Ihr Reiseerlebnis mit ARRIVAL
Tag 1
Arrive in Bishkek. City Tour. Ala-Archa National Park.
Your driver will meet you at Manas International Airport and transfer you by private vehicle to the Ambassador Hotel in central Bishkek, approximately 30 kilometres from the airport. The airport pickup is included. Check in from 2pm, rest and let the time difference settle. The afternoon begins with a guided walk through central Bishkek. The main square and its Soviet-era monuments. Oak Park. The Osh Bazaar, one of the oldest and most colourful markets in the city, where the stalls run from dried apricots and walnuts to fresh produce and traditional handicrafts in a sensory density that is difficult to prepare for. Lunch at a local restaurant is included. Then a half-day trip to Ala-Archa National Park, 40 kilometres from the city, for a gentle walk through alpine scenery, mountain rivers and pine forest. The park sits at the foot of the Tian Shan and offers the first proper sense of the landscape that will define the next two weeks. Back to Bishkek by private vehicle for dinner at the hotel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all included today.
Tag 1 - 2
Ambassador Hotel, Bishkek (or similar)
A well-appointed four-star hotel sitting in the cultural and business heart of Bishkek, a short walk from Ala-Too Square, Erkindik Boulevard and the State History Museum. Clean, comfortable rooms with reliable high-speed WiFi, a 24-hour front desk and an on-site restaurant serving European cuisine alongside a bar and lounge for the first and last evenings of the trip. A rooftop terrace, sauna, fitness room and massage services are available for those who want to either ease into the journey ahead or properly decompress after it.
Tag 1
Osh Bazaar & Ala-Archa National Park Walk
One of the oldest and most colourful markets in Bishkek, where the stalls run from dried apricots and walnuts to fresh produce, spices and traditional handicrafts. The right introduction to Kyrgyz life before the mountains take over. This is followed by a half-day walk through alpine scenery, pine forest and mountain rivers just 40 kilometres from Bishkek. The first proper sense of the Tian Shan landscape that will define the next two weeks.
Tag 2
Bishkek to Chong Kemin via Burana Tower.
After breakfast at the hotel the group departs Bishkek by private vehicle heading northeast toward Chong Kemin National Park, approximately 150 kilometres. All transport today is by private vehicle. En route, a stop at the ancient Silk Road city of Balasagun to visit the Burana Tower, an 11th-century minaret that has stood on the same steppe for a thousand years. The surrounding field is scattered with stone warrior statues called balbals, carried here from across Central Asia. Climb the tower for views across the valley the Mongol caravans once crossed. Continue to Chong Kemin, the most beautiful valley in the northeast of the country. The Chong Kemin River runs the length of the valley with snow-capped peaks on both sides. Lunch is served at the guesthouse on arrival and is included. The afternoon is free to walk along the river, explore the valley or simply sit and decompress. Dinner at the guesthouse is included and marks the first real taste of Kyrgyz guesthouse hospitality. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Burana Tower
An 11th-century Silk Road minaret rising from the steppe at the ancient city of Balasagun, surrounded by a field of stone warrior statues called balbals carried here from across Central Asia.
Tag 2 - 3
Jekshen Guest House, Chong Kemin
Nestled in a quiet valley, this cosy family-run spot serves hearty homemade meals with genuine Kyrgyz hospitality. Rustic and charming.
Tag 3
Chong Kemin to Karakol via the North Shore of Issyk-Kul.
After breakfast at the guesthouse the group continues east by private vehicle, emerging from the valley onto the northern shore of Issyk-Kul, the second largest alpine lake in the world at 1606 metres above sea level. The lake stretches 182 kilometres from east to west and on a clear day the mountains on the far shore are visible as a line of snow above the water. A stop at the Cholpon-Ata open-air petroglyph museum, where thousands of Bronze Age rock carvings cover a hillside of boulders above the lake. Hunters, ibex, sun symbols and figures whose meaning is still debated, etched into stone between 1000 BCE and the eighth century CE. Lunch is included and served at a local restaurant along the route. Continue east to Karakol, the largest city in the Issyk-Kul region, founded by Russian settlers in 1869. A guided visit to the Dungan Mosque, built by Chinese Muslim craftsmen in 1910 without a single nail, and the Russian Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral nearby. Dinner at a local restaurant in Karakol is included. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Cholpon-Ata Petroglyphs
An open-air museum where thousands of Bronze Age rock carvings cover a hillside of boulders above Issyk-Kul.
