The route of the 4 Passes horseback riding tour takes us to the area of Tash Rabat, the caravanserai from the ancient days of the Silk Road.
We will cross four passes in the At Bashi mountain range at about 3400m a.s.l. First, however, we head west through the wide At Bashi Valley from the tour's starting point, the village of Kyzyl Tuu. Here the terrain is very easy and the ride relaxed.
The landscape of this mountain range is very barren. There are hardly any bushes or even trees. There is something meditative about riding. Wind, water and snow have shaped this landscape, which serves as pasture for the farmers' cattle, yaks and horses. It's hard to believe that people live here. And yet in the valleys there are yurts or homesteads that happily welcome travelers.
Tour Highlights
This horseback riding tour will take four days; as a variant it is possible to shorten it by one day, omitting the Panda Pass.
After the first day's stage we ride up the Shyrykte Valley and get into the mountains. One by one we will ride to the passes around Tash Rabat, the Western and Eastern Bel-Jol Pass, Panda Pass and, a bit off the beaten track, the Bel-Kara-Suu Pass.
The route does not place any special technical demands on the riders. It goes up and down on terrain that is easy to ride. Only access to the Panda Pass leads over scree, which the horses easily master.
Starting point is the village of Kyzyl Tuu, were we spend the night in a yurt or a guestroom in the house.
For the four days, we will be accommodated in yurts and farmhouses for the night and have meals. Picnic lunch on the way.
After a hearty breakfast, we will mount the horses and ride west through the At Bashi valley.
The terrain is broad and we are happy for the easy ride.
The second lodging is the farm at the entrance to the Shyrykty valley.
A large guest room is at our disposal. First we will eat here, later the night quarters will be prepared. The next day we take a traditional Kyrgyz breakfast
On our treck we will ride in the Shyrykty valley and cross the Eastern Bel-Jol pass connecting to the Tash Rabat valley.
From Tash Rabat we take an excursion to the Panda Pass with great view on lake Chatyr Kol; returning back to Tash Rabat. Finally we cross the Western Bel-Jol pass and the Kara-Suu pass were our tour finishes.
Have a look at the panorama views
Itinirary
We spend the night in a yurt or a guesthouse in the village of Kyzyl Tuu.
After a hearty breakfast, we will mount the horses and ride west through the
At Bashi valley to the farmhouse at Shyrykty Valley. Here we will stay for the night.
On this day we will have ridden about 20 km.
Horsetime will be about 5 hours
There, we and the horses get a pick-up and we drive back to Kyzyl-Tuu.
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