Hi - we are an adventurous family of 4 (2 adults, 2 boys (15 and 13) who have a woefully short amount of time to spend in Kyrgyzstan - only 3 or 4 days.
We can enter via Bishkek or Osh. The 3 options we are thinking about are:
(1) Small self-drive roadtrip: Bishkek -> Issy Kul (hike Fairy Tale Canyon) (Day 1) -> Jeti Oguz -> Altyn Arashan (Day 2) -> Altyn Arashan -> Karakol (Day 3) -> Karakol -> Bishkek (Day 4).
(2) Multi-day horse-riding Ala Archa
(3) Multi-day horse-riding in Alay Valley (from Osh - having got overnight train to Andijan from Bhukara)
Any votes or additional comments appreciated. For reference, it’s August and we will have had the full heat of the Uzbek cities in the days before so are looking for a little peace and nature, swimming in rivers/lakes, adventure, simplicity etc. with 2 active boys. Thanks!
Hello. I would remove Altyn Arashan from your itinerary (the ascent is difficult and can only be done by specialized transport). Instead, you could do: Bishkek – Bokonbaevo (you can visit an eagle hunting show there. They demonstrate how people used to hunt with golden eagles, and you can also try archery. I think the boys would enjoy it) – Aksai Canyons – Karakol – Cholpon-Ata – Bishkek.
Aksai Canyons.
Jeti-Oguz.
Barskoon. A gorge on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul.
Well, my personal recommendation would be to go for a road trip. You will see more places, various landscapes, various experiences. in other words this way you will have more flexibility. You can choose to swim in Issyk Kul, you can explore Semenovskoye or Grigorievo gorges, you can wander around small towns on the shore of Issyk-Kul... Horse trek is a bit other experience, you have to be sure you all will like it to go for it.