The biggest risks are mechanical breakdowns and rain.

I wouldn’t risk heading to Mangystau with just one car. It’s always better to travel in a convoy of two or three vehicles. You never know what could h...

How cold was it overall in Kyrgyzstan? How warm should we dress for this trip? Did you use guides, horses, or transfers with a prepared jeep anywhere?...

Thanks, Lightmax. Alright, I’m crossing the Tosor Pass off the list. I’ll stick to the same route as shown in the map — better to take the passable ...

Here’s the final update on the car:It’s a 2011 Toyota RAV4 with 19 cm ground clearance. Summer tires (no A/T) and no engine protection. Not ideal, but...

@lightmax got it. We’ll leave the car at the guesthouse in Karakol. Any ballpark figure for a transfer to the gorge? So, that is the Tosor Pass—wel...

I got it — thanks! Could you suggest where exactly in Karakol Gorge this guesthouse is located? Or would it be better to leave the car in Karakol city...

this is the flip side of road trips — you can visit countless places, but the ribbon of asphalt stretching endlessly before your eyes ends up taking u...

Thanks again! I agree—I went overboard with the timings. I’ll tweak the schedule and route slightly.Considering that Zhashyl-Kol requires a border p...

@lightmax thank you! For Chon-Kemin, I’m specifically interested in Lake Zhashyl-Köl—there shouldn’t be any border guards there, right? At Son-Kul...

excellent, thank you!Ak-Köl is located between Toktogul Reservoir and Lake Son-Kul. On satellite maps, the road isn’t very visible, but it seems acces...

thanks, this contact will definitely come in handy—we’ll reach out!I still have questions about road accessibility to Lake Ak-Köl, Kegeti Gorge, Karak...

many thanks for the insightful comment! And extra gratitude for the permit tip—finding information on my own turned out to be quite the challenge. W...