In the Heart of Kyrgyzstan – 10 Days – 9 Nights

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Airport – Bishkek (ca. 30 km, 40 min)

Arrival at Manas Airport in Bishkek. Standard check-in at the hotel after 2:00 p.m.

11:00 Meet your guide in the hotel lobby and start of the city tour.

A city tour of Bishkek is planned. We will visit sites such as the central Ala-Too Square with its monuments and Oak Park.

After lunch at a local restaurant, we will visit the famous Osh Bazaar. Upon entering the market, you will be immersed in a truly oriental atmosphere: an endless stream of people and a wide variety of goods and colors.

Dinner in a traditional restaurant where you can taste Kyrgyz national cuisine.

Meals included: lunch and dinner

Note: It is strongly recommended to book an extra night at the hotel, as most flights to Bishkek arrive late at night or early in the morning.

Overnight Stay at the Hotel.

Day 2: Bishkek – Burana – Iskra village – Tcholpon-Ata (ca. 290 km, 4h)

Breakfast at the hotel.

Our journey begins with a visit to the Burana Tower, an ancient minaret located in the Chuy Valley in northern Kyrgyzstan. The tower, along with funerary monuments, earthworks, castle remains, and three mausoleums, is all that remains of the ancient city of Balasagyn, founded by the Karakhanids at the end of the 9th century.

Lunch in the village of Iskra with the Dungan family, the ethnic group of Chinese Muslims who were forced to flee China. You will taste their national cuisine.

Then depart for Issyk Kol, the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan and one of the deepest in the world. We’ll take you to the hotel located on the lake.

Free time. You can relax on the beach and swim in the lake. Dinner at a restaurant.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight Stay at the Resort.

Day 3: Cholpon-Ata – Grigorievskoe and Semienovskoe gogres – Karakol (ca. 160 km, 3h)

Breakfast at the hotel. At 9:30 a.m., we head to the Petroglyph Museum. The museum’s 42 hectares are dotted with stones, tombs, balbals, and various petroglyphs dating from the 2nd millennium BC to the 4th century AD.

Next, we head to the Grigoriev and Semenov Gorges. Enjoy a picnic or lunch at a cafe along the way. The Grigoriev and Semenov Gorges are considered one of the most famous attractions in the Issyk Kol region. You can walk there, enjoy the wild nature that surrounds you, and spend a pleasant time in this beautiful place.

Departure for Karakol, the administrative center of the Issyk-Kol region. Arrival and check-in at the hotel.

Dinner at a local restaurant and rest at the hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight Stay at the Hotel.

Day 4: Karakol – Tepke village – Karakol (ca. 25 km, 30 min one way)

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for a city tour. Visit the Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the Dungan Mosque, designed by the Chinese between 1907 and 1910 for the local Dungan community.

Next, we head to the museum dedicated to Nikolai Przhevalsky, the famous 19th-century Russian explorer. After visiting the museum, transfer to the farm in the village of Tepke (30 min).

Arrive at the local Reina Kench farm, where we enjoy lunch. After lunch, visit the farm: garden, stables with horses, cows, sheep, and goats. During the stables tour, you will hear a lecture about Kyrgyz horses and their role in Kyrgyz culture.

On the way back to Karakol, we take you by boat to enjoy the beauty of Lake Issyk Kol and the majesty of the snow-capped Tien Shan Mountains.

Transfer to the hotel. Free time for your own discoveries.

Dinner at the restaurant.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight Stay at the Hotel.

Day 5: Karakol – Jety Oguz – Barskoon – Tamga (ca. 135 km, 2-3h)

After breakfast, we depart Karakol for the Jeti Oguz Gorge. The red Broken Heart rock located at the entrance to the gorge creates a special romantic atmosphere in the gorge. You can walk here for an hour.

We then head to the Barskoon Gorge. The gorge is famous for its waterfalls. One of the most famous is the Tears of the Snow Leopard waterfall. In the middle of the gorge stands the monument to the first cosmonaut Yu. A. Gagarin.

Dinner and overnight stay in a family hotel on the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight Stay at the Hotel.

Day 6: Tamga – Skazka – Bokonbaevo – Kyzyl Tou – Kochkor (ca. 170 km, 3h)

After breakfast at the guesthouse, we head towards the village of Kochkor. Passing along the southern shore of the lake, we will visit the Skazka canyons , which translate as Fairy Tale. Here you can find rocks of surprising shapes and sizes. A real skyscraper or an animal may appear in front of you. You will walk for 1-2 hours.

In Bokonbaevo, we meet an eagle hunter with his bird. You can appreciate the bird’s vigilance and speed during the hunt. This is one of the oldest traditions of the nomadic Kyrgyz.

Lunch in a guesthouse or cafe.

Our next stop is the Kyzyl Tou village, where a local family reveals the secrets of yurt making. This family has been engaged in this unique art for generations.

Dinner at the guesthouse in Kotchkor.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight Stay at the Guest House.

Day 7: Kotchkor – Tach Rabat (ca. 240 km, 4h)

After breakfast, we hit the road and continue our journey.

On the way, we have to cross the Dolon Pass (3030 m), then we go to the old caravan stop from the Silk Road era – Tash Rabat.

On the way, we stop in the town of Naryn for lunch in a restaurant.

We arrive at the Tash Rabat yurt camp. Tash Rabat is a historical monument founded by monks in the 10th century. At the beginning of the Silk Road period, Tash Rabat lost its religious significance, and the monastery served as a hotel for passing caravans.

Dinner and overnight stay in a yurt.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight Stay at the Camp.

Note: 2 people per yurt. Toilets and sauna are outside

Day 8: Tach Rabat – Son Kol (ca. 260 km, 5h)

After breakfast, the beautiful mountain roads lead us to Son Kol Lake.

Today we cross the Moldo Achou mountain pass (3400 m).

From the pass, Son Kol Lake seems very small, but as we descend lower and approach the lake, it appears to us in all its grandeur and magnificence.

Upon arrival at a yurt camp on the lake, you’ll experience the nomads’ hospitality and way of life. We’ll spend dinner and the night in the yurts.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight Stay at the Camp.

Note: 2 people per yurt. Toilets and sauna are outside.

Day 9: Return to Bishkek (ca. 315 km, 5-6 hours)

We return to the capital after breakfast in a yurt.

We will return to civilization by descending from the 3400 m Kalmak Achou Pass and passing again through the Boom Gorge.

Lunch in a cafe.

Upon arrival in Bishkek we will have time to visit the local market to buy gifts and in the evening the farewell dinner awaits us.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch and dinner

Overnight Stay at the Hotel.

Day 10: Bishkek – Airport – Departure (ca. 30 km, 40 min)

Transfer to the airport. Departure.

Meals included: breakfast