Kyrgyzstan
Karavshin Valley
Granite towers past 4,500 metres in a valley so remote it takes a day to reach.
Granite walls rise past 4,500 metres on either side of a valley floor strewn with boulders the size of houses. The approach to Karavshin in Kyrgyzstan's Batken province takes a full day by jeep from Osh — through narrowing canyon roads that eventually give way to a track only passable in late summer. When you arrive, the silence is the kind that only exists where no road, no village, and no mobile signal have ever reached.
Karavshin Valley holds some of the most demanding big-wall climbing in Central Asia. The north face of Ak-Su rises over 1,000 metres of vertical granite, with routes graded ED+ by international alpinists — comparable to the most technical faces in Patagonia or Pakistan's Karakoram. Access requires a flight or overland journey to Batken followed by a full day's jeep track through progressively narrower canyon terrain. No permanent accommodation exists in the valley; expeditions carry all food and equipment for the duration of their stay. The valley draws technical climbers specifically from Russia, Germany, and the United States, while almost no casual travellers reach it.
Solo
Serious alpinists arrive here with a specific wall in mind and the self-sufficiency to attempt it. Karavshin rewards the kind of solo ambition that comes with years of climbing experience and comfort in total isolation.
Friends
Big-wall climbing demands a partner. The valley is built for small teams who share a base camp, a rope, and the weeks of commitment required to attempt routes that may take multiple attempts to finish.
- The valley's rock faces attract some of the hardest big-wall climbing in Central Asia — routes on Ak-Su's north face are graded ED+ by international standards.
- Access from Osh requires a flight or drive to Batken and a full day's jeep track through a narrowing canyon.
- The valley has no permanent accommodation — expeditions are entirely self-sufficient, carrying food for the duration.
- Technical summits here attract climbers specifically from Russia, Germany, and the US — almost no casual travellers reach the valley.
Base camp meals of tinned meat, noodles, and black tea — simplicity demanded by isolation.
Dried fruit and nut mix from Osh bazaar, your only luxury at altitude.
Gaua
Vanuatu
A volcanic lake drains into the ocean via a waterfall that plunges through untouched jungle.
Quebrada de Humahuaca
Argentina
A canyon of fourteen-colour hills where Inca trails thread through villages older than the conquest.
Vale do Paúl
Cape Verde
Sugarcane terraces spill down a volcanic crater into the greenest valley in the archipelago.
Yusufeli
Turkey
White-water rapids crash through a granite canyon where a medieval Georgian church perches on the cliff.
Achik-Tash
Kyrgyzstan
Yurt camps at 3,600 metres beneath a 7,134-metre peak, alpinists and trekkers sharing vodka at sunset.
Song-Köl
Kyrgyzstan
Nomad yurts circling a lake at 3,000 metres where the only sound is wind through grass.
Issyk-Kul (South Shore)
Kyrgyzstan
A salt lake that never freezes at 1,600 metres, snow peaks dissolving into haze.
Karakol
Kyrgyzstan
A mosque built without nails beside an Orthodox cathedral — both carved entirely from wood.