Kirgisistan von Seen zu Jurten Tour

Arrival in Bishkek and transfer from Manas International Airport to the city (about 40 km, 30–40 minutes). Check in at the hotel (early check-in is not included) and take some time to rest. Later in the morning the sightseeing tour of the Kyrgyz capital begins: the monument to the national hero Manas, the changing of the guard of honor, the State Historical Museum, the Kurmanjan Datka and Lenin statues, the main Ala-Too Square with the government buildings, Oak Park and the Fine Art Gallery. The city tour ends at Victory Square. Overnight at the hotel in Bishkek.

Bischkek, Ala Too Square, Bishkek Oak Park, Bishkek Victory Square

• Manas International Airport → Bischkek (40 km)

Über Nacht: Bischkek (Hotel)

• Shower: Yes
• Toilet: Private (in the room)
• Internet: Wi-Fi

After breakfast we leave the city for the countryside. The first stop is the Burana Tower, an ancient minaret 12 km from the town of Tokmok. It stands on the site of Balasagun, a town of strategic importance on the Great Silk Road. A small museum shows finds from the excavations, and next to the tower stands a collection of balbals – old Turkic gravestones. Then we continue to Issyk-Kul. Of tectonic origin, it is the second largest alpine lake in the world after Lake Titicaca in South America: 182 km long, 58 km wide and up to 668 m deep, with water temperatures of 20–23 °C in summer. Enjoy the changing landscapes on the way. In Cholpon-Ata we visit the famous open-air petroglyph site, then drive on along the lake to Karakol, with a short stop on the shore for a swim. Evening arrival in Karakol and check-in at the hotel. The drive is about 400 km (6–7 hours).

Burana Turm, Issyk-Kul, Cholpon Ata petroglyphs museum, Cholpon Ata, Karakol

• Bischkek → Karakol (400 km)

Über Nacht: Karakol (Hotel)

• Shower: Yes
• Toilet: Private (in the room)
• Internet: Wi-Fi

Mahlzeiten: Frühstück

In the morning we explore Karakol. 12 km outside the town we visit the memorial museum of Nikolai Przhevalsky, the great Russian explorer of the Asian continent. In town you see the Dungan Mosque, built in the style of a Chinese pagoda and still in use today, and the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, built of wood without a single nail. Its iconostasis holds the famous Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God, painted in 1897. After the city tour we drive along the south shore of Issyk-Kul. The first stop is the Jeti-Oguz gorge for a short hike. Jeti-Oguz means "Seven Bulls" in Kyrgyz. Unlike the Fairy-Tale Canyon, this picturesque gorge has mountains covered with Tien Shan spruce. At its entrance you see the famous Broken Heart rock, and a walk up to the viewpoint reveals the Seven Bulls rocks – your guide tells you the legend behind the name. In Soviet times a sanatorium was built in the gorge, where people came for radon-water treatments; even cosmonauts, including Yuri Gagarin, came here to recover. We continue along the south shore to the Kadji-Sai area for a walk in the Skazka (Fairy-Tale) Canyon, then drive on to Bokonbaevo village. Accommodation and dinner at the guesthouse. The drive is about 180 km (3 hours).

Przhevalsky Museum, Karakol Dungan Mosque, Karakol Orthodox cathedral, Jeti Oguz, Kadji-Sai, Skazka-Schlucht, Bokonbaevo

• Karakol → Bokonbaevo (180 km)

Über Nacht: Bokonbaevo (Guesthouse)

Mahlzeiten: Frühstück, Dinner

Optional in the morning: meet a local eagle hunter near Bokonbaevo for a demonstration of hunting with and training birds of prey. Today we head south via the town of Naryn to the Kara-Koyun gorge and the Tash Rabat caravanserai. Naryn is a long, narrow town along the Naryn River, the main source of the Syr Darya and one of the largest rivers in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. About 90% of its population is Kyrgyz – more than in any other town in the country. We make a short stop to see the Central Blue Mosque and the small central square. Then we drive further south towards the Chinese border, turn into the Kara-Koyun gorge and reach the yurt camp. The Tash Rabat caravanserai stands at about 3,200 m above sea level, not far from the Torugart border crossing to China. Its origin is a mystery, but it may have been built in the 10th century. Some researchers think it was a Nestorian monastery, others a resting place for trade caravans or a defensive post – most likely it served different purposes in different eras. Dinner and overnight at the yurt camp. The drive is about 360 km (5–6 hours).

Bokonbaevo, Naryn, Tasch Rabat

• Bokonbaevo → Tasch Rabat (360 km)

Über Nacht: Tasch Rabat (Yurt camp)

Mahlzeiten: Frühstück, Dinner

In the morning we visit the Tash Rabat caravanserai, close to the camp. After the excursion we drive back to Naryn and on to Song-Kol Lake over the Moldo-Ashuu Pass, arriving in the afternoon. The alpine Song-Kol Lake lies in the Tien Shan at 3,016 m. In summer its shores are considered the best jailoo (summer pasture) in Kyrgyzstan, where herders from Kochkor, Naryn and the Jumgal region graze their livestock. The road to the lake crosses windy mountain passes that seem to vanish into the sky, and the name Song-Kol is translated as "last lake". Accommodation in a comfortable local yurt camp, where you can feel like a real nomad and get to know Kyrgyz culture. The yurt is the traditional dwelling of the nomads of Central Asia: a wooden frame covered with several layers of felt, quick to set up and practical for herders, and decorated inside with felt carpets and traditional embroidery. Dinner and overnight at the yurt camp. The drive is about 260 km (5 hours).

Tasch Rabat, Naryn, Moldo-Ashuu Pass, Lied Kul

• Tasch Rabat → Lied Kul (260 km)

Über Nacht: Lied Kul (Yurt camp)

Mahlzeiten: Frühstück, Dinner

After breakfast we drive back to Bishkek. The long drive crosses the Kalmak-Ashuu Pass, passes Kochkor village and the Orto-Tokoy Reservoir, and continues over the Kuvaky Pass and through the Boom Gorge to the Chuy Valley. In Bishkek you still have time for unfinished business or to buy souvenirs and gifts for your family and friends. Overnight at the hotel in Bishkek. The drive is about 360 km (6–7 hours).

Kalmak-Ashuu Pass, Kochkor, Orto Tokoy Stausee, Boom Gorge, Bischkek

• Lied Kul → Bischkek (360 km)

Über Nacht: Bischkek (Hotel)

• Shower: Yes
• Toilet: Private (in the room)
• Internet: Wi-Fi

Mahlzeiten: Frühstück

Breakfast at the hotel, then group or individual transfer to Manas International Airport (about 30 km, 40 minutes) for your flight home. The guide does not accompany the tour on this day.

Manas International Airport

• Bischkek → Manas International Airport (30 km)

Mahlzeiten: Frühstück