11:08, 29 августа 2022, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Nurkyz SABYROVA
The first group of hikers reached Balbai Batyra village in Tyup district of Issyk-Kul region through the Kazakh mountains on Sunday, August 28. Press service of the Tourism Development Support Fund informed 24.kg news agency.
According to it, the group included officials, businessmen, deputies and public figures of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. They started their journey on Friday from Kolsai lakes in Kazakhstan (295 kilometers from Almaty). In three days they covered 30 kilometers and climbed to a height of 3,270 meters.
«This hard tour was made to strengthen the Kyrgyz-Kazakh friendship,» a group member, economist, Kairat Itibaev, said.
During the trip, the travelers were followed by a dog that reached the finish point together with the group.
Another group of experienced athletes is expected to arrive, who are going through Ozerny and Sary-Bulak passes (Kyrgyzstan). They will have to cross four mountain rivers on the way. Travelers will update information about the state of the trails and possible natural hazards, as well as work out the procedure for crossing the border.
Negotiations on the resumption of the hiking route from Almaty region of Kazakhstan to the coast of the Kyrgyz Issyk-Kul lake have been underway for the past six years. An agreement was reached in 2022. On April 21, the Kazakh Kaz Alpine Club and KATO OJSC (Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators) signed a memorandum of cooperation, expressing their readiness to resolve all problematic issues in the passage of cross-border routes.