Dungan Mosque and Orthodox Cathedral, Karakol
Two extraordinary buildings within walking distance of each other in central Karakol, representing the layered cultural history of the Issyk-Kul region. The Dungan Mosque was built in 1910 by Chinese Muslim craftsmen without a single nail using traditional joinery techniques.
Tag 3 - 5
Reina Kench Guesthouse, Tepke
What was once dry land on the banks of the Zhirgalan River, about 30 minutes from Karakol, has been transformed into the Reina Kench Guesthouse. Inside are comfortable rooms with wooden finishes and private amenities sitting within a working horse training farm where the paddocks are active and the animals are real, and the farm-to-table meals are built around organic produce grown on site. Think homemade jams, fresh honey and traditional Kyrgyz specialties including borsook, the fried dough pastry, that you’ll see at breakfast. A guided tour led by a member of the founding family will walk you through how the whole thing came to exist.
Tag 4
Karakol. Altyn Arashan Valley and Hot Springs.
After breakfast at the hotel the group boards UAZ 4WD vehicles, the only vehicles capable of navigating the Altyn Arashan track, for the drive up into the valley. The UAZ vehicles are included in the trip price and no additional transport cost applies. The road climbs 20 kilometres through pine forest and along mountain rivers, the gradient increasing steadily and the track becoming progressively rougher until the valley opens up and the hot springs appear. The natural hot springs at Altyn Arashan are fed by mineral-rich water from the mountain and sit against a backdrop of snow-dusted peaks. Time to soak before a picnic lunch in the valley, which is included. The UAZ returns the group to Karakol in the afternoon. Dinner at a local restaurant in Karakol is included. Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Altyn Arashan Hot Springs
A UAZ 4WD drive up a 20-kilometre valley through pine forest and mountain rivers to natural hot springs fed by mineral-rich water from the mountain, sitting against a backdrop of snow-dusted peaks.
Tag 5
Karakol to Bokonbaevo via Jeti-Oguz and Barskoon.
After breakfast at the hotel the group departs by private vehicle southwest to the Jeti-Oguz Gorge, approximately 70 kilometres, with all transport included. The Seven Bulls rock formation, named for the deep red sandstone pillars that rise from the valley floor, and the Broken Heart formation nearby are the first stops and the most immediately dramatic landscape on the route so far. Continue up into the Kok-Jaiyk summer pasture, a wide alpine valley surrounded by forest and peaks. A hike of approximately two to two and a half hours return through pine forest and mountain meadow to a waterfall that rewards the walk completely. Lunch is included at the Jeti-Oguz Eco Lodge or a local café in the gorge. Drive to the Barskoon Gorge by private vehicle. The Barskoon waterfalls and the Yuri Gagarin monument, erected because Gagarin recuperated in this valley after his return from space. Easy walks and time for photographs. Continue along the southern shore of Issyk-Kul to Bokonbaevo by private vehicle. Dinner is included at the lakeside yurt camp where the group overnights, with the lake on one side and the mountains on the other. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Jeti-Oguz Gorge and Waterfall Hike
A 2-2.5 hour return hike through pine forest and mountain meadow above the Seven Bulls rock formations to a waterfall.
Barskoon Gorge and Waterfalls
The Barskoon Gorge cuts through the mountains above the southern shore of Issyk-Kul, with a series of waterfalls cascading through the rock and a monument to Yuri Gagarin (Soviet pilot and cosmonaut), who spent time recovering in this valley after his return from space.
