of this giant, the wildness of its many crests, the splendour of the rapid glaciers, cut into a thousand different shapes and broken into endless fragments. I do not hesitate to extol this wonderful mountain range as the greatest in the Tien Shan mountains. He should certainly be given an appropriate name. " wrote Merzbacher.

Overnight: Iva Camp

Day 6 - Trek to Glina Camp, 3,100m/10,170ft - 8km, 5-6 hours.

Having reached the mighty Inylchek Glacier you will spend the day following it further up the valley towards the mountains. The glacier is the third largest outside the Polar Regions, 62km long and over 3km wide, it is estimated that it holds enough ice to cover the entire country in 3 metres of melt water.

After breakfast and armed with packed lunches, the day's trek will get underway. There are some steep ascents and descents today as you follow the path along the glacial moraine, traversing terraces and crossing small rivers. Passing over the Putevodnyi Glacier, which flows into the main glacier, and crossing over eroded slopes where landslides have occurred, the path continues upwards. A suitable spot will be chosen for a well-earned lunch break and you can enjoy the views whilst you rest and eat. You will then continue over more undulating terrain in this wild and magnificent scenery before arriving at Glina Camp. This area is named after the Russian word 'Glina' meaning clay, as it is located on a green clay field beside the glacier. Tea, snacks and rest before dinner.

Overnight: Glina Camp

Day 7 - Trek to Merzbacher Glade Camp, 3,400m/11,154ft - 9km, 5-6 hours.

Setting off again beside the glacier on the lateral moraine you will trek on a largely undulating path, although there are some flatter sections today. A small side glacier will be crossed and a river passed before coming to a small lake. This will be your lunch place and there is the opportunity to swim in the lake - for the brave, the water will be cold! From here it is only another hour to camp in a grassy area known as 'Merzbacher Glade'. This is the last grass you will see for some days. It is located across the glacier from the unique Merzbacher Lake where you will go and explore tomorrow. Tonight though you can enjoy tea and snacks and later dinner, with wonderful views of the lake.

Overnight: Merzbacher Glade Camp

Day 8 - Trek across the South Inylchek Glacier to Merzbacher Lake and back - 12km, 5-6 hours.

Today you will cross over the great South Inylchek glacier making your way between boulders and ice and walk up to Merzbacher Lake, which is 6km long and 1km wide, and sandwiched between the southern and northern branches of the glacier. The path is easily followed although you will need to watch your step as you will be walking on ice, covered with rocks, stones, sand and mud. The guide will be at hand if you need any help but it is not a technical glacier crossing and should not present any great difficulties. Having arrived you can enjoy the amazing views of this huge lake filled with drifting icebergs, it is a truly spectacular sight.

There is a scientific research station on the glacier where scientists come from all over the world every summer, to study glacial movements, meteorology and the emptying of the Merzbacher Lake.

The lake constitutes a phenomenon known as a proglacial lake, a lake dammed by a glacier. Proglacial lakes are found in various locations all over the world, but usually they enlarge until the glacier retreats, or are short-lived in their existence. Merzbacher Lake however, is exceptional as the lake repeatedly gets emptied, just to get refilled soon after. The process, still not fully understood by geologists, can be described like this: the melt water fills up the lake in the summer months at a rate of up to two meters per day. When the lake is filled, it bursts out and completely empties itself within just three days. The release of the water occurs when the dam of ice buoys upwards and opens up a number of glacial channels in the damming glacier. The water then discharges through the glacier into the valley on the other side of the ice, where it flows into the Inylchek River. When the lake has emptied, the ice dam lowers, thereby blocking the glacial channels. As a result, the lake begins to fill up again. The cycle of the emptying and subsequent refilling of the lake occurs at least once per year, in some years even twice. It is very difficult to estimate the timing when the emptying begins. Usually taking place in August, some years it has occurred as early as Mid-July. Because of the difficulty of knowing when this emptying will occur, it is virtually impossible to reach the lake to witness this phenomenon. Very few people have therefore actually seen it happen.

From the lake you then return the way you came back to camp to reflect on the phenomenon you have seen - either with or without all its water.

Overnight: Merzbacher Glade Camp

Day 9 - Trek to Komsomolskiy Glacier, 3,800m/12,467ft - 12km, 5-6 hours.

A long trekking day awaits you today as you continue the steady walk up the side of the glacier, the scenery is ever more dramatic as you gain height, with snow, rocks and ice of many colours surrounding you. You will be venturing into a landscape of ice and rocks with much of the trail crossing up and down moraine and past smaller side glaciers flowing into the main valley. The path winds its way around rocks, streams and small crevasses, which can be time consuming and a contrast to the alpine meadows of the first days. You will really feel as if you are entering the high mountains.

You will pass Shokalskyi and Komsomolez glaciers which flow down and feed into the Inylchek glacier. The camp tonight is on the Komsomolez glacier and will be considerably colder than the previous camps - have your warm jackets ready! It can also be windy here in the late afternoon, so the hot drinks and dinner in the sheltered dining tent will be very welcome.

Overnight: Komsomolskiy Glacier Camp

Day 10 - Trek to Dikiy Glacier Camp, 3,900m/12,795ft - 7-8km, 3-5 hours.

Another fantastic day of crossing undulating glacial moraine as you enter further into the Tien Shan Mountains. All around now are numerous nameless, unclimbed peaks around 5,000m/16,400ft high.

