Ascent to Lenin Peak (BISHKEK-BISHKEK)

Travel time: 5 hours, distance: 280 kilometers.

The expedition to the Lenin Peak begins with the city of Osh – the biggest city in Southern Kyrgyzstan. Transfer from Osh to the “Edelweiss Meadow” base camp takes about 5 hours, if driving, and lies across the grand Pamir Range, across the two picturesque passes – the Chyiyrchik (2408 meters) located in the region of the Gulcha village and Taldyk (3615 meters) which is just before the Sary-Tash village, as well as the scenic Alay valley.

Arrival at the “Edelweiss Meadow” base camp (3600 meters), accommodation, rest. Our “Edelweiss Meadow” base camp is located in the valley of the same name at an altitude of 3600 meters above the sea level. On its territory, you can find anything you might need for a comfortable stay: national yurts that you can dine and spend free time in, sauna, showers, toilets, Wi-Fi, medical station, volleyball court, equipment rental shop, lockers, etc. You can select the type of accommodation at the base camp in advance – whether you would like to stay in heated tents or in real Kyrgyz yurts with a personal bathroom.

Dining here is of a very high level, comparable with some of the best restaurants in the Middle East. Professional cooks offer Asian and European dishes, some of which are vegetarian. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in the large dining yurts. A boiling pot with hot water is at your disposal all day long so that you can make yourself some tea or coffee at any time. We also offer complimentary berry jams and sweets. We also have a traditional clay oven (tandyr) at the base camp – this is what we use to bake fresh bread and Samsa.

After you get accommodated at the base camp, we will take an acclimation walk to the Leek Meadow (3800 м), where you can see how the real wild onion grows and where marmots live. If you wish, you can also walk up to the observation deck which will provide you with a wonderful view of the Achik-Tash valley (translation: “Open rock”).

Walk back to the base camp.

Overnight stay at the “Edelweiss meadow” base camp (3600 meters).

Travel time: 4-5 hours, distance: 11 kilometers; altitude variation: +550 meters, -550 meters.

After breakfast we will take an acclimation hike to the Puteshestvennikov pass (4150 meters). Climbing up to the Puteshestvennikov pass on a good road normally takes about 1.5-2.5 hours. The way to the pass lies across the picturesque Leek Meadow, a waterfall, and a beautiful canyon of the left confluent of the Achik-Tash River. The pass shows an incredible view of the XIX Party communion peak (5920 meters), Spartak peak (6183 meters), Lenin peak (7134 meters), and the Lenin glacier. At the beginning of the season, it is usually very windy at the pass, and there can even be snow.

Return to the base camp, rest.

Overnight stay at the “Edelweiss meadow” base camp (3600 meters).

Travel time: 4-5 hours, distance: 6 kilometers; altitude variation: +500 meters, -500 meters.

After breakfast we will take an acclimation hike to the observation deck on the Petrovskiy peak.

Petrovskiy peak (4700 meters) is one of the easier and closer peaks in relation to the base camp. It is perfect for the first stages of the acclimation process. We will ascent to the altitude of approximately 4100 meters, where we will see the majestic view of the gran Alay valley which features numerous lakes, huge Zaalay range, and its main mountain – the Lenin Peak.

Return to the base camp, rest. Equipment checks for tomorrow’s acclimation journey to upper base camps.

Overnight stay at the “Edelweiss meadow” base camp (3600 meters).

Travel time: 6-7 hours, distance: 12 kilometers; altitude variation: +800 meters.

One part of today’s route to the Puteshestvennikov pass (4150 meters) is already familiar to us. After it, we will climb back down the pass, which is much easier and quicker. After that, the trail turns into a virtually horizontal surface and stretches in parallel to the left moraine dump over a very long distance. We then cross a wild mountain river and ascent the trail that leads to the Lenin glacier. Afterwards, we move along the body of the glacier until we reach Camp 1 (4400 meters) which is located on the middle moraine.

Arrival in Camp 1 (4400 meters), accommodation, and rest. Camp 1 is the nearest camp to the mountain, which is definitely an advantage that allows our alpinists to save their time and energy when climbing up and down to and from the Lenin peak.

Camp 1 is sort of an oasis of life and comfort among the snow, ice, and rocks. On its territory, you can find warm dining and leisure yurts, restrooms, a sauna, camping showers, a medical station, and lockers.

