Driving Arabel Pass.

[phoo]

Big Thanks Cristiano!!! Thanks for your help!
!Sorry for the late reply. its not our first time in Kyrgyzstan we will be with a 4X4 this time more than one vhicle so it seems like an opportunity to try harder ways.. and as you seem to know these ways well what would be the difference between the Tossor pass and the arabel pass?
thanks alot Idit.

[cristiano]

Unfortunately I've never crossed the Arabel pass: it is part of my plans for the future.

As I said, I have no personal exerience, but from what I heard, it looks like it is not harder than the Tossor, but I will not give any advice until I will have rode it

[mazeno]

for arabel you need a border zone permit - the first checkpoint is before the first zigzag (driving from barskoon).
the road is gravel but in excellent condition. be carefull of lorries going up and down every hour, often speeding (130-140kmph) on the flat parts of the road to the goldmine.
tosor needs high clearance as there are stones on the track. and i would write it needs 2 days from naryn to tamga.

[mazeno]

there is no possibility to cross from the jilu suu, archaly and barkan basins to arabel pass by a 4x4 nor a bike.

[phoo]

Thanks cristiano and Mazeno! For your help and Knowledge!!!! So that means that if I do have the border zone permit I can go from Naryn and cross through the Arbel pass to braskoon avoiding Tosor pass ? and that would be going through Jailo suu? Bolgart?

[phoo]

mazeno thanks!!! I understood that there is an option to cross from Naryn to issy kol via Arabel pass with 4X4. I thought it was through Jilusuu which you say is impossible. would you know than from where it could be done? Thanks!!!

[mazeno]

there is no option.

[mazeno]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7486&p=23699#p23699

[Lovetheworld]

Alternatively, you could also go west into direction Ak-tal, and go North from there up to Song-Kul. From Song kul, you have two choices to go East towards Kochkor and Issyk Kul. There are two mountain passes which are both beautiful.
We did this route, and we really liked it. But maybe you are already coming from Song Kul.

[mazeno]

song kul is another story.

more clearly, possible options from naryn to issyk kul across the main terskey alatoo range:
- to the east along naryn and then kichi naryn (small naryn*) rivers then along bolgart river then jiluu suu river (also named uch emchek)** acroos the jailoos (= wide mountain pastures) to tosor pass and down to issyk kul, there are side rivers valleys to the east of bolgart river: archaly and barkan (burkan), both dead ended. in 2017 i tried to cross the mountains along archaly to connect with barkan across kyzyl bel ashuu (pass) - it is not passable, even for a bike. i also tried to drive the the east (toward kumtor across keregetash pass) form the last turn before the last zigzags to the tosor, near a small shepherds' hut, but it is not passable, too. in 2012 i drove along barkan, there are wetlands after the last bridge, not passable too.
- to the north (along a365 tamrac road) to sary bulak then to the east along karakujur river to the junction of the above described way (near a mine) then along jiluu suu to tosor and issyk kul. there is another junction along tersuu river from a365 to karakujur, but i haven't driven it.
- to kochkor then to orto tokoy/balykchy/issyk kul (tamrac, skipping the main range), road a365.

summarizing:
tosor, in my experiences, is the only way to cross the main range from naryn to issyk kul (except the a365 road).

btw: road a364, marked on many maps as a loop from barskoon to karakol across karasay and inylchek does not exist in the part ca between akshirak and inylchek.

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* - main naryn river valley (straight to the east) is passable only for about first 45km from naryn, then the road turns north to kichi naryn river valley across a bridge (there is a gate, a barrier, to the canyon, closed in winter). eki naryn (big naryn) river flows from the east, its valley is not passable at all.
** - there is another road marked on some maps (e.g. googlemaps) across toch pass from jiluu suu hot springs heading north to bokonbayevo, but it is only steep and narrow footpath.