Culture tours
The Kyrgyz land is a place of untouched wild nature where the people from ancient times still keep their traditions, customs and culture.
In the mountains, you can meet the modern nomads who do not change their lifestyle for centuries. Their simple life can go into the yurt, a felt house that Kyrgyz nomads set so skillfully and decorate it with such love by multi-colored carpets. A lot of incredible discoveries and positive impressions expect you during this trip.
Arrival at Manas Airport in Bishkek, where our team will pick you up and drive you to the capital. Standard check-in at the hotel after 14:00.
We start our city tour in Bishkek. We will visit the heart of the city, Ala- Too Square. After, we can enjoy a walk in Oak Park, one of the favorite places of local people. Bishkek is known as the
greenest city in Central Asia, thanks to its countless parks and alleys.
After lunch, we will have time to visit the local market Osh bazar. Here you can appreciate the creativity and talent of local artisans. Just as you step into the market, you plunge into the oriental atmosphere: an infinite flow of people, and a great variety of goods and colors.
In the evening, we can go to one of the best restaurants in Bishkek, where you can taste delicious Kyrgyz national dishes.
Meals included: no meals included
Accommodation: Hotel 3*
Note: It is highly recommended to book an extra night at the hotel, as most flights to Bishkek arrive late at night or early in the morning.
Breakfast in the hotel. Departure.
Along the way, we visit Burana, located about 80 km from the capital. The tower with funerary monuments, earthworks, remains of the castle, and three mausoleums – that’s all that last out of the ancient Balasagyn town founded by Karakhanids at the end of the ninth century.
As we arrive in Cholpon Ata, we will visit the petroglyphs museum. The 42 hectares of the museum are lined with stones, tombs, balbals and various petroglyphs dated from the 2nd millennium BC until the 4th century AD.
You will stay in the comfortable resort hotel on the shore of Issyk Kul lake. You can relax on the beach.
Dinner in the local restaurant.
Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel 4*
Optionally: Boat trip (from 100 USD/hour per group). Must be booked in advance.
After breakfast, we go towards Grigoriev and Semenov gorges.
They are located on the northern shore of Issyk Kul Lake and are considered the most famous attractions in the Issyk Kul region. You can take a walk and enjoy the wild nature around you.
When we get to Karakol, we will visit its famous sights, such as the Russian Orthodox cathedral and Dungan mosque.
For dinner, you can order the typical dish of this region ¨ashlan fu¨, Dungan traditional cuisine.
Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel 3*
Breakfast in the hotel.
Today we try a special transport (Russian SUV car UAZ) on real broken mountain roads. We have to overcome the enormous rocks. This ride will be exciting.
When we arrive at Altyn Arashan, you can enjoy the beautiful landscapes and fresh mountain air. Later, you can swim in the hot springs (optional).
Lunch in the guesthouse. After some hiking, we come back to Karakol by the same way.
Dinner in the restaurant. Overnight in the hotel.
Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel 3*
Optional activities: hot springs (from 4 USD per person). Possible to pay on spot.
After breakfast, we go towards Jeti Oguz gorge. The name of the gorge is symbolic and means “seven bulls” in Kyrgyz because there are seven giant red-brown rocks resembling furious bulls standing together. You can take a walk here and enjoy the beautiful landscapes.
Then we go to the Barskoon Gorge. The gorge is famous for its waterfalls. One of the best known is Tears of a Leopard. Here you find the monument for the first cosmonaut Yu. A. Gagarin, who was very fond of this place and rested in the nearby Tamga military sanatorium.
Dinner and overnight in Tamga.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Breakfast in the guesthouse. Then we go towards Kochkor by the south shore of the lake.
Along the way, we visit Skazka canyons, which translates from Russian as Fairytale. There you can find rocks of surprising shapes and sizes. A real skyscraper or an animal may appear in front of you. You can do short hiking in the canyons.
On the way, in the village of Bokonbaevo, we offer an optional visit with a local eagle hunter and his bird of prey (option). Eagle hunting is one of the ancient traditions of nomads.
Upon arrival in Kochkor, you can walk in the village. Dinner and overnight in the guesthouse.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Optionally: yurt show (80 USD per group), eagle hunting (80 USD per group). Must be booked in advance.
Breakfast in the guesthouse. Departure.
A winding mountain serpentine leads you to Son Kul Lake. We cross the mountain pass Kalmak Ashu. The lake is surrounded by green meadows, long used by nomads for grazing their animals.
When we arrive at the yurt camp in Son Kul, you can appreciate the hospitality of the nomads and get to know their lifestyle.
Dinner and overnight in the yurts.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Accommodation: Yurt camp
Note: yurt capacity 4-5 people. But during the low season, you can be accommodated 2pax per yurt according to availability. Toilets and sauna are outside.
Breakfast in the yurt. Transfer to Kyzyl Oy village.
Along the way, we cross the pass and the coalmine Kara Keche.
We get Kyzyl Oy, a mountain village located at an altitude of about 1800. Here you can take a picture of extraordinary landscapes of majestic mountains surrounding it.
Dinner and overnight in the guesthouse.
Meals included: breakfast, dinner
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Note: guesthouses in this area are simple and mostly with shared bathroom and WC.
Breakfast in the guesthouse. Departure.
The road to Bishkek passes through the Suusamyr valley and the Too Ashu pass at 3400m. From the mountain pass, there is a clear view over the whole valley with green grass and yurt camps.
We will return to civilization by descending from the pass and passing along one of the most important roads in the country.
We will have time to visit the local market and buy some souvenirs.
Dinner at the restaurant.
Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel 3*
Transfer to the airport. Departure.
Show map
Check-in at hotels after 14:00, check-out before 12:00
Extra night in Bishkek:
