Trekking in Kyrgyzstan
- Tour countries:
- Kyrgyzstan
- Type of tour:
- Adventure, Mountains, Trekking, General
Just about every tourist should make this journey at least once in their life!
It is much more than a trekking tour; this is an opportunity to really experience Nomadic culture and to meet people ready to share their wonderful customs and traditions. During this horse riding tour you will go over high passes at the most beautiful places of our Kyrgyzstan! These views should not be missed! Along the whole way you will meet real nomads and communicate with them! Also you will even have a great chance at the end of horse riding to sleep in their felt dwellings - yurts! There is simply no better way to experience our country!!!
Highlights of this amazing tour:
Burana Tower - built in 11 century by Karahanids!
Stone Warriors Balbals - statures made in 7 century for brave warriors!
Issyk Kul Lake - the second largest mountain lake in the world!
Petrogliphs - ancient stone pictures made more than 2 500 years ago!
Karakol town - old town with famous Orthodox Church and Dungan Mosque!
Jeti Oguz gorge - the gorge of red rocks with nomads not far from it!
Eagle Hunter - a real Kyrgyz family that still practice this ancient skill!
Nomads - you will meet nomadic families to find out more about them!
Yurts - you will have a chance to sleep in nomadic felt dwellings yurts!
High passes - you will drive over passes more than 3 000 meters high!
Asian Bazaar - it is very bright and colorful, photo paradise!
Drinking Kumis - it is fermented mare's milk!
Yaks - it is possible to see these unusual animals in the mountains!
Mountains, Mountains, Mountains - amazing nature will surprise you!
Day 1: Bishkek - Burana - Tamga
Welcome to Kyrgyzstan! Our guide will wait you in the airport and then you will drive together to the Bishkek city. We are going to visit today our famous Burana Tower. It was built in the 11th century. There was a thriving city on the Great Silk Road. Also you will see Stone Warriors - Balbals. If a famous soldier was killed during a war then people would always make a stature for him. After an interesting excursion and climbing on the top of the Tower we will drive to the most famous place of Kyrgyzstan - Issyk Kul Lake!!! Issyk Kul is the biggest mountain lake in Central Asia, and the second biggest mountain lake in the whole world! Its length is 180 km and it is 60 km wide! The view of the lake is fantastic - it has pure blue water and it is surrounded by high Tien Shan Mountains from all sights! The water is about 22 degrees and many people come there to swim in summer time. You will also have time even to swim there! On the way we will visit one of the most interesting families in Kyrgyzstan - the family of Eagle Hunters! There are still some people in villages that continue this ancient way of hunting in our days. They train eagles and hawks when they are young and every winter go with them to the mountains for hunting. The Eagle Hunter just lets the bird fly and it finds the victim on its own. You will find out many interesting facts about this way of hunting and you will be able to make photo while keeping the bird on your hand! This night you will spend in the Tamga village in the house of a Kyrgyz family!
Day 2: Tamga - Barskoon - Chokolu Lakes
Today we will drive 2 hours to Barskoon gorge where we will start our trekking part of the tour. The length of this gorge is more than 30 km. There is a road along the gorge which connects Issyk Kul valley with valleys of Inner and Central Tien-Shan. In the beginning of the gorge its slopes are covered by steppe flora and sparse bushes. Then fir tree forests zone begins. You can see a nice mixture of fir trees and different colored bushes of barberry, mountain ash, sea-buckthorn, currant, raspberry, dog rose and honeysuckle. At 2 800 meters above sea level juniper forests appear. Also on the way you will see a very beautiful waterfall. Today we have a challenging route over a mountain landscapes and you will have challenging climbs and exciting descents. Our trekking starts from the ascent to a mountain pass. This pass is 3 736 meters high and you will see a fantastic panorama view from the top of it. During this day we will have horse riding high in the mountains and you will see a lot of small mountain lakes. The horse riding time will be about 6 hours.
Day 3:Chokolu Lakes - Jashil Kol Lake - Dzhukuu gorge
We will start our horse riding at 8 o'clock. During this day you will go over Dzhukuu pass (3512 m). The road is just breathtaking and you will fall in love with our mountains! On the top of the pass we will stop for a while to enjoy the amazing views. Also you will see our fantastic Jashil Kol Lake that is hidden in the rocky mountains! During one day you will see many different mountain landscapes. Today it is quite possible that we meet real nomads! They come to these mountains in summer times with their cattle. Nomadic families do not live at one place all the time. Every week they move from one pasture to another in order to have more fresh grass. Nomads still live in their felt houses yurts. It is the best dwelling to live and to transfer from place to place. Nomads still keep all their amazing traditions that are completely different from all other nations in the world. Your guide will tell you about them. Also it will be possible to communicate with nomads. During this day be prepared for amazing views of the impressive mountains and gorges.
