when to go

The later you leave it the better. The yurts don't start going into the jailoos until June-ish

I agree with Fluffy. I went in April this year and they had a last blast of winter. Irkeshtam was closed for 2 days and most stuff I wanted to do was not possible cos the jailoos were not open. I always knew it was a risk going early and on this occasion it didnt pay off so I went to Uz early. In my case it worked out well cos I frew out on the day of the coup and missed out on all the trouble. I have a blog at www.travelpod.com/members/dzasta hope it helps.

Sorry, are we talking about Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan?

Trekking in Kazakhstan is pretty off-beat wherever you go, and frankly I imagine it will be impossible in many places. This winter in Central / Northern Asia has been extremely snowy in many places, and there's a good chance that there will still be plenty of snow in the ground in northern and central Kazakhstan into April. Trekking around Almaty might be possible, but I'm not sure. Cities in the north of KZ will be chilly but not freezing, and Almaty should be snow-free and warming up by April.

If you're talking about Kyrgyzstan, see above posts.

DZASTA56: Hi. I read your blog and loved it.
I sent you a p.m. as I have certain questions
Joe

same as danielsprague... what are we talking about?

KZ (for kazakhstan):
I've heard you need permits to go to the north-eastern part, and it takes time, so better make it before you leave..
near Almaty was perfect (if not even slightly warm) around June..

for KGZ (stands for Kyrgyzstan):
I reckon April will be too chily, and most of the passes will be close (as I heard from other travellers who've been there during that time).
one of the guys I've met told me he arrived in KGZ during April, but it was too cold there to trek, so he moved to Tajikistan and headed for the Pamirs - but even there he got stuck for 3 days in a snowstorm in the middle of the mountains by himself..
about guides - I didn't take any, but it was during July. and it was pretty cold even so (and snowed quite heavily one day in the passes near Karakol). but what do I know about cold - I come from the warmer realms of the middle east..

Edited by: mectype

Hi,

I've done a bit of trekking in Kyrgyzstan in April - all will depend on what the weather happens to be like when you're around, but you should be able to do some of the more straight-forward treks that don't involve crossing passes that time of year. And with the right gear, you could cross the snowed-over passes as well. But I think it's fair to expect that in April most passes will be covered in snow, and there may even be snow on the ground in Bishkek.

Except in restricted areas (ie. around the borders with Tajikistan and China, and around the highest peaks), you can trek alone, though I don't know anything about finding decent maps. The most popular treks are quite straight-forward about without a guide. But make sure to get updates on the security situation - I know of people who were robbed at gunpoint on one of the popular treks out of Karakol a couple of years ago.

Giora