At-Bashi zone. Valleys of the rivers at-bashi and jal-jer See what “At-Bashi” is in other dictionaries

The At-Bashi zone includes the Atbashi-Karakoyun Valley. The center of the zone is the village. At-Bashi is located 50 kilometers from the city of Naryn. The valley floor rises from 2000 to 3200 m above sea level. Its total length is 160 kilometers and its width is about 30. The valley is surrounded on all sides by ridge crests: in the south - At-Bashi (4786 m); in the north - Naryn-Too (4944 m) and Baybiche-Too (4434 m); in the west - Jaman-Too (4737 m).
The At-Bashi River is one of the largest tributaries of Naryn and flows into it at an altitude of about 1700 m above sea level. At the entrance to the Naryn depression, the At-Bashi channel is cut through by the limestone spurs of the Ala-Myshik ridge of the Naryn-Too ridge. The river flows in a narrow (up to 3 m in the upper part) and deep (up to 80 m) canyon, which is declared a state natural monument. On the At-Bashi River there is a reservoir of the same name, formed as a result of the construction of a unique hydroelectric power station. The alignment of its dam is so narrow that in some areas the rocks of the opposite banks come closer to 5 m. The length of the reservoir is about 5 km.

In the At-Bashi valley, mountain ranges go to the right and left towards the rising sun. Due to the vagaries of slope exposure relative to parts of the world, treeless spaces give way to forest wilds and vice versa. Forests of Tien Shan spruce are most often found at altitudes from 1800 to 3000 m on the northern and western slopes of the ridges, which are better moistened. In some places, the reddish slopes, covered with grass, are strewn with fragments of rocks. Among the stones, the characteristic whistling of marmots is heard every now and then. When danger approaches, vigilant animals hide in holes.
The surrounding gorges go up quite steeply, but in the ridge zone they flatten out and lead to the passes.
The southern slopes of the Naryn-Too ridge are covered with grass, and only in the gorges are there thickets of tugai forests.
The upper part of the valley is composed of terraces covered with an emerald green carpet with many mossy stones and flowers. Yellow buttercups and forget-me-nots give way to silvery edelweiss, surrounded by legends. Don't pick them, they will quickly wither and lose their proud posture. Better take a camera with color film and strain your sense of smell. It must be remembered that in the Alps edelweiss has already become a rarity and is under state protection.

The At-Bashi River is formed from the confluence of two tributaries - Ulan (right) and Dzhany-Dzher (left), which originate from glaciers. Above the green areas of the At-Bashi ridge, south of the village of the same name, sparkling glaciers and snowfields crowned with a proud peak (4786 m) pile up against the blue sky. The favorable climate of the valley, the splendor of grass, the absence of flies and mosquitoes provide good living conditions and high livestock feeding.
Sensitive shepherd dogs will meet you far from the yurt. The hospitality of livestock breeders is boundless. It’s good after a whole day of walking to sit on the felts around the fire in the middle of the yurt and taste a wonderful drink from a bowl - cold and spicy-tasting kumiss (mare’s milk). Not everyone who is unaccustomed to it will like its unique taste. But this is only at first, then you won’t need to be persuaded.
Man has been using the valley since ancient times. This is evidenced by numerous thousand-year-old images of animals and scenes of human activity on stone slopes and “stone women” looking with empty eye sockets into eternity, burial mounds of the most ancient tribes - the Sakas and Usuns. You can examine the remains of the Koshoy-Korgon settlement, rectangular in shape with sides of about 300 m, located 12 km from the modern regional center of At-Bashi.
26 km south of the village. At-Bashi, on the northern slope of the At-Bashi ridge, almost at its crest at an altitude of 3250 m, there is a source of Shor-Suu mineral water with a water temperature of 16°, close to the Narzan type.
Within the zone there are hunting grounds At-Bashi and At-Bashi-Tokoy, in which licensed hunting for ibex and chukar is organized.

General information about the route

Route thread

uzh. Tash-Rabat – per. Tash-Rabat (3964) – lake. Chatyr-Kol - lane. Kok-Aigyr (3600) – gorge. Ak-Sai - trans. Kyndy (3400) – n. At-Bashi - trans. Kyzyl-Bel (2284) – Naryn town – gorge. Kara-Unkur – per.

