Amazing 7 Days of Kyrgyzstan

Duration: 7 Days | 6 Nights
Destination: Bishkek - Ala Archa - Burana - Chon Kemin - Issyk Kul - Karakol - Jeti Oguz - Kochkor - Son Kul
Departure & Return Locations: Manas International Airport, Bishkek / Manas International Airport, Bishkek
Season: approx. 10 June – 15 September (Son Kul). Outside these dates we can run the program without Son Kul.

Kyrgyzstan is mountains, lakes and nomad culture, and this week shows you all three. Walk in the Ala Archa gorge, climb the 11th-century Burana Tower, follow the north shore of Issyk Kul to Karakol, watch a traditional eagle hunter at work, and spend a night in a yurt beside Son Kul, an alpine lake at over 3,000 m. Private touring with your own English-speaking guide.

Day 1: Bishkek
Your guide meets you at Manas International Airport for the 30-minute drive into Bishkek, which sits at about 800 m beneath the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range. Spend the day on a guided city tour: Victory Square, Oak Park, Ala-Too Square, the National Philharmonic and more.
Overnight: hotel, Bishkek

Day 2: Bishkek - Ala Archa - Burana Tower - Chon Kemin (B)
Start in Ala Archa Natural Park, 45 km from the city on a spur of the Tien Shan – once reserved for the Soviet elite. Choose an easy walk on the paved path or a short hike to a viewpoint. Then head east to the Burana Tower, an 11th-century minaret that marked a Silk Road city; climb to the top if you like, and see the field of balbals, the carved stone warriors nearby. Continue to the Chon Kemin valley.
Overnight: Jekshen Hotel, Chon Kemin

Day 3: Chon Kemin - Issyk Kul - Karakol (B)
Drive to Issyk Kul, the world’s second-largest alpine lake (1,608 m), long held sacred by locals. Follow the whole northern shore, stopping at an open-air field of ancient petroglyphs, to Karakol. Here you visit the Dungan Mosque, built in Chinese style without a single metal nail, and the old wooden Orthodox church.
Overnight: Green Yard Boutique Hotel, Karakol

Day 4: Karakol - Jeti Oguz - Bokonbaevo - Kochkor (B)
Visit the Jeti Oguz gorge for its red-rock “Seven Bulls” formation and the Broken Heart rock, with an optional 20-minute climb to a viewpoint. In Bokonbaevo on the southern shore, meet a local eagle hunter who still hunts hares and foxes the traditional nomadic way. Continue to Kochkor.
Overnight: Mira Guesthouse, Kochkor

Day 5: Kochkor - Son Kul Lake (B)
Drive up to Son Kul, the highest alpine lake in Kyrgyzstan at 3,013 m, ringed by mountains and used as summer pasture by Naryn herders and their families. The afternoon is free to walk the shoreline and enjoy the big skies.
Overnight: Nomad’s Dream yurt camp, Son Kul (shared yurts)

Day 6: Son Kul - Moldo Ashu Pass - Kochkor - Bishkek (B)
Cross the Moldo Ashu Pass, one of the most spectacular roads in the country. Back in Kochkor, spend time with a local family who show you how traditional felt carpets (shyrdaks) are made – you can help make one – and visit a small handicrafts museum of silver jewellery, saddlery and carpets. Continue to Bishkek.
Overnight: hotel, Bishkek

Day 7: Bishkek - Departure (B)
Transfer to Manas International Airport for your onward flight.

Tour Price
• Price shown is per person, twin share, for a private tour with an English-speaking guide, based on 2 travellers and 3-star hotels.
• Choose your group size (2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 travellers) and hotel category above – the per-person price falls as the group grows, and 4-star hotels are available as an upgrade.
• Single supplement available – contact us for pricing.
• Rates valid for travel until 31 October 2027.
• All prices displayed are subject to availability and can be withdrawn or varied without notice.
• Prices are guaranteed once your booking is confirmed by us and paid in full by the due date.
• Itineraries are subject to change due to road, weather and local conditions.

Inclusions:
• 6 nights’ accommodation: Bishkek – Discovery (3-star) or Plaza (4-star), 2 nights; Chon Kemin – Jekshen Hotel; Karakol – Green Yard Boutique Hotel; Kochkor – Mira Guesthouse; Son Kul – Nomad’s Dream yurt camp
• Daily breakfast
• Private transport throughout (Toyota Sequoia for 2 travellers, Mercedes Sprinter for 4–10), including airport transfers
• English-speaking guide
• Entrance fees to all museums in the itinerary
• Mineral water during the tour

Exclusions:
• International flights
• Lunches and dinners (can be added – contact us)
• Early check-in
• Travel insurance
• Tips and personal expenses
• Anything not specifically mentioned in the inclusions

Please note:
• Yurts at Son Kul are shared, normally 4 people per yurt; a yurt for 2 can be arranged at extra cost.
• Son Kul is only accessible in summer; outside the season the program is run without the lake.
• Facilities at Son Kul and in the guesthouses are simple.
• We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance.

Please refer to our Standard Booking Conditions for booking terms and conditions.