Travel to the Alay Region in southern Kyrgyzstan and you’ll find a growing, off-the-beaten-path, accessible adventure destination. Experiences run from mid-alpine treks and horse treks in the Alay Mountains to high-alpine experiences up into the Pamir Mountain peaks and epic Pamir Highway road trips into the high desert. Paths are dotted with yurts, shepherds and high pasture nomadic culture along the way. For multi-country Central Asia travels and itineraries, the region also serves as a crossroads between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China.

This article explains how to plan and organize a trip to the Alay Region, including what to do and see in the Alay Mountains and Pamir Mountains.

As our jeep gripped the road and moved us closer to the sky, I began to understand the words of the friend who urged us on our first visit 12 years ago.

“So, there's this part of Kyrgyzstan most travelers don't really know about.”

Horses gathered in their own orchestrated processions, layers of freshly snow-draped mountains as their backdrop. The light bent as it tends to do in this part of the world, arcing into the otherworldly. The wind kicked up, delivering a floating, faraway sensation. Villages and lives and culture had stitched themselves into tiny pockets, scattered within stacks of mega-mountains as far as the eye could see.

Before I even knew I wanted to travel, it was places like this that called me.

That feeling of alpine lift, of high desert mystery along the Pamir Highway was only a taste. Since then, we've visited the region twice more, widening our view — immersing ourselves in the Alay Mountains and getting up close to the Pamir peaks we'd seen only from a distance those years ago.

Dramatic mountains and yurts cut the sky, as local families and roving shepherds offer a sense of what it means to be human here. For visitors, peak experience with a touch of nomadic grounding.

The Alay Region — a remote trading and transport crossroads between cultures and neighboring countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China — is easier to get to than it first appears. Despite this, Alay has a distinctly Kyrgyz feel, as exhibited by families in yurts tending to animals on the jailoo (high pasture) in the summer.

As such, most tourism in this region is community-driven and family-run, and travelers' money tends to stay local. This article is a resource to access it all.

A note on naming convention to keep things straight: Locally, the Alay Region = Alay District + Chong-Alay District. Relevant for travelers: Alay Region = Alay Mountains + Pamir Mountains.

Alay Region Travel Guide: What to do and See

Trek in the Alay Mountains to Experience Nature and Kyrgyz Culture Together

There’s no shortage of stunning mountains and landscapes in a multi-day Alay Mountain trekking experience. Thanks to a network of family yurt camps across the main Alay Mountain treks and trails, the experiences are set apart by a connection with local people and culture.

After a long day of walking, you are welcomed by a family to their yurt camp. Families not only provide a home-cooked meal and warm place to sleep, but also a glimpse into what their summer life is like on the jailoo (high pasture) as they tend to their animals, make fresh creams and breads, and go about daily life.

In addition, the trails you’ll walk tend to trace traditional local shepherd paths. You’ll encounter curious people along the way who want to know where you’re from and what you think of Kyrgyzstan, its landscape and its nature. In other words, when you trek in the Alay Mountains you’ll never forget that you’re in Kyrgyzstan thanks to the engagement with people and nomadic culture along the way.

Where to trek in the Alay Mountains:

Our Alay Mountains trekking guide provides comprehensive information on all the different treks, how to organize them, how to book a tour or guide, when to go, and everything else you need to know. For simplicity in this article, we’ll divide the Alay Mountains into two areas: low and high, and we'll provide examples of the different types of trekking and cultural experiences you’ll find in each.

Trekking in the Lower Alay Mountains

This section of the Alay Mountains is further north in the region and a bit closer to the city of Osh. The trek trailheads begin near the town of Gulcha. Landscapes tend to be green, textured by layers of valleys and hills, and accented by granite peaks.

Don’t let the “lower” fool you — many of the treks cross Ak-Tor pass (3,500 meters/11,500 feet) and feature sweeping views. If you don’t have experience hiking at altitude, this area offers a nice way to acclimatize on a three to five day trek before tackling a trek in the high Alay Mountains or heading up into the Pamirs on a road trip or trek.

In full disclosure, we set off in this area with relatively low expectations since our time followed time in High Alay Mountains and the Pamirs. Despite that, we found the three-day Ak-Tor Pass trek really enjoyable — landscapes were varied and the layers of granite peaks and valleys all around did not disappoint.

Note: We did a 3-day Ak-Tor Pass trek on foot. Other options include five days on horseback as the Truly Nomadic Lands tour. Although multi-day horseback riding treks are not our preference, we can see how these hills would be enjoyable and also appropriate for a beginner on horseback.

Trekking in the High Alay Mountains

This is the more southern segment of the Alay Mountain range, whose trailheads tend to cluster near Sary Mogul village. Our first trekking experiences in this region were the Koshkol Lakes and Best of Alay Trek (8 days). This area still holds a special place in our hearts – for the combination of otherworldly mountain vistas like Sary Mogul Pass (4,303 meters / 14,100 feet) and the diversity of alpine lakes, green valleys, red rock canyons and views of nearby snowcaps.

Today, all of the main treks in the high Alay Mountains are also connected by yurt camps. Though you can camp if you wish, carrying tents and camping equipment is no longer required. This makes the treks easier and less expensive to organize, and also provides more interaction with locals along the way.

Note: Since treks in this area reach some pretty high altitudes, consider acclimatizing with day treks around Sary Mogul or some short treks in the lower Alay Mountains.

Trek into the Pamir Mountains for High Alpine Extremes

The Pamir Mountains are among some of the world's highest mountains. Located in the southern part of the Alay Region, the Pamirs form a natural mountainous border between southern Kyrgyzstan and northern Tajikistan. The line of high, snow-covered peaks— with Peak Lenin (7,134 meters/23,406 feet) as the highest of the Pamir peaks in Kyrgyzstan — is impressive and seems to float just above the plains below where animals graze.

Peak Lenin attracts alpinists and serious mountain climbers from around the world. However, there are other day trek and multi-day trekking options in the area for non-alpinists hoping to get a close-up taste of the Pamirs, its mountain routes splashed with colorful minerals, alpine lakes and glaciers. And you can access it all without the need for any special gear or training.

As you ascend into the Pamir Mountains, and once you leave the yurts of Tulpar-Kol Lake, the atmosphere becomes less coupled to Kyrgyz culture and more connected to the survival demands of professional alpinism. Particularly at the various Peak Lenin camps, many of the people you’ll encounter aim to summit Peak Lenin, and are spending time at the different base and ascent camps in an effort to acclimatize.

For us, this provided an interesting glimpse into the world of mountaineering and all that it takes to prepare and undertake such a climb. While we weren’t tempted to join them (this time, anyhow), it made us appreciate even more the beauty and stunning landscapes that we were able to experience as ordinary hikers and non-professional mountain climbers.

Where to trek in the Pamir Mountains

The jumping off point for treks in this area of the Pamir Mountains is Tulpar-Kol Lake, located about an hour outside of Sary Mogul village. Several yurt camps are located there and can serve as your base. The treks available are typically only available in July and August since the mountain passes are otherwise snow-covered and impassable.

Day hike to Traveler’s Pass (4,100 meters/13,450 feet)

This is a long day of hiking (19 km/12 miles), with an early start from Tulpar-Kol Lake. You hike your way past Lenin Peak Base Camp and nearby high pastures to the ascent up Traveler’s Pass. Don’t just stop once you get to the sign at the pass, though. Go just down the grassy area below and enjoy the lower panoramic view of the snow and glacier-covered Pamir Mountains.

If you have more time continue down the pass for another couple kilometers until you reach what might be described as “Watercolor” valley. Then, return the same way you came and enjoy a well-earned dinner back at Tulpar-Kol yurt camp.

2-3 Day Trek to Lenin Peak Camp 1 and Yuhina Peak (5,100 meters/16,730 feet)

This trek that is included in this Visit Alay Lenin Peak Base Camp Trek (8 days) is designed for those with a bit more time and experience trekking at high altitudes. It's also for those who want to see more of the Pamir Mountains and its extreme landscapes.

The first day includes hiking from Tulpar-Kol Lake over Traveler’s Pass to Lenin Peak Camp 1 (4,400 meters/13,150 feet). It’s a challenging 15+ km / 9+ mile day that takes you through some surreal high mountain landscapes and colors between Traveler’s Pass and Camp 1. Enjoy a hearty dinner at Camp 1, and drink plenty of water well before bedtime to help with the high altitude.

Wake up early the next day to begin climbing up to Yuhina Peak. (You may need to request an early breakfast box for 7AM, since standard breakfast at Ak-Sai Camp 1 does not seem to begin until 8AM.) It’s a challenging, steep ascent through scree to get to the peak. Be sure to proceed slowly and steadily. Allow your body to adjust to the altitude. At the top you’ll cross a snow field to reach the peak.

Enjoy a well-deserved break at the top. Panoramic views of Lenin Peak and the Pamir Mountain sweep around you in all directions. Return the way you came to Camp 1. Have lunch there before beginning the walk back down.

Note: Several trekking agencies run Lenin Peak Base Camps, as well as camps at higher elevations. Our trek was arranged and all our accommodation was booked by Visit Alay in Osh. We stayed at Ak-Sai Camp 1 and found it well-run, clean and professional. Although the tent and sleeping mat is provided you'll need to bring a very warm sleeping bag comfort rated to -10 C/14 F with you (Visit Alay provided this to us). It’s geared more towards professional climbers than day-trekkers so it has a bit of a hearty mountaineering atmosphere, complete with sun struck alpinists and gruffly-spoken Russian.

Experience the Pamirs on a 2-day horse trek to Tuyuk and Booke yurt camps

If you want to enjoy the backdrop of the dramatic snow-covered Pamir Mountains, but with less extreme climbs and altitudes, consider the two-day trek on horse or foot from Tulpar-Kol Lake to Tuyuk and Booke yurt camps. The route takes you around and through high pastures and rolling hills. This should also be suitable for beginner horse riders.

Both yurt camps are at the base of the Pamir Mountains and also feature beautiful views of the Alay Mountains across the valley.

Note: To avoid back-tracking to Tulpar-Kol Lake you can arrange a pickup through the yurt camp or CBT Sary Mogul to take you from Booke yurt camp to Sary Mogul or Osh.

Learn about Kyrgyz nomadic traditions and life on the jailoo

Not far from the village of Daroot Korgon is a lush valley filled with agricultural fields, high pastures for animals, wildflowers, beehives and yurt camps. It’s a beautiful place to spend some time to learn about traditional Kyrgyz culture and life on the jailoo (high pasture).