Dolon (3038) – Balykchy Total route length
– 520 km Integral climb

– 3800 m Composition of the group

– Suponnikov Dmitry, Nesterov Denis

	Table 1. Passed passes	Pass	Height	Bordering gorges
	Nature of the road and slopes		Tash-Rabat	Tash-Rabat – basin of Lake Chatyr-Kol
	Poorly defined horse trail. The slopes are scree, up to 35 degrees.		Kok-Aigyr	Chatyrkol depression – valley of the Ak-Sai river
			Dirt road. Slope up to 3%. Lots of washouts.	Aksai Valley – At-Bashi Gorge
	Dirt road. Slope up to 12%.		Kyzyl-Bel	Asphalt highway. Slope up to 14%. From the Naryn side there is a 2-kilometer take-off - gravel road
			Kara-Unkur Gorge – Chu River Valley	Asphalt highway. Slope up to 14%. The pass takeoff (2 km from the south and 500 m from the north) is a gravel road.

Table 2. Traffic schedule

	Route section	start and bivouac time	Traveled, km	Running time, h	Height difference, m
	Naryn-Torugart highway – Tash-Rabat gorge
	uzh. Tash-Rabat – per. Tash-Rabat - lake. Chatyr-Kol
	R. Kok-Aigyr - r. Terek
	R. Terek - outpost of Kynda
	Kyndy outpost - lane. Kyndy – lane Kyzyl-Bel - Naryn				600, - 900
	Naryn city - ush. Kara-Unkur
	Kara-Unkur gorge - lane. Dolon – Balykchy				400, - 1700

Motive

“I wish the roads were far away...” - the lion’s share of travel in sports tourism takes place in this vein. And the point here is not only the natural difference between such routes and weekend hikes - you can gain the necessary hundreds of kilometers by traveling around your hometown, without leaving the noisy, busy suburban highways. Here a person is also driven by an innate desire to learn something new, unknown. And year after year, more and more new threads of routes appear on tourist maps; the desire to find out, “what’s there around the corner?” takes us further and further.

One of the most popular tourist areas in the former USSR is the Kyrgyz Republic. More than 80% of the country's territory is occupied by mountain ranges and valleys, attracting thousands of tourists and climbers from many countries every year. The situation in the republic does not cause concern; in most large cities there are travel agencies whose services can be used to resolve formal issues and current tasks. In addition, the proximity of Kyrgyzstan to Almaty, the starting point of our planned route, largely determined the choice of travel area.

Despite the relatively small size of the republic and the fairly massive “influx” of tourists in the summer season, many corners of the country remain virtually unvisited due to the relative remoteness and regime of the state border with China. The gaze stops at one of these places when the eye even briefly runs along the blue labyrinth of glaciers on the map of Kyrgyzstan.

Naryn region, At-Bashi district.

The road on the map goes to the Torugart Pass on the Chinese border. 180 kilometers from the city of Balykchy on the coast of Issyk-Kul to Naryn, which lies in the mountain valley, and the same amount to the border with China. Four passes and two powerful ridges separated the valley, which lies right at the border, where the control strip passes and the exclusion zone begins. And, there is practically no information about these places - the pencil seems to be running along the rivers and ridges, outlining the path with a barely noticeable dotted line, becoming our first guide on a route that has not yet been laid.

It is significant that during the two months of preparing the event, we were unable to find sufficient information on the proposed travel area. Both in the MGCTK library and on the public Internet there is an almost complete absence of materials about the Aksai Valley, which means we had to fill this information gap.

Brief description of the travel area
Settlements.
The territory is sparsely populated and is represented by rural-type settlements. They are mainly concentrated in the intermountain At-Bashi valley and number from 20 to 5,000 inhabitants. The largest villages are the regional center At-Bashi, Ak-Muz village.

