Uncovering Forgotten Caravanserais

Whether you arrive here riding the Tian Shan Traverse, competing in the Silk Road Mountain Race, or intentionally choosing this route, you will be led to this place—the very spot where I first discovered the caravanserai. Pause here. Pitch your camp, or seek yurt with local shepherds. Breathe in the vastness and mystery of the landscape, and take a moment to understand why this unlikely location once mattered so deeply to those who crossed it centuries ago.

This corner of the mountains is wild, exposed, and unforgiving, a place where travelers are forced either to seek shelter or escape the valley as quickly as possible. Safety lies at lower elevations. And yet, against this logic, ancient traders and Silk Road maintainers chose to build a permanent refuge here—a durable, protected inn designed to sustain life and movement through one of the harshest passages of the Celestial Mountains.

The route whispers of lost history, remote wilderness, and the quiet discipline of the lone nomad. As you pedal on, you’ll feel the pulse of ancient trade routes beneath your tires—vivid, timeless, and full of wonder. Whether returning to Kyrgyzstan or arriving as a first-time bikepacker, you’ll ride with deeper context and meaning, turning the journey into a lifelong source of curiosity and discovery.