One day the road is dry.

The next day you've had heavy rain and suddenly it's a very different drive.

That's another reason I wouldn't plan Song-Kul as a rushed overnight stop squeezed between two long travel days.

If you've travelled in places like Mongolia or parts of the Pamirs, you'll probably think it's fine.

If all your previous road trips have been in Western Europe, then yes, it may feel slow and bumpy.

The road wasn't dangerous when we went, but there were long stretches where you simply couldn't drive quickly.

I actually found the scenery made the journey part of the experience.

How rough is the drive really?

Some blogs make it sound terrifying.

My parents came to Kyrgyzstan a year after us.

They're in their seventies and don't enjoy rough roads.

We suggested they skip Song-Kul and spend extra time on the south shore of Issyk-Kul instead.

They absolutely loved their trip.

Different travellers.

Different priorities.

We skipped Song-Kul completely.

Instead we spent four days hiking around Karakol.

Not once did we regret the decision.

Looking back, I think we made the right choice for us because our priority was mountain trekking rather than experiencing nomadic culture.

I think people sometimes talk about Song-Kul as though every visitor has to go there.

You really don't.

Many visitors drive to Song-Kul, take a few photos, have lunch and leave.

I honestly don't understand that.

The whole point is to experience the high pastures.

If you don't stay overnight, you've missed most of what makes the place special.

We hardly took any photographs of the lake.

Most of our pictures are of horses, children playing around the yurts, people making bread, and the changing light over the jailoo.

It was one of the few places on our trip where we genuinely slowed down.

The lake itself is beautiful, of course, but if you're expecting turquoise water like Issyk-Kul or dramatic alpine scenery like Ala-Kul, you may actually be disappointed.

What makes Song-Kul special is spending a night at nearly 3,000 metres in a yurt camp.

The silence.

The horses wandering freely.

Watching shepherds bring the animals back in the evening.

Stepping outside at midnight and seeing more stars than you've ever seen before.

Those are the memories people bring home—not the lake itself.

Almost every itinerary includes Song-Kul Lake, but it's quite a detour for us. Between the driving and the overnight stay, we'd probably have to skip either Karakol or spend less time around Issyk-Kul.

Would you still recommend Song-Kul for a first visit?

Is it really one of those places you shouldn't miss,

I'd also keep your expectations realistic. Son-Kul isn't the place to tick off famous landmarks. It's where you slow down. We spent hours simply walking through the meadows, watching shepherds move their animals and chatting with our hosts over bowls of kumis and tea. Looking back, it was one of the few places on our trip where we completely forgot about our schedule.