Our host for the morning, Yrysbubu, has come up to this area for 54 years – spending each summer living on the jailoo. She takes care of cows, sheep and other animals, lives in the family yurt, and continues the traditions and foods of Kyrgyz nomads of her ancestors. She showed us how to make chavaty, or bread cooked on a kazan (big metal pot) directly on the fire.

Before retreating to the yurt to enjoy a lunch of freshly cooked chavaty and mylama (flat bread slathered with kaimak or fresh sour cream), we also had a chance to roll out korut (salty yogurt balls). This traditional Kyrgyz snack is dried out in the summer sun and can then be stored and eaten throughout the winter. Our guide explained that korut mixed with water creates a hearty drink or soup base that can keep people full for hours, providing a necessary source of energy for workers in the mountains and fields.

Although we'd spent time in yurt camps along our treks, it was fun to have the time to take part in daily rituals on the jailoo and absorb a more thorough explanation of the traditions and history behind them.

How to organize: Contact Ak-Bata Guest House in Daroot-Korgon. The owner is the daughter of the grandmother on the jailoo.

Bonus: If you have extra time, stop by one of the nearby beekeepers on your way back to Daroot-Korgon to sample esparcet honey. This valley is known for a high quality, pesticide-free honey made from sainfoin (esparcet) flowers and nettle. If you can't buy honey directly from the beekeeper, you can find containers of local honey at the markets in Daroot-Korgon or at certain shops and hotels in Osh.

Stay in a yurt

There is certainly no shortage of opportunities to stay in a yurt when you’re traveling in the Alay Region. It's one of the highlights.

Even if you don’t plan to hike or trek, spending a night in a yurt is a must. There are several yurt camps accessible to non-hikers that are worth seeking out. For example, Tulpar-Kol Lake in the Pamir Mountains is accessible by car and offers several yurt-stay options. It's also possible to arrange a transfer to/from nearby Booke yurt camp instead of making your way there by horse or on foot. Ask around at Visit Alay, CBT Sary Mogul or your guesthouse in Sary Mogul or Sary Tash for options.

What to expect when staying in a yurt

Yurts are traditional circular Kyrgyz nomadic homes that can be easily assembled, disassembled and transported. They are constructed from cured wooden components, secured with handwoven straps and covered with heavy felt. The inside is usually decorated with colorful felt carpets called shyrdaks whose designs are nature-inspired. The roof of the yurt features the tunduk, a circular opening serving skylight and ventilation. At night, the felt cover is drawn over the top of the yurt, making it dark and warm.

Upon arriving at a yurt camp, you will typically be invited inside for a welcome tea. Given the typical late afternoon arrival to yurt camps on a trek, think of this as the Kyrgyz version of high tea. Often a cloth is set down, and large cushions arranged around it for seating. In addition to the actual tea you will likely be served a combination of bread, borsok (traditional fried bread), homemade jams, honey, sweets, nuts and perhaps freshly-made yogurt or kaimak (cream). You may even be offered kymys, fermented mare’s milk. Although you may be tempted to eat everything in sight, remember to pace yourself for the dinner to follow.

Staying at a yurt camp usually includes a welcome tea, dinner, and breakfast. Be sure to let your guide or your host know in advance if you are vegetarian or have any food allergies or restrictions (e.g., lactose or gluten intolerant) as they will prepare all food fresh for you. Dinner will consist of a hot meal — soup or a hearty dish of plov (rice, vegetables and meat), potatoes mixed with meat or something similar. Breakfast often includes more bread with honey or preserves, as well as soup or sometimes fresh yogurt (ayran).

Everything happens inside the yurt – eating, sleeping, and occasionally even cooking. At night your hosts will clear everything out and lay a series of mats on the ground for you to sleep on, atop which they’ll pile heavy blankets. A yurt in the mountains approximates a womb-like environment. It’s perfectly dark and quiet. We’ve been known to accidentally sleep more than twelve hours in a yurt, so set your alarm if your plans require an early start the next morning.

Some yurts feature wood-fired or coal-burning stoves inside, making it easy to heat the yurt at night in case temperatures drop outside. There are almost always extra blankets available so don’t be afraid to ask for more if you think you might get cold. Although the bedding includes sheets and duvet-covers, we often bring a sleep sack so as to provide an extra layer of warmth and comfort.

Yurt camps are typically located near streams so there is easy access to water. Most will have a simple gravity-fed sink available for washing hands and brushing teeth. An outhouse or dry toilet (usually with toilet paper) will be a short walking distance from the yurt area. Don’t expect a shower.

Things slow down at the yurt camp, so enjoy the quiet, peace and disconnection from the world. Re-connect to nature and life around you.

Start your Pamir Highway road trip to Tajikistan

The Pamir Highway serves up one of the most epic road trips in the world as it winds its way, including through the Alay Region of southern Kyrgyzstan. This begins (or ends, depending upon the direction you choose) in Osh and continues along the M41 through the Pamir-Alay Region to the Wakhan Valley and along to Khorog, Tajikistan.

The journey can take anywhere from five days (if you’re moving quickly and not stopping much) to up to two weeks for side trips and treks. Many people only spend one night in Sary Mogul or Sary Tash village in Kyrgyzstan before moving onto Tajikistan.

However, if you have more time and flexibility we’d recommend stopping off for a couple of days for day hikes, multi-day treks or yurt stays in the Alay Region. You'll immerse yourself in some stunning mountain scenery and have the opportunity to connect with Kyrgyz nomadic culture and people. Moreover, you'll also help your body acclimatize to the high altitude. Particularly if you aren't visiting other destinations in Kyrgyzstan, don't miss this opportunity to learn.

Booking a Pamir Highway trip: When we did our Pamir Highway trip twelve years ago from Osh to Khorog (similar to this Pamir Highway tour) it was challenging to organize as there wasn't a lot of information available on how and where to book a tour or driver from Osh. Or, how to find other travelers to share the jeep and costs. Fortunately, that has changed so it's easier to plan and book a trip. Visit Alay (the local tour company in Osh that arranged our treks above) has an online departure schedule of Pamir Highway tours with available spots if you want to join an existing trip. They also offer different options of Pamir Highway tours, from 5 to 13 days, that cover different routes and include some hiking as well.

Travel Information for the Alay Region

There's not a lot of information available online about traveling in the Alay Region and how to organize a trip. We've tried to incorporate the most relevant and important travel details here.

How to organize treks and experiences in the Alay Region

If you want to travel independently and do self-guided treks, you have a lot of options. All the treks mentioned in our Alay Trekking Guide include links to uploaded digital GPS tracks. With the network of yurt camps along the trails, you don't need to worry about carrying camping equipment.

If you are like us, however, and prefer to trek with a local guide and have everything organized so that the only thing you have to worry about is enjoying yourself in the mountains, then Visit Alay in Osh is your best option for the region. They organized all the treks and visits that we've done in Alay over the last two years. We were happy with the guides, transportation, accommodation and other logistics. Disclosure: Our visits were part of tourism development projects so these treks and experiences were provided to us without cost so we could evaluate them. In any event, we confidently recommend them to anyone.

Visit Alay not only knows well all the treks and experiences possible in the Alay Region, but as the local Community Based Tourism (CBT) organization they have been responsible for some of the infrastructure and are focused on working with and supporting local family businesses. A portion of their profits goes back to training and providing investment for family yurt camps, trekking guides, and other small businesses and local providers. The manager of Visit Alay, Talant Toksonbaev, is dedicated to ensuring that tourism benefits local people. He's assembled a solid network to do this and is always trying to include more people as tourism grows in the region.

When to visit the Alay Region

The best time to visit the Alay Region is during the summer months, mid-June to early September. This is when the mountain passes are cleared of snow so the trekking trails are open, the yurt camps have been set up on the jailoo, and it's warm weather during the day. High season is mid-July to mid-August. Most yurt camps begin to close up late August or early September as they have to get their children back to the village to begin the school year.

One benefit of going early in the season – late June to mid-July — is that the valleys will be more green and filled with wildflowers. We've visited the Alay Region twice in late August and although the hills are more dry as it's the end of the summer we had the trails and yurt camps to ourselves.

The treks and trails in the lower Alay Mountains (e.g., Ak-Tor Pass Trek or Nomadic Lands) are accessible from May through September and even possibly to early October. You can also travel the Pamir Highway during most months of the year, but May to September tend to be the best months because of cold and snow.

What to pack for the Alay Region

The Alay Region is mostly about the outdoors and adventure activities, so don't worry about bringing anything formal or fancy. Since much of the Alay Region is high desert it's important to pack layers as it can get quite warm during the day and drop to low temperatures at night. In addition, some areas are really windy (e.g., Sary Tash or Sary Mogul) so it's important to have windproof or waterproof jackets to help cut the wind. Sturdy clothes and gear that can be mixed and matched and worn multiple times works best as there's not a lot of laundry opportunities.

For more details read our packing list for trekking in the Alay Mountains and our general trekking packing list.

Using Osh as your organizing gateway for Alay

Osh is not only the second biggest city in Kyrgyzstan, but it's also the easiest transportation and organizing hub for any treks or exploration of the Alay Region. You'll find all the services and you need in Osh for your travels in Alay — tours and organized treks, trekking guides, camping and trekking gear rental, snacks and food for the mountains, and more.

Not to mention, Osh is worth a visit due to its mixing bowl of cultures and Silk Road history. It's worth hanging out there for a couple of days to rest up, plan your Alay adventures, do a foodie tour or walking tour of the city, explore the huge Jayma Bazaar, and enjoy the services (e.g., good coffee) of a big city before heading into the mountains.

Accommodation in Alay Region

Accommodation in the Alay Region usually includes small, family-run guesthouses or yurt camps (mentioned above). Don't expect luxury, but you can expect clean rooms with access to a shower (often hot water) and toilet. Many places offer shared rooms, usually divided by gender. However, we've noticed that the availability of double or private rooms seems has steadily increased over the last couple of years. For example, Peak Lenin Guesthouse in Sary Mogul now offers double rooms with shower and toilet facilities inside the building. This is very welcome for traveling couples like us.

A few Alay guesthouses now offer the option of online booking. Check availability and prices of accommodation in Sary Mogul, Sary Tash, and Gulcha.

If you're coming through Osh on the way to Alay, you can easily book hotels in Osh online. On our last trip through Osh we stayed at Rayan Hotel and found it comfortable and well-located. It also serves a hearty breakfast.

