Classic Kyrgyzstan Tour

Welcome to Bishkek - the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan!

Thence our road begins, on which numerous caravans used to travel centuries ago.

The city is located in the centre of Chuy Valley, at 800m above sea level in the foothill of Kyrgyz Alatoo Range of which the highest one - Alameddin Peak (4895m) - can be seen from the city (50km to the south).

Bishkek was originally designed and built in 1868 as a Russian military garrison base. Independent since 1991, modern city of 1 million-odd population still is regarded as one of the most Russian-speaking cities of Central Asia.

Bishkek is a city of wide streets, marble-faced public buildings and numerous Soviet-style apartment blocks with interior courtyards, as well as thousands of smaller privately built houses outside the city center. It is laid out on a grid pattern, with most streets flanked on both sides by innumerable trees which provide shade in the hot summers. There are over 150 species of trees and smaller plants growing in the city.

Places to visit in Bishkek are: the Ala-Too Square (Alatau Square), the main square of the city, with the government building and fountains. On the square you can see a flagstaff and a monument to epic hero Manas. The square is surrounded by a number of interesting objects, such as Historical Museum with its unique for CIS countries collection of bronze relieves and statues of the Soviet period, the House of the Government made of white marble, the Oak Park and the Nikolskaya Church, the city’s oldest building.

You should also see Lenin’s statue, as Bishkek is the only capital of the post-Soviet countries featuring a statue of this person. Opera goers may choose to attend impressive Opera House to enjoy opera or ballet performance given once or twice a week or opt to listen to European classic- or Kyrgyz folk music concerts given at the Kyrgyz State Philharmonic Society.

No problems in changing you foreign currency (USD, Euros, JPY, British Pounds and Chinese Yuans) in Bishkek as well as using your travellers checks and credit cards for buying local currency (called Kyrgyz Som).

After lunch we shall have an excursion to the Ala Archa National Park (41 km from Bishkek), situated on the northern slope of the Kyrgyz Range at elevations between 1,600 and 4,875 m above sea level and stretching some 18 km from north to south.

‘Ala’ translates as ‘snowy’, while ‘Archa’ means ‘juniper.’ The gorge is the location of over thirty glaciers of different size, each beautiful in its own way, which melt only in the hottest season. The gorge’s slopes are covered with various juniper species.

Ala Archa features alpine lakes, gracious waterfalls, moraines and glaciers, which can be observed from high above if one climbs beyond the clouds. During a single trip you can feel burning heat and visit the realm of snow and glaciers. The grandiose panorama that can be obtained from the heights includes Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, Korona, Free Korea, Teke-Tor, Ak-Too and other peaks, most of which rise over 4,000 m above sea level.

Return to Bishkek in the evening.

Overnight at the hotel.

Today we shall make a trip to Son Kul, one of Kyrgyzstan’s largest and most picturesque lakes lying in a giant depression 3,016 m above sea level, in the northwestern part of Naryn Province. The lake stretches to a length of 29 km and is 18 km wide, with a maximum depth of 22 m.

Lake Son Kul is surrounded by alpine meadows, which local people have used as summer pastures (jayloo) since ancient times. Shepherds arrive there with their families and herds in late spring and stay in the area for the whole of summer, living in yurts. The lake shores are richly covered with a diversity of flowers, among which are the famous edelweisses. 

Recently, ecological Kyrgyzstan tourism (ecotourism) has grown popular in the region: in the so called jayloo tours tourists are offered to live the life of a shepherd, abstaining from the advantages of civilization, within the local nomadic culture, dwelling in yurts and enjoying the natural traditional food and the beauty of the mountains.

This day will be filled with crystal clear air, perfect silence, fantastic mountain landscapes, bright alpine meadows, the smooth turquoise surface of the enormous lake and the velvet canopy of the night strewn with myriads of large stars!

Dinner at Yurt camp on the shore of Son Kul Lake. Overnight in a yurt.

Today we shall travel across the picturesque Dolon Pass (3,030 m) to Kochkorka.

Kochkor (Kochkorka) is a small town in Naryn province, Kyrgyzstan, situated at an elevation of 2,000 m. The Kochkor valley (which is actually a plateau) has recently grown highly popular among tourists for the bright and unique Kyrgyz traditions, which have been preserved there unchanged, amidst the pure majesty of high mountains.   

Among these traditions are the making of shyrdak - a traditional ornamented Kyrgyz felt carpet, the process of which, if desired, can be demonstrated as part of the shyrdak show.

Travelling along the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul with a stop at amazing Fairy Tale canyon. 

Consisting of red sand and clay, the canyon formed millions of years ago through geological processes and the work of water and wind. This wonderful place was named Fairy Tale, because, if you wander long enough through the numerous labyrinths of the canyon, whose bottom is covered all over with ephedra shrubs, its forms begin producing in your mind the fairytale images of fabulous animals and monsters, castles, towers and human faces. Rain or strong wind can alter the canyon’s relief greatly, and, coming there another time, you can see completely different images and figures.

Arrival in Tamga - a resort village on the southern shore of Lake Issyk Kul. The village is famous for its holy ancient rocks with Buddhist mantras inscribed on them, which are located in the Tamga gorge not far from the settlement.

Lake Issyk Kul (“warm lake” in Kyrgyz) - a natural wonder of Central Asia! The phenomenon of Issyk Kul lake is not only in its being world’s second largest (both by deepness and square area) alpine lake but also that, despite altitude (1.608m), it never gets ice on its surface. The lake attracts hundreds of birds (local as well migratory), is abundant in fish (trout, carp, pike-perch etc.) and provides habitat (the lake-shore riparian forests as well as surrounding mountain forests) for diverse wildlife including nearly extinct snow leopards and red wolves.

Issyk Kul is the most popular tourist destination of Kyrgyzstan. The mountains and the marine microclimate produce a wild, unique environment here. The water of the Issyk Kul is clear blue with a visibility of up to 60 feet (20 m).The water temperature in July on the surface is a comfortable 68° to 73° F (20° to 23° C), and in January it is 36° to 37° F (2° to 3° C).

Accommodation and dinner at guest house in Tamga village. Overnight at guest house.

Today we shall drive to the northern shore of Lake Issyk Kul and visit the Przhevalsky Memorial Complex (9 km from Karakol), which includes a museum and the statue and grave of the outstanding traveller and explorer of Central Asia, who wanted to be buried near Issyk Kul.

Arrival in Cholpon-Ata - a 40 000-population big town and unofficial centre of resort area of Issyk Kul Lake where all spectrum of sanatoriums and rest houses is available. The Cholpon Ata museum contains over 1,000 petroglyphs, ancient burials, ruins of settlements, stone circles, remains of walls and other archaeological objects.

After lunch we depart for the Chong-Kemin gorge (Chon-Kemin gorge) - a wonderful mountainous region ranking among the most beautiful in Kyrgyzstan. A national park was organised in the territory of the gorge, including the Chong-Kemin River, with the purpose of conserving the region’s unique flora and fauna and its natural beauty.     

Check-in and dinner at guest house.