The development of settlements is quarterly or ordinary, sparse. The streets are wide. The houses are one-story, adobe, with flat roofs. Only school buildings are sometimes two-story, made of brick. Most villages are provided with telephone communication, although its availability for tourists, as a rule, can be questioned. Water supply comes from rivers, streams and wells. Along the river valleys there are temporary settlements - summer camps, winter roads; they are used by shepherds during the movement of sheep and yaks.
The north of the territory is crossed by the Balykchy - Naryn - At-Bashi highway; The width of the road is 10 m, the roadway is 8 m. From the village of Ak-Muz to the Chatyr-Tash tract in the Ak-Sai valley, a gravel road up to 8 m wide is laid. Then the road rises west along the valley to the Torugart pass. Here the nature of the surface is clayey-sandy, the route crosses high-mountain syrts, numerous river beds and, in places, is completely lost from view. The width of the roadway is 5-7 m. Vehicle traffic along the Balykchi – Naryn – At-Bashi – Torugart line is possible all year round, and on other roads - depending on the season and the state of the snow cover. Driving on dirt and field roads is only possible in dry weather - the clay surface gets very wet during rains. Trails play an important role as means of communication in the summer; In winter, the trails are covered with snow and traffic on them stops.

The passes on the trails are located at an altitude of 3100-4100 m; through the Kok-Shaal-Tau ridge they are open from June to August, through the At-Bashi ridge - from May to October.
Relief and soils
The At-Bashi ridge is located in the southern part of the Naryn region, orographically oriented differently than most of the adjacent massifs and stretches for 135 kilometers from southwest to northeast. To the north of this ridge, as well as between it and the Kok-Shaal-Tau ridge, are the largest intermountain valleys within the territory, with the At-Bashi and Ak-Sai rivers. These valleys are provided with dirt roads and trails. The At-Bashi valley is closed in the southwest by the Ak-Beit pass (3282 m), and in the northeast by the narrow gates of the gorge near the village of Bosogo. Ak-Sai is a harsh intermountain valley in Kyrgyzstan. In its western part, at an altitude of 3530 m, there is a huge bowl of the highest mountain lake in the republic, Chatyr-Kol.
The bottom of intermountain valleys is flat or wavy-flat; The main obstacles when moving here are numerous gullies, cliffs of river terraces, as well as spaces occupied by rocky placers. Most of the remaining valleys in the mountains look like gorges and gorges with steep rocky walls and a narrow bottom littered with stones, sometimes completely occupied by a river flow;
movement through such valleys is very difficult and sometimes impossible. The soils are almost universally rocky and stony, and only in large intermountain valleys are significant areas occupied by crushed stone loams and syrts.
The entire territory of the Chatyrkol depression, the Ak-Sai gorge and, in the eastern part, the Kagalyachap tract are represented by syrts - plateaus that have been subject to denudation for a long time, i.e. destruction and leveling under the influence of glaciers, water and wind. Flat and shallow river valleys and wide, hilly depressions alternate with smooth interfluves and low ridges. Permafrost here is also a remnant of ancient glaciation; it is widespread at altitudes of more than 3400 m.

The territory is located in a seismically active zone; The earthquakes recorded here reached a magnitude of 9 or more.
The largest rivers in the region are the At-Bashi and Ak-Sai rivers; river width is 15-25 m, depth is 0.5-1.6 m, flow speed is up to 2 m/sec. The bottom of the channels is rocky or sandy-pebble, the banks are alternately high steep and low flat. Over a considerable length, the channels of the At-Bashi and Ak-Sai rivers are divided into numerous branches and channels with a width of 3 to 10 m. Between the branches and channels there are low sandy, pebble and rocky islands that are flooded during high water. The remaining rivers in the territory have a width of up to 5 m and a depth of up to 1 m; The flow of rivers is rapid, often with rapids and waterfalls. The banks are mostly high and steep.
The main waterway of the Ak-Sai valley is the Ak-Sai River, which is fed mainly by glaciers of the Kok-Shaal-Tau ridge. Due to the slight slope of the valley, the river and its tributaries have wide channels, divided into many branches.
It is interesting that the river of the same name flows from the eastern part of the valley, merging with the “western” Ak-Sai near the Chatyr-Tash tract, at an altitude of 3000 m. After the confluence, the river is called Kokshaal and through a depression in the Kok-Shaal-Tau ridge goes to China .
The rivers freeze in November and open in March-April. The spring flood, associated with the melting of snow that accumulates during the winter on mountain slopes and in river valleys, occurs in April-May; in June-July, during the period of intense melting of eternal snows and glaciers, the rivers experience a second - summer flood.
The lowest levels are established in September and last throughout the winter, until spring.
The largest lake in the region is Chatyr-Kol. Its area is about 170 square meters. km., and the depth, according to various estimates, lies in the range of 5-20 meters. Of the 24 rivers flowing into the lake, only Kok-Aigyr has a permanent drainage. Despite the fact that the lake is drainless, the total mineralization of the water is low and ranges from 0.5-1 mg/l. The water temperature in July-August ranges from 6-16 degrees.
On the territory of the At-Bashi region there are several mineral springs - narzans and calcium-carbon dioxide. Some of them are used by the region's food industry to produce drinking mineral water.

