Ptovkul:
when paddled: mid-Sept, 2007
volume: 700cfs at top bridge near steep confluence to 1000cfs at confluence with Tandykul
A road (suitable for Niva or Uaz cars) will take you 20-25 km up river from Djirgatal. From there you must hike another 5-10 km to the top gorge at the Ptovkul and Kutorgansu confluence. This takes most of a day. The upper gorge has 4 deep, steep class V drops. After these drops, the river is a steep and chaotic boulder mess down to the first road bridge. As the flow increases later in the day, it becomes slightly less painful but pushier. After the bridge, it is all runnable and increasingly easy down to the Tandykul confluence.
You will probably be fed by the Kyrgyz people along the way.
Recs: Don’t run the top 5-7 km with gear in your boat. This is a 2 ½ day trip.
Pleasure: Pain rating 6:6
