North & Naryn region
Welcome to Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan!
It is advised to arrive the day before the tour starts, so that you will have plenty of time to acclimatise, rest after a day of traveling and stroll around the city a little, if you wish.
​​​​
Day 0 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Most international flights arrive in the very early morning, so today you can take the time to arrive, rest and/or explore Bishkek. ​The Highlights of Kyrgyzstan Tour officially starts tomorrow morning with a welcome meeting from your guide at the hotel where you’ll be introduced to the group and the team. There will be a briefing about the tour and room for questions.
​
Accommodation: hotel (not included, but can be booked for an additional fee)
Meals included: none
Day 1. Bishkek
Today we will leave from Bishkek to Son Kul – a high alpine lake situated at 3016 m above sea level. It is a scenic road via the mountain pass of 3400 m. When we arrive at the lake, you will have the possibility to walk to the nearest hills or along the shore line to enjoy magnificent views.
​
Driving time: approx. 6-7 hours
Optional activity:vhorseback riding.
Accommodation: shared room at a yurt camp
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
​
Day 2. Son Kul
Today you will have some free time in the morning after a delicious breakfast at Son Kul lake. We will also have lunch at the yurt camp, and then we will start to drive to Naryn – an administrative center of this region. We will have amazing views along the way and you will have the possibility to walk on the way from the mountain pass – by request and/or stop on the way to take pictures.
​
Driving time: approx. 4 hours
Accommodation: Shared room at a guest house / hotel
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3. Naryn – Kok Kiya
From Naryn we will drive to the picturesque Kok Kiya valley via scenic mountain roads. This valley is situated in the border zone with China, so we will need to use border permits to get there. The drive will take approx. 6 hours. We will have a lovely picnic on the way. Once we arrive, we will get accommodated in a yurt camp and will have some free time to explore the area in the proximity or go for another optional horse riding.
Accommodation: shared room at a yurt camp
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
​​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​​
Issyk Kyl, Kyrgyzstan
Son Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan
Kel Suu Lake
Day 4. Kel Suu
Today we will have a visit to the magnificent Kel Suu lake, situated higher in the valley. We will hike to reach the amazing landscapes of snow-capped mountains on the way. Once we arrive at the lake, we will have some free time, probably have lunch, and enjoy its beauty. After the hike, we will return to the yurts at Kok Kiya valley and have a relaxing afternoon.
Hike distance: approx. 15 km
Difficulty level: moderate
Accommodation: shared room at a yurt camp
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Day 5. Kok Kiya – Tash Rabat
There is quite a long (though very scenic!) drive ahead of us from Kok Kiya to Tash Rabat valley. We will have a picnic stop on our way and then continue again.
Tash Rabat is a mountain valley situated once on a side branch of the Great Silk Road. Tash Rabat is a stone building used as a caravan serai back in the day, when the Silk Way was blossoming. Partially hidden in the mountain, this caravan serai was used by merchants and travelers going to and coming from China. We will stop at one of the yurt camps near Tash Rabat, where we will also be staying the night and have dinner.
Driving distance: approx. 8 hours
Accommodation: shared room at a yurt camp
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Skazka Canyon
Jeti Oguz
Day 6. Kochkor
In Tash Rabat we will have some free time in the morning. You will be able to walk around in the area – you can either go up the river, or hike higher to have a better view over the valley. We also visit the caravan serai and have a look from the inside, or we can go for a horse ride. We will have lunch at the yurt camp and head to our next stop: Kockkor.
Drive distance: approx. 4 hours
Accommodation: shared room at a guest house
Included meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
​
Day 7. Bokonbaevo
We head to Issyk Kul lake, biggest lake in Kyrgyzstan and the second biggest high alpine lake in the world (after Titicaca in South America). Stretching for 180 km from west to east, this lake is often compared to a sea.
Before reaching Bokonbaevo village at the south shore of Issyk Kul, we will have a visit to an amazing spot called Ak Sai canyon, where you will be able to see unique landscapes, swim in the lake, go for a short hike to a view point from where you can see surrounding mountains and the large surface of the water.
After this, we arrive in Bokonbaevo village to meet an eagle hunter – a representative of an ancient nomadic art of hunting with golden eagles. We will get to know more about this and see how they live and train with their birds of prey.
​
Hike distance: 2 km
Difficulty level: easy
Accommodation: shared room at a guest house
Elevation gain / loss: +80 m / -80 m
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
​
​​​​​​​​​​​​Day 8. Bokonbaevo – Skazka – Jeti-Oguz – Bokonbaevo
We will have a day trip to picturesque spots situated at the south shore of the lake. We are going to start with Skazka (Fairytale) canyon, a place with wonderful landscapes of colorful sand rocks, which might be similar to different objects or animals, hence the name – Fairytale. We will have a short walk through the canyon. After that, we will drive to our next stop – Jeti Oguz red rock formation. An amazing combination of red canyons and coniferous forests manifests a big variety of landscapes in Kyrgyzstan.
Return drive to Bokonbaevo, where we will be staying today.
​
Accommodation: shared room at a guest house
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Day 9. Bokonbaevo – Chon Kemin
Today we will have a felt making demonstration at Bokonbaevo – we will visit a family who makes the felt carpets. They will explain and show us how they produce carpets, and we also will be able to participate in this process!
After this, we move to the west and drive to the picturesque Chon Kemin valley, famous for its lush pastures and coniferous forests.
Upon arriving at this place, we will have lunch and then will have some free time to explore the valley – we either can stroll around, or go for an optional horse ride.
​
Accommodation: shared room at a guest house
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
​
Day 10. Chon Kemin – Ala Archa – Bishkek
Return to Bishkek and a visit to Ala Archa National Park, situated in the south from the capital, around 40 km. Fresh mountain air, streams of glacier-fed water, different types of spruce trees and amazing mountain scenery is what made this place a popular destination for tourists and locals. We are going to have a walk to enjoy the views, then we will return back to the city, have a look at some of its highlights, such as the Main Square and The Oak Park. This is the moment where the tour is finished! There’s an optional dinner to say goodbye to our amazing new group of friends!
​
If needed, we will call a taxi for you, so you can easily get to your airport.
​​
Accommodation: in a hotel
Meals included: breakfast, lunch