Example Itinerary
Strap on your powder skis or splitboard and get ready to experience backcountry skiing or snowboarding in remote and scenic Karakol, in the mountains of northeastern Kyrgyzstan. Journey to the pretty town and get acclimatized to the area before heading up to where the slopes range from 7500 to 12,000 feet above the sea. From December to March, experienced skiers come for the wide range of snow-covered routes, and you will enjoy four of your eight days exploring the pistes that await. Spend your nights beneath the stars in the comfort of a traditional Kyrgyz yurt and, upon your return to Karakol, indulge in a Russian sauna. Enjoy the chance to marvel at Lake Issyk-Kul en route back to Bishkek, where you can discover the delights of the capital.
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.• Snow Sports: Karakol’s gorgeous backcountry slopes offer perfect powder snow, as well as opportunities for off-piste skiing.
• Yurt Accommodation: Make like the locals do and camp in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt, which makes for an authentic and cozy shelter from chilly winter winds.
• Lake Issyk-Kul: One of the largest, deepest and oldest lakes in the world, jewel-toned Issyk-Kul never freezes, making it a picture-perfect subject for keen photographers.
Touch down in Bishkek and meet your guide who has arranged your comfortable six-hour transfer to Karakol by car, taking time to stop off for beautiful photo opportunities. Check in at the comfortable Green Yard Hotel and get acclimatized with a traditional Kyrgyz dinner.
This morning, continue your familiarization with a tour of the town. Enjoy the traditional architecture and soak up the local culture with visits to the history museum, Russian Orthodox Church and Dungan Mosque. This afternoon, embark on your adventure into the mountains, ready for some downhill action.
Get your bearings and allow your guide to recommend some slopes in the surrounding area. After a day spent getting your ski legs, relax in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt camp for a taste of the nomadic lifestyle indigenous to these mountains.
Continue your backcountry adventure, enjoying the slopes and pistes of your mountain destination and challenging yourself with some of the trickier routes. Relax at night with the winter stars overhead, immersed in beautiful countryside.
Spend the day perfecting your turns as you carve your way down your new favorite routes and enjoy your last night in paradise with classic Kyrgyz cuisine and a final comfortable sleep in your cozy yurt.
Spend the day making your final runs and say your goodbyes to the slopes; later today you will head back to Karakol town. In the evening, relax at your hotel and ease any aches and pains with an indulgent Russian sauna.
After breakfast, set off on a leisurely scenic journey bound for Bishkek, making a stop at Przhevalsky Museum, dedicated to the famous Russian explorer. The route takes you alongside the banks of the world’s second largest alpine lake, Issyk-Kul, and you will have the chance to explore and take photos of the stunning scenery. Check in at your luxurious city hotel and relax for the evening.
Spend your remaining hours in Kyrgyzstan exploring the delights of its capital. Take in Bishkek’s State Circus, Opera House, National History Museum, Philharmonic House, City Hall and Osh Bazaar. Sample a little more local food and make your way to the airport for your onward flight.
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.
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.
Richard Collett travels to the World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan for an inspiring story of sporting greatness, cultural pride, and dead goat polo – also known as Kok Boru – in one of Asia’s most interesting competitions.
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.
Aidar and Nursultan, Kyrgyz eagle hunters, train their deadly predators on the edge of Issyk-Kul Lake, a window into the past and a demonstration of nature’s raw power.
Here is a small selection of the kind words our guests have said about us, as well as features by journalists and travel writers.
From the moment I happened upon the REMOTE LANDS website over a year ago, browsed the options, I knew that this would be well worth it. The entire staff is nothing less than professional with service that made us feel like royals.
This was truly the trip of a lifetime. Magical destinations, the most luxurious hotels in the world, and the most wonderful travel companions we could’ve wished for. We were treated like family everywhere we went and we have 14 new best friends.
We have used some of the top rated travel specialists all over the world and, without question, Catherine Heald and Remote Lands are at the very top of the list!