Food and Clean Water in the Alay Region

Most of the food you'll eat in the Alay Region will be served by guesthouses or yurt camps. On the plus side, this means that it's always homemade and cooked fresh. On the down side it means a limited choice of what you'll eat since there are usually no menus and everyone tends to eat the same thing. This often includes a variation of rice, potatoes or pasta combined with some meat and vegetables. Usually, there are several rounds of bread on the table served with some combination of honey, jams, ghee (clarified butter), kaimak (local sour cream) or homemade yogurt.

If you are vegetarian or have food allergies (e.g., gluten, lactose, nuts, etc.) be sure to let your guide or hosts know immediately so they can prepare something different for you. Meat features prominently in many Kyrgyz dishes so vegetarians may want to bring nuts or other protein snacks to ensure a balanced diet. You can also request an egg be added to your rice or potatoes.

Possible cooking class option: If you're interested in learning how to cook traditional Kyrgyz food, and specialties from the Alay Region, ask at Lenin Peak Guesthouse if this is an option. We were able to test a cooking class with Baktugul, the mother of the house. She taught us how to make kesme plov handmade noodles stewed with meat, potatoes and tomatoes.

The 1-hour cooking class was fun and interactive. Plus, the resulting meal made for a great lunch. We've also suggested a manti (dumpling) class. So ask about that if you happen to stay there.

Trekking snacks

Our trekking guide kept us well fed with picnic lunches and snacks along the trail. Nuts and dried fruit from the Osh bazaar make for tasty, healthy snacks. However, Snickers bars (don't laugh) are also kind of magical, particularly when they're offered after a grueling ascent. They are available in most villages.

Clean water

Most guesthouses and yurt camps will provide you with boiled water if you request it. So you can refill your reusable water bottle or water bladder. We carried both as we found that the water bladder was best for drinking continually during the trek to stay hydrated while the water bottle was better for drinking water at stops.

Please do not buy bottled water and carry it into the mountains. This approach will only leave a trail of plastic waste since there is no recycling in the area. Read more on how to reduce single-use plastics when traveling.

We recommend carrying water purification drops or a SteriPEN with you just in case. This way, you'll always be assured of having a path to purifying your water. Use them if you need to refill your water bottle along the trail and you're not sure of the cleanliness of the stream or if you want to be extra careful about the water you've received from your host.

How to acclimatize in the Alay Region

Altitude sickness is nothing to mess with. It's not only uncomfortable, but it can actually be very dangerous for your health if not addressed properly and immediately. The best way to help yourself avoid altitude sickness issues is by taking a few days to acclimatize properly before going into the high mountains for a high altitude trek or a Pamir Highway road trip.

At a minimum, consider spending a couple of days in a mountain village (e.g., Sary Tash or Sary Mogul) and be sure to walk around a lot to see how your body handles movement in the thin air. Even better, do an acclimatization hike. For example, hike up to Koshkol Lakes where you go up in altitude during the day, but then sleep at lower elevation (e.g., Sary Mogul village). Another good option is to do a short two to three day trek in the lower Alay Mountains to accustom your body to hiking and sleeping at slightly higher altitude.

In addition, be sure to drink lots of water when in the mountains. Move slowly, too. There's no race to the top. Slower movement and fewer breaks is better for your body then moving quickly and taking longer breaks with a heaving chest to recover.

How to get to the Alay Region

Although the Alay Region (southern Kyrgyzstan) is remote, it's more accessible than you might think. There are several transportation options and routes to get there from within Kyrgyzstan, and from neighboring Uzbekistan, Tajikistan or China. The city of Osh serves as the main transportation jumping off point for shared taxis, marshrutkas and private transport going into the Alay Region. Then, there are public and private transport options between villages and towns inside the region.

For a full description of all the ways to get to Osh, read this.

Traveling to Alay Region from inside Kyrgyzstan

If you're already traveling in Kyrgyzstan and want to get to Osh and then the Alay Region you have a couple of options with flights or land transport (e.g., shared taxi, marshrutkas, private transport).

Flights from Bishkek to Osh: During our recent visits to Osh we flew from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital. It's a quick 45-minute flight to Osh on Pegasus Airway/Air Manas that is inexpensive (e.g., $30-$45) and easy to book online (we usually search for flights with Skyscanner). If you time it right you can even arrive in Bishkek from your international flight and then hop on a flight to Osh a couple of hours later.

Note: In the summer months, 50-minute flights to Osh from Tamchy (north shore of Lake Issyk-Kul) are sometimes offered. If you're spending time in Karakol or the Issyk-Kul region, this is a good option.

Traveling to Osh and Alay by land: Kyrgyzstan has a network of shared taxis and marshtrutkas that will take you almost everywhere if you have enough time. The most common land connections to Osh are from Bishkek (shared taxi only), Jalal-Abad (2 hours), and Naryn. From other parts of the country it's often easiest and fastest to return to Bishkek and travel south from there.

To Alay from China and Tajikistan border crossings

If you're crossing the Irkeshtam border from China (Xinjiang Region) there are usually shared taxis available that will take you to Sary Tash village, which is one of the jumping off points for the Alay Region. If you're coming from the Kyzylart – Bor Dobo border crossing with Tajikistan along the Pamir Highway you'll go through Sary Tash and/or Sary Mogul villages.

To Alay from Uzbekistan and Dostuk border crossing

It has become much easier the last years to travel to Alay (and Kyrgyzstan) overland from Uzbekistan. The borders have opened up and Uzbekistan now offers a visa-free regime (up to 30 days) for many countries. The Dostuk border crossing with Uzbekistan is just 10 km outside of Osh and there are shared taxis or marshrutkas waiting at the border to take you to the city. From there you can arrange onward transport into the Alay Region.

Transportation Options: How to get around the Alay Region

Alay has a network of shared taxis and marshrutkas that will take you between villages and towns in the region. However, you will often need private transport to get to many of the trailheads or yurt camps. This can either be booked in advance as part of an organized trek or tour, or you can organize it at your local guest house. Try to join an existing transfer or departure to reduce your costs and your environmental footprint.

For example, the route between Sary Mogul and Tulpar-Kol Lake is quite popular in the summer months as many travelers spend time at the yurt camps there and do some hiking in the Pamir Mountains. Ask around at your local guest house, with other travelers, or contact Visit Alay to see when a vehicle might be heading up there and if space is available.

The post Alay Region, Kyrgyzstan: An Experiential Travel Guide appeared first on Uncornered Market.

When readers ask, “Should I travel to Kyrgyzstan? Where should I go? What kind of experiences will I have?” We wonder how we’ll keep it short.

Because the country is still relatively undiscovered and serves so many different styles of travel, the answer is: it really depends on what you’re after. There's much more to do and experience in Kyrgyzstan than you might first have imagined.

Mountain landscapes and trekking? Check. Cultural and culinary experiences? Check. Living nomadic culture and yurts? Check. Urban adventures and wellness retreats? Got that, too.

There's good reason why Kyrgyzstan makes our list of favorite destinations, as do its treks.

Note: In full disclosure, we worked with several of the destinations and community organizations (DMOs) mentioned below to help them develop many of these new culinary and cultural tours and experiences. This was part of our consulting work on the USAID Business Growth Initiative (BGI) tourism development project aimed at promoting regional and local tourism initiatives to keep tourism money local and benefit the communities. So, we think these local tours and connections are pretty cool…and we hope you do, too!

27 Things to Do, See and Eat in Kyrgyzstan

1. Get Amongst It and Trek the Tian Shan or Pamir-Alay Mountains

With over 90% of Kyrgyzstan covered in mountains, it’s impossible to escape them. Good thing, because those mountains are among the country’s biggest draw. Deservedly so.

Tucked into those mountains are experiences for adventure travelers and trekkers, as well as those who just want to temporarily disconnect from their daily concerns and reconnect with nature and themselves.

The mountains also serve as a fitting backdrop for Kyrgyz nomadic culture and living history. This means that during your treks you'll also encounter local shepherds and their families up on the jailoo (high pastures) with their animals. Kyrgyz people and nomadic culture are hospitable (see #9), so don't be surprised if you are invited in for tea or a snack.

The two main mountain ranges in Kyrgyzstan include the Tian Shan Mountains that cover most of Kyrgyzstan and continue into Kazakhstan and China in the east and the Pamir-Alay Mountains that go into Tajikistan and China in the southern part of the country. These are serious mountain ranges with several peaks each over 7,000 meters (23,000 feet), but they both have many trekking options and routes for every difficulty level and desired length of trek (e.g., day hikes to multi-day treks).

Recommended trekking regions and routes:

• Treks near Karakol: Altyn-Arashan, Ala Kol, Archa Tor Pass, Highlights of Ak Suu, Nomad Valley Trek
• Treks in the Jyrgalan Valley: Boz-Uchuk Lakes, Kesenkiya Loop, Robber's Canyon, Ailampa Glacier Loop, Glacier Valleys
• Treks on the South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul: Skazka, Jeti-Oguz, Shatyly Overlook, Barskoon Waterfalls
• Treks near Osh (Pamir-Alay Mountains / Alay Region): Heights of Alay, Koshkol Lakes, Lenin Peak Base Camp, Kyrgyz Ata National Park
• Treks near Naryn: Salkyn Tur, Kol Suu Lake

2. Go Back in Time with the Golden Eagles of Salbuurun

Spend time with members of the Kyrgyz Salbuurun Federation and understand the rudiments and reasons for Kyrgyz nomadic traditions of hunting with golden eagles, falcons and taigan hunting dogs. This image only begins to tell a real-life story and history that looks and feels like a Central Asian version of Game of Thrones.

How to do it: Some local guest houses and yurt camps along the South Shore or Lake Issyk-Kul can organize a Salbuurun demonstration for you on their own premises. You'll have a chance to see demonstrations on how hunters work together as a team with their golden eagles, taigan dogs and horses, including sample hunts (don't worry, stuffed animals are used) and archery on horseback. First you’ll witness, and then maybe try for yourself. .

3. Horse Trek to Song Kul or Köl Suu Lake and Hang with the Shepherds

Even if you’ve never ridden a horse – or as in our case, just because you’ve never ridden a horse – this experience is an absolute must.

After realizing that horses are the choice work animal and often the transport of choice across the countryside, take one with a guide and head into the hills on a journey to the mountain lake of Song Kul (3,016 meters / 9,895 feet) or Köl Suu (3,514 meters/ 11,530 feet) in Naryn Region.

Overnight, you stay in a shepherd family’s yurt, then finish off at the lake for another overnight stay. The setting: photogenic, iconic and visually stunning. Kyrgyz landscape and culture collide in what remains one of the most memorable experiences of our early travels.