The trail leads from the camp up and down over the Proletarsky glacial moraine towards Dikiy Glacier. Reaching the middle of this moraine you will turn and head up along it towards the glacier itself. The route flattens out a little and becomes easier to walk on. Lunch will be had and then after a further short while Dikiy Glacier camp is reached, located behind Pesnya Abaya peak. The camp is beautifully situated with fabulous views of Khan Tengri, 7,010m/22,999ft, and Pobeda, 7,439m/24,406ft, peaks.

Overnight: Dikiy Glacier Camp

Day 11 - Optional climb to viewpoint. Trek to South Inylchek Glacier Base Camp, 4,100m/13,451ft – 4km, 3-4 hours.

It's quite a short trek today trek to reach the highest camp on the South Inylchek Glacier, although there is the option before the trek to ascend to a panoramic viewpoint if you're feeling energetic. The climb to the viewpoint at 4,300m is not difficult and the views are well worth the effort if it's a clear day. The trek to South Inylchek Base Camp is over the glacier as the camp is situated on the centre of the moraine. The route winds round rocks, ice, small lakes and crevasses but is safe and requires no equipment. You will arrive at camp in time for lunch. The afternoon is then free to relax and enjoy your surroundings with fabulous views of the two highest peaks in this mountain range - Pobeda and Khan Tengri. Khan Tengri in particular must rate as one of the most beautiful peaks in the world. A natural phenomenon, it is almost perfectly formed and the top half is marble. Thus, at sunrise and sunset it produces the most wonderful colours. All the hard work walking up over the moraine will be rewarded by this magnificent amphitheatre of mountains, so sit back and enjoy the view and the atmosphere of being in this amazing place.

As the camps are only open for two months a year there can be many climbers here at base camp, preparing for their ascents of the two biggest peaks of the Tien Shan. You might be able to spot climbers on the mountains with the assistance of binoculars and will certainly see the activity associated with climbing expeditions. This can create a real atmosphere of excitement and often there are parties going on in the evenings.

Overnight: South Inylchek Base Camp

Day 12 - Trek towards the base of Khan Tengri Peak – 8km, 4-6 hours.

Today you will hike on the glacier towards the base of Khan Tengri. This is a relatively flat area of the glacier so not too strenuous a day. The excursion will lead you amongst a dazzling panorama of ice-caked, ice-fluted peaks and hanging glaciers in a 360° arc. It is a stunning environment in which to spend a day and by the time you return to camp you will have a sense of awe for this spectacular terrain.

Overnight: South Inylchek Base Camp

Day 13 - Helicopter flight to Karkara - 30-40 mins. Transfer to Issyk Kul Lake.

A farewell to base camp and to the mountains, but in style! This is probably one of the most exciting flights you are likely to make as you pass between huge peaks and skim over ridges as you descend out of the mountains. After the raw excitement of boarding and take-off on the small pad next to base camp, the flight down the South Inylchek Glacier can be thoroughly enjoyed with some nostalgia. The helicopter climbs and glides over mountain passes to exit the Tien Shan. A final wave goodbye to the Celestial Mountains and very shortly you land at Karkara.

Now it is back in a bus to drive to Issyk Kul Lake (meaning warm lake in the Kyrgyz language), the second largest alpine lake in the world after Lake Titicaca in South America. It measures 182km long by 58km wide and appeared as a result of volcanic activity. Being heated by thermal springs it never freezes despite very cold air temperatures and in summer can reach 25 - 28°C. The climate is far milder than the Kyrgyzstan average due to the moderating effect of the lake and it has become something of an oasis. It was a renowned beauty spot in the old Soviet Union and there are plenty of Soviet style resorts along its northern sandy shores. Today it attracts many Kyrgyz tourists who come to relax and enjoy the beautiful setting surrounded by mountains.

The 200km drive will take around 4 hours and lunch will be taken on the way. You should arrive in plenty of time to enjoy a swim in the clear waters or a stroll along the beach. Your hotel will be situated right by the lake shore. Dinner will be at the hotel.

Overnight: Karven Issyk Kul or Karven 4 Seasons or Similar, Issyk Kul Lake

Day 14 - Morning at leisure. Afternoon transfer to Bishkek through Boom Gorge - 5-6 hours.

A relaxed morning at your hotel, time to rest, take a swim and enjoy the lakeside setting. After lunch you will drive back to Bishkek through the Boom Gorge, a narrow canyon where the railway, road and Chui River squeeze together. The 250 km drive will take about 5-6 hours.

Further on as you near the town of Tokmok you will stop and visit the reconstructed Burana Tower. This is an old minaret and is all that remains of the old town of Balasagum, established by the Kharkhanids at the end of the 10th century. It was on an important trading route of the Silk Road and the town flourished for centuries until its eventual decline in the 15th century. There is a small museum with information about the town and a collection of around 80 Turkic 'balbals', or stone grave markers, dating from between the 6th and 10th century which have been gathered from all over the country and placed here. Continuing the rest of the way you will arrive back in Bishkek for a two night stay.

Overnight: Asia Mountains Hotel or Similar, Bishkek

Day 15 - Morning sightseeing tour of Bishkek. Free afternoon.

This morning you will have a guided walking tour of the city taking around 3 hours. The guide will show you all the main sights including the Manas Monument, the State History Museum, Ala-Too Square and Victory Square. You will finish your tour in the largest department store in town with the opportunity to buy any souvenirs you might want. There are many optional extra sights that can be added to the tour, so make sure you discuss with your guide what you would like to see in the time allotted.

In the afternoon you will have free time to relax before your farewell dinner in a local restaurant.

Overnight: Asia Mountains Hotel or Similar, Bishkek

Day 16 - Transfer to airport for flight back to London.

You will be transferred back to the airport for your flight home.