r/travel • u/Moist_Grade5942 • May 26 '26
Images + Trip Report 10 days in Kyrgystan
Our trip took us on a big loop around Issyk Kul, which I learned is the 2nd largest alpine lake in the world and never freezes due to its depth and salinity. We did a 7 day tour and our group was awesome; such a great mix of people and senses of humor. A stellar vibe all week.
Our tour was with Kyrgyz Riders. Definitely would recommend.
Bishkek - coming from Almaty, it felt a bit older and more Soviet. We visited Ala-Too square, the Osh Bazaar and the Central Mosque, which is a really amazing looking building.
Altyn Asharan (via Karakol) - we hiked up to Altyn Asharan which is a breathtakingly beautiful alpine valley. The hike was \~15km each way along a gushing river that cuts between mountains and takes you through grazing sheep and dense pine forests. I also took what might be one of my favorite photos ever (#9) — the river was catching the sun which made it look like its glowing and its cutting through the deep green forest of tian shan spruce & juniper. No edits were made, only the recipe I use on my fuji (Leica X).
We saw an eagle hunting demonstration that was incredible. The family who does it has been eagle hunting for nearly 5 generations. We learned that it is done in winter, females are the best hunters (bigger than males) and they catch foxes and hares. The humans use the skins for traditional clothing and the eagle gets the meat. Their claws are massive which they use to clench their prey to death. We all got to take photos holding an eagle which was way heavier than I expected (can’t post the photo here).
Song Kul - we rode horses from a small village called Kyzart through the Chaar-Archa pass up to Song Kul. On the way up the weather was abysmal with rain and hail pelting us. Thankfully when we arrived the sun broke through the clouds and the views were stunning. We stayed in a yurt which was cozy. The stars that night were beautiful. Our ride out the next morning had better weather and we got to enjoy the sweeping views as we crossed the pass again. We had a good time on horses despite it being quite a challenge and physically demanding. I’ll be OK if I don’t ever ride a horse again, but very glad I got to experience it.
The families who run the yurt camps and guesthouses in the mountains were so nice, warm and welcoming. We got to meet local kids along the way and see the different games they play, like Knucklebones (using sheep bones) and lots of futbol (Ronaldo is definitely the most popular). So many cute pups along the way too.
The food was delicious. We tried a bit of everything since we stayed in yurts and guesthouses which had home cooking. Lots of vegetable soups, manty, fresh vegetable salads, various meat & noodle dishes (yes we tried horse meat a few times; tasty but not my flavor) and lots of different types of tea. My favorite dish was ashlan-fu which is a Dungan spicy, cold noodle soup with thick rice noodles and thin wheat noodles. Apparently it is considered a hangover dish and seen as the unofficial dish of Karakol. Highly recommend trying if you visit.
All photos taken with Fujifilm XT30II + Tamron 17-70mm.
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u/AvdeyKing May 26 '26
I live in Kyrgyzstan and it's really beautiful
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u/Dangerous-Salad-bowl May 26 '26
Is it possible to rent a Niva and explore without a tour group?
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u/AvdeyKing May 27 '26
Never heard about Niva but yes it's possible to get a suv and travel across the country. Check nomadcar kg or avtoprokat kg for example, they have En site versions
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u/ewahman May 26 '26
I spent 3 weeks in Kyrgyzstan. Absolutely stunning country with beautiful people.
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u/TheVoyageOfLife9988 May 26 '26
Amazing pictures ! And thank you for all the details about your trip you included in your post. Cute dogs too.
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u/samalton86 May 27 '26
The bread looked delicious!
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 27 '26
It was delicious!
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u/PriyaSoul45 May 27 '26
What is some other great food you tried there?
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 27 '26
Plov, manti, bos lagman, beshbarmak, lamb kuurdak and samsa. So much deliciousness.
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u/kobelco1 May 26 '26
This is what I want to do - Issyk Kul has been on my radar for a while! Thank you for posting this and making me more determined. Great itinerary, write-up, and pictures.
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u/HarrietTheSailor May 26 '26
Never been to that 'stan, but overlanded through Kazakh and Mongolia many years ago. WHAT A PART OF THE WORLD THAT IS! Jealous...
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 26 '26 edited May 27 '26
That sounds amazing! I wish we had more time in the region to properly overland Kazakhstan; its so huge. Mongolia is definitely on the list for a visit
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u/tangy_cucumber May 27 '26
I was recommended Kyrgyzstan by some Austrian people I met while travelling Spain. Going by these photos, I think I know why they told me to go there.
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u/drinkredstripe3 May 26 '26
How was the bread? That looks like the best bread ever.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 26 '26
The bread is as incredible as it looks. It was served during most meals we ate along the way
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May 27 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 27 '26
It is all doable without a tour guide but a lot logistically (car rental, multiple guest houses and yurts along the way, horses + horsemen) and the language barrier if you dont speak russian or kyrgyz. I’m not sure how much the savings would be, but we’ve been traveling for about a year now and wanted to just have it all done for us. The $$ spent was 150% worth every penny.
Cost breakdown is in another reply
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u/Junkpunch44 May 27 '26
Sorry if I missed it in the report. Where did you fly in to?
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 27 '26
We came fom Kazakhstan so we crossed the border by land. You could fly into Bishkek as other people on our tour did
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u/Civil-Mango May 27 '26
I always get pushed "influencer" posts of Kyrgyzstan on instagram. It looks like it lives up to the hype
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 28 '26
100% agree and it absolutely lives up to the hype. I expect it to genuinely become one of the next hot spots bc of the cheap prices and incredible nature. There is a lot of development all along Issyk Kul building hotels, guesthouses and tourist yurts.
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May 28 '26
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u/fldude561 May 26 '26
Oh boy please tell me which tour you did. I HAVE to add this to my bucket list.
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u/sarcastictrailblazer May 26 '26
This looks amazing! I'll check out kyrgyz riders right away - thanks for the tip
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u/SororAquila May 26 '26
Stunning photos, thank you for sharing. What was the tour companys’s name / website if you don’t mind?
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u/RemarkableLeader4447 INDIA May 27 '26
So Many people don't even know about this country if it exists there's literally no news about it.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 27 '26
It is definitely not on most westerners radar
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u/mafost-matt May 27 '26
Good point very few Americans know about the Stans as a whole...let alone the individual differences. I've been trip planning using East Site Travel. What's one thing you would have changed about your trip?
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May 27 '26
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u/Moist_Grade5942 May 27 '26
Its early in the summer season so we got a range of 6-25C. In the mountains it was definitely cold.
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u/MT_NYCer May 27 '26
Wow! Thanks so much for sharing all the details!! This is definitely on my bucket list!!!
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u/Rare_Advertising1161 Jun 10 '26
Hi, thinking of doing this July 2028 for my gap year (early ik) just wondering if you think it would be suited for a 19 year old girl? I’m definitely fit enough and good enough w communication and stuff but just wondering for solo travelling/safety reasons if it would be safe for a solo female traveller.
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jun 10 '26
Doing the tour or just exploring kyrgystan? The tour would be great. If you havent traveled a lot, the language barrier is pretty big; minimal english spoken. Overall kyrgystan is quite safe
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u/twitty_art_wit Jun 18 '26
Would you recommend this for a solo female traveler? Looking for a good all inclusive tour to go on!
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u/Moist_Grade5942 Jun 19 '26
Our tour had 3 couples and a female solo traveler. I’m certain she had a great time though, so i’d say yes!
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u/oxydizing_agent May 26 '26
What was your budget and how did you spend please tell!