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Kyrgyzstan Attractions

Ala Archa National Park is an alpine national park in Tianshan Mountain of Kyrgyzstan, located about 40 kilometers away from capital city Bishkek, which means 45 minutes' drive from Bishkek.

Ala Archa means bright juniper, and there are many juniper bushes growing all through the park; inside the park, there is the gorge of Ala-Archa River and Mountains surrounding the gorge which is a popular destination point for weekend picnic, hiking, horse trekking, skiing as well as mountain climbing.

From the park entrance and car park, there are numberous hiking options, from gentle strolls along the valley to serious mountain walking; Three of the most popular options are the Ala Archa valley walk (easy, approx 4hrs), the hike up the Ak-Say valley to the waterfall (a little more strenuous with around 700m ascent, approx 5 hrs), and the full day climb to the foot of the Ak-Say Glacier. The latter follows well-trodden paths but has long, steep and rough sections as you ascend the final section toward the glacier, so is recommended only for serious hill-walkers.

The park is established in 1976 and opens all the year round to public. The peak season comes at summer and early fall when travelers run into the park for outdoor activities like hiking, camping and so on. On every May 1, the Alpinada festival comes and hundreds of people camp out in the valley and climb the Mount Komsomolets.