Condition of the Djalalabad-Kazarman track

Hello,

New year, new questions...😛

Since the Chinese highway isn’t finished yet (opening postponed year after year), I’m wondering what condition this track is in come June?

I’m a bit worried that the snowmelt might completely soak the track—or even that the snow might still be clinging to the mountainside near the pass...

Thanks 🙂

Hello Agnès, I can’t say for this year, but when I passed through in 2016, it was a really nice track—wide, well-maintained, and with no risk of deterioration. I even wonder if it wasn’t paved... though I’m not certain. Plus, it’s not a high-altitude road, so by June, there’s no snow left on the surrounding slopes.

Hey Jean Pierre! 🙂

3000 meters—isn’t that high altitude for this country?

There’s just one mountain pass to cross—it might be at high altitude, but it’s not a risky area. The track is absolutely stunning, very well-traveled, so it’s in good condition and well-maintained. Below are some views of the track.

Djalalabad Plain

Track to Kazarman







Climb to the pass





track to Song Kul Lake



the lake 😏

We’ve taken this track several times, with its highest point being the Kaldaman Pass. There’s traffic on this route, so you’ll find help if you run into any issues. If we managed it in our vehicle, your Lada should handle it—otherwise, you might want to consider a driving lesson with Perju.

I’d be more cautious on the paved section between Kazarman and Moncho Banya if your route goes that way. It’s magical but has a lot of landslides.

Thanks to both of you for the reassuring info! 😛

On Google Maps, some photos were taken in May and snow is only present in small patches.

This track lets me avoid doing the Djalalabad-Suusamyr section twice, which works great for me.

Hi there,

Better late than never—I hope this helps: I took the Jalal Abad–Kazarman road in the summer of 2023 (with a taxi driver bringing his family back), and I’d say the road is “pretty rough” in places. The driver had to stop several times to reinflate the tires (we were heavily loaded and the car was in pretty bad shape...). With a 4x4, it should be smooth sailing, in my opinion.

Hi Nicolas,

No, you’re not too late! 😉

Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂

Hi there, The "roads" in Central Asia are what we’d call dirt tracks in France. The section in question is actually above the country’s usual standards. So any vehicle can handle this mountain stretch without any issues... local taxis and other forms of transport are often in pretty rough shape, though, and you might end up doing a few "repairs" along the way...

Any idea of a normal road in Siberia...

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FHaDXkG2AG8&feature=shared

I’ve got a few videos of the “roads” leading to Song Kul Lake... just in case... 😏

The lake should be fine! 😉

The annoying thing about the Djalalabad-Kazarman section is that if the track is impassable at any given moment, the detour is more than significant! 🤪

We’ll probably end up sleeping in Kazarman. Even if the place doesn’t seem all that exciting...

No backwater is exactly charming in these regions... but that’s often what we’re looking for. If a city dweller takes a trip to Auvergne, there are quite a few "tourist villages" that might make them feel like they’ve traveled to another world... and they’re still in France. Central Asia is like the Auvergne in the Middle Ages... 😏

It seems to me that Kazarman is a mining town.

That usually adds some ugly to the ugly...

Generally, countries in the Soviet sphere have towns and villages with unique charm.

I remember the towns in Georgia and Armenia...

Magnificent Soviet-era apartment blocks that haven’t aged well...

I don’t think the Auvergne in the Middle Ages looked like that. 😏

For villages, maybe.

For the rest, there seem to be quite a few new constructions.

Guesthouses and hotels with modern comforts—some have realized there’s good money to be made from tourism (mainly domestic and regional).

Even at Song Kol, I saw permanent structures like luxury glamping with matching prices...

Information is hard to find. Not only because there are very few recent traveler reports (2025) on this destination, but also because most independent travelers seem to come from the Soviet sphere.

Personally, what I’m looking for are landscapes. If I find modern accommodations and places with an outhouse at the bottom of the garden in the same spot, I’ll choose the first option...

I’m not into self-flagellation, and I’m not counting every euro. 😛

I’d recommend this town...😏

https://www.overlandaventure.com/la-ville-fantome-dengilcheck/

By the way, did you buy their guide on Kyrgyzstan?

For the lake, it'll be fine! 😉

What's annoying about the Djalalabad-Kazarman stretch is that if the track is impassable at any given moment, the detour is more than significant! 🤪

We should end up sleeping in Kazarman. Even if the place doesn’t seem very exciting...

Hi Agnès,

For the record, I spent a night in Kazarman (since I left Jalal Abad late...). It’s really in the middle of nowhere, but that’s also what gives it its charm... hard to get there, but just as hard to leave! The next morning, I found a "shared taxi" by 8 AM, but it took the driver 3 hours to fill up the vehicle before hitting the road

No, I got this one .

We rented a car. It should be easier to get there or leave from there. 😉