For the truly offbeat and cultural immersive, time your visit with Ramadan. If you do, maybe you’ll have a celebratory goat slain in your honor.

Note: We've heard over the years that Song Kul Lake has become more crowded with its increased popularity, so if you want a more off-the-beaten-path experience consider choosing Köl Suu lake. It's also in the Naryn region, but a little more remote and close to the border with China. We have not been ourselves, but we've heard from friends with a lot of experience in Kyrgyzstan that the experience there and lake make it worth the extra effort to get there.

How to do it: We arranged our Song-Kul horse trek, including a horse guide, horses, and yurt-stays, with CBT Kochkor. For a journey to Köl Suu Lake, CBT Naryn can arrange the permit, transport, yurt stays and horseback riding for you. If you don't think you're up for a lots of horseback riding (don't worry, we get it), consider one of the day horse treks from Naryn or Jyrgalan.

4. Get Lost in the Lanes of the Osh Bazaar

Travel to Osh and you'll find a large ethnically complex city in southern Kyrgyzstan. It's grown on us each time we've visited. With Uzbek and Kyrgyz populations, and a few Tajiks thrown in for good measure, Osh is a sort of Central Asian mixing bowl of cultures, food and people.

There’s no better place to experience this than at the Osh Jayma Bazaar, the oldest in the region at over 2,000 years old. It's living history underscores its (and the city's) importance as a Silk Road trading center. The fresh market and goods bazaar seem to take over much of the city and is one of its most defining features. Enjoy getting lost in the lanes filled with spices, dried fruits and nuts, fresh produce, dairy products, and more.

Note: The Osh Bazaar is also the perfect place to stock up on snacks and the ingredients for make-your-own trail mix before heading into the Pamir-Alay Mountains for a trek or for a Pamir Highway road trip to Tajikistan.

Other markets worth visiting in Kyrgyzstan: Most towns and cities will have their own fresh market. These are fun places to wander around, possibly sample a few treats, ask a few questions (if you have some basic Russian) and just get a feel for the local cuisine and people.

Karakol has a small bazaar (Bugu Bazaar) in the center of town which is a manageable size, but still has a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, dried fruits and nuts (our favorite are the fried fava beans), mountain honey, and more. Further afield is Karakol's Big Bazaar with many more stands; it's also easy to get lost the in its small lanes and alleys.

Bishkek has several massive markets with Osh Bazaar as the most interesting for travelers. It's also worth popping into Naryn's central market to sample local honey, yogurt drinks and korut (dried yogurt snacks).

5. Drink a Tall Glass of Fermented Mare’s Milk (Kymyz)

Kymyz, or fermented mare’s milk, is a traditional and beloved Kyrgyz drink. It is worth noting that for foreigners who have not grown up drinking it, kymyz can be an acquired taste. What’s it like? Fizzy milk, with a bit of tang. Some compare it a bit to kefir. Be careful to drink small quantities your first time out so your stomach can become accustomed to the fermentation.

The first time we tried kymyz in Kyrgyzstan, it was from a roadside stand in the town of Kochkor. The woman running the stand almost didn't sell it to me for fear that it would make me sick before my horse trek. I convinced her that my stomach was already full of bacteria and I would be OK. It was probably the best kymyzI’ve ever tried.

If you really dig kymyz, you’re in luck. There are even spa-like health and wellness experiences that involve digestive kymyz treatments for five to ten days which apparently cure all that ails you. If you try it, let us know how it goes.

6. Get the Best Sleep of Your Life in a Yurt

For so many reasons, sleeping in a Kyrgyz yurt at least once in one’s life is a must-do. As the sun goes down and a chill descends, the warmth of a yurt is a welcome feeling. At night, enjoy the moonlight streaming through the tunduk, the latticed circular opening at the yurt’s apex.

Take a few warm, heavy blankets (there are usually plenty of them in just about every yurt you’ll find yourself), have your host cover the tunduk and enjoy a long, comfy slumber in complete darkness.

Note: Watching how yurts are built (and disassembled) is a pretty interesting process. Many Kyrgyz festivals (especially in South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul) will include yurt-building competitions (the record is around 10 minutes) and you can also join a yurt-building tour in Kyzyl-Tuu village.

7. Release Your Inner Child in the Fairy Tale Canyons (Skazka Canyon)

Light adventure at its best. Drive up, talk a 20 minute walk, then do a 360 turn and be amazed by the landscape variety around you along Lake Issyk-Kul’s South Shore.

How to do it: Easiest way to get to Skazka is as a day trip from Bokonbaevo by hiring a driver to take you there, wait, and bring you back (around 1,500 som/$22). Alternatively, you can take a marshrutka towards Karakol from Bokonbaevo and ask to be dropped off on the main road at the turnoff sign for. It's about a 15-minute walk to the entrance. The entrance fee is 50 som.

8. Watch a Kok-Boru (Goat Carcass Polo) Match

Kok-boru, goat carcass polo, is one of Kyrgyzstan’s national and most beloved sports. After watching several matches at the World Nomad Games, we understand why: it is fast-paced and intense.

During the warmer months, most villages assemble pick-up kok-boru teams, so it is possible to catch an impromptu match if you ask around. In addition, many summer festivals (e.g., in South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul or Jyrgalan) feature kok-boru games as part of the festivities.

We’ve also been told that almost all national holidays are celebrated with kok-boru. If you happen to be in Kyrgyzstan during that time keep your eye out for the kok-boru matches that take over stadiums across the country.

9. Enjoy Kyrgyz Hospitality on the Fly (Say Yes to Random Invitations)

Kyrgyz people like to engage. They like to ask questions. They like to invite travelers to join them. They are hospitable. If a Kyrgyz person offers you lunch, a drink, or an opportunity to hang out, it's most likely genuine. Say yes to the invitation.

10. Sample Samsas in Osh

With its mixture of Uzbek and Kyrgyz cultures, Osh is famous for its giant somsas (chon samsa), stuffed pastries (usually with mutton and onions) baked on the side of a tandoor-like oven called a tandir. You can smell them baking a block away. Get them while they are hot before the fat inside has a chance to cool.

And don’t worry if bread products aren’t your thing. There are also plenty of steamed manti, stuffed dumplings, hanging around Osh as well. In fact, vegetarians can rejoice as the local dumpling specialties of maida manti and gök chuchvara are both meat-free.

Note: If you want to try both samsa and maida manti, sign up for the Osh foodie tour as you'll have a chance to sample these Osh specialties as well as a few others in just a few hours. A vegetarian version of this tour is also possible.

11. Admire Kyrgyz Men in Kalpaks

The kalpak is a black and white, uniquely-shaped, traditional Kyrgyz men’s hat. It is one of the distinct symbols of Kyrgyzstan. I once had a conversation for an hour in broken Russian about how the kalpak is the most perfectly designed hat because it stabilizes temperature all year round – warm in the summer, cool in the winter.

Now, I’m not so sure about where the kalpak falls in the scale of perfectly designed headwear around the world, but a group of older men hanging out in their kalpaks makes for quintessential Kyrgyz tableau. If you happen to be in the country for any sort of festival or holiday, you'll surely encounter a sea of kalpaks.

12. Receive Life Wisdom from a Friendly Shepherd

We've found that if you leave yourself open to others, wisdom can arrive in many forms from unlikely sources. During our first visit to the Southern Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, we met this shepherd with 76 years of wisdom under his sagging belt.

When we explained who we were and why we were encountering him in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, he told tells us that we should continue to wander, learn and explore while we are young.

13. Attend the Olympics of Nomadic Sports (aka, the World Nomad Games)

The World Nomad Games take place every two years (on even years), usually in early to mid September. The next games are 2-8 September, 2018 in Cholpon-Ata (north shore of Lake Issyk-Kul) and several other locations.

Wrestling on horseback, goat carcass polo (kok-boru), hunting with golden eagles, archery on horseback, and stick wrestling are just a few of the events featuring nomad competitors from around the world.

And, if you time your visit right you might indeed find yourself waving to Stephen Seagal dressed as a nomadic warlord, riding horseback. It happened in the 2016 games.

If high-intensity physical sports involving horses or men trying pin each other to the ground aren’t for you, there’s a whole other cultural segment of the World Nomad Games focused on Kyrgyz and nomadic cultures, crafts and games.

How to do it: Read our World Nomad Games Beginner’s Guide with details on how to organize a trip to see the World Nomad Games and what sports and experiences to expect there.

14. Eat “Five Fingers” (Beshbarmak)

This traditional Kyrgyz dish, known as “5 fingers,” is made from homemade noodles cooked in a broth and turned with pieces of meat (usually mutton). There are some small regional differences in this dish across the country (for example, in Naryn it’s chock-full of meat), but this nomadic dish is one that all Kyrgyz can get behind.

The traditional way to eat it is with your hands and in a yurt. But don’t worry, using a fork and knife is more than OK these days.

Where to find beshbarmak: Many Kyrgyz restaurants serve beshbarmak, but the best way to sample it is when it is cooked fresh for you – either up in the jailoo (high pastures) or with a cooking class. We did the Beshbarmak Cooking Class in Naryn and some yurt camps also offer cooking classes upon request.

15. Soak Your Aching Muscles in a Natural Alpine Hot Spring

Among the more enjoyable combinations in an alpine destination: mountain trekking and restorative hot springs. Near the town of Karakol, you can find a couple of options, including the mountain trek of Altyn Arashan, which includes a night in a yurt or simple hostel paired with soaking in a hot spring pool.

Alternatively, after your hike, or just because, you can seek out Ak-Suu, another hot springs village close to Karakol. Relax, warm up and chill out at an outdoor hot spring pool with the mountains all around you. Either way, the sulfurous mineral waters are good for what ails your trekked-out or otherwise stressed-out muscles and bones.

16. Take a Dip in the 2nd Largest Alpine Lake in the World, Lake Issyk-Kul

Two choices here — along the northern shore where there are several spas and developed beach areas in and around the town of Cholpon-Ata or along the lake’s south shore where you’ll find plenty of shoreside clearings from which to take a walk or jump in.

Our vote is for the south shore (Tamga and Kaji-Say beaches are recommended) as it's less crowded and without the big resorts, but if you want a taste of the Soviet-meets-Kyrgyz spa experience then give the north shore a try as well.

Either way, you’ll have an incredible view of the Tian Shan Mountains to keep you company during your swim in waters purported to possess special healing powers.

17. Discover Dungan Culture and Cuisine in Karakol

Spend some time in Karakol and learn about the Dungan people and their presence in Kyrgyzstan. Originally from China, the Dungan people emigrated to Karakol in the 1880s and have preserved their cuisine, culture and traditions over time.

Particularly as you make your way around the Karakol Big and Little Bazaars, you’ll find Dungan vendors and influences everywhere. Karakol in particular and Kyrgyzstan in general owe a nod to the Dungan culture for its impact on the national and regional cuisines.

One of the best — and tastiest — ways to experience Dungan cuisine and hospitality is by joining the Dungan Village Visit and Family Dinner tour organized by Destination Karakol. You'll visit a Dungan village outside of town and learn about their history and culture through a brief walking tour, followed by the main event — a home-cooked Dungan feast with a minimum of eight dishes. Impressive and delicious.

You'll also have a chance to to learn how to make your own ashlan-fu, a famous Dungan cold soup in a vinegar broth made with noodles, potato starch, and various herbs and spices. It's delicious all the time. We also hear it's a particularly effective hangover cure. Dungan apple vinegar is always homemade; each family maintains a secret recipe.

18. Blaze a New Trekking Trail in Jyrgalan Valley

Trekking in Kyrgyzstan’s Jyrgalan Valley is one of the new mountain experiences available outside of the town of Karakol (60 km). Not only is this a beautiful (and not very crowded) area to go trekking, but Jyrgalan village itself has an interesting story — from dying coal mining village to trekking and outdoor adventure center in just a few years.

There are now a handful of day and multi-day treks (and horse treks, if that's your thing) that leave from Jyrgalan village itself. The trail that we took – the Boz-Uchuk Lakes Trek – winds 55km (33.5 miles) over three days through the Terskei Ala-Too Range of the Tian Shan Mountains of eastern Kyrgyzstan, over mountain passes, across river valleys and up to alpine lakes.

Local people have been trained as mountain guides and horse handlers and accommodation in the village is mostly through family guest houses and home stays. So, you know that your tourism money is staying local and contributing to local families.

How to organize a trek in Jyrgalan Valley: Read our Jyrgalan Boz-Uchuk Lakes Trek: A Beginner's Guide for all the details you need not only for the trek we did, but for trekking in Jyrgalan Valley in general. You can also check out the different day and multi-day trekking tours or horse treks available from Destination Jyrgalan, the community organization spearheading local tourism development.

19. Enjoy Yurt-Side Morning Tea

This photo, taken on the second morning along our horse trekking experience to Song-Kul Lake, captured the essence of the outdoor exhilaration meets nomadic culture that for us defines a travel experience in Kyrgyzstan. With a chill in the air, as we experienced this early autumn morning, a streaming cup of tea — the ubiquitous drink of choice in Kyrgyzstan — fit the early morning atmosphere of snow-dusted mountain peaks just perfectly.

20. Bargain for Shaggy Sheep at the Karakol Animal Market

If you find yourself in the town of Karakol around the weekend, it’s worth nudging your schedule to coincide with a visit to the Karakol Sunday Animal Market. Trading starts early – sometimes as early as 3:00 AM – in an effort to land the best animal at the best price.

But don’t worry, you can arrive later in the morning and see what horse, sheep, goat and other livestock are fetching at today’s prices. Not only is the experience photogenic, but it offers a unique and lasting window into the eastern Kyrgyzstan region as cultural crossroads.

Animal market in Osh: If you're in southern Kyrgyzstan we also suggest visiting the Sunday animal market outside Osh. We found vendors and local people here to be really friendly, and it's fun to watch the local traditional bargaining techniques, complete with hand signals and drama.

21. Follow Horses in the Shadow of Peak Lenin

If mind-bending mountain peaks are what you seek, arrange transport from the town of Sary Tash in southern Kyrgyzstan to take you out to see some of the most breath-taking mountain scenery you’ll see outside of a trip further along the Pamir Highway. Lenin Peak (Pik Lenin) towers at 7,134 meters (23,405 feet).

22. Feel Like You've Landed on Another Planet in the Alay Mountains

Whether you're going through southern Kyrgyzstan en route to Tajikistan (see #23 below) or China, or just visiting because it's a worthwhile destination in and of itself, set aside some time to go on a trek in the Alay Mountains (or Alay Valley), a sub-range of the Pamir-Alay Mountain system. You'll be rewarded with otherworldly views and just stunningly beauty mountain landscapes in this remote region.

How to organize a trek in the Alay Mountains: Read our comprehensive Trekking in the Alay Mountains, Kyrgyzstan: The Ultimate Guide for everything you need to know to choose a route, organize a trek, find a guide and gear, and what to expect on a day or multi-day trek. You can also see many of trekking options and tours available at Visit Alay, the trekking agency we went with for our trek.

23. Launch Your Pamir Highway Road Trip

Arguably one of the world’s greatest road trips, the Pamir Highway from Kyrgyzstan through the northern Tajikistan region of Badakhshan and the Wakhan Valley to the border of Afghanistan is an experience of a lifetime. If nothing else stirs you, the views of the “Roof of the World” Pamirs will. That, combined with the historical backdrop and blending of cultures makes one feel as if on the edge of the universe.

The place to begin this journey is in Kyrgyzstan. A typical setting off point is the town of Osh or Sary Tash, with a driver who will help navigate the high desert mountain passes and the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border in a rugged vehicle like an UAZ. If you are especially adventurous, begin your overland journey from Bishkek, crossing the mountain passes into Osh.

24. Marvel at Kyrgyz Nomadic Design and Understand the Symbolism of Kyrgyz Shyrdaks and Tush-kiyiz

The first time you walk inside a yurt, particularly a well-decorated colorful one, your inclination will be to look up and around, expanding your peripheral vision. It’s the nature of the geometry of a yurt that does this, as the shape and symbolism of the designs surround you.

The primary decorative elements of Kyrgyz yurts – the colorful sheep’s wool felt carpets called shyrdaks and the thinner more finely embroidered design panels known as tush-kiyiz – will keep your eyes and minds engaged.

To learn more about Kyrgyz design and handicrafts consider visiting Golden Thimble (Altyn Oimak) or Almaluu Crafts Center in Bokonbaevo along the Southern Shore. You can take felt-making and handicraft classes there, as well as meet the women who make the beautiful handicrafts you see in the shops.

25. Relax on a Sunset Cruise on Lake Issyk-Kul

Relax at the end of the day or come down after a trek with a welcome drink in your hand, a handful of fried fava beans, and views of Lake Issyk-Kul and its surrounding snow-covered peaks as the sun goes down. This is the sunset cruise in Karakol. There are worse ways to end your day.

If you want a bit of adrenaline to shake things up, dive off the high deck of the boat and enjoy a swim in Lake Issyk-Kul.

26. Discover Remnants of Kyrgyzstan's Silk Road History

The Silk Road, the network of trading routes that stretched from China to Europe for over a thousand years (2nd century BC – 14th century) also went through Kyrgyzstan. In fact, Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan at the crossroads of China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, was considered the half-way mark for some of the routes, making it an important Silk Road trading center.

One of the best places to find Silk Road ruins and history is in the town of Uzgen, near to the city of Osh. You'll be able to enjoy the surviving minaret and mausoleum with views of the snow-covered Pamir Mountains in the distance.

Other Silk Road Sights in Kyrgyzstan: Burana Tower not far from Bishkek is another place where you can see (and climb) an 11th century minaret. Tash Rabat near Naryn is a caravanserai high in the mountains which sheltered and housed traders coming from China.

27. Find the Kids with the Wind-Burnt Cheeks in Sary Tash

If anything captures the high-mountain essence of Sary Tash, it’s the hue of the cheeks of the children who play in its streets. On the whole, you’ll find the children of Kyrgyzstan to be friendly and engaging, regardless of how much language you happen to share with them. The kids of Sary Tash are no different. And their appearance definitely echoes the idea that Kyrgyzstan was and remains a crossroads between the various Turkic-Mongolian countries that neighbor it and the whole of East Asia.

Bonus: Find the Soviet Murals in Bishkek

Besides enjoying the taste of the big city, one of the finest experiences of Bishkek once included the walls and ceilings of the History Museum (originally referred to as the Lenin Museum). Incredible Soviet murals illustrated propaganda as art to its fullest. Whether it was the arms race and fear of nuclear war or the specter of the West, the feelings and fear are clear.

We’ve been told that the murals have been removed, but not destroyed. Nobody we know knows where they are…yet. If you find them, let us know. Perhaps if enough travelers ask the History Museum to bring them back, they will?

Visas to Kyrgyzstan

Fortunately, Kyrgyzstan makes it easy when it comes to visas. Their visa-free regime applies to citizens of 60 countries and usually provides 30-60 days in-country. For other nationalities, there is an e-visa program so that you can take care of everything online before you arrive. Check the visa requirements for your nationality here.

How to Get to Kyrgyzstan

Depending upon where you're traveling from, it might be a bit of a journey to get to Kyrgyzstan. But, increased flight routes and eased border crossings means that it's getting easier and faster. It really isn't as far away as it may sound.

Flying to Kyrgyzstan:

Bishkek airport (FRU) is the main airport of the country with the most options for international flights. If you're coming from Europe or North America, usually the fastest (and cheapest) way is to fly Turkish Airlines through Istanbul to Bishkek. There are also other options through Dubai and Moscow. If you're coming from Asia or Australia, China Southern, Air India and FlyDubai offers a good selection of flights.

You can check your flight options and prices on Skyscanner as it also includes all low-cost airlines.

Overland travel to Kyrgyzstan:

Kyrgyzstan is nestled between Kazakhstan, China (Irkeshtam and Torugart passes), Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, meaning there are a lot of options to travel overland from neighboring countries. Usually, it's best to arrange transport — bus, shared taxi or private taxi — all the way to the nearest big city or town in Kyrgyzstan. But, it's also common that shared taxis or marshrutkas hang out on the Kyrgyz side of the border so you can walk across the border and catch public transport to the next town.

Caravanistan provides a good overview of transport options in Kyrgyzstan, as well as the whole of Central Asia.

Accommodation in Kyrgyzstan

The options for accommodation of all types and budgets has increased tremendously over the last ten years, as has the ease and flexibility of being able to book online. In addition, any of the DMOs mentioned above (Karakol, Osh, Jyrgalan and South Shore) have accommodation listings on their websites and can assist you in booking a room for you. CBT Kyrgyzstan offices around the country can also help book you into their member accommodations.

