Example Itinerary
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling. Prices may vary depending on season, choice of accommodation and other factors.
On this exciting nine-day adventure through Kyrgyzstan, you will explore not only the natural beauty of this diverse, rugged country, but also the culture and lifestyle of its most traditional nomadic people. Start and end your trip in the country’s capital Bishkek, but escape the urban metropolis to hike around the beautiful Köl-Ükök Lake, explore local handicraft shops in Kochkor, discover Tash-Rabat, a 15th-century stone caravanserai, and visit a nomadic camp, learning all about the local way of life. You will also stop at several historic sites, such as Koshoi-Korgon, the site of an ancient fortress, and Burana tower, a minaret from the Karakhanids’ period. To learn about both past and present life in Kyrgyzstan, this trip can’t be beat.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.
Today is the first day of your exciting adventure through Kyrgyzstan. We will pick you up at the airport in Bishkek, the country’s capital, and take you to your hotel for the chance to get settled in. Afterward, spend some time visiting the sites of the city, such as the Philharmonic House with the Statue of Manas, the Central Square, the National Historical Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts. Enjoy dinner in a restaurant and your stay overnight in the hotel.
Preferred Hotel
After breakfast, you will head out on the road for the 5-hour drive toward Köl-Ükök Lake, stopping along the way at Burana Tower, a minaret from the Karakhanids’ period, Kochkor, a picturesque valley, and Tez-Tör summer pasture, known as a jailoo, where you can enjoy a nice horseback riding trip through the meadow. You’ll stop along the way to enjoy a pleasant picnic near the lake, exploring the local flora and fauna, before heading to your abode for the evening- you’ll be spending the night in a traditional yurt.
When in Kyrgyzstan, do as the locals do! Enjoy a day by Köl-Ükök Lake, sharing in the daily life of nomads in their environment. Take a hike or horseback ride by the lake or take a boat out and fish with the nomads. After your busy day outdoors, you will spend a second night in a yurt.
Today, spend the morning exploring the uniqueness of a nomadic camp, before horseback riding back to Isakeev, enjoying a picnic along the way. From there, you will transfer to Kochkor, where you can visit local handicraft shops before heading to Naryn, a picturesque town on both banks of the Naryn River. Tonight, you will enjoy dinner and overnight in a local guesthouse after a long day's driving (7 hours).
This morning, you will head to At-Bashy valley and Kamandy high pasture (jailoo), passing through the Ak-Muz village during the 90-minute drive. Enjoy a short hike and lunch with the nomads on the scenic jailoo, conversing with them and discovering their unique way of life. Tonight, you will once again stay overnight in a yurt.
Today, you will visit Acha-Kayindy village for lunch in a local house before stopping in at At-Bashy village, the site of a large livestock market that occurs every Sunday. Continuing on, after 4 hours you will reach your evening’s destination: Tash-Rabat, a 15th-century stone caravanserai. Enjoy the local sauna (bania) and dinner and overnight in a yurt.
This morning, enjoy some leisure time to hike or horseback ride through the scenic landscape, about two miles above the sea level. In the afternoon, you will head back to Naryn (3 hours away), stopping at Koshoi-Korgon, the site of an ancient fortress where you can observe the ruins or check out the on-site museum. You will enjoy dinner and overnight at a local guesthouse in Naryn.
Today, you will head back to Bishkek (a 5-hour drive) for a farewell dinner and to catch any of the sights you may have missed at the beginning of your trip. Enjoy dinner at a local restaurant and overnight in your Bishkek hotel.
Preferred Hotel
On the ninth day, your exciting adventure comes to an end. You’ll be transferred back to the Bishkek airport, where you can head home or - if you still have more energy - continue your travels on to another exciting destination.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands - a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
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Richard Collett travels to Kyrgyzstan to build a yurt on the shores of Issyk Kul Lake with a traditional builder, from the wooden willow planks to the tunduk.
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