Saymaluu-Tash Petroglyphs

Saymaluu-Tash Petroglyphs Trip Report

Also spelled: Saimaluu-Tash; in Kyrgyz: Саймалуу-Таш

The Saymaluu-Tash petroglyphs can be reached with a 7.5km hike from what will soon be a major highway in Kyrgyzstan (pending the completion of a road tunnel in 2026) between the town of Kazarman and the city of Jalalabad. The hike starts at around 2000 meters in elevation and ends at about 3100 meters. It’s not an easy route, as there are some steep slippery sections and plenty of very tall vegetation and vague, hard-to-find trails (in the early summer - in late summer the vegetation dies down and the trail is more clear). There is also snow that accumulates in the gorge over the winter and remains there into the summer.

In 2025 (July 1-2) I hiked up to the petroglyphs and edited the route in Open Street Map (the data source for almost all offline map downloads). The old route on the map was nowhere near accurate. This editing was done in January 2026, so it won’t like appear on your map for a while. You may need the GPS track:

Download GPX

The trip took me 6 hours from the parking lot, but I was carrying a very heavy bag and had already been hiking most days for the last two months (and I made many stops and breaks on the way up). A day or overnight hiker here who is in good shape should be able to do it in 4 hours or less (and then 2 hours going back down). The vague trail, overgrown vegetation, steep slope and elevation should slow you down.

At the beginning some of the annual vegetation is up to 3 meters high. This includes thistles, wild rose bush thorns, and maybe even some stinging nettle and burrs. I had plenty of “micro stab wounds“ from thistles on my legs, hands, arm and stomach. I also had slight allergies from the weed pollen (some sneezing, itchy throat and stuffy nose). The higher you go the shorter the vegetation becomes. I suggest that you wear pants and long sleeves here.

A local guide who was headed down with a group told me that the snow sections in the gorge would be dangerous. But I found them safe (from the perspective of someone who often hikes across snow and ice). Your experience may vary… However, when the snow bridge over the creek/river melts out later in the summer you may not want to be walking on it as it will be in a state of collapse. If this is the case, follow the routes farther up the slope on dry ground.

The river crossing location at about 2760 meters was on a snow bridge when I was there, but later in the year you may need to venture upstream for a safer crossing location.

The main river Kök-Art at the beginning is very silty/dirty. After this all the streams and water sources were clear and fresh (easy to filter).

How to get to the trailhead

I walked to the highway outside the town of Kazarman, hitchhiked and caught two different rides - one from some hay farmers and another with a road construction worker. Both rides refused to take money. Arranging a ride from Kazarman with a driver will makes things go much more smoothly. With the 2026 completion of the road tunnel, you should be able to find transportation in Jalalabad (pay for the full ride to Kazarman, and get out early at the trailhead).

Camping

I camped right below the petroglyphs and experienced some strong short gusts of wind in the early evening - but at night it was calm. Don’t camp up this high if you are not confident of your tent. The nights can get cold.

Paid Entrance

There is a fence next to the parking lot with a locked gate. The park ranger/attendant saw me arrive and walked over to open the gate and collected 300 Som from me. Other tourists have reported 400 Som entrance + 300 Som to pitch a tent. One solo tourist was given quotes in Kazarman for transportation plus guide for a day trip that were between 4000-9000 Som.