NOMADIC SOUL
SOVIET ESSENCE
BOUNDLESS SPIRIT

JUNE 08 ⇾ JUNE 17
August 30 ⇾ September 08

In addition to our regular group departures to Kyrgyzstan, we also offer tailored services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. Get in touch for more info on our customised Kyrgyzstan Tours! 

DAY 1 TO DAY 2 • WELCOME TO FRUNZE, er… BISHKEk!

  • Meet-and-greet at Bishkek International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Bishkek.

  • We will devote two entire days to an architectural and cultural immersion into the national capital Bishkek, formerly called Frunze after the namesake Bolshevik leader Mikhail Frunze.

  • The list of highlights of our gallivanting around Bishkek will include traditional Central Asian bazaars, Soviet modernist shapes, USSR-made mosaics, monuments, and memorials, as well as the usual share of offbeat sights, such as an incongruously futuristic Wedding Palace.

  • On our second day in the capital we’ll also take a half-day trip to Ala-Archa, an alpine nature reserve located in the Tian Shan mountains featuring a spectacular gorge and many-coloured juniper forests.

  • Overnights in Bishkek.

DAY 3 • SOVIET RESORTS

  • Today we'll head for lake Issyk-kul, the country’s answer to its missing ocean: nostalgic resorts, young pioneer camps, and post-Soviet party vibes.

  • En route to the lake, we’ll stop at the quintessential Soviet towns of Tokmok and Balykchy and admire some of the best USSR-era bus stops scattered along the road.

  • In the afternoon, we’ll eventually reach the lakeside town of Cholpon-Ata, where we’ll spend the last hours of the day relaxing along the sandy shores of the Issyk-kul and plunging into its cold and slightly saltish waters.

  • Overnight in Cholpon-Ata.

DAY 4 TO DAY 5 • NOODLES AND MINARETS

  • In the morning we’ll continue our drive along the northern shore of the Issyk-Kul and head for Karakol, formerly known as Przhevalsk: bustling bazaars, Soviet memorials, Russian wooden churches, bright-coloured Dungan mosques, former mining towns set against dazzling mountain backdrops, and melancholic USSR-era sanatoriums.

  • Our sojourn in Karakol will also entail a unique gastronomic experience in the village of Yrdyk, home to a sizeable community of Dungans, an obscure Chinese-speaking Muslim famous for their hand-pulled noodles and mouthwatering ashlan-fu, a spicy soup slightly reminiscent of Pyongyang’s cold noodles.

  • Overnights in Karakol.

Bespoke Experiences • Cooking class and traditional meal with a local Dungan family in the village of Yrdyk and münüshkör (eagle hunters) demonstration near Bokonbaevo.

DAY 6 To DAY 7 • COSMONAUTS AND TOMBSTONES

  • We’ll spend the next two days slowly moving west, skirting the southern shores of the Issyk-Kul towards the bazaar town of Kochkor via the famed rock cliffs Jeti Oguz, the military sanatorium of Tamga, the former uranium mining town of Kajy-Say (a must of every USSR-heritage trip around northern Kyrgyzstan), and the traditional lakeside village of Bokonbaevo.

  • Besides the routine breaks for random landscape pictures, we'll make indulge in a few additional stops and detours along the way to visit impressive monuments (such as the giant Gagarin’s bust in the Barksoon Valley and the iron-mash WW2 memorial near Ottuk), atmospheric Houses of Culture (true time capsules from the heydays of the Soviet Union), and picturesquely syncretic graveyards where nomadic, Soviet and Islamic symbolisms come together.

  • In Bokonbaevo we might even be lucky enough to witness a traditional session of salburun, an iconic hunting style that involves falconry and mounted archery.

  • Overnights in either Kajy-Say or Bokonbaevo on day 6 and in Kochkor on day 7.

DAY 8 • ALPINE LAKES AND SECLUDED HAMLETS

  • Today we’ll head up to Song Kul, an astoundingly beautiful alpine lake surrounded by impervious mountains and dotted with photogenic yurt camps of semi-nomadic Kyrgyz shepherd families.

  • After a rejuvenating lunch in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt, we’ll descend towards the dreamlike hamlet of Kyzyl-Oi, a remote Central Asian kishlak (rural settlement) tucked away in an isolated gorge of flaming red mountains and whitewater streams.

  • If time allows, we’ll also take a two-hour detour to Ming-Kush, a once a thriving Soviet uranium mining town, now lying in a desolate yet captivating state of semi-abandonment.

  • Overnight in Kyzyl-Oi.

DAY 9 • BACK IN TOWN

  • We’ll depart from Kyzyl-Oi after breakfast and conclude the Kyrgyz loop proceeding north by northeast towards Bishkek via the scenic Suusamyr pass and the fairytale village of Kozhomkul, home to a quirky monument and museum commemorating the legendary figure of a local giant reportedly able to lift and carry a full-grown horse on his shoulders.

  • Early afternoon arrival in Bishkek and rest of the day devoted to the exploration of the contemporary face of the country’s capital: independent art galleries, underground music clubs, groovy restaurants, and Berlin-style bars.

  • Overnight in Bishkek.

DAY 10 • FAREWELL TO KYRGYZSTAN

  • After sharing a last Kyrgyz meal, we'll take care of your transfer to Bishkek International Airport for your homeward flight.

  • Possible tour extensions to this itinerary include: Tajikistan and/or Turkmenistan.

  • End of the tour.

2490 €

INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Kyrgyzstan (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.

EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.