Dates: 11th - 21 June
3rd - 12th August
In the quite unknown part of the world lies a hidden gem of Kyrgyzstan. A country with the most beautiful, untouched mountain landscapes and an ancient nomadic culture. This is where I am from.
From the age of nine I grew up in Great Britain, but in the past few years I have rediscovered and traveled around the country of my birth. In my adventure I relit the flame of my nomadic blood and through this tour I want to share my experience and my home country with the rest of the world
My motto in life is “When in Rome do as the Romans do”, so in our tour we will:
- Horse ride and trek in the mountains
- Live in a yurt as shepherds
- Watch traditional Kyrgyz hunting with Golden Eagles
- Stay in local guesthouses eating all organic foods helping the local community
- Travel and hike through some of the most beautiful views in the world
- Complete a Masterclass in gun training at a professional gun range
So come join us on this all inclusive ten day holiday!
Day 0/1 - Arrival to Bishkek, Bazaars and Shooting
We start from picking you up from Manas airport on arrival. We help you pick up local SIM cards so you are always connected and let you rest at the massive villa. The first day of the tour starts action packed!
We will visit the vibrant Osh Bazaar to experience the culture and local food. It is a unique experience for someone who has not seen the local life of nonsupermarket oriented world. Afterwards, we will visit a gun range and have a masterclass in gun training. We will shoot with pistols, assault rifles, and sniper rifles.
We will have dinner in Bishkek, see the main square, and the statue of Lenin. We will end the day with drinks at a rooftop bar. The flights to Kyrgyzstan and the jetlag can be difficult, hence we spend the first day getting oriented. The villa has a garden, pool and a BBQ area it is quite a nice place to relax
Accommodation: Villa in Bishkek
Day 2- Horse Ride to Kol-Tor Glacial Lake
We start the day early, have breakfast and drive to the Kegety national reserve. The reserve is beautiful, we will meet our horses and ride up to the Kol-Tor glacial lake at 2.5km relief. The overall journey is 16km. Everything will be beginner friendly and we will take it nice and easy to get used to the horses. The view and the colour of the lake is beautiful. Anyone who is brave enough may want to try to swim in it, but it is nearly 0 degrees
For the evening I will hire out a spa with sauna, pool, hamam , chefs and karaoke. It is a massive two level complex just for us and will be a perfect opportunity to relax after a long hike, get to know each other and have a little party.
Accommodation: Villa in Bishkek
Day 3 - Horse Riding at Chon-Kemin and Kok-Boru Game
We will set off early at 8am and drive to the Chon Kemin national reserve. There we will leave our belongings at a guesthouse and meet our horses and guides.
We will take a gentle stroll on horses up to the mountains and nature reserve. After we come down to the village the local shepherds will demonstrate Kyrgyz traditional horse game for us. The highlight being Kok-Boru, a game where two teams fight to score in cauldrons using a sheep carcass.
Accommodation: Chon-Kemin guest house
Day 4 Drive to Son-Kul Lake
We will set off early and start our drive to the Son-Kol lake. It is a long but a beautiful journey, through mountains passes and snow covered roads. The journey is half the experience. We will arrive at Son-Kul lake at 3km relief.
It is breathtaking. At this altitude the weather is cold. There is no internet, no phone connection, and no electricity lines. Just you and the bare beauty of the Son-Kul Lake. We will stay in a Kyrgyz yurt like the nomads of Central Asia have done so for thousands of years.
This is a chill day where we take in the beauty - the peace. In the evening we will sit around a campfire and look at the night sky, with no light pollution whatsoever. If there are no clouds, we will see the glimpse of our galaxy called the Milky Way. My undergraduate degree was in Astrophysics and Cosmology. I can tell you all about our galaxy and our place in the universe.
Accommodation: Yurt Camps Near Shore of Son-Kul
Day 5 - Drive to South Shore of Issyk-Kul
We will set off from Son-Kol and drive through the mountainous 32 Parrots Pass.This may be the most beautiful road I have ever driven on. The scale of the mountains is immense. Unending valleys and mountains, meandering roads, and clouds so close to you they are at your fingertips. This journey is breathtaking and you will be in silent awe.
We will drive to the south shore of the Issyk-Kul lake and stay at Beltam Yurt camp. For everyone who is willing, we will have an evening swim in the lake.
Accommodation: Beltam Yurt Camp
Day 6 - Eagle Hunting, Skazka Canyon and Hike to Barskon Waterfalls
After breakfast at Beltam yurt camp, we will set off to a masterclass with Golden Eagle hunting and Taigain (Kyrgyz Hunting Dog) hunting. This will be a demonstration of the ancient Kyrgyz traditions portrayed by the local hunter from the Bokanbaevo village. Everyone will be taught to shoot from bows like the warriors of old.
Afterwards we will visit the Skazka (Fairytale) canyon. This place is magical and comparable to the surface of Mars. We will follow the road on the south shore of Issyk-Kul and drive up to the Barskon gorge where we will hike up to three beautiful waterfalls. In Barskon you can see the Soviet statue of Yuri Gagarin (first man in space), the beautiful nature of this place used to be a sanitarium for soviet cosmonauts to relax.
Accommodation: Barskon Guesthouse
Day 7 - Hike to Altyn-Arashan
We will drive to Karakol, a city at the most eastern part of the Issyk-Kul lake. We will leave the car, pack our belongings for two days and hike up to the Altyn-Arashan valley.
The hike is beautiful with many animals on the path, beautiful forests, and pristine rivers. In the valley of Altyn-Arashan we will stay at the guest house and visit the secret wild hot springs. These are naturally formed hot-springs in a cave right next to a rapidly moving river. Formed by placing rocks into a little pool by hunters who used to bathe hundreds of years ago. This may be my favourite spot on Earth.
Accommodation: Altyn-Arashan Guesthouse
Day 8 Horse Ride to Ala-Kul Lake
We will start early and ride on horse back to the Ala-Kul lake. On this journey we will ascend the mountains while viewing beautiful scenery, wild animals and endless peaks. The lake itself is at a releif of 3800m, the air is cold but the view is breathtaking. This is definetly the hardest part of the tour but definetly worth it. The horses ride up to 3000m and the last steep ascent to the lake will be done on foot. After we come back to the guesthouse we can swim in the hot springs and relex.
Accommodation: Altyn-Arashan Guesthouse
Day 9 Cholpon Ata Beach Resort
We will leave Altyn Arashan early, hike down to the city of Karakol and drive through the north shore of Issyk-Kul to the city of Cholpon-Ata. It is a classic beach resort, with bars, restaurants, clubs, mountain landscapes behind you and golden beaches in front. We will relax, swim in the lake and gently finish our holiday. This is the opportunity to recover from hard treks and revitilise before ending the holiday.
There are many sea sports activities including parasailing, jet skis and speed boats, which everyone is welcome to pursue. To finish off our tour we will take everyone on cruise ships which sail into the middle of Issyk-Kul. A great way to appreciete the vastness of this mountain lake and dive off the boat into it.
Accommodation: Issyk-Kul Villa
Day 10
After the breakfast at the guesthouse we will drive to Bishkek and drop-off people at the airport, we wish you a safe and wonderful flight. We hope you had a lovely holiday, and would be happy to have you back should you wish to join us again!
Price List
- £1250 per person for an all included roundtrip (transport, food, stay, horses, guides, entrance fees etc).
- £250 deposit to reserve a spot on the tour. Rest of money should be paid 1 month before the start of the tour.
- Flights to and from Kyrgyzstan not included.
- If you have specific requests about the places you wish to visit or activities to you would like to engage in let me know! We will try to fit it in.