Day 4: Dzhukuu gorge - Ashu Kashka Suu gorge
This day is devoted to horse riding from Dzhukuu to Ashu Kashka Suu gorge. The path will lead us along high mountains that are covered with fir tress and junipers. Fir trees are called the Queens of Tien Shan because of their beauty and juniper trees are the most sacred trees for nomads. Juniper lives more than 2 000 years and people considered it to be the tree of life and rebirth. Very often you can see different pieces of colorful fabric that are fastened on them by locals to get good luck and a long life. Our trekking takes place in the Central Tien Shan, along the Terskey range. Tien Shan is the Chinese name. The Kyrgyz name is Tenir Too - Celestial Mountains. Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country and 93% of the land is mountains, including Central Tien Shan, Kyrgyz Mountains and the Alai range of the Pamirs. The highest point of the Kyrgyz part of the Tien Shan is Victory peak - it is 7 437 meters high! The Tien Shan Range is one of the largest in Asia. It stretches across several countries and 2/3rd of the system lies in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. With 93% of mountains in Kyrgyzstan, nomadic life in remote places - our country is a real paradise for people that are in love with mountains and unusual cultures. Today during your trekking you will visit places where nomadic life has hardly changed in hundred of years! Following the path along mountain gorges, weaving between the dramatic peaks of surrounded mountains, this horse riding provides the ideal opportunity to explore Kyrgyzstan!
Day 5: Ashu Kashka Suu - Jukuchak gorge
You will have trekking today to Jukuchak gorge and we will have to go over pass that is 3 641 m high. Its name is Ashu Tor and it is famous for the panorama views that you can see there! In the afternoon we can see some other nomads. All nomads are very hospitable. They will always invite you inside their houses yurts to drink tea with them. They are not used to see many tourists and always glad to speak with them. Hospitality is one of the main lows among nomads. They used to say: "Guest is sent by God". So they can not just let you pass without having a rest with them. If you come up to their yurt - they will bring you immediately some food. It may be the last food of this family but anyway they will try to treat you. In this case you must at least break a little piece of bread and to eat it in order not to offend the owners. Then you can just say that you are not hungry. It is much more than a horse riding trip; this is an opportunity to really experience Nomadic culture and to meet people ready to share their unusual cuisine and traditions. These areas are largely untouched by foreign visitors. Beaming smiles, open arms and unrivalled hospitality await those who do make this tour. At the end of the day you will come to the place where you will swim in natural hot springs. There are several small rooms with healthy water. People come to this place to get energy and to improve their health. Time of trekking is 6-7 hours. Night is on 2 250 m.
Day 6: Dzhukuchak gorge - Kichi Kyzyl Suu
You will have breakfast at 8 o'clock. Afterwards we start our trekking to the foothill of Orto Bulak pass. We will go over it to come to the Kichi Kyzyl Suu gorge. Mountain pass is 2 543 meters above the sea level and you will be surprised by its virgin beauty. If we meet today another nomadic family then we will be able to get acquainted with them.
Kyrgyz nomads continue this way of life for more then 2 200 years and that is why all they customs are very extraordinary. For example they still steal a wife for their son… Yes, it is a tradition to steal a girl from another tribe to get married her. And even in villages people follow it. If you ask women about their opinion about it - they will answer that they are happy. Their mothers were stolen, their grandmothers were stolen, and they are also not against it. According to the old traditions a man had to pay Kalim for his bride. It could be around 10 horses or 30 sheep. Few people could do it and they started to steal ladies. Step by step it became common and nowadays it is widely spread in rural areas.
The landscape of Kyrgyzstan is complicated and varied and it is dominated by mountain chains which crisscross the country - but as well as the peaks, gorges and valleys, there are also steppes and hollows. In a small area it is possible to see a wide variety of landscapes and experience different climates because when you travel even relatively small distances - yet you have ascends and descends all the time.
Day 7: Kichi Kyzyl Suu - Jili Suu
In the morning we will start our way to Chon Kyzyl Suu gorge. The gorge is very popular among nomads because it has a lot of green grass and a fast mountain river. You will see some families with their cattle and yurts. In the evening you will come to natural hot springs Jili Suu. There is a small pool with this curative water. You can take a bath there to get better health and to relax after your horse riding.
