Thrill season• Himalayan passes, snow treks and open water Find your next one

Best months: Sep – Nov
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2

Ala Kul — 6 days

4.3(11 reviews)8 daysStart and end in
3 photos
Meridian Overland
Runs this trip
8 Days · 7 Nights
Fully planned multi-day journey
Accommodation
Hostel, homestay or tent, shared
Fully guided
A guide travels with the group for the whole trip.
Trekking
Eight days, one eleven-hour pass day, and a hot spring after it
High Intensity
Travelers can expect 6-8 hours of challenging high-altitude trekking
Group Size 1 - 22
1 guide per 15 ratio
Ages 14+ Welcome
The operator's minimum age for this trip is 14
3,560 m at the highest point

Where this operator goes

8 days · 15 stops

Itinerary

8 days, planned by Meridian Overland

Pickup point

Day 1 · Fri, 18 Sept, 2026

Meet atBishkekManas International Airport (FRU), Bishkek
Reporting time00:00 - 23:59
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What the price covers

Included in the price

You arrange yourself

Most of these can be added to your booking later — the operator confirms within a day.

Where you'll stay

Published by the operator. Nights on the ground can move with weather and permissions.

Bishkek Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Nights 1, 7

Karakol Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Nights 2, 6

Sirota Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Night 3

Altyn Arashan Camp

Hostel, homestay or tent, shared

Nights 4–5

What you'll eat

7 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 6 dinners across 8 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 8.

  • DinnerServed on days 1–6
  • BreakfastServed on days 2–8
  • LunchServed on days 3–5

16 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking

One other operator runs this trailThe same trail, at their own price, group size and refund window.Farthest Field Co.₹1,41,999See all 2
BEFORE YOU GO · CAUTIONARY DETAILS
Break the boots in before you come
The single most common reason a trek stops being enjoyable. New boots on day one means blisters by day two and a descent on ruined feet by day four. Walk fifty kilometres in them at home first, on hills if you can find any.
Deal with a hot spot immediately
The moment something rubs, stop and tape it. Everyone on the trail will wait two minutes for that and nobody wants to wait an hour later while it is dressed properly.
The group moves at its slowest walker
That is not a courtesy, it is how groups stay together and how nobody ends up alone on a ridge in cloud. If that person is you on a given day, say so early rather than falling quietly behind.
Never leave the group to go ahead
Almost every serious incident on a marked Indian trail starts with somebody moving faster than the guide and taking a turning that looked obvious. Waiting at junctions is the whole discipline.
Treat your water
Streams above the villages look clean and mostly are; below them they are not, and giardia will ruin a week. Filter, boil, or use tablets — and drink more than you feel like.
Weather turns faster than you can descend
An afternoon build-up in the Himalaya arrives in under an hour. That is why days start early and why a guide who wants to turn back at eleven in the morning is not being cautious for the sake of it.
A stream is not the same in the afternoon
Snowmelt peaks with the day's heat, so a crossing that was ankle-deep at eight is thigh-deep at three. Cross early, unclip your waist belt, and face upstream.
Carry original photo ID
Forest and park entry in the Indian Himalaya is permitted through the district administration and checked at the gate against the permit your operator holds. A photocopy is not always accepted.
The medical certificate is not a formality
Several states now require a doctor-signed fitness certificate on higher and glacier-bound routes, and more ask for one over 55 or with a pre-existing condition. Get it early; it is a reason people are turned back at the road head.

Who runs this trip

Operated by
Meridian OverlandVerified

“Europe and the far north on a fixed calendar”

Based in New Delhi Running treks since 2017
Rating
4.3(11 reviews)
Response time
Within 8 hours
  • Team speaks: English, Hindi
Direct booking via licensed operator
View Operator Profile
Cancellation policy: Full refund up to 14 days before departure

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Customer reviews

Overall rating
4.3/5
Based on 11 reviews
Review summary
Food
3.9/5
Guide
4.4/5
Itinerary
4.1/5
Transport
4.1/5
Accommodation
4.1/5
Tour operator
3.9/5
Sort by:Recommended
4
A
Aditi Rao – Hyderabad2025-11-28 · Verified booking

Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Recommended.

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2
A
Aditi Rao – Chennai2025-11-28 · Verified booking

Long transfer at both ends that isn't obvious from the listing. Budget a day either side.

Reply from Meridian Overland

Thanks for writing this up. We've passed your note to the team.

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3
D
Dev Chatterjee – Lucknow2025-11-28 · Verified booking

The trek itself is good but the group was too large for the trail on the summit day. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it.

Reply from Meridian Overland

Appreciate the honest feedback; we're looking at the pacing on that section.

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5
P
Priya Nair – Chandigarh2025-11-28 · Verified booking

Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be.

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5
P
Priya Nair – Delhi2025-11-28 · Verified booking

Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Tents were warmer than expected and the camp was set up before we arrived. Food was plentiful and hot, which counts for a lot at altitude. Solid operator.

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5
I
Ishita Ghosh – Pune2025-02-25 · Verified booking

Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Camp was pitched and the kitchen going by the time we walked in each evening. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones.

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4
M
Marc Dubois – Singapore2025-02-25 · Verified booking

The route is beautiful and the pacing was sensible — nobody was rushed on the climb.

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5
T
Tom Bergman – London2025-02-25 · Verified booking

Did this over 8 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Camp was pitched and the kitchen going by the time we walked in each evening. Meals were good throughout and the vegetarian options weren't an afterthought. Good value for what's included.

Reply from Meridian Overland

Appreciate the honest feedback; we're looking at the pacing on that section.

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Questions people ask

It is the hardest single day in this catalogue outside the high-altitude expeditions — around eleven hours, roughly a thousand metres up and a thousand down, and both sides are loose scree that takes concentration when you are tired. The six-day version splits it deliberately.

One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →