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Lenin Peak

Lenin Peak travel report


We hope that information set out below can help you to lay off Your free time at being in Tashkent, Bishkek and Osh in order to have enough time before start of the expedition for seeing there ancient monuments and bazaars, to acquaint yourselves with way of life which is proper for Uzbek and Kyrgyz people. Also we give some description of the first three days you are going to have after your arrival at ancient land of the Orient. Then expedition program begins. We would like to believe that information we have shared with you is going to attract your attention and be useful for you on-the-way.

Day 1 - Arrival in Tashkent/Bishkek.
Arrival in Tashkent. Transfer to hotel. Time at leisure.
Depending on time of arrival, you will have whole day or several hours to exploring of Tashkent – capital of the Republic of Uzbekistan. You will be surprised to find that 2000-year old Tashkent has little that left of its original architecture to justify its decent age (except few monuments of 15-16c AD and Ming-Uruk – the remains of adobe brick fortress which is regarded as most ancient part of Tashkent). This Central Asia’s largest city (2.6 million population) exemplifies typical Soviet style of town planning: wide streets (two way traffic, each side three to four lane-wide), spacious squares, extensive verdure zones and multiple fountains. Contemporary Old Town started growing in 9c AD from what is known as former Shahristan - triangle of Chor-Su Square, Hadra Square and Eski Juva Suare, - has preserved some of its medieval monuments: Kukeldash Medressa (XVI), Barak Khan Medressa (XVI), Abul Kasim Medressa (XIX), Kaffal Shahi Mausoleum (XVI), Yuhnus Khan Mausoleum (XVI) and Sheikh Havendi Tahur Mausoleum (XV). Among highlights of old Tashkent is world’s only original copy of Koran of 7c AD. The book has been hand-written on velum in archaic Kufi script by the behest of caliph Othman and, allegedly, looted by Tamerlane after his conquering of Baghdad in 1402. Highly recommended is a trip in Tashkent metro – certainly an architectural achievement of the Soviet period of the city and one of the best structures of the kind among CIS countries (former USSR). The Museum of Fine Arts possesses rich and diverse collection of traditional Uzbek silks, gold embroidery, wood carving and ceramic items and even has a display of clay Buddhist statues of Kushan period (1-3 cc AD). Concise display of similar items and artefacts can be found in the Museum of Applied Arts.
Uzbek cuisine deserves appraisal for its unbeatable scent, taste and look. “Plov” (meat, carrots, onions and stewed rice in vegetable oil), various “shashlyks” (meat roasted on skewer) and especially “non” (round flat bread) are reasonably cheap, tasty and found everywhere in town.
Traveller is recommended to have a substantial reserve of hard currency in cash. That saves time as encashing of travellers’ cheques and credit cards may sometimes be time consuming. Best place for changing of your USD in Uzbek Sums (local currency) is TSUM (central department store in downtown) but you have to be prepared to queue up at the exchange office.

Arrival in Bishkek. Transfer to hotel.
Half of the day a traveller will be spending at leisure in Bishkek - the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
This modern city of 1 million-odd population was originally designed and built after 1868 as a Russian military garrison base. Independent since 1991, the city still is regarded as one of the most Russian-speaking cities of Central Asia. The city is located at 800m above sea level in the foothill of Kyrgyz Alatoo Range of which the highest one - Alameddin Peak (4895m) - can be seen from the city (50km to the south). Bishkek is regarded as one of the greenest cities of Central Asia - for its straight-lined streets generously bordered in tall plane trees and its verdure-drawn parks holding Russian Soviet monuments and statues. It is also known as “gateway to mountains” – for its proximity to Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range.
Places to see/visit in Bishkek: Erkendic Square (Independence Square), Historical Museum with its unique for CIS countries collection of bronze relieves and statues of the Soviet period, Museum of Fine Arts richly presenting paintings and sculptures by Kyrgyz and European artists, colourful Osh Bazaar and bustling small-size-wholesale Dordoy Bazaar. Opera goers may choose to attend impressive Opera House and enjoy opera or ballet performance given once or twice a week or opt to listen to European classic- or Kyrgyz folk music concerts performed at the Kyrgyz State Philharmonic Society. The lovers of special kind of entertainment may spend their money and time visiting round multiple casinos of the town. No problems in changing of your foreign currency (USD, Euros, JPY, British Pounds and Chinese Yuans) in Bishkek as well as using your travellers’ cheques and credit cards for buying of local currency (called Kyrgyz Som).
Important note: the advantages of travelling via Tashkent rather than via Bishkek are multiple: travelling by road you explore more of the country than travelling by plane; you have a possibility of extension tour or alternative tour (in case of cancellation of ascent due to bad weather at Peak Lenin or any other reason) allowing to explore Samarkand and/or Bukhara, which, as our good practice suggests, is problematic in Kyrgyzstan because Uzbek visa arrangement takes time.

Day 2. Transfer from Tashkent/Bishkek to Osh.
Flight Bishkek to Osh (300 km, 1 hour 10 min).
Flying with local airline (Kyrgyz Aba Zholdoru) to Osh may take up to 1 hour and makes no problem. You will be met at the Osh Airport and transferred to your hotel in town. Hotel “Inturist” provides basic accommodation, breakfast and (rooms at the fourth floor only) hot water. You may get to Jayma Bazaar by route taxi or on foot walking downstream Ak-Bura river. Suleiman Too (Solomon Mountain) attracts travelers by its 16th century Asaf-bin-Burhia mausoleum, Prophet Salamon Mosque, Rabat Abdullakhan mosque, 5-6 thousand year old petrogliphs and historical museum. Strolling along the Kurmanjan Dadka street you will inevitably come across one of the dozens of either Kyrgyz, or Russian, or Uzbek cafes and restaurants of the town to have your dinner at.

Drive Tashkent to Osh (420km, 7-8 hours).
On your way to Osh you will be crossing several regions of Uzbekistan: Tashkent Region (prior to Kamchik Pass), Namangan Region and Andijan Region (the last two in overpopulated Fergana Valley). Then, you border cross into Kyrgyzstan and have a final half-an-hour drive to Osh. It may take whole long day to get all that done. But it is really worth doing, at least once.
For the first two hours you will be bussing across Tashkent Region known since early medieval as “Ilak” - the area rich in non-ferrous metals and brown coal. The highway runs across fertile fields of cotton, wheat and lucerne along of the Chatcal Ridge of the Tian Shan. 50 km on the bus turns left. We drive along of the Ahangaran River (“The River of iron-work masters”) - the old toponim witnessing to the long-time history of mining and metalworking in the area. On the other side of the river (10km away) is town Almalyk – industrial hub of the region famous for its gold, copper, silver, zink, lead, molybdenum and rear earth metal mine and factory – third largest one in former Soviet Union. 100km away of Tashkent in the valley of Akhangaran River lies town of Angren known for its Uzbek’s largest open cast brown coal mine. Kuraminsky Ridge stretching eastwards on the other side of the river was once covered in extensive juniper forests that were chopped down and turned in char coal for the sake of metallurgy in medieval time. Still in the valley one can see remains of old char coal-producing furnaces. Past town we stop for panoramic view of the coal mine. Having crossed the river on the bridge we enter Namangan Region. The road zigzags uphill towards Kamchik Pass (2285m) and descents down to Fergana Valley. The road is colloquially known as “Road of Life” - for its high economical importance for economy of Uzbekistan and, in fact, the only transport arteria directly connecting Fergana Valley to mainland of Uzbekistan. Even in winter traffic does not stop here for a single minute. Two huge tunnels have been recently cut through rocky massif to protect the road against avalanches and landslides.
Fergana Valley is a real pearl of Uzbekistan. 300km long and 120km wide, the Valley is reach in human resources (up to 30% of total Uzbekistan’s population ), water resources (Sir-Daria River and dozens of canals and smaller water streams) and fertile arable land as well as useful minerals (including, inter alia, oil and gas). Here 5-6 thousand years ago ancient farmers were already growing grapes and lucerne - the cultures then acquired by Chinese. In the ancient times, a branch of the Great Silk Route was passing through Fergana Valley leaving evidences of extensive international cultural exchange: remains of Zoroastrian, Buddhist and Nestorian Christian temples and monasteries are scattered across the valley. Here in the town of Andijan, Zahiretdin Baubur – grandson of Tamerlane and founder of Great Mogul Dynasty of Kings of India - was born in 15th c AD. It is here in town Margilan Uzbekistan’s best hand-woven silks can be seen and bought. It is here in world-famous village Rishtan the original school of ceramists has been developing for centuries. It is here in Kokand - once capital of Kokand Khanate - a traveler can see architectural masterpieces of 19th c AD: Palace of Khan with ethnography museum, Juma Medressa and Mosque and Narbutabey Medressa and Mosque. An object of proud of Uzbekistan people - Central Asia’s only automobile factory manufacturing up to 60,000 DAEWOO cars per year - is located here in town Asaka…
Formalities at Uzbek-Kygyz border usually do not take long and make no problems.

Day 3. Transfer Osh– Base Camp “Lenin Peak” at Edelweiss Glade (3600m) (250 km, 7-8 hours).
The truck picks you up from hotel after breakfast. We are steadily gaining altitude driving along amidst cotton and tobacco fields and orchards in the foothill of Alay Range. The truck snakes into gorge and moves on along the Taldyk River. As we drive the landscape changes into alpine meadows. The road we drive along has been built in 1930s as part of Big Pamir Tract – one of the most ambitious projects of the former Soviet times. In 2004 Chinese have completed feasibility study for a project that is already epithised as “The Project of the Third Millennium” aimed to connect Kashgar in China to Osh in Kyrgyzstan across Tourugart Pass (3740m) by 200km-long world’s most high-mountainous railway. Having crossed over ravine-carved Chyiyrchik Pass (2406m), we leave Taldyk River valley for the valley of Gulcha River where at the bottom lies town Gulcha – once important stop-over point on Silk Route. Then we drive upstream along of Gulcha River until stop in a yurt camp located at the very start of a zig-zag ascent to Taldyk Pass. We lunch in the yurts. Having reached the saddle of Taldyk Pass (3615m), we quick-stop for views and photos. If the day is sunny we can enjoy panorama of Zaalayskiy Range – a giant 5000m-6000m high natural barrier separating 135km-long and up to 22km-wide Alay Valley (300m above sea level) from Pamir. First village we drive through at the bottom of the valley is Cary-Tash – former SU frontier garrison quarters and today’s small 2000-people village degrading of chronic unemployment. The road forks out soon. Turning left one opts for Irkeshtam, but our goal is Lenin Peak and we turn right. Quick stop for documents check at frontier post and we carry on downstream Kizil-Suu River, which Tajik call “Surhob” – both names bearing the same meaning - “Red Water” – for its reddish-colour water rich in silt of stony loess. We cross the river over dilapidating bridge near the village Sary Mogol and, gaining altitude, drive along the Achik-Tash River until we ford it on the truck. The truck’s engine roars intensively – terrain is very ragged and the altitude is above 3000m. We are at the tundra climatic zone and are astounded with unforgettable view of the Zaalaysky Range. Every now and then we see small alpine lakes filled with ice-cold water of mountain streams deriving from glaciers of Zaalaysky Range. The abundance of water results in abundance of juicy grass – good forage for thousands of Kygyz sheep – we see them grazing. It was Marko Polo of Venetia who, back in the XIII century, traveling through the Alay Valley to China was first European to describe an unknown wild animal nowadays called after him as “Marko Polo Sheep”. We pass Kyrgyz yurts and soon see the yurts and tents of “Lenin peak” mountaineering Base Camp – our destination for today. Abundant and diverse dinner is a good supplement for your pleasant impressions of the day. Suggestion: avoid excessive eating and drinking of alcohol tonight: your organism yet needs altitude adaptation.

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