Vegetation
There are few forests in the territory; they consist of Tien Shan spruce and are concentrated on the northern slopes of the At-Bashi ridge. There are also areas of spruce woodland here.
The southern slopes of the massifs are completely devoid of forests due to both exposure and the harsh, sharply continental climate. The spurs of the ridge here are less pronounced, have a length of up to five kilometers and descend into the high-mountainous, barren valley of the Ak-Sai River, which lies at an altitude of more than 3,500 meters.
Along the deep river valleys in the mountains, juniper (low-growing juniper) and some other shrubs grow. Most of the mountain slopes are covered with short-grass meadows, and from an altitude of more than 3600 m various cold-resistant plants, often cushion-shaped, begin to predominate. The vegetation of large intermountain valleys is dry-loving, steppe. The typical landscapes here are grass-wormwood steppe at an altitude of 3100-3550 m, fescue-feather grass steppe (3500-3800 m), semi-desert and cold desert (3550-3800 m) in various combinations.

Animal world
The usual composition of the mountain fauna of Kyrgyzstan is represented in all its diversity in this region. There are such rare birds as the black stork, balaban, golden eagle, bearded vulture, mountain goose, steppe eagle, eagles, etc.; mammals: Tien Shan mountain sheep, argali “Marco Polo”, red wolf, goitered gazelle, bear, lynx, snow leopard.
In addition, there are a large number of animals and birds of hunting and commercial importance, which provides excellent opportunities for hunting tours, especially for “Marco Polo” argali and ibex, which attract great interest from foreign hunters.
Notable in the area is the Chatyr-Kola Nature Reserve, where thousands of wild geese, ducks and other birds nest.

Climatic conditions
The climate of the At-Bashi region is sharply continental. The average annual temperature here is minus 5-6 degrees, the maximum is +24, and the winter minimum is minus 50 degrees. In summer, at altitudes above 3000 m there are frosts every night.
Winter in most of the territory lasts from mid-November to March inclusive (in large intermountain valleys - from mid-November to mid-March); This season is characterized by cold, mostly cloudy weather. The air temperature during the daytime, depending on the altitude of the area, varies from -3 to -15 degrees, at night - from -20 to -30 degrees. (minimum temperature about -50 degrees). Precipitation falls everywhere in the form of snow; the thickness of the snow cover on the lower sections of mountain slopes and in intermountain valleys is 1-2 m, high in the mountains 5-6 m, in places up to 10 m; Snow falls and avalanches are common in these areas.
Spring in most of the region lasts two months - April and May, in the valleys - two and a half months (from mid-March to May). The weather in spring is unstable, usually cloudy. The air temperature during the day ranges from 10 to -3 degrees, at night from 5 to -20 degrees. Spring sees the most precipitation (maximum in April).
Summer lasts from June to August; this season is cool and dry. Daytime temperatures range from 15-20 degrees. up to 5-7 degrees, and at night - from 4-6 to 0. -10 degrees. There is little precipitation in summer, mainly in the form of short showers or hail.
Autumn begins in September and lasts until mid-November, characterized by stable, clear weather. In the mountains, snowfalls begin as early as September.
The temperature during the day varies from 12 to -7 degrees, and at night from 0 to -20 degrees.

The winds in the warm season are predominantly western, in the cold season – eastern;

the prevailing wind speed is 2-3 m/sec. Winds usually reach their greatest strength (15 m/sec or more) in winter. The territory is also characterized by local mountain-valley winds (breezes) of small and medium strength; at night and in the morning they blow down the mountain slopes and valleys, and during the day - in the opposite direction.