The bigger cities (Bishkek, Karakol and Osh) will have more luxury hotel options, as well as basic hostels and guest houses. Once you get into smaller towns and villages, accommodation will mostly be family-run guest houses, yurt stays and homestays. These are usually simple affairs, but you'll have an opportunity to interact and engage with a local family and get a glimpse into their lives. And, as we mentioned above, yurt stays are a must-try at least once during your visit to Kyrgyzstan.

Recommended hotels and guest houses in select cities in Kyrgyzstan:

• Bishkek Hotels: On the higher end, we recommend Solutel Hotel as the rooms are spacious and the staff is incredibly helpful and friendly. For more mid-range accommodation we've heard good things about Futuro Hotel and we've also stayed at Shah Palace. If you're looking for budget accommodation or hostels, friends have recommended Apple Hostel (rumors are they sometimes run cooking classes and food tours) and Interhouse Bishkek or City Center. Find a room in Bishkek
• Karakol Accommodation: On our most recent visit to Karakol we stayed at Matsunoki Guest House, a Japanese-styled place that has very comfortable beds, an incredibly huge and delicious breakfast, soundproofing to keep it quiet, and a Japanese minimalist design. Highly recommended. We've also stayed at Hotel Tagatay a few times and it's a nice mid-range guest house with a super friendly owner that uses solar and other renewable energies for heating its hot water and electricity. For budget travelers there's a range of hostels in town, or if you want to experience sleeping in a yurt give Happy Yurt Camp a try just outside the town center (disclosure: we haven't stayed there ourselves, but know the owner.) Book a hotel in Karakol
• South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul Accommodation: In Bokonbaevo, the sort of regional center, we've stayed at Emily Guesthouse several times. The family who runs it is incredibly sweet and they serve good, home-made food for a reasonable price. Also in Bokonbaevo is Altyn Oimak Guest House by the family that runs the handicrafts workshop of the same name For a yurt camp experience not far from town, try Almaluu Yurt Camp (try the VIP yurts with a sauna attached), Bel Tam Yurt Camp (right on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul) or Feel Nomad Yurt Camp (on the shore of the lake near Ak-Say). And, for a more remote yurt experience we recommend Manzyly-Ata Yurt Camp (the first yurt we slept in 11 years ago) and we've also heard good things about (and know the owner at) Jaichy Yurt Camp that is up on a jailoo (high pasture) about 45-minutes away from Bokonbaevo. Book accommodation in South Shore
• Osh accommodation: We've stayed at and can recommend Classic Hotel, Shanghai City Hotel (free laundry and a good Chinese restaurant with vegetarian food), and Sunrise Guesthouse. In terms of budget accommodation and hostels, we've heard good things from a friend about Biy Ordo Guesthouse, but it's a bit outside of town. Closer in is its sister accommodation Biy Ordo Hostel and Osh Guesthouse. Book a room in Osh
• Jyrgalan accommodation: As this is a small village, family guesthouses make up the majority of accommodation here. And, that's actually a good thing as you know you're contributing to the income of local families and you have a more personalized experience. We've stayed at and can recommend Alakol-Jyrgalan Guesthouse, which is the biggest accommodation option in town with the most services. But, check out some of the smaller family guesthouses as well.
• Naryn accommodation: On our recent visits to Naryn we've stayed at and enjoyed Khan Tengri Hotel a bit outside the center of town. We were comfortable in rooms in the older or original building, but we have heard that rooms in the newer shipping container building tend to be rather loud and cold. For budget accommodation, there are a handful of family guesthouses around the city. Book a room in Naryn

The post Kyrgyzstan Experiential Travel Guide: 27 Experiences to Get You Started appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Striding toward the Pamir Mountain range-line on the horizon, I chased the waning light across a broad meadow dotted with horses in the distance. We'd descended from a mountain pass surrounded by turquoise alpine lakes and defined by glacier ridge lines. Yak herders we met earlier invited us into their yurt for tea and local specialties, a gesture typical of Kyrgyz nomadic culture and hospitality.

This is trekking in the Alay Mountains of southern Kyrgyzstan.

The Alay Mountains (or what some also referred to as the Alay Valley) are a sub-range of the towering Pamir-Alay Mountain system which sit in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan north of the Hindu Kush and Himalayas. Trekking experiences run from the day hike variety where you can experience some of the area’s alpine lakes, snow-covered peak panoramas and cultural highlights in a single day to varied multi-day treks that deliver otherworldly views, remoteness and some of the most worthwhile trekking Kyrgyzstan has to offer.

And, you'll likely have the trails all to yourself as this mountain region is still a relatively unknown.

Prior to our visit where we helped mark new trekking trails in the area, we didn’t know much of the Alay trekking corridor. After our experience, we are fan-evangelists.

This article explains why and how to easily organize and do Alay Mountain day hikes and the multi-day treks.

Update September 2019:: We returned to the Alay Region in August 2019 on a tourism development project to test other existing and emerging treks in both the Alay Mountains and Pamir Mountains. This article has been updated accordingly with even more trekking options and details.

Note: French speakers, you can now find a French translation of this Alay Trekking Guide here!

Note: There's a battle between transliterated spellings of what we call Sary Mogul (town and pass). You might see it elsewhere also as Sary Mogol, and also Sary Moghul. Sorry (ahem) for any confusion.

Choosing a Trek in the Alay Mountains

There are many different trekking choices in the Alay Mountain sub-range in southern Kyrgyzstan, but you really can't go wrong no matter what you choose.

Your choice of trek will depend on how many days you have, how remote you'd like to be, the difficulty and altitude level you seek, and how much culture or interaction with local people you want. Whether your trek is the main reason for your journey to southern Kyrgyzstan or if you are interested in incorporating a trek as part of your journey along the Pamir Highway to/from Tajikistan, there are endless variations of treks you can take in the Alay Mountains ranging from one-day hikes to 6-10 day treks.

Some of the more popular treks in the Alay Mountains and Alay Valley include:

• Best of Alay Mountains (8 days): This is essentially the two multi-day treks we did combined into one. We outline it below in detail. Highly recommended. Stunning landscapes and views. During our first visit, we were only able to do the shorter version from Sary Mogul to Kojokelen village. During our second visit we completed the trek, which includes crossing Jiptick Pass back to Sary Mogul, up to Tulpar Kol Lake yurt camp and then a hike to Traveller's Pass with beautiful views of Lenin Peak and the other-worldly mountain landscapes. Note: If you don't have as much time, you can do a shorter version with the Heights of Alay Trek (5 days) or Heights of Alay Valley Trek (6 days). The difference is that your trek ends in Sary Mogul.
• Lenin Peak Base Camp to Traveler’s Pass Trek and Yuhina Peak: Although this trek is technically in the Pamir Mountains and not the Alay Mountains, we include it here since it's a pretty incredible high altitude hike. It begins at the yurt camp at Tulpar-Kol lake near Lenin Peak Base Camp and goes up to Traveler's Pass (4,130 meters). While most people turn around and go down again, this trek continues on from Traveler’s Pass to overnight at Camp 1 (4,400 meters/14,435 ft). The next morning”s hike goes up to Yuhina Peak (5,100 meters/16,730 feet) for more stunning views. After lunch at Camp 1 return the same way to Tulpar-Kol yurt camp for the night before returning to Sary Mogul. Transport is required from Sary Mogul to Tulpar-Kol Lake and back again. This is part of the Lenin Peak Base Camp Trek (8 days) that also includes Sary Mogul and Jiptick passes mentioned above. See below for more details and photos.
• Koshkol Lakes Trek (1 day): A fabulous one-day trek we did from Sary Mogul. This trek takes you from a local shepherd yurt camp through a valley filled with yaks, over several passes to the height of 4,195 meters where you'll have views of four alpine lakes, glaciers, and the Pamir Mountains in the distance. More details below. View the GPS tracks here.
• Scenic Ak-Tor Pass Trek (2-5 days): This trek in the lower Alay Mountains has several different options and lengths, from two to five days and either on foot or on horse. We did the three-day version on foot (25 miles/40 km) and were pleasantly surprised by the change in landscapes, from layers of hills to green valleys filled with grazing animals to impressive granite peaks. The highlight is crossing Ak-Tor Pass at 3,500 meters/11,500 feet, and the sweeping and deep panoramic views of the Alay Mountain range. We also recommended this trek as an acclimatization trek if you plan to go into the high Alay or Pamir mountains. The trailhead is not far from Gulcha and about an hour outside of Osh. See the day by day detail below.
• Truly Nomadic Lands (5 days): A challenging trek — either by horse or on foot — that not only features magnificent mountain panoramas, but also Kyrgyzstan's nomadic culture as there are many shepherd yurt camps along this trail. The start of this trail is about an hour from Osh. View the GPS tracks here.
• Ak-Bosogo — Sary-Mogul Trek (1 day): Starting just off the Pamir Highway, this day hike takes you through jailoos (high summer pastures) until you reach Algachart Pass, where you can enjoy views of the Pamir-Alay Mountains. Transport required. View the GPS tracks here.
• Treks in Kyrgyz-Ata National Park: This is a good option for those who still want to do a bit of trekking and experience the Alay Mountains, but don't want to go far from Osh city. After a day trek it's possible to return to Osh the same day or to spend the night at one of the local yurt camps.

You can find a comprehensive list of trekking options for the Alay Mountains and valleys here.

Best of Alay Trek: What to Expect on a Multi-Day Trek in the High Alay Mountains

This trek is one of the favorite we've done over the last few years. At 8 days with Best of Alay or even at the shorter 5-6 day Heights of Alay Trek, this hiking route packs an experiential punch. Each day takes you through different landscapes, over mountain passes and includes interactions with local shepherds and villagers. However, the first day's cross of Sary Mogul Pass really stands out; you'll feel as if you've landed on a different planet.

2019 Update: The Best of Alay / Heights of Alay Trek is now fully connected by family yurt camps or guesthouses. This means more engagement with local people and no need to carry tents and camping equipment.

Note: The Best of Alay Trek and full Heights of Alay Trek is 5 nights/6 days (87 km), takes you over Jiptick Pass and ends in Sary Mogul village. During our first visit we did an abbreviated version that ends in Kojokelen village. On our second visit we picked up the trail from Kojokelen village over Jiptick Pass (4,185 meters/13,730 feet) with stunning views of the snow-covered Pamir Mountains and Peak Lenin. If you have the time we'd recommend doing the full trek. However, if you only have four days then we recommend doing the first part of the trek over Sary Mogul Pass to Kojokelen village.