Overnight stay at Camp 1 (4400 meters).

Activities in the surroundings of Camp 1 (4400 meters): you will learn the rules of moving on the covered and uncovered glaciers, how to move in bundles, study the process of overcoming glacier cracks, climbing up and down a fixed rope, and will gain experience in self-rescue procedures. Equipment checks for tomorrow’s ascent to Camp 2 (5300 meters).

Overnight stay at Camp 1 (4400 meters).

Travel time: 5-10 hours, distance: 5 kilometers; altitude variation: +900 meters.

Transfer from Camp 1 to Camp 2 is a very dangerous part of the expedition because of the avalanches, concealed cracks, and big open cracks. In 2022, a very small, but a very steep section appeared which now makes all alpinists use ascender to pass this part of the route.

The best time of departure from Camp 1 is 4:00 in the morning. We will depart from Camp 1 (4400 meters) along a glacier right to the middle of the Northern wall, avoiding a lot of cracks, up to a steep snowy ascent and upwards (80 meters, 35–40°) on a fixed rope or in a zigzag. After that, we will move up the slope of the North Wall. Regardless of the amount of snow and the time of day, this slope is avalanche-prone since an avalanche can be triggered by ice collapses. In order to minimize the risk of avalanche danger, we recommend stopping for rest for no longer than 5-10 minutes. An early exit will allow us to avoid long walks under the scorching sun, which is very exhausting on this stretch of the path.

Further along, following the traverse to the right, we will exit to the snowy plateau, which is popularly known as the "Skovoroda" ("Frying Pan"). This traverse is extremely dangerous for avalanches, so you need to pass it as quickly as possible, while trying to avoid any rest stops, even for just 5 minutes.

After the “Frying Pan” traverse, we will ascent the slope leading to Camp 2. We recommend completing the entire section with crampons on and in bundles.

Overnight stay at Camp 2 (5300 meters).

Travel time: 4-7 hours, distance: 2.5 kilometers; altitude variation: +800 meters.

The best time of departure is before 9:00 in the morning. Starting from Camp 2 we will ascent the slope of 30-40? to the ridge, while keeping to the left of the rocks. It can be windy at the ridge. After we reach the ridge, we will start moving left along a gentle ridge, and then take off to the Razdelnaya peak (6148 meters). The ascent the top along a snowy ridge with a slope of 30-40? and very snowy surface. Camp 3 (6100 meters) is located somewhere at the top of this peak.

The most difficult part of the ascent is the take-off between the altitude of 5850 meters and Camp 3. At its upper part (between 6000 meters and 6100 meters) there are a lot of concealed cracks, so you should be very careful! We recommend that the route is walked with crampons on and in bundles.

Overnight stay at Camp 3 (6100 meters).

Distance: 7.5 kilometers; altitude variation: -1700 meters.

Descent to Camp 2 (5300 meters), and then to Camp 1 (4400 meters) along the same way as you climbed up. Special attention must be paid to snowy bridges and overcoming glacier cracks.

Accommodation at Camp 1 (4400 meters), rest.

Overnight stay at Camp 1 (4400 meters).

Distance: 12 kilometers; altitude variation: -800 meters.

You can leave some of your high-mountain equipment in the lockers at Camp 1 (4400 meters). Descent to the “Edelweiss Meadow” base camp (3600 meters) along the familiar road across the Puteshestvennikov pass in order to ensure full recovery. Rest.

Overnight stay at the “Edelweiss Meadow” base camp (3600 meters).

Rest at an altitude of 3600 meters along the greenery and coziness is a must in order to recharge your batteries before the main ascent of the entire expedition. The well-developed infrastructure of the base camp will allow you to fully recover you can get a good sleep at the heated tents or yurts, have a steam at the sauna, unwind at the warm and comfortable yurts, enjoy a tasty hot meal and fresh fruit, play volleyball, write a detailed letter with the news to your family, or post some pictures or information on your social media.

For those who would like to stay active during their rest day, we recommend hiking to the Achik-Tash valley lakes. The most famous and picturesque of all is the Tuprak-Kel lake that has many legends tied to it.

Overnight stay at the “Edelweiss meadow” base camp (3600 meters).

Additional rest day for complete and wholesome recovery. In case of bad weather, this day can be used as a reserve day. Free time. Preparation for the ascent to the Lenin peak.