Igor, the head of the Alp-Tur-Issyk-Kul travel agency, where we ordered passes, invites us to the table where we try wonderful jam from Issyk-Kul apricots. If the jam tasting had not been delayed, we would have had time to return to Tamga by bus before dark. Alas, beyond the six-hour border, the city began to rapidly die out, along with passers-by and drivers. Only with great losses of time and money did we manage to get to the sanatorium by ten o'clock.

The final destination of the next day was to be Naryn. Having driven 30 kilometers in the direction of Balykchy to the village of Kadzhi-Sai, we stop for lunch at a roadside cafe, after which, after assessing the energy and time, we decide to take the bus. A trip in a crowded PAZik has its own flavor, consisting of relaxed communication with local elders driving from village to village and relaxed viewing of local beauties through the window. Fortunately, last year we rode this section on bicycles and now we have not lost anything in our impressions.

Balykchy greeted us with a gloomy, gray environment.

Heavy gray clouds were moving in from the west, and a cool, damp wind coupled with the approaching dusk added to the atmosphere. Half an hour of persistent bargaining with taxi drivers - and we reduce the price from two to one thousand soms. From Balykchy to Naryn. Although this, as it turned out later, is quite expensive.

Trek diary

One of the most interesting places in the Naryn region is the valley of the At-Bashi and Jal-Dzher rivers. Jal-Dzher is essentially the upper reaches of At-Bashi, just different names.

It is better to plan trips to these places with an overnight stay in Naryn. Leave Naryn at about six in the morning, then there is a chance to return there before sunset.

When we first went to these places, we first drove along the highway to the village of At-Bashi, there inside the settlement we crossed to the left bank of the river (At-Bashi) and along the left bank we drove to the upper reaches of the river to the east.

Between the settlements of the left bank of At-Bashi, not far from At-Bashi itself, there are scenes worthy of photography:

It would be romantic if it weren't sad. Remains of a Soviet farm:

Well, and beautiful rural chicks. What would it be like without them:

Having escaped the captivity of populated areas, you reach the bridge over At-Bashi. The first time we were there was at the beginning of June, and cattle were constantly being driven across the bridge:

So, my advice to everyone who wants to go to the upper reaches of At-Bashi / Jal-Jer. Do not reach the village of At-Bashi, turn left immediately as you pass the mountain range after Naryn. The landmark is a huge statue of a horse with the inscription “At-Bashi”. This is where you need to turn left.

The road there is much nicer than on the other side of the river. Well rolled primer:

There is only one village along the road (Ak-Muz). This is a photo from one yard there:

Otherwise, up to that very bridge, in the photo above, the road is very smooth and you can get to the crossing on the left bank two to three times faster than if you first go to the village of At-Bashi. The views on the left bank are also cool:

After you cross to the left bank along that same bridge, I recommend returning half a kilometer downstream of the river (along the left bank). There will be a high point with many photo-worthy views:

Let's move on. The At-Bashi ridge disappears (photo below), and the road bifurcates. If you go to the right, you will begin to quickly gain altitude, and after some time you will find yourself in the Aksai Valley. True, you will only get there if you have a border pass: there is a post there. We go to the left and rise along the At-Bashi River higher and higher.

The At-Bashi River in August (when this was filmed) is low-water. But the wide channel shows that sometimes it fills up much more seriously.

On the way to the upper reaches of Jal-Dzher you come across hundreds of whistling marmots. They have entire cities dug underground. I will dedicate a separate post to them; I won’t post photos here.

As we climb up, the road turns from dirt to voles. God forbid you end up here after rain: it will be impossible to drive through.

The mountain slopes descending to the Jal-Dzher River end very dramatically:

This is our summer caravan:

There are a lot of horses grazing all around. The name of the area justifies itself.

Well, this is the way back.

After the village of Ak-Muz, before reaching the main road, there are many cemeteries along the road.

In the evening light the road is very picturesque:

If you don’t go extreme and don’t go very high - up to four thousand altitudes (we turned around at about 3,200), then you can return to Naryn for dinner. The perfect one day trip.