Our Route: Sary Mogul Village – Beshkol Lakes – Sary Mogul Pass – Kyzylshoro village – Koshmoinok Pass – Koshmoinok Valley – Sarybell Pass – Kojokelen village
Total Hiking Distance: 48 km / 30 miles
Number of Days: 5 nights/6 days (if you do the shorter version of the trek you’ll transfer to Osh at the end of day 3 or on day 4)
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,186 m (7,170 feet) / 4,303 m (14,120 feet)
Season: mid/late June – early September
Difficulty: Medium

Day 1: Sary Mogul Village – Beshkol Lakes – Sary Mogul Pass – Campsite

Hiking Distance: 14 km / 8.7 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 3,369 m (11,050 feet) / 4,303 m (14,120 feet)
Number of hours hiking: 5-6 hours
Difficulty: Medium

We don't want to oversell the views and experience on this day, but if the weather is clear it will certainly be memorable. You cover a lot of ground and elevation (up to 4,303 meters), but it's a relatively steady incline so you don't feel completely exhausted by day's end.

The starting point of the trek is around 15 km northeast of Sary Mogul village. You'll need to arrange a transfer in advance to take you there in the morning. From there, follow the shepherd paths towards the stream and up the valley. After a while there's a short stretch where the trail is narrow, difficult to see, and the terrain is composed mainly of scree and small pebbles. It's a bit challenging already when it's dry, so we suggest not to attempt this approach in the rain or when the trail is wet.

Within a couple of hours you'll cross a small pass and leave the river valley behind you. Before you do, be sure to look back for great views of Peak Lenin and the Pamir Mountains behind you. You'll then descend into a second river valley with rocky and high desert terrain.

Follow the stream through the valley. Eventually the path will take you over the hills and into another river valley, this one even greener and more lush than the previous one. This is a good spot for a snack or lunch as there is a good water source, protection from wind, and glacier views.

Then comes the big ascent towards Sary Mogul Pass. As you climb higher, the landscape opens; peaks, glaciers and alpine lakes begin to appear. Soak in the views around you and of the Pamir Mountains in the distance before making the final push up a steep volcanic rock- and scree-covered incline.

Once you reach Sary Mogul Pass at 4,303 meters / 14,120 feet, the highest point of this trek, take some time to enjoy your accomplishment and climb all over the rocks. The views from up here of the expansive peak, glacier and alpine lake are incredible and otherworldly.

From there, it's a steep descent through scree to the campsite/yurt camp located below (39°52'37.97”N 72°48'11.45”E) near the stream. Bundle up, as it can turn especially cold here at night given the elevation (3,900 meters / 12,800 feet). Update: There is now a family yurt camp available for trekkers to stay at the base of the pass so there’s no longer any need to carry tents, food or other camping gear.

Day 2: Campsite/Yurt Camp – Kyzyl Shoro village

Update 2019: The trek now overnights in Kyzyl Shoro vs. continuing over Koshmoinok Pass and Valley as we originally did. The details have been updated accordingly.
Hiking Distance: 10 km / 6 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,387 m (7,830 feet)
Number of hours hiking: 4-5 hours

The start of the second day is relatively easy going and mainly downhill towards little Sary Mogul and Kyzylshoro villages.

From the campsite/yurt camp, follow the trail through the valley and along the river. With the decline in elevation, the terrain begins to change from high alpine rocky and sparse to mid-mountain green dotted with the alpine lush of juniper bushes. You'll have views of the surrounding glaciers and snow-covered peaks above and behind you.

The trail rises a bit and continues through the hills, staying parallel to the river, until it reaches the farmlands of the nearby village, Little Sary Mogul. When we did our trek at the end of August it was hay-making season, so many in the village were out in the fields cutting the long grass in preparation for the winter season ahead.

As you continue through Little Sary Mogul village, don't be surprised if you receive some invitations for tea along the way — including from a friendly grandfather, as we did. The next stretch is perhaps the least pleasant of the journey, as it winds along a dusty road shared with cars and trucks. You'll pass another small village of Kyzyl Shoro where you can pick up additional food supplies at the guest house in town. Update: The trek now overnights here in Kyzyl Shoro village at a guesthouse.

Day 3: Kyzyl Shoro Village – Koshmoinok valley – Sarybell Pass – Kojokelen village

Hiking Distance: 25 km / 16 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,223 m (7,293 feet) / 3,415 m (11,205 feet)
Estimated number of hours: 8-9 hours
Although this is a long day of hiking, we were pleasantly surprised by the diversity of landscapes, geographic formations and colors. We jokingly called sections of it “The Best of Kyrgyzstan” as it was possible to see large red rock formations just along the trail, jagged snow-covered Pamir Mountain peaks in the distance, and the variegated array of high-, mid- and low alpine landscape across your field of view.

As you leave Kyzyl Shoro village you’ll leave the road behind and follow the trail as goes towards the right up a dry river bed and past several outlying homes and farms. People here are quite friendly so don’t be surprised if you’re invited for tea along the way.

With the village and outlying homes behind you, the trail becomes very steep and ascends approximately 860 meters (2,820 feet) through grass meadows and pastures to Koshmoinok Pass (3,415 m / 11,205 feet). Remember to keep looking behind you. The views open up as you ascend.

After the pass, it's about a 45-minute descent to Koshmoinok Valley which is a beautiful setting and features layers of mountains on all sides. It’s worth taking a break here to enjoy the surroundings.

The day begins by following the river from the campsite with a moderate climb to Sarybell Pass (3,124 meters / 10,250 feet). From there, enjoy a beautiful view of the different layers, colors and landscape features of the Alay Mountains. From the top of the pass, continue left and follow the path as it winds along the edge of the hills with the valley to the right. Segments of this trail are steep and challenging due to scree and loose rocks.

Don’t forget to look down and across to your right as you enjoy the expanse of unusual red rock formations below, including a geological formation-feature we named “Three Dragon Gorge.”

The trail eventually reaches another grassy overlook where there are two options to Kojokelen village – straight and downhill or following the trail towards the left. Although the latter option is longer, we recommend it as it is less steep and the trail takes you around a valley filled with even more colorful and dramatic rock formations, from deep red to frost white and all natural shades in between.

The trail changes from scree and rock to a dirt path which cuts across and down into green fields and pastures. At this point, it’s best to use GPS markings or a map, as the trail can be difficult to find because of overgrown tall grass and brush. Eventually, you descend into Kojokelen village, passing a sacred cave and spring and crossing a bridge on the right hand side.

Once you reach Kojokelen village, you’ll have the option to eat dinner at a local guest house (we had a hearty meal at Mamatjakyp Guesthouse), take a hot shower and spend the night. Note: If you are doing the shortened version of the trek as we originally did, you can arrange a transfer to Osh (3-4 hours) that afternoon. Most trekkers, however, choose to spend the night in one of several guest houses in Kojokelen village to allow time to relax from the trek, take a hot shower, and return to Osh the next day.

Day 4: Kojokelen village – Yurt Camp

Hiking Distance: 10 km / 6.7 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,223 m (7,293 feet) / 3,048 m (11,205 feet)
Estimated number of hours: 3-4 hours

This is an easy day. Sleep in a bit to recover from the previous day’s long hike and take your time getting going in the morning. From the village, follow the dirt road on a relatively straight and steady trail with a gradual incline.

You’ll pass by herds of yaks, some of them cooling off in the streams. Shepherds tending their animals ride by on horses or donkeys. We also met several families fishing and spending time in the hills. Don’t be surprised if you are invited over for tea and bread as locals are curious and friendly.

After a few hours you’ll arrive at the family yurt camp where you’ll be greeted with tea, borsok (fried bread), and other sweets. Eat and rest well as the next day is more challenging.

Day 5: Yurt Camp – Jiptick Pass – Darbazatash Valley Yurt Camp

Hiking Distance: 16 km / 10 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,962 m (9,718 feet) / 4,185 m (13,370 feet)
Estimated number of hours: 6-7 hours

It’s good to get an early start, not only because this is a relatively long day over Jiptick Pass, but also because the mountain views are clearer and more crisp in the morning light. Take it nice and slow as this will help you better adjust to altitude and give you adequate time to enjoy the views around you.

From the yurt camp, follow the dirt road and trail up and around over several hills and valleys. The terrain will transform into high desert, switching from grass to volcanic scree and rocks. Continue to follow the trail up the dark scree to Jiptick Pass.

At the top of Jiptick Pass take in the views of the snow-covered Pamir Mountains as they open in front of you. They appear like floating clouds above the high pastures and valleys below. Take a well-deserved lunch break here before starting your descent.

The descent is a bit tedious and requires caution. It’s steep and composed mainly of loose scree. Be careful with your footing to avoid slips, ankle twists or a fall (trekking poles are highly recommended). The trail eventually evens out to where you follow shepherds’ paths across the high pastures where they take their horses, cows, yaks and sheep.

After a couple of hours you’ll arrive at the yurt camp located near a mountain stream. Consider soaking your feet in the frigid water for a minute or two to soothe them after the steep ascent and descent you just endured. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon at the yurt camp, lounging in the sunshine and playing games with one of the daughters.

Day 6: Darbazatash Valley Yurt Camp – Sary Mogul Village

Hiking Distance: 12 km / 7.5 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,962 m (9,718 feet) / 3,245 m (10,648 feet)
Estimated number of hours: 3-4 hours

This is another relatively easy day as you’re essentially walking out of the Alay Mountains towards Sary Mogul village. Along the way you’ll pass several other yurt camps and families with their animals.

Closer to Sary Mogul you’ll pass a huge coal mine, and a bunch of industrial trucks and machinery. Although the scene isn't particularly pretty, the coal mine does serve as an important source of employment and income in the area. In a high desert environment, there aren’t a lot of agricultural or income-generating options.

Continue along the road until you reach Sary Mogul village. From there you can spend the night at a local guest house, get transport back to Osh, or continue trekking in the Pamir Mountains as we did, via a transfer to Tulpar-Kol Lake (see below).

Optional Add-On: 2-3 days trek in the Pamir Mountains to Traveler’s Pass and Yuhina Peak

If you haven’t had your fill of the high mountain adventures, you can continue trekking for another 2-3 days into the Pamir Mountains on the new Visit Alay Best of Alay Trek. We did the full 2-day version all the way to Lenin Peak Camp 1 and Yuhina Peak (5,100 meters/16,730 feet) which is now part of the Visit Alay Lenin Peak Base Camp Trek (8 days). You can also reduce this to a day hike to Traveler’s Pass.

