The Ala Kol (or Ala Kul) lake trek in Kyrgyzstan changed my life forever and I will explain how.
Yeah, I loved hiking and trekking (and did many..) even before, but I always had this ambivalent feeling of “I like it but also hate it at the same time..” (like many of us I guess).
Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbekistan in the west, Tajikistan in the south, and China in the east. Kyrgyzstan has a super cold winters and hot summers, the country is famous for its amazing mountains, vast rivers, beautiful lakes and the breathtaking nature hikes all over the county.
I can personally say that Kyrgyzstan is one of my favorite countries in the world that I did not even expect to like so much before coming there, it is such an underrated country that you are not expecting to see all of that beauty.
Kazakhstan is a very big country located mainly in the Central Asia with a smaller part located in Eastern Europe. Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world by size and bordered with Russia in the North, China in the East, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in the South and the Caspian Sea in the West. Kazakhstan is famous for its vast and impressive wild nature with almost anything mother nature can offer: from snowy mountains and powerful rivers, deserts and canyons, dunes and lakes – this huge country has it all!
I absolutely recommend visiting Kazakhstan (and the region) especially if you love nature and hiking, I’m sure this country will amaze you at least as it amazed me.