Khan Tengri (7,010 m) is the highest mountain of Kazakhstan and the second highest of the Tian Shan, a sharp marble pyramid where the borders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China meet. Its name means "Lord of the Sky", after Tengri, the supreme sky god of the old Turkic and Mongol peoples. At sunset its pink marble glows red, which is why Kazakhs and Kyrgyz also call it Kantau or Kan-Too, the "blood mountain". The famous climber Anatoli Boukreev thought it perhaps the most beautiful peak in the world.
The rock summit is 6,995 m high; a permanent ice cap raises it to 7,010 m, and on that basis climbers count it as a 7,000er and one of the five peaks of the Snow Leopard award, the second hardest after Jengish Chokusu. Expeditions fly by helicopter to base camps on the North and South Inylchek glaciers at about 4,000 m. The first ascent was made on 11 September 1931 by Mikhail Pogrebetsky, Boris Tyurin and Franz Sauberer, after a three-year campaign by Pogrebetsky's Ukrainian expeditions.
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Khan Tengri is the highest point of Kazakhstan, the third highest of Kyrgyzstan after Jengish Chokusu and Lenin Peak, and the second highest summit of the Tian Shan. What makes it famous, though, is its shape: a near-perfect pyramid of marble and limestone with geometric ridges, rising between the two arms of the Inylchek Glacier. It is visible from the plains of south-eastern Kazakhstan, which is one reason why, for almost a century, it was thought to be the highest mountain of the range. It appears on the back of the Kyrgyz 100-som banknote.
For climbers from the former Soviet Union it is also one of the five peaks of the Snow Leopard (Snezhny Bars), the title introduced in 1967 for those who reach all five 7,000-metre summits of the former USSR: Lenin Peak, Ismoil Somoni Peak, Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda), Khan Tengri and Korzhenevskaya Peak. Khan Tengri is usually ranked second in difficulty, after Pobeda; Lenin Peak, the most accessible of the five, has its own article.
The rock of the summit reaches 6,995 m. On top of it lies a permanent cap of ice and snow about 15 m thick, which brings the highest point to 7,010 m. In Soviet times the mountain was listed at 6,995 m (other figures were 6,992 and 6,997 m) and was not counted as a 7,000er, although for some years it took the place of the then-forbidden Pobeda on the Snow Leopard list. Later measurements confirmed that the ice summit passes 7,000 m, and since 1990 mountaineers, including the rules of the Snow Leopard title, treat Khan Tengri as a 7,000-metre peak. This is also why Jengish Chokusu, 16 km to the south-west, is usually called the northernmost 7,000er, although Khan Tengri stands further north.
Khan Tengri rises on the short Tengri-Tag ridge, which branches west from the main Tian Shan crest and splits the Inylchek Glacier into two arms: the North Inylchek on the Kazakh side and the South Inylchek on the Kyrgyz side. Under a 1999 agreement between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China, the summit was made the point where the three borders meet. The South Inylchek, 60.5 km long, is the largest glacier of the Tian Shan. Between the two arms lies Lake Merzbacher, an ice-dammed lake that fills every year and then drains within about three days when the dam gives way, sending floods down the valley.
From Kazakhstan. Almaty operators drive about 280 km (around five hours) to the Karkara camp at about 2,200 m and fly by helicopter to the North Inylchek base camp at about 4,000 m.
From Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek operators drive either to Karkara (about 460 km) or along Lake Issyk-Kul to Karakol (420 km, 8–10 hours) and over the Chon-Ashu pass to the Maida-Adyr camp at about 2,500 m, then fly to the South Inylchek base camp at about 4,000 m, on the moraine below Peak Gorky, which also serves Jengish Chokusu.
At least 25 routes now lead to the top from the north and the south. The two that almost all commercial expeditions use meet at the western saddle between Khan Tengri and Chapaev Peak (6,371 m), at about 5,800–5,900 m, and continue up the west ridge.
The southern route (Pogrebetsky route), graded 5A. This is the line of the first ascent and is considered the easiest:
Fixed ropes are installed on the difficult sections and renewed every summer. A programme with acclimatisation and reserve days takes about 21 days, with the summit typically reached around day 14.
The northern route, from the North Inylchek. Kazakh operators set Camp 1 at about 4,700 m and a camp at about 5,500 m; on the summit push climbers go up to the shoulder of Chapaev Peak at about 6,150 m, descend to Camp 3 on the saddle at about 5,900 m and climb the west ridge to the summit the next day. The layout recalls Everest's South Col and Lhotse on a smaller scale, which is why Khan Tengri is often used as a training ground for the Himalaya.
Harder lines. The "Marble rib" from the South Inylchek was first climbed in 1964 by B. Romanov's team. Other well-known routes are the south-west ridge, called the Sickle (Serp), the east ridge and the south face. The hardest routes are on the north face, 2,500–3,000 m high; in August 2005 Pavel Shabalin and Ilyas Tukhvatullin climbed it as a pair in alpine style.