After arriving in Sary Mogul from the Heights of Alay Trek, you transfer to Tulpar-Kol Lake and spend the night at the yurt camp there. The next day, hike out to Traveler’s Pass (4,100 meters / 13,450 feet) for a phenomenal panoramic view of the Pamir Mountains and Lenin Peak (7,134 meters/23,405 feet). Be sure to go down to the grassy area below the pass as this features the best views. For the one-day trek (19km / 12 miles) you return back to Tulpar-Kol yurt camp for the night.

For those doing a two-day trek, continue on the trail another 4-5 miles/7-8 km to Peak Lenin Camp 1 for a total of 9.5 miles (15.3 km) on day 1. The narrow trail takes you through some high altitude multi-colored valleys that look like a watercolor painting and past layers of glaciers with snow-covered peaks all around you. This landscape is otherworldly, too — but different from the ones you see along the Alay Mountain treks.

Peak Lenin Camp 1 (4,400 meters/14,435 fee) is quite basic, but you’ll be provided tents (2-person) and hot meals. It's also an interesting view into the world of professional and serious alpinism and mountaineering. Most of the people staying here are en route to climb Peak Lenin (7,134 meters/23,405 feet). Try to get a good night’s sleep since the next day is a challenging and long one.

Wake up early (you may need to arrange an early breakfast time with the camp) and begin your ascent to the top of Yuhina Peak. It’s a slow climb up scree and switchbacks. And it’s very challenging. If you go very slowly and steadily you will indeed get to the top. And you will be rewarded there with some incredible views of the Pamir Mountains.

Be careful on the way down as the scree is soft, loose and steep. Take a break at Camp 1 to enjoy lunch. Continue the same way over Traveler’s Pass to Tulpar-Kol Lake yurt camp. You can spend a night there to recover or take a transfer to Sary Mogul to overnight there.

Note: Several trekking agencies from Bishkek run Lenin Peak Base Camps, as well as camps at higher elevations. Our two-day Pamir Mountains trek was arranged and all our accommodation was booked by Visit Alay in Osh. We stayed at Ak-Sai Camp 1 and found it well-run, clean and professional. It’s geared more towards professional climbers than day-trekkers so it has a bit of a hearty mountaineering atmosphere, complete with sun struck alpinists and gruffly-spoken Russian.

Costs for the Best of Alay Trek and other Treks

Our 8-day trek was a fully supported trek, which meant that all we needed to think about was our experience, carrying a simple backpack with clothes, and taking photos. We had local guides with us to ensure we didn't get lost; they also carried snacks and lunch items for us. They shared their knowledge of the Pamir-Alay Mountains, and of their lives and local culture. We were also well-fed from breakfast to dinner. (Disclosure: The costs of our 2017 trek were paid for by the USAID BGI tourism development project in conjunction with the consulting work we did and its trail-marking project. Our August 2019 trek was provided to us by Visit Alay as part of the Helvetas Bai Alai tourism development project.)

Our trek and local guides were organized by Visit Alay, the local CBT Kyrgyzstan branch in Osh. A portion of their profits goes back into community development and training of families in tourism and hospitality. Currently they are working with around 300 people in the Alay Region to provide travel services, accommodation, guiding and more.

2025 Prices for the Best of Alay Trek

The price of the trek depends upon the group size with 2 people recommended as a minimum group. The larger the group size, the less expensive it is as more people share the costs of transportation, guiding and other expenses. If you want to join an existing group to meet new people and reduce your costs, check out the Visit Alay small group trekking tours.

• Best of Alay Trek (8 days): $750 (2-5 people) – $650 (6-10 people)

Prices include: local guide, bed and breakfast (yurt or guest house), lunches and dinners, clean water and tea, transport from Osh and to/from trailheads. The price includes luggage carriage (usually by horse), but check the individual tour details to be sure.

Prices do not include: sleeping bag rental ($6/day), overnight stay in Sary Mogul village before/after trek, any special drinks outside of water and tea/coffee, which are provided.

Transport costs if trekking independently: Osh to Sary Mogul in shared taxi: approximately 400 som/person; Sary Mogul to trailhead: 1,500 som; Kojokelen to Osh: 3,000-3,500 som.

Scenic Ak-Tor Pass Trek: What to Expect on a Multi-Day Trek in the Lower Alay Mountains

We were introduced to the lower Alay Mountains during our visit in August 2019. Having been overwhelmed by other treks at higher altitude, we didn’t have high expectations for this trek. However, we proven wrong. We were surprised and impressed by this trek and its layers of hills, green valleys, granite peaks, and stunning viewpoints. The trailhead is located near Gulcha and about an hour outside of Osh so it’s a bit closer and more accessible than some of the other treks.

Although Visit Alay's Ak Tor Pass Trek is technically in the “lower” part of the Alay Mountain range (its northern side), it's still plenty high, crossing Ak-Tor Pass at 3,500+ meters/11,500+ feet. You still get a good trekking challenge and some really beautiful views of the entire Alay Mountain range. If you don’t have much experience trekking at altitude and want to do one of the high Alay or Pamir treks, this makes for an excellent and worthwhile acclimatization hike. You still get up to impressive altitudes during the day, but are sleeping at lower altitudes at night. Perfect for helping your body acclimatize and become accustomed to altitude.

You have the option of a range of treks in the area, running from two to five days — either by foot or on horseback. We did a three-day trek by foot, but we could see it being pleasant by horseback as the terrain features more rolling hills and fewer steep ascents than the terrain in the High Alay. The trails in the Low Alay also remain accessible for longer periods of time. You could even do this trek in late April/early May or in late September/early October when most of the other treks are closed because of snow.

Our Route: Trailhead near Gulcha – Sary-Oi Yurt Camp – Ak-Tor Yurt Camp – Ak-Tor Pass – Murdash Valley
Total Hiking Distance: 23 miles / 37 km
Number of Days: 2 nights/3 days (you can also do a 2-day trek or extend up to 5 days)
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,195 m (7,200 feet) / 3,550 m (14,120 feet)
Season: June – early September
Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Day 1: Trailhead – Sary-Oi Yurt Camp

Hiking Distance: 13.75 km / 8.5 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,275 m (7,466 feet) / 3,580 m (11,744 feet)
Estimated number of hours: 4-5 hours

The walk begins in a the high pastures and passes by several shepherds and their animals on the hills around. As you begin to climb up take a look around an enjoy the a panoramic view of the valleys below. From this point, begins another ascent during which you'll cross a couple of mini-passes before you arrive at the main pass. At the very top you’ll enjoy a beautiful view in both directions — of the area you just came from and of the hills and valleys where you're headed.

Then begins the long walk down through and around various hills and fields. We didn’t expect it to be such a long way down. Expect a trail which seems to keep going and going. Eventually you will arrive at the yurt camp in Sary-Oi and be greeted with tea, snacks and a comfortable place to rest inside the yurt.

Day 2: Sary-Oi Yurt Camp – Yurt Camp at Base of Ak-Tor Pass

Hiking Distance: 10 km / 6 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,195 m (7,200 feet) / 2,700 m (8,868 feet)
Estimated number of hours: 4 hours

This is an easy day so sleep in and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. The only thing to consider is that it often rains in mid-late afternoon where the next yurt camp is located so try to time your arrival early enough to avoid getting wet (something we didn’t manage to do).

Follow the mountain stream through the valley to the next yurt camp. This is a popular place for animals to graze as its fertile and rich. You’ll meet more than a few cows along the trail. There are a couple of stream crossings that you’ll need to navigate. We’ve heard that small bridges should be built by the 2020 season to make these crossings easier. You’ll arrive at the next yurt camp in time to enjoy a leisurely afternoon of rest or reading.

Day 3: Yurt Camp – Ak-Tor Pass – Murdash Valley

Hiking Distance: 13 km / 8 miles
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 2,195 m (7,200 feet) / 3,580 m (11,744 feet)
Estimated number of hours: 4 hours

Eat a hearty breakfast as you begin this day with the ascent up Ak-Tor Pass. It’s not exceptionally steep, but the trail features its share of switchbacks and climbs, making it a worthwhile challenge.

The views at the top of the pass and along its ridge are absolutely fabulous and serve as an excellent payoff. Take a break here to enjoy the granite peaks, green valleys and layers of mountains which unfold in all directions off the ridge.

The descent isn’t too steep, but you’ll still need to be careful with your footing as you make your way through long grass. Watch out for holes and other irregularities that could easily twist an ankle. You’ll continue down through the hills until you reach Murdash Valley, which is beautifully framed by granite peaks. Continue heading straight down through the valley, likely encountering a shepherd or two, until you reach the dirt road.

That’s where you’ll pick up transport to take you back to Osh. If you've opted for a five-day trek, you'll continue walking to the yurt camp nearby for an overnight.

Koshkol Lakes Day Trek: What to Expect on a Day Trek in the High Alay Mountains

If you don't have much time and can't do a multi-day trek in the High Alay Mountains, we highly suggest the Koshkol Lakes Day Trek near Sary Mogul village. This day-trek is a sort of “best of the Alay Mountains” — turquoise alpine lakes, glaciers, views of the Pamir Mountains and Peak Lenin, gorgeous meadows, yurt villages and frolicking yaks — all in just one day.

Hiking Distance: 21.4 km
Minimum / Maximum Altitude: 3,528 m / 4,213 m
Number of hours hiking: 6-8 hours
Season: June – September
Difficulty: Medium

To get to the starting point of the trek, take a transfer from Sary Mogul village to Damjailoo yurt camp about 10 km up a dirt road from Kashka-Suu village. Be sure to get an early start so that you can maximize daylight.

It’s a relatively long walk and it’s worth it to take your time to enjoy the stunning scenery on the way to the pass, at the pass (4,195 meters) itself, and the snow-covered Pamir Mountains in the late afternoon light. If you have extra time, you can push a little bit past the pass to glimpse even more lakes and the glaciers above it.

On the descent, Dan and I — individually, as we'd become separated — shared becoming emotionally overcome and overwhelmed to the point of tears with the sense of beauty and peace of the the final, long meadow you cross, just before descending into the shepherd's yurt village. This moment underscored for each of us how the world is filled with the immense, expansive power and beauty of nature. We were — and still are — filled with gratitude that places such as these exist, and that we've been among the fortunate (and few) to have experienced it.

Note: this trek can be expanded into an overnight trek which includes crossing another mountain pass and a seeing a total of seven alpine lakes.

Costs of the Koshkol Lakes Day Trek

These are 2018 prices so please get in touch with Visit Alay for updated prices as some costs and fees may have