Ara Bel Mountain Pass | Tourist Attraction

Like the Tossor pass, the Ara Bel pass can be covered by snow until mid-June. We came from the west (direction of Naryn), which I would also recommend to everyone. This way you will have an awesome view while driving into the valley. The last 60km before the pass feel like driving through a "Lord of the Rings"-like landscape. During the last 60km there are a lot of river crossings. The track will not allow you to drive faster than 20km/h most of the time. Some sections were muddy and might be challenging when it is wetter. There is a section that is about 30m long, where the car was very tilted/angled to the side. I am not sure, if a big rig would manage to pass this section. With a big rig you could probably drive through the river around the section. The switchbacks just before the pass are very steep. But they are not a big challenge I would say. Driving down the switchbacks will definitely be harder than driving up. Another argument to approach the pass from the west. The pass itself might not be as spectacular as the Tossor pass, however I really enjoyed the 60km drive through the valley (west of Ara Bel pass) a lot which is why I would recommend everyone to do it. East of the pass there is a huge plateau, some lakes and the road to the Kumtor gold mine.