Itinerary:

Day 1 Sunday: Exploring Bishkek

Arrival in Bishkek at night on your own (if you wish, we can book a flight for you). Transfer from the airport to the hotel. In the morning, visit the modern National Museum with its interesting exhibits and explanations from the Stone Age to the present day. Then take a walk through the large city park with many old oaks, monuments and sculptures. Short city tour to the Kyrgyz parliament, the ‘White House’ of Bishkek, the great mosque, the theatre and other important places in the city.

Afternoon visit to the large Osh bazaar. Here you can find everything your heart and stomach desires: fruit and vegetables, meat and sausages, clothes, fabrics and shoes, household and electrical goods and much more. The excellent Kyrgyz dried fruits, especially apricots, are worth mentioning, and are a welcome snack for many travellers for the days ahead.

Overnight stay at the NOVOTEL Bishkek City Center**** or similar (800 metres above sea level).

Day 2 Monday: from Bishkek to Cholpon Ata via Issyk-Kul Lake

The first stop on the way to Issyk-Kul Lake is the village of Red-Front. It was originally founded by German Mennonites in the 19th century and was called Bergtal (Mountain Valley). Even today, quite a few German families live here. A small museum in the village provides insights into the surprising and eventful history of the place.

A few kilometres further on stands the Tower of Burana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating from the 10th century. Those who brave the narrow spiral staircase to the upper platform are rewarded with a unique view.

In Cholpon-Ata, a 42-hectare site awaits you, with unique rock carvings and prehistoric sculptures.

Cholpon Ata is located directly at the 1600-metre-high Issyk-Kul Lake, the ‘Kyrgyz Sea’. With its area of 6236 square kilometres, Lake Constance fits into it eleven times in terms of area.

Overnight stay at the Tri Korony Hotel*** or similar (1600 metres above sea level).

Day 3 Tuesday: From Cholpon-Ata to Karakol

If you get up early, you can still swim in the lake before breakfast. After breakfast, visit the Chingiz Aitmatov Cultural Centre and Ruch Ordo open-air museum. Monuments to famous people and pavilions for the various world religions are intended to show that all religions and spiritual movements ultimately point to a common God. After that, a detour with a short hike will take you to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan for the first time.

In the afternoon you will reach the town of Karakol, which is also located on a lake. Visit to the informative Prjevalsky Museum, which is dedicated to the great explorer of Central Asia, who is largely unknown in the West. He himself died in Karakol on his last expedition in search of Lhasa and is buried on the site according to his last will.

Overnight stay at the Riverside Guesthouse*** or similar (1600 metres above sea level).

Day 4 Wednesday: Karakol

In the morning, explore Karakol with its colourful market and museum dedicated to the French explorer of Asia, Ella Maillart. Karakol was founded in 1869 as a military post of the Russian Empire and built in the Russian style with an impressive, all-wooden Orthodox church. Around 1880, Karakol was a place of refuge for the Muslim Dungan people, who emigrated here from China to be able to practice their religion freely. The colourful, pagoda-style Dungan Mosque is another architectural highlight of the city.

In the afternoon, take a cable car to the Karakol Ski Base at an altitude of 3,000 metres. From here you have a breathtaking view of the mountain giants of the Tien Shan, the Chinese Heavenly Mountains.

In the evening, you will have the opportunity to talk to a Dungan family and learn more about the life of this community in earlier times and today, while enjoying the rich Dungan cuisine.

Overnight stay at the Riverside Guesthouse*** or similar (1600 metres above sea level).

Day 5 Thursday: From Karakol to Bokonbaevo

Today's journey continues along the shore of the lake towards the west and is characterised by the special world of shapes and colours of the mountains south of Lake Issyk-Kül. The rocks rise dark red from the green valley of Jety Ögüz. A 2-hour hike takes you close to the most famous of these rock formations, the ‘Seven Bulls’, where you will have a picnic lunch. The nearby ‘Broken Heart Mountain’ is also a very popular photo motif.

In the afternoon, a fairytale landscape awaits you in the Skaszka Valley, with bizarre shapes in a wide range of colours, created by centuries of erosion. Narrow paths wind through the hills like a labyrinth; the deep blue lake provides a contrasting backdrop to this bizarre scenery.

Overnight stay at Emily Guesthouse*** or similar (1600 metres above sea level).

Day 6 Friday: From Bokonbaevo to Naryn

Today you will get a deep insight into two of the most important pillars of Kyrgyz culture. In a remote valley, you will meet a Kyrgyz falconer with his eagle. Hunting with eagles is a centuries-old tradition and art of the nomadic Kyrgyz people and has been a registered intangible UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2020. The eagles live to

The small town of Kysyl Tuu is the Kyrgyz centre for yurt production. Here we visit a Kyrgyz family that has been making yurts for generations. Over the centuries, the construction of these mobile dwellings of the nomads has been continuously optimised. All the components are perfectly matched to each other, so that the yurts can be set up by just a

The route now turns away from Lake Issyk-Kul and heads south along the old Silk Road over the 3035-metre-high Dolon Pass to Naryn.

Overnight stay at the Grand Khan Tengri Hotel**** (2000 metres above sea level).

Day 7 Saturday: From Naryn to Kamandy Valley

In the morning, we will leave Naryn and drive to the At Bachy Valley, home to many nomads. After a 2-hour hike, we will reach their summer camp in the Kamandy Valley in the early afternoon, far away from any tourist trails. Enjoy the unique atmosphere and tranquility of this place on a short hike surrounded by beautiful nature and roaming herds of horses.

You will spend the night in a small yurt camp, which our partner agency has set up and runs together with the nomads.

Overnight stay in a yurt camp (2800 metres above sea level)

Day 8 Sunday: Nomadic life in the Kamandy Valley

You will spend the day with the nomads in the Kamandy Valley, where you will have the unique opportunity to immerse yourself in their daily lives, culture and customs.

You will gain a deeper understanding of the close connection between the nomads and their natural environment, their livestock farming practices, their traditional crafts and you will experience the preparation of local dishes.

Overnight stay in a yurt camp (2800 metres above sea level)

Day 9 Monday: From the Kamandy Valley to Tash Rabat

In the morning, you will leave the summer pastures of the nomads in the Kamandy Valley and drive to Tash Rabat to the 11th-century caravanserai there, the most important cultural monument in Kyrgyzstan. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tash Rabat probably dates back even further to the 10th century, when it was a Nestorian monastery. It is located at an altitude of 3000 metres in a beautiful, secluded, gentle mountain landscape, just a few kilometres from the Chinese border.

Overnight stay in a yurt camp (3000 metres above sea level)

Day 10 Tuesday: from Tash Rabat to Kochkor

In the morning you have time to explore the beautiful surroundings on your own, enjoying the special atmosphere of this place.

In the early afternoon, the return journey begins via the Dolon Pass to Kochkor. The village of Kochkor is located in the foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains and is known for its rich traditions and arts and crafts. A visit to this village offers a unique opportunity to learn about local craftsmanship, especially felt making.

The Kochkor Handicrafts Cooperative is a group of local women who have come together to produce and sell traditional Kyrgyz felt products such as shyrdaks (felt carpets) and other handmade crafts. Here you can watch the felt-making process and even take part in a workshop to make your own souvenir.

Overnight in a small hotel*** (2000 metres above sea level)