Khan Tengri lies in a border zone on both sides, so climbers need a frontier permit and registration, which operators arrange along with helicopter flights and base camp services. As an example of current prices, Kan Tengri Expeditions in Almaty asks US$4,050 per person for its 2026 guided joint-team expedition on the northern route (31 July to 21 August 2026); this covers a guide and assistants, high-altitude tents, group gear, the helicopter, base camp services, the border permit and ecological fees, but not personal gear or rescue costs. A Bishkek operator's 2022 fixed-date package on the southern side cost US$2,990, and cheaper "small packages" without a guide cover only permits, base camp use and the helicopter. Rescue must be covered by insurance; Kyrgyz operators require at least US$30,000. Citizens of most CIS countries do not need a visa for Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan.
Because of its northern position the season is short: the best period is usually mid-July to the end of August, and operators' seasons run from July to the end of September. The central Tian Shan is known as the "Arctic of Kyrgyzstan": summers are short and cool, and much of the year's precipitation falls in summer as snow, so fresh snowfall and avalanche danger on the Semenov Glacier and the slopes to the saddle are common. The first winter ascent was made on 7 February 1992 by a Kazakh team including Valery Khrishchaty.
Base camps on both glaciers provide water for cooking and washing, hot meals, hot showers and a sauna. Above base camp there is no running water: climbers melt snow on gas stoves at every camp and in the snow caves on the saddle. One operator's kit list for the southern route recommends 5–7 gas canisters per climber. Drink 3–4 litres a day, carry it in insulated bottles on summit day, and treat any meltwater taken from the glacier surface, which can be contaminated around busy camps.
There is no mobile network on the Inylchek glaciers. Base camps have generators for charging batteries, satellite phones by tariff and paid Wi-Fi; groups on the mountain use walkie-talkies to stay in touch with base camp, which has long-range radio contact with the operator's office, the helicopter and the rescue team. The emergency number is 112 in both Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, but in the mountains rescues are coordinated by the operators.
The main hazards are avalanches and serac falls. In 2004 more than a dozen climbers died in a large avalanche on the Pogrebetsky route, the most popular on the mountain. The Semenov Glacier is exposed to ice from Chapaev Peak, the slopes to the saddle load quickly after snowfall, and the buttress at 6,750 m is steep enough that tired climbers need to manage the fixed ropes carefully on the descent. The Austrian expedition leader Toni Dürnberger died on the descent in August 1992. The weather of a northern 7,000er is colder and less predictable than in the Pamirs, so acclimatise properly, start early and keep reserve days.
The Russian geographer Pyotr Semenov (later Semenov-Tyan-Shansky) saw the pyramid in 1857 from a pass of the Terskey Ala-Too and took it for the highest point of the Tian Shan, the legendary Khan Tengri. The German geographer Gottfried Merzbacher reached its foot by the South Inylchek in 1902–1903, estimated its height at 7,200 m and found that it does not stand on the main crest. Only in 1943 did Soviet topographers prove that Pobeda Peak was much higher.
The Ukrainian climber and physician Mikhail Pogrebetsky, who grew up in Kharkiv and Kyiv and later headed the Ukrainian mountaineering federation, led expeditions to the central Tian Shan from 1929. His party worked with an armed escort, because Basmachi raiders were still active in the mountains, and he spent two years choosing a line. On 11 September 1931 Pogrebetsky, Boris Tyurin and the Austrian Franz Sauberer reached the summit from the South Inylchek, via Chapaev Peak and the western shoulder; their route is still the normal way. The second ascent came in August 1936 by a group from Alma-Ata, and the third in September 1936 by Vitaly and Yevgeny Abalakov, Leonid Gutman, Mikhail Dadiomov and the Swiss Lorenz Saladin, who died after the descent; Vitaly Abalakov lost 13 fingers and toes to frostbite. The first ascent from the north was made in 1964 by a Burevestnik society expedition led by E. Tamm, with K. Kuzmin's group reaching the top.
How high is Khan Tengri? 7,010 m including its ice cap; the rock summit is 6,995 m. It is the highest point of Kazakhstan.
Why is it counted as a 7,000er? Because its permanent ice summit is above 7,000 m. Since 1990 it is one of the five Snow Leopard peaks.
How long does it take to climb? Commercial programmes last about 21 days from Almaty or Bishkek, including two acclimatisation rotations; the summit push from base camp takes four to five days.
How difficult is it? The normal routes are graded 5A, with fixed ropes on a 60–80° rock buttress near 6,750 m. It is the second hardest of the Snow Leopard peaks.
Which base camp should I choose? The North Inylchek camp (reached from Almaty) serves the northern route; the South Inylchek camp (reached from Bishkek or Almaty) serves the Pogrebetsky route and also Jengish Chokusu. Both are at about 4,000 m.
How much does it cost? For example, a guided 2026 joint-team expedition from Almaty costs US$4,050 per person; packages without a guide are cheaper.
Is there water on the route? Only at base camp. Above it you melt snow, so carry enough gas.
Is there mobile coverage? No. Base camps have satellite phones and paid Wi-Fi, and groups carry radios. The emergency number is 112.
When is the best time to climb? Mid-July to the end of August.
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