Kyrgyzstan Plans Ala-Archa Glass Bridge That Could Set World Record

A 732-meter glass suspension bridge is planned for Kyrgyzstan’s Ala-Archa State Nature Park. According to the Presidential Affairs Office, it could become the longest of its kind in the world, and authorities are considering seeking recognition from Guinness World Records. Construction is scheduled to begin in November 2026 and be completed by the end of 2027. On October 29, Kanybek Tumanbaev, head of the office, visited the park to discuss the project with representatives of an unnamed European company and inspect the proposed construction site. Alongside the bridge, authorities plan to develop a nature trail from the Tepshi plateau to Mount Teke-Too and a waterfall. Ala-Archa lies about 40 kilometers by road from Bishkek, in the valley of the river of the same name. Popular with residents of the capital and international tourists, the park offers hiking and horseback riding trails, as well as mountaineering routes of varying difficulty. The park already has a one-kilometer cable car line built by the Austrian company Doppelmayr. It opened on February 18, 2026, becoming Kyrgyzstan’s first gondola lift, and can carry up to 1,000 people per hour. Holiday cottages have also been built, while construction of a five-star hotel is nearing completion, according to the office’s October 29 statement. The authors of a draft strategy for developing protected natural areas have warned that growing tourist numbers could damage ecosystems in parks such as Ala-Archa. They propose limiting visitor numbers along popular routes to reduce littering and damage to vegetation.