Tag 5 - 7
Beltam Yurt Camp, Bokonbaevo
A traditional beachfront yurt camp on the southern shore of Issyk-Kul, about seven kilometres from Bokonbaevo village, with the lake directly in front and the mountains rising behind. The yurts are proper felt structures outfitted with single beds or traditional floor mats and heavy wool blankets. Shared hot showers and flush toilets are available, a communal dining yurt serves generous home-style meals throughout the day and there is an on-site bar. Beltam is the first real taste of yurt life on the route and the place where the trip shifts to something more genuinely immersive. The sunsets here are among the best on the entire itinerary.
Tag 6
Bokonbaevo. Skazka Canyon, Mars Canyon and Eagle Hunting.
After breakfast at the yurt camp the group departs by private vehicle to Skazka Canyon, all transport included. The sandstone formations have been carved by wind and time into shapes that read as animals, faces and creatures from the right angles. A short walk through the canyon with views from the ridge above. Continue by private vehicle to the Mars Canyon, where the deep red and orange rock resembles a Martian landscape closely enough that photographs require explanation. Drive back to Bokonbaevo for lunch, which is included. The afternoon is the eagle hunting demonstration. A local berkutchi brings his golden eagle and demonstrates the traditional hunting techniques of an art form that has been practised in these mountains for over four thousand years. The bird flies, strikes and returns to the glove. You will be given the opportunity to hold the eagle. The demonstration and all associated entry fees are included. Dinner at the yurt camp is included.
Skazka Canyon
A short walk through sandstone formations. You’ll see why the canyon earns its name, which translates as Fairy Tale.
Mars Canyon
Deep red and orange rock formations that resemble a Martian landscape closely enough. A short scenic walk through some of the most visually striking terrain on the route.
Eagle Hunting Demonstration
Meet a berkutchi and his golden eagle – a centuries-old bond between hunter and sky still alive today
Tag 7
Bokonbaevo to Kyzart via Kyzyl-Tuu and Kochkor.
After breakfast at the yurt camp the group departs by private vehicle west toward Kyzart village with two significant cultural stops along the way, all transport included. First, Kyzyl-Tuu village, where local artisans demonstrate the full process of traditional yurt construction from assembling the wooden frame to covering it with felt. The demonstration and entry are included. Continue by private vehicle to Kochkor village for a felt carpet workshop with the women artisans who produce traditional Kyrgyz shyrdaks and ala-kiyiz carpets. The workshop is included. A home-cooked lunch with a local family follows, also included, and the best opportunity on the trip to taste authentic Kyrgyz cuisine in a domestic setting. Drive to Kyzart village in the afternoon by private vehicle. Free time on arrival. Dinner at the hotel is included. Breakfast, home-cooked lunch and dinner included.
Yurt-Making Demonstration, Kyzyl-Tuu
Local artisans in Kyzyl-Tuu demonstrate the full process of traditional yurt construction from assembling the wooden frame to covering it with felt. The demonstration covers both the architecture and the cultural significance of the yurt as the defining structure of nomadic Kyrgyz life.
Felt Carpet Workshop, Kochkor
A hands-on workshop with the women artisans of Kochkor who produce traditional Kyrgyz shyrdaks and ala-kiyiz felt carpets, demonstrating the full process from raw wool to finished geometric pattern. The workshop is followed by a home-cooked lunch with a local family, the best opportunity on the trip to taste authentic Kyrgyz cuisine in a domestic setting.
Tag 7 - 8
Kyzart Hotel, Kyzart
An eco-friendly hotel built from local natural materials, straw bale, mud and wood, sitting in the village of Kyzart in the Jumgal District and serving as the last proper base before the horseback ascent to Son-Kul the following morning. The on-site restaurant serves local Kyrgyz dishes. Free WiFi is available, making this the last reliable connection before Son-Kul removes all of that. It is a simple stay, unhurried and village-paced, and exactly the right note to end on before the mountains take over.
Tag 8
Kyzart to Son-Kul Lake by Horseback.