Overnight stay at the “Edelweiss Meadow” base camp (3600 meters).

Travel time: 6-7 hours, distance: 12 kilometers; altitude variation: +800 meters.

Ascent the familiar route to the Puteshestvennikov pass and along to Camp 1 (4400 meters). The rest and acclimation you got earlier will make the way to Camp 1 significantly easier and quicker.

Overnight stay at Camp 1 (4400 meters).

Travel time: 5-7 hours, distance: 5 kilometers; altitude variation: +900 meters.

Early departure to Camp 2 (5300 meters), ascent along the Northern slope of the Lenin peak. The rest and acclimation you got earlier at the “Edelweiss meadow” base camp will make the second ascent to Camp 2 significantly easier.

Overnight stay at Camp 2 (5300 meters).

Travel time: 4-7 hours, distance: 2.5 kilometers; altitude variation: +800 meters.

Ascent along the familiar route to Camp 3 (6100 meters). On this day, we recommend going to sleep earlier than usual, since the next day is one of the most important days of the expedition that features a very early start to the ascent to the top.

Overnight stay at Camp 3 (6100 meters).

Overall travel time: 10-14 hours, distance: 12 kilometers; altitude variation: +1034 meters, -1034 meters.

It is required to depart from Camp 3 (6100 meters) very early – around 3:00–4:00 in the morning.

From Camp 3 (6100 meters) to the travers of the peak in the South-Eastern direction and descent to the saddle. There are a couple of dangerous, mostly concealed, cracks in the saddle, so this part of the route is recommended to be walked in bundles. We will walk up from the saddle along the rocky road until you reach the ridge plateau.

Ascent further along the wide ridge to the narrow ice takeoff (called “Knife”). It is possible to face heavy winds in this part of the route. The slope of the “Knife” is roughly 35-50?, its length is 60-70 meters. It is strongly recommended to walk this part of the route in crampons and in bundles as there is a high risk of being pushed to the Northern wall to slopes. The route continues between the rocks along the ridge and then goes up along a rock-snow takeoff (the length of which is 20-30 meters) until you reach a snowy plateau of Skydivers (6900-7000 meters).

The route gets more complicated because of the snow. It is recommended to walk the plateau in good visibility conditions, while constantly checking the directions on GPS, since when weather conditions are poor, there is a high risk of losing direction.

Ascent further along the lengthy peak road (in snow) with a walk-through to the Lenin peak (7134 meters) where you will see the longest tour lied down with rocks and a small bust of Vladimir Lenin.

Descent from the top to Camp 3 (6100 meters) the same way as you climbed up.

Recommended time to return and start climbing down is 14:00, regardless of whether you have reached the peak or not.

Overnight stay at Camp 3 (6100 meters).

Distance: 7.5 kilometers; altitude variation: -1700 meters.

Descent to Camp 1 (4400 meters) the same way as you climbed up. Accommodation at Camp 1, rest and recovery.

Overnight stay at Camp 1 (4400 meters).

Distance: 12 kilometers; altitude variation: -800 meters.

A slow and steady way back to the “Edelweiss meadow” base camp will let you enjoy the views and scenery of the colorful rocks and mountains, sophisticated rock towers, and the “Land’s End” canyon in the valley of the Achik-Tash River.

Overnight stay at the “Edelweiss Meadow” base camp (3600 meters).

An extra day is necessary for the program of climbing up a 7000-meters mountain. Pamir mountains are severe and harsh, and the weather changes unexpectedly. Fog, snow, wind, and severe drop of temperature can intervene with the initial mountain climbing schedule and force the travelers to get delayed because of the weather conditions.

Travel time: 5 hours, distance: 280 kilometers.

Transfer to Osh across the famous Alay valley and the high-mountain ranges of Taldyk (3615 meters) and Chyirchik (2408 meters). We recommend stopping at the Taldyk pass and looking into the depth of wonderful mountains and taking a few memorable pictures to keep the memories of these majestic places.

Arrival in Osh, accommodation at a hotel. You will also have some free time for visiting the Osh market and buying local souvenirs

Overnight stay at a hotel in Osh.

Transfer to the airport. Domestic flight to Bishkek. Meeting at the airport of Bishkek. Transfer and check-in at the hotel after 14:00. Leisure time.

Meals: breakfast.

Overnight at the hotel.

Departure from Bishkek.