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Exploring Tourism in Kyrgyzstan
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Ala Archa National Park

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

Ala Archa National Park is one of the few national parks that is easily accessible and fun to visit no matter what time of the year it is. It’s an Alpine National Park in the Tian Shan mountains, about 40km south of Bishkek. It’s a mountain park that is replete with long but easy hikes. This National Park is the perfect introduction to the beauty of the Kyrgyz Mountains and a great place to acclimatize to high altitudes if you just arrived in the country and want to prepare for some serious mountain treks.

It’s a very trendy destination, not only for travelers but also for locals. Many locals there having a picnic and spending family time cozily nested under the trees of the park.

The accessibility of this park (it’s located only an hour drive away from the city center of Bishkek) and the fact that it’s at the base of the beautiful Tian Shan mountains makes it the perfect place to escape the crowds and smog of the Capital.

The weather in Ala Archa is always slightly cooler than in Bishkek so it’s better to bring a warm sweater in case the temperature would drop suddenly. If you visit this park in winter, bring a good pair of winter boots (the trail can easily be covered by a few feet of snow).

To reach the Ala Archa National Park, you will have two options. You can either take a taxi directly to the Alpager base (where the hiking trails start) or you can take a mashrutka (shared minibus) to the entrance of the national park and then hitchhike or take a taxi to cover the remaining 12 km of asphalt road to the Alpager base.

If you’re looking for some good hikes but you don’t want to go too far from the capital city, then Ala Archa is the place to visit!

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