After breakfast at the hotel the group is introduced to the horses and the horseman who will guide the ascent to Son-Kul. The horses, riding equipment and accompanying horseman are all included in the trip price. The ride climbs through jailoo meadows for a full day, the altitude increasing steadily, the view expanding in every direction as the valley drops away below. A picnic lunch is eaten on the mountain during the ascent and is included. Son-Kul sits at 3016 metres. The yurt camp on the shore is the only structure visible. The lake reflects the sky. Dinner is prepared in the yurt kitchen by the camp family and is included.Sleep in the yurt with the stars visible through the smoke hole above. Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Tag 8 - 9
Horseback Riding to Son-Kul Lake
A full-day horseback ascent from Kyzart through jailoo meadows to Son-Kul Lake at 3016 metres, accompanied by a local horseman who knows both the route and the horses.
Tag 8 - 10
Muras Yurt Camp or Boogoo Yurt camp, Son-Kul
Traditional felt yurt camps sitting on the shore of Son-Kul Lake at 3016 metres, both run by nomadic families who move up to the lake every summer as their families have done for generations. The yurts are built and decorated in the traditional Kyrgyz style with hand-stitched felt walls, wooden furniture and heavy blankets when the temperature drops after dark. Both camps offer meals on site and basic facilities. There is no phone signal. There is no artificial light for many kilometres in any direction. The night sky at Son-Kul is the thing most guests are still talking about when they get home and both camps give you the full night-sky experience.
Tag 9
A Full Day at Son-Kul.
Breakfast is served in the yurt camp and included. A full day at Son-Kul with no fixed programme and no driving today. Everything happens on foot or, for those who want additional saddle time, by horse. Horse riding at Son-Kul is available at an additional cost. This can be booked at checkout. The morning is for walking the lakeshore, visiting the shepherd families who graze their herds on the surrounding jailoo, or simply sitting outside the yurt with tea. The guide will introduce the group to chabans whose daily routine has not changed meaningfully for several hundred years. Taste kymyz, fermented mare's milk, which is served at the camp and included. Watch the herds move across the wide plains. Lunch at the camp is included. The afternoon at leisure. Dinner in the yurt is included. The night sky at Son-Kul, with no artificial light for many kilometres in any direction, is one of the genuinely unmissable things about this trip. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Nomadic Cultural Visits at Son-Kul
A full free day at Son-Kul to walk the lakeshore, visit the shepherd families who graze their herds on the surrounding jailoo and experience the nomadic rhythm of daily life that has not changed meaningfully for centuries. Kymyz, the fermented mare's milk that is the symbolic drink of the Kyrgyz nomads, is served at the camp and worth trying in context.
Tag 10
Son-Kul to Naryn via the 33 Parrots Pass and Kazhyrty Waterfall.
After breakfast in the yurt camp the group departs Son-Kul by private vehicle and descends toward Naryn, all transport included. The road crosses the 33 Parrots Pass at 3133 metres, a winding mountain road named for the number of its switchbacks and offering the most dramatic driving of the whole trip. A stop at the Kazhyrty Waterfall on the descent, reached by a short walk through forest included in the trip. A picnic lunch is served along the route and included. The group continues by private vehicle to Naryn, arriving in the afternoon. Dinner at a local restaurant in Naryn is included. Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Kazhyrty Waterfall
A short walk through forest to a tucked-away waterfall on the descent from Son-Kul toward Naryn. Peaceful, green and the right counterpoint to the drama of the 33 Parrots Pass above it.
Tag 10 - 11
Kezgin Guesthouse, Naryn
A warm, community-rooted guesthouse sitting in the heart of Naryn, one of the most remote provincial cities in Kyrgyzstan and the gateway to the southern Tian Shan. Kezgin is a genuinely hospitable local operation built around sustainable, community-based tourism, which in practice means comfortable and well-considered rooms in single, twin and triple configurations, breakfast and lunch prepared from local ingredients and a team who care about the place you are visiting as much as you do.
Tag 11
Naryn to Kel-Suu.
After breakfast at the hotel the group departs by private vehicle south and east from Naryn toward the Ak-Sai valley and Kel-Suu Lake near the Chinese border, all transport included. The journey takes approximately five hours through some of the most sparsely populated terrain in Kyrgyzstan. A picnic lunch is served along the route and is included. Arrive at the Golden Moon Yurt Camp in the late afternoon with time to explore the immediate surroundings before dinner. The landscape here, deep in the Ak-Sai valley with dramatic peaks rising on every side, is the most remote and dramatically beautiful of the whole trip. Dinner at the camp is included. Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner included.
Drive to Ak-Sai Valley, Kel-Suu
A five-hour 4WD drive south and east from Naryn through some of the most sparsely populated terrain in Kyrgyzstan to the remote Ak-Sai valley near the Chinese border. Yaks, marmots and traditional nomadic settlements are common sightings along the route.
Tag 11 - 13
Golden Moon Yurt Camp, Kel-Suu
A remote yurt camp in the Kok-Kiya Valley at the foot of Kel-Suu Lake, five hours by 4WD from Naryn on unpaved mountain tracks that require a specialist vehicle and a driver who knows them. This is the most isolated accommodation on the trip and the most dramatically located. Shared felt yurts with thick wool blankets for the cold mountain nights, hearty home-cooked Kyrgyz meals and hot tea from the local hosts.
Tag 12
Kel-Suu Lake by Horseback.
After breakfast at the yurt camp the group sets off on horseback toward Kel-Suu Lake, approximately 1.5 hours through a narrow valley that gives nothing away until the lake appears between the canyon walls. The horseback ride and all equipment are included in the trip price. Kel-Suu is turquoise and surrounded on all sides by vertical rock formations that rise directly from the water. Lunch on the lakeshore is included. The boat ride to explore the hidden sections of the lake where the canyon narrows to almost nothing is also included in the trip price. Time to explore on foot before the horseback return to the yurt camp. Free time in the afternoon. Dinner at the camp is included. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Horseback Riding on Kel-Suu Lake
A 1.5-hour horseback ride through a narrow alpine valley to Kel-Suu Lake, where vertical canyon walls rise from turquoise water on every side and the only way in is on a horse.
Boat Ride on Kel-Suu Lake
Cross the turquoise water of Kel-Suu Lake by boat to explore the hidden corners of this remote alpine lake, hemmed in by sheer rock walls just kilometres from the Chinese border.
Tag 13
Kel-Suu to Eki Naryn.
After breakfast at the yurt camp the group departs by private vehicle back down the valley and northeast toward Eki Naryn, all transport included. Lunch is served along the route and included. Arrive in Eki Naryn in the afternoon, a small and charming village typical of rural Kyrgyzstan, sitting quietly in a wide valley with the mountains behind it. Free time to walk, rest or simply sit in the peaceful surroundings. Dinner at the village hotel is included. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Tag 13 - 14
Altay Village Hotel, Eki Naryn
A warm and welcoming village hotel with traditional architecture and local food. A slow-paced final stop before heading back to Bishkek.
Tag 14
Eki Naryn to Bishkek.
After breakfast at the hotel the group departs by private vehicle for the long drive back to Bishkek, all transport included. Lunch is served along the route and included. The road passes through increasingly familiar terrain as the city approaches. Check in at the Garden Hotel in the afternoon with time to rest and shower. The evening in Bishkek for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. The optional folk music show featuring traditional Kyrgyz instruments is available for those who want to close the trip with live music at an additional cost, available to book upon checkout. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Tag 14 - 15
Ambassador Hotel, Bishkek (or similar)
A well-appointed four-star hotel sitting in the cultural and business heart of Bishkek, a short walk from Ala-Too Square, Erkindik Boulevard and the State History Museum. Clean, comfortable rooms with reliable high-speed WiFi, a 24-hour front desk and an on-site restaurant serving European cuisine alongside a bar and lounge for the first and last evenings of the trip. A rooftop terrace, sauna, fitness room and massage services are available for those who want to either ease into the journey ahead or properly decompress after it.
Tag 15
Departure.
After breakfast at the hotel, the group departs by private vehicle for Manas International Airport. The airport drop-off transfer is included. Fifteen days in one of the last truly wild countries on earth. You leave dustier, fuller and with a greater understanding of what true travel is all about.