Kyrgyzstan is famous for its unusual way of life and meals. It is possible that on the way some nomads will offer you to drink Kumis. It is our national drink. Kumis is made of mare's milk and it is an alcoholic drink as a beer. We suggest you not to drink too much for the first time. It is better just to taste it a little bit and in this case you will not have stomach problems. It is a very healthy natural drink and at Soviet Times we had even a lot of special health resort to treat people only with kumis. Be aware that this alcoholic mare's milk has an unusual taste. You will have plenty of time to meet and engage with the friendly nomads, always quick to smile and return a "Salam Aleikum" when greeted.
Day 8:Chon Kyzyl Suu gorge - Jeti Oguz
We continue today our amazing trekking tour in the direction of famous Jeti Oguz gorge. It is one of the most beautiful gorges in Kyrgyzstan! To come to that gorge we will cross a mountain river and go over Kok Dzhayyk pass (2 751 m). From this mountain pass you will see unforgettable views and you will make a lot of photos there. Also during horse riding you will see several times the panorama views of Issyk Kul Lake!
At the end of the day we will come to the yurt camp! There are many nomadic families in this gorge! And this night you will also spend as real nomads in Kyrgyz yurts!!! It is a great opportunity to get unforgettable memories about Kyrgyzstan and its people! Yurt is a collapsible felt dwelling. It is made of felt and wood without using a single nail! To fix the wooden sticks people use stripes made of leather. It takes just one hour to
collapse or to erect a yurt. And you need just 3-4 horses to take it from one place to another. It is very nice to sleep inside at summer time and it is very warm to sleep there in winter. Take your chance to get new feelings!
Day 9: Jeti Oguz - Karakol - Bishkek
After a night in yurts we will see our famous red rocks Seven Bulls - Jeti Oguz. This is one of the most well-known places of Kyrgyzstan! Your guide will tell you a beautiful legend about these rocks. Also you will see our amazing Broken Heart Mountain! As soon as we finish making photos we will drive to Karakol town. Karakol is an old town that was built in the time of Russian Czar. Many houses still have decorated wooden frames of windows. The main highlights of Karakol town are Russian Orthdox Church and Dungan Mosque. Russian Orthodox Church was built at the end of 19th century. It is a wooden church and there are many nice icons that are very old. Women have to cover their head with a kerchief. Dungan mosque is made by Chinese architecture as a present for Kyrgyz. It is made of wood without using any nails.
Then we will drive to Bishkek via Cholpon Ata town. The road goes along the northern shore of the lake and you will have many photo stops to make pictures of our amazing lake. In Cholpon Ata we will visit a place where you will see ancient pictures on stones! They are called petroglpihs. These petroglpihs were made more than 2 000 years ago by shamans. All these stones are still at the same place as they were at that time. You can see a panorama view of the Issyk Kul Lake from this place - people were thinking that it was the middle of the world. In the evening you will spend a night in Bishkek. Next morning is transfer to airport.
Travel season in Kyrgyzstan is from May till the end of October. The best time to have a trekking tour is from the middle of June till the end of August. At this time are warm temperatures and almost no rain. At September we have cooler temperatures with a chance of rain. You can see nomads and yurts only from the middle of June till the end of September.
Tour schedule
| Group | Price per person | |
| 3 star hotel | 4 star hotel | |
| 2 people | $1530 | $1650 |
| 4 people | $1070 | $1170 |
| 6 people | $910 | $1040 |
| 8 people | $810 | $910 |
| 10 people | $750 | $880 |
| Single | $40 | $50 |
| Early check-in | $40 | $90 |
| Attention: 3-4 Star hotels are available only in Bishkek. | ||
Service includes:
- Airport transfers
- Transport for all transfers and excursions
- Double room accommodation in hotels, guesthouses and home stays
- Four-five people accommodation in a Jurte
- Three time meals and mineral water during the tour
- Full-time service of your English speaking guide-interpreter
- Double Zelts, mats and kitchen equipment
- Personal for trek (mountain guide, porters, cook)
- Entry fees to museums
- No extra charge after confirmation
Service does not include:
- Single room accommodation
- Alcohol and soft drinks
- International flight tickets
- Personal travel insurance
- Cost for the Kyrgyz visa (additional payment is 70$ per person)
