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Waterlevels: Low volume.
Accessibility: A very poor quality dirt track leading up to the Arashan health-spa from Ak-Suu.
Arashan from the hot springs down
A long and tiring, but non stop class 4 ride, where the most difficult move to make is that from the hot springs to your boat at the put-in!
Length: 10km
Grade: IV/IV+
Put in/Get out: Drive up the road from Ak-Suu village until you eventually reach the Arashan 'Health-Spa' (!). A night here is recommended, allowing you to relax for an evening in the hot springs, stay in their basic guest house and sample their tasty home-cooked food. This also leaves ample time to complete this long section - don't underestimate the drive time up the road. Take-out at the road bridge, 1km upstream of a barrage with a nasty looking towback.
Description: Starting at the Health-Spa there is a short section of grade 3, with one rapid that may require portaging due to trees jammed in it. A (free) hot spring appears to your right, built into the cliff face, it takes will power to continue past it, but its well worth the effort! A couple of interesting rapids follow, including one in a small gorge which (for us) required ducking under a fallen tree before boofing a large pourover. About half-way down the section lies a very steep rapid which can be run down the centre (avoiding the undercut cliff half way down on the right). The portage takes a while as the valley sides here are overgrown and steep. On the drive up the valley you will have noticed a 3m fall on a right hand bend in the river. We named this Arizona Falls (after a large night out two days before which terminated in Karakol's Arizona nightclub) as we think we may have done the first descent. It boofs sweetly on river left, but falls onto rocks on the right. Some flatter class 2/3 sections allow breathing time between the more difficult rapids, but more are to come before the takeout. As is usual on the rivers of this region, keep your eyes peeled for trees in the river! If you aren't beaten by the time you reach the road bridge, there looks to be a nice section of rapids 500m below, where the river narrows, passes through a few holes, then over a 5ft drop. Make sure there is a breakout below though as the nasty looking barrage lurks soon after.
Last Paddled: 04-Sept-2005