The best of Kyrgyzstan in 8 days: Issyk-Kul and the yurts of Song-Kul

Highlights

• Burana tower and the balbal stone warriors
• The Chong-Kemin valley
• Cholpon-Ata petroglyphs on the shore of Issyk-Kul
• Karakol’s wooden Dungan mosque and Orthodox church
• The red-rock canyon of Jeti-Oguz
• An eagle hunter and a yurt maker in Bokonbaevo
• Two nights in a yurt camp at Song-Kul lake (3,016 m)

By airBy road

1. 1 BishkekDays 1–2, 7–8 By air → Issyk-Kul
2. 2 Issyk-Kul By road → Karakol
3. 3 KarakolDays 3–4 By road → Song-Kul
4. 4 Song-KulDays 5–7 By road → Bishkek

Positions are exact; lines show the order of the route, not the road.

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4
5. 5
6. 6
7. 7
8. 8

1. Day 1Flight to Bishkek

   International flight to Bishkek, for example with Turkish Airlines. Meals and night on board.

2. Day 2Bishkek – Burana – Chong-Kemin valley180 km

   Arrival at Bishkek international airport, meet your guide and transfer to the hotel for a rest. Then set off for the Chong-Kemin valley by way of Burana, site of ancient Balasagun, one of the old capitals of Central Asia on the Silk Road from the 9th century. Visit the Burana minaret, from whose top you see the Ala-Too range (4,895 m), and the open-air museum of balbals, the stone warriors. Continue to Chong-Kemin for the night.

3. Day 3Chong-Kemin – Cholpon-Ata – Karakol300 km

   Drive to Issyk-Kul, at 1,600 m the second-largest mountain lake in the world after Titicaca. Stop at Cholpon-Ata for the rock petroglyphs carved by shamans more than 2,000 years ago, and the Rukh Ordo complex. Continue to Karakol and visit the wooden Dungan mosque and the wooden Orthodox church.

4. Day 4Karakol – Jeti-Oguz – Kaji-Say200 km

   Early start for the Jeti-Oguz valley on the south shore of Issyk-Kul. Walk in the valley among its red-rock canyon and wide views, then continue to Kaji-Say.

5. Day 5Kaji-Say – Bokonbaevo – Song-Kul lake280 km

   Along the south shore to the village of Bokonbaevo to meet the eagle hunter Arstanbek, who explains how the Kyrgyz have always hunted hares and foxes with golden eagles. A yurt maker shows how a small, real yurt is put up.

   Lunch in Kochkor, then the road up to Song-Kul lake. Settle into the yurt camp on the northern shore, at 3,016 m. Dinner and night in the yurts.

6. Day 6Song-Kul lake

   Song-Kul is called the paradise of the nomads: its rich pastures draw Kyrgyz herders and their animals every summer. Free time to discover the world of the nomads. Traditional dinner and a second night in the yurt.

   The yurt is the traditional home of Central Asia’s nomads, and a medium yurt for a family goes up in about an hour. In summer the herders take their animals up to the jailoo, the high pastures; in winter they return to the valleys for shelter from the cold and snow.

7. Day 7Song-Kul – Bishkek350 km

   Back through Kochkor to the capital, with lunch on the way and arrival around 15:00. Walk through the colourful Osh bazaar and Ala-Too Square. Dinner in a restaurant.

8. Day 8Departure from Bishkek

   Transfer to the international airport for your flight home.

Hotels, transport & meals

Gallery

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