Location: Shatyly Overlook, Issyk Kul, Kyrgyzstan
Distance: 2.2 miles (out and back)
Peak Elevation: 8,496′
Elevation Gain: 433′
Trip Length: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy
The Tian Shan Mountains are Himalaya-adjacent. They are next to the Altai to the east and the Pamirs to the south, which link up with the Himalayas. In Kyrgyzstan, Issyk Kul Lake splits the Tian Shan Mountains in half with the Küngöy Ala-Too range to the north and Teskey Ala-Too to the south. Hiking to Shatyly Overlook passes dreamy green valleys and offers spectacular views of Issyk Kul and the mountains. Who knew that they filmed The Sound of Music in Kyrgyzstan?
Horse Ranch in the Valley | Yurt Camp between a Valley and a Glen | Short Climb to Shatyly Overlook | Photos
Horse Ranch in the Valley
From the town of Bokonbayevo, drive southeast to the foothills. (OK, foothills might be misleading since the altitude is over 8,000 feet. But, for the Tian Shan Mountains, which climb to 24,406 feet, these are foothills.) The Shatyly hike is 2.2 miles from a valley through a canyon to a ridgeline and back. We start at a horse ranch in the Boz-Salkyn Valley where the horses roam freely on the hillside.
Yurt Camp between a Valley and a Glen
The road rises mildly until reaching a flat saddle, which is the halfway point. We enter the saddle through an entrance in a wooden fence. The saddle soon opens up into Shatyly Canyon, a wide green glen with gently sloped concave sides. The pasture to the right also has a fence and the yurt at the back has a million-dollar view of the green valley below. It looks like there is a gatehouse straight ahead, but the farm is building more permanent living arrangements.
Short Climb to Shatyly Overlook
Then, the local guide lights a cigarette, veers left from the road, and rapidly climbs the hill to the northwest. We connect with a footpath leading to another saddle. From this vista, you can see Shatyly Canyon below and a mountain wall to the east straight across. This is actually high point of the hike as the overlook is a little lower. The area is a wide green expanse similar to Switzerland, but with horses in addition to a few cows.
We walk along a ridge that dips slightly and then climbs again. From the Shatyly Overlook, we see an impressive range of terrains all at once. The snowcapped Tian Shan Mountains are visible to the south. As you turn your gaze northward, mountains become brown rocky hills. Strikingly, the geography turns to pink and red rocks before reaching the blue Issyk Kul Lake. The clouds quickly whip past this spectacular panorama while we snap photos. On the way down, there is a wise, white-bearded shepherd watching his flock who waves at us.
Photos
