Chon-Kurchak Gorge
Bolted sport climbing 30mins from Bishkek
Note: The travel directions below are our own but the photographs and route descriptions are taken from a French booklet about the area. Click for here for the original booklet: Chon-Kurchak.pdf
How to get there:
Head to the big round about at the Western end of Akhumbaeva Street. On the South side of the round about ask one of the waiting taxis to take you to Dordoi cafe/hotel on the South side of Koi Tash village (not to be confused with Dordoi Bazaar in the North of the city!) The journey should take about 20-30mins and cost 40-50som per head (at time of writing). Just before you get to the big building with the bright red alpine-style roof (you’ll know when you see it) there’s dirt road off to the right (West). Leave the taxi here and start walking.
Follow this road down across a bridge and keeping going as it swings to the right (heading North for a bit) as you walk through a load of dachas. The road swings back to the left and you’ll go through a gate and over another bridge before it climbs up at the other side of the small valley and joins a bigger dirt track. Follow this track South and then West for about 30mins. You’ll pass a group of houses on the right of the road, this is Tatyr village. After the village take the track the branches off to the right and follow it over the stream, past the farm buildings and behind the a very new and fenced off holiday home with a yurt in the garden you should recognize the gorge shown in the picture below.
It sounds like a long way but its only really a 40min walk from where you get out of the taxi and you may well be able to hitch a lift. You’ll probably need to hitch a lift on the way back from the village at the end of the day. You could get a taxi all the way up to the gorge but they’ll charge you a fortune because the road is bad.
By far the best option would be to rent the Alpine Fund van for the day. We can take you all the way there from town and if you need a climbing partner one of our interns would be more than happy to come with you. They’ll even bring the samovar and make the tea at lunch.
MAP AND PHOTO OF CLIMBING AREAS 1- 4 NEAR ENTRANCE OF GORGE:
CLIMBING ROUTES IN AREA 1:
DETAIL OF AREA 1:
ROUTES IN AREA 2:
AREA 3:
AREA 4:
FRENCH CLIMBING GRADES COMPARISON TABLE:
Kyrgyz
Mountain Info
