Kyrgyzstan: Arslanbob Loop Walk
Explore the best of Arslanbob village and the surrounding walnuts forests on this fairly easy one-day loop around the village that offers an intro to the natural landscapes and cultural highlights of the area.
Total km: 17 km
Elevation gain/loss: 870m+/947m-
Start point: Arslanbob Small Waterfall
Endpoint: Arslanbob Central Square
GPS Files
The Arslanbob Loop Walk connects the two popular waterfalls in and near the village with a looping trek through the walnut forests that make the region famous, climbing to just below the face of the high peaks behind Arslanbob before dipping back towards the town in a pleasant one-day walk.
Start hiking from the Small Falls – you’ll need to pay a small amount to get into the overlook, joining local families to snap some photos and bask in the spray of the water. Cross the viewpoint/bridge to the far end, from which a rough path leads up and onwards into the forest. Keep an eye on the linked GPS track (presuming you’ve downloaded and are following that) for a road/trail intersection where we started up a stretch of trail and then backtracked down to the road – while it may be possible to continue along the walking path, it got rough very quickly, and the dirt road up the long slope to the Arslanbob panorama was a much easier (if less interesting) walk.
As the dirt road curves around the ridge, step out on to the small promontory for sweeping views of the villages of Arslanbob and the mountains beyond. Snap a few photos before continuing another 300 meters up the road, where our way takes a sharp turn to climb steeply up the hill into a gully road. It’s a slow and steady climb up from here to the cell tower atop the hill, where a few little swings are set up for photo ops and a few friendly old ladies sell drinks and foods overlooking the village. In principle this should be the better viewpoint of the two, but the carnival atmosphere spoils the peace somewhat, so you may not actually linger here long.
From the panorama, continue back on the dirt road as it leads deeper into the walnut forests, Arslanbob’s claim to fame and according to locals some of the oldest such woods in the world. October is the peak of activity around here, as the forests come to life with the annual harvest and most of the village decamps into the woods, but any time of year it’s a pleasant place for a stroll. Follow the forest road for a little over two kilometers through the woods, reentering the upper edge of Arslanbob briefly to catch a right-hand turn along another dirt road that hugs the border of village and forest as it begins to climb.
This is a lovely stretch of walk, not so much for the landscape as for the interactions you’re likely to have with locals (many of whose back gardens abut the road at various points) out on their daily tasks but generally happy to have a quick chat with visitors. A bit of Russian or Uzbek comes in handy here, but even with just English you should be able to exchange a few pleasant greetings.
Finally the road turns away from the village and up into the hills, still sometimes surrounded by forest and patches of farm but more often open views down to Arslanbob and up to the mountains above. About 100m of vertical elevation short of the highest point is a massive panorama of the full village, surrounding forests, and some of the small peaks of the region – though the high peaks are still mostly hidden behind the hill here and the best of those awaits.
About 8.5km from the starting point at the Small Falls, this is a good place to stop for a break or a snack if you’ve made an early start of the day – a trickling creek runs down the rocks just on the mountain side of the pano as well, one of the more reliable water fill-ups in this area, though be sure to treat anything you take as human and animal activity abound.
The next half-kilometer onwards from here is a touch steep, picking up 100m of elevation on the last push to the day’s highest point, but the reward at the end of a surprisingly nice set of mountain views and a look at a genuinely beautiful high pasture – more shocking for how close it is to such a busy village.
If you intend to come back for the strenuous multi-day hike to Arslanbob’s Holy Lakes you’ll see this point again soon, but otherwise continue down through the pasture, prioritizing a safe descent to the river and across to the far side as otherwise the specific path you take through this stretch doesn’t matter a lot and it’s a nice area to just let your feet wander with minimal attention to route finding.
From the highest point, it’s only about 1.5km to carry on down this little valley, though in doing so you’ll drop about 150m of elevation. The last little stretch is a touch dodgy, an exposed two hundred meters of scree with nary a good footfall to be found, so take it slow (and at your own risk) through the descent to where our path rejoins a more common route – the climb up to a viewpoint of the Long Falls.
It’s only a 70m or so scramble up a steep rocky path where our trail joins the main hike, though we were breathing hard at the top despite the short distance. At the top is a viewpoint, the only spot from which the full length of the Long Falls is visible, and while it’s pleasant enough to make the climb if you’re already made it this far, more casual hikers might not find it worth the effort compared to the also-nice views on the road up from the village.
Once you find yourself satisfied, proceed slowly back down the steep stone paths to road level, a 110m drop, from which you can carry on back up to nearly the base of the valleys through a narrow canyon that require just a bit of rock hopping to keep your feet dry. It’s very pretty, and if you’re dying for a cold drink there are often a few locals set up with coolers here vending drinks and snacks.
After, head back down to the small parking lot (which is the alternate starting point if you’ve chosen to hire a jeep up to here and walk the route in reverse) and onwards for 5.5km along the dirt road that runs all the way back down to the village square.
Do glance back occasionally, as the Long Falls are partially visible for much of the way and from some distance are actually very attractively framed against the higher ridge that runs behind, making for nice photos and a nice final mental image to carry home from the walk.
Good To Know
Getting to the Arslanbob Loop Walk
Arslanbob is well connected to Jalalabad and points beyond by public transport, though not always by direct marshrutka. If your point of departure doesn’t have a quick departure to Arslanbob, ask instead to be dropped on the highway at Bazaar Korgon, where it’s typically a short wait for a departing marshrutka or share taxi up to Arslanbob proper.
While this trek ends at Arslanbob’s main square (which is also the collection point for marshrutkas and shared taxis), it begins a bit higher in the village at the Small Falls. Old jeeps transfer passengers up from the square for a little cash, or it’s a straightforward (if somewhat steep) walk up. From the square it’s also possible to private-hire a jeep to transfer up to the base of the Long Falls, running the route in reverse and cutting off the last 5.5km of the route, though in general the prices on offer (especially to foreigners) typically don’t represent fair or good value.
Where to Stay and Eat
Arslanbob is one of the best destinations in Kyrgyzstan to look for community homestays, staying in the spare room of a local family and often joining them for home-cooked meals. CBT Arslanbob can arrange these on the spot, though often giving travelers little choice over where in the village they stay, or a number of these guesthouses also list privately on sites like Booking.
Aside from homestays, a couple of chaikanas (and one very well-placed ice cream parlour) off the main square can provide food and tea, as can a handful of restaurants scattered through the carnival area of the turbaza above the center. Plan to carry snacks if you’ll be hiking this route through lunchtime, as the middle sections have no real services and you’ll be hard-pressed to find even snacks for purchase.
