Hiking in the Ak-Suu mountain region of Kyrgyzstan must be the highlight of Central Asia. Snow capped mountains, remote lakes, thermal springs, great hiking routes, and a feeling of being in a place that the modern world has largely untouched as you still see farmers moving their animals to markets on the same routes you are hiking and people generally being open and friendly to help you. Also, without the usual hoards of tourists for a place so beautiful . . . I mean, how many people have Kyrgyzstan on their summer holiday list?!
As with all places in Kyrgyzstan, there isn’t really an established infrastructure to make things easy for you when you arrive, but this is all part of the charm and giving you that feeling of adventure. So, I’ve added some tips below for how to get the most out of the trip
As part of the trip up the stunning west coast of New Zealand, one of the must-do activities is to see one of the fastest moving accessible glaciers in the world, and, even better, to climb through it
5 tips:
- Climbing – climbing through the glacier with the crampons on and the ice axe at the ready was what made this such a great experience, so be sure to give yourself the day to include this. The only issue is the price. A few years ago you were able to simply rock up to the glacier and climb through it (NZ$250), whereas unfortunately now you often need to take a helicopter further up the glacier and explore from there (NZ$795). On the plus side, you’ll get some amazing views of the glacier from the helicopter
- Climbing can get a bit hairy! – when climbing, be prepared for it to be a little scary at times. We thought it would just be a walk but, depending on your guide, you may be climbing up sheer slopes and starring down into the ice abyss below – you’ve been warned!
- Fans Joseph or Fox? – both are similar, but their nearby towns make it a choice between bigger with wider facilities but a bit busier (Frans Jospeh) and smaller with few facilities but quieter (Fox). When I visited, I went for Frans Jospeh and it was a great experience. It also has Glacier Hot Pools which would be great to enjoy after the climbing
- Hiking – if you don’t want to climb, one activity that you simple must do is a hike to get a feel for the scale of the glaciers. The Glacier Valley walk for Frans Jospeh is fantastic as its gives you a nice walk past the small lakes and view out across the glacier. 6km / 3.7miles return and will take around 1.5hours
- Two things we wish we’d done – we left thinking that we would have loved to have taken a scenic flight to see the glaciers from the sky (you can cover this now with the helicopter trip) and also kayaked in the more tranquil nearby Lake Mapourika, with the “Classic Trip” taking 3 hours in the early morning
You’ll be able to smell the various thermal spots outside Rotorua long before you see them. But don’t let that put you off – the thermal pools with gushing geysers are beautiful and there is a great chance to see and learn a bit about Maori culture in the Maori villages nearby. Overall, a must visit for this part of New Zealand.
3 high levels tips for your visit:
#1 The place you want to visit is the Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve. The Reserve is broken up into 2 main parts: firstly, Te Puia which has walkways and around the bubbling mud, minerals pools and the booming geysers like the 15m /50ft high Pohutu. Secondly, you have the Thermal Village, which gives you a chance to see how the Maori traditionally interact with the unique environment. It can attract a lot of fellow tourists, but its big enough not to feel overly crowded.
#2 Hot n’ Cold – the most enjoyable experience we found was with some of the natural pools that aren’t part of some of the reserves. There are a few dotted around that have the combination of the hot water meeting the cold water of the nearby streams and give that wonderful feeling of moving somewhere in the middle to find that perfect temperature. The one we enjoyed the most was called the Hot n’ Cold near Waiotapu which is free to use and can see more details in this good summary website – Rotorua Travel Secrets website.
3. Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland – visit here for the most colourful thermal pools.
