Karkara valley (Kegen – Tup/Kensu) border

[travisthetrout]

We (a Swiss couple) crossed the border yesterday (September 9).

After arriving in Karakol we tried to find a relatively cheap way of getting transportation either to the border ($60 Dollars), to Kegen (no possibility) or to Almaty (cheapest was $160 as a car was heading back empty anyway; otherwise it would have cost $200 for the car). We found these prices to be much too expensive for our budget so we decided to hitchhike.

There are two routes you can seemingly take from Karakol: the road leading north to Tyup before heading east to the border; or the road leading east directly via Ak Suu towards Jergalan. The former has more traffic apparently, while the latter is more direct.

As our hostel was on the more direct road, we decided to try that. What followed was one of the longest, most tiring but also most rewarding days of our travels so far:

We got up early at 06.45 and started hitching at 07.15. The third car stopped for us and after saying “Net Som”, he beckoned us to enter and drove us all the way to the eastern end of Boz-Uchuk. After harrasing us twice for money (he drove back after the first time we said no), we gave him 120 som and he grumpily drove off. Thankfully, that was the only negative experience of the day.

After walking along the road from Boz-Uchuk for five minutes, a car with two guys stopped for us and drove us as far as Zyndan via Ak-Bulun (they wouldn’t accept our money, so we gave them some Swiss chocolates instead). From there an elderly gentleman took us a few kilometres to the eastern end of Kyzyl-Kyja, where a road then goes north-eastwards towards the main border road. We knew this would be the most remote part of the trip and we might have to walk the 13km. But after walking for 10 minutes, we struck gold: three young farmers stopped for us along the gravelly road and let us hop in the back of the truck, where a frightened dog accompanied us for the bumpy, 30 minute ride. We stopped on the way for photos and the guys really appreciated the Swiss chocolates (which seemed to be a great way of connecting with people).

They dropped us off at the main border road and this proved to be our longest wait of the day. We walked along the road (still about 30 km from the border) for around 45 minutes. One Russian car passed us but was full and then three Kyrgyz guys stopped. They were going a few km but said they would drive us to the border for 1500 som. We could have bargained with them but were just happy to find a car going in that direction.

After stopping off for photos at some sight (a large mass of stones, which had something to do with Genghis Khan?), we drove to the border passing Santash village and Karkra. We arrived there at around 11:00, so within four hours off setting off.

The border crossing was easy, both sets of border guards were really friendly and after a cursory glance in our backpacks (they seemed excited about our travel guitar), we asked how to get to Kegen. The guard said it would cost 7000 tenge which we paid (again, we probably could have got it cheaper) and were off with an Uyghur border guard who had finished his shift to Kegen. He dropped us off at 12:00 at the shared taxi stand (he said there were no Mashrutkas) and were told the ride to Almaty would be 5000 tenge each. This time we did barter and got the price down to 2500 tenge each (the locals paid 2000 each) and then we left at 12:30, arriving in Almaty exactly four hours (and seven vehicles) later at 16:30.

A few important points:

- Be careful which app you use regarding maps. The villages are sometimes not there or at the wrong place. I am not allowed to say which one we used but it was a good map for me.

- It took us nine hours but we were prepared to pay (the whole trip cost $50 in total). However, traffic was extremely sparse from Kyzyl-Kyja onwards and who knows if we were just extremely lucky or not.

- We saw a mashrutka (with the number 211) on the border road coming from Karkara going to „karakol bazar“. If that were to also go in the opposite direction, this would be a god-send. Ask around at the bazar if you can to find out if and when they leave (this was new information for us).

- The border guard said 10 cars pass per day at the border at the moment. The car we took along the border road was the only one (besides a farming truck) that we saw.

- There were a lot more cars coming towards us. It seems that doing the route from Almaty to Karakol would be easier than vice versa.

- We are so glad we did it, as we experienced so much both from the people and the nature. The first 90 minutes from Kegen to Almaty (including Charyn Canyon) is absolutely amazing. So if you are not on a really tight budget and have time, do it!

[rhinomaxil]

Crossed the border today from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan. It is open on weekends (today being Sunday) and opening hours are 8:00 to 18:00. Very easy.

[gabisk]

Hello, someone knows the opening date for 2022 please ?

[lauraparrilla]

Hi!
We crossed last week the border without any problems at all. It wasn't busy and quite straightforward. If you are planning to cross the border and move from these two cities bear in mind there are no taxis in both sides of the border. We hired a shared taxi in Karakol for 11000 soms to take us all the way to Saty. Stop before Saty to get some cash in local currency as there are no ATMs in Saty.

[edu]

I just called CBT Karakol who told me the border will be open every day from 8am to 6pm until the 10th of October. I plan to cross in two days.

[mdandri]

I just called CBT Karakol who told me the border will be open every day from 8am to 6pm until the 10th of October. I plan to cross in two days.

Hello edu, I don't know how reliant is the information from CBT Karakol but if you've seen the information at the border today, could you please confirm that the border closes on the 10th of October this year (I was hoping end of October as it was the case before).
Thanks,
Max

[brynpickering]

A bit late to the update, but we crossed Kyrgyzstan->Kazakhstan around 11am on a Saturday mid August 2022 with no problems. We were quoted quite high prices for the taxi ride to the border from Karakol (5000 - 7000 som), but ended up in a chance "conversation" (we don't speak Russian or Kyrgyz) with a guy at the bus station who put us in touch with a taxi driver who took us for 3000 som. PM me for their phone number.

We crossed the border on foot, which is by far the quickest way, due to car checks. The crossing can take over an hour from the Kazakh side, according to one guy we spoke to. Getting a ride from the border to Kegen was easy, and would likewise be easy in the other direction since there was enough traffic backed up waiting to get through (10-15 cars). We ended up with a taxi driver and paid 3000 tenge to Kegen, although we could probably have bargained it lower. We then hitchhiked relatively easily from a layby at the outside edge of Kegen to reach Saty.

On the Kyrgyz side, we saw very few cars on the 18km stretch from the tiny village of San Tash to the border, so I would not count on being able to hitchhike easily from Karakol to the border. However, going in the other direction you could probably do it all from Almaty to Karakol without a taxi.

[edu]

I just called CBT Karakol who told me the border will be open every day from 8am to 6pm until the 10th of October. I plan to cross in two days.

Hello edu, I don't know how reliant is the information from CBT Karakol but if you've seen the information at the border today, could you please confirm that the border closes on the 10th of October this year (I was hoping end of October as it was the case before).
Thanks,
Max

I crossed the border this morning and asked the border guards for you Surprisingly, on both sides they said that the border doesn't close and runs through the winter! I'm not sure where both CBT and my hotel host got the date of the 10th from.

[mdandri]

I just called CBT Karakol who told me the border will be open every day from 8am to 6pm until the 10th of October. I plan to cross in two days.

Hello edu, I don't know how reliant is the information from CBT Karakol but if you've seen the information at the border today, could you please confirm that the border closes on the 10th of October this year (I was hoping end of October as it was the case before).
Thanks,
Max

I crossed the border this morning and asked the border guards for you Surprisingly, on both sides they said that the border doesn't close and runs through the winter! I'm not sure where both CBT and my hotel host got the date of the 10th from.

Thanks a lot Edu!
If we do try to cross the border I'll post back here if it really was open

[patcerny]

Hello,

I would like to ask about the Karkara border crossing, is this crossing open during this winter (as mentioned in previous posts)? Or when will this crossing be opened?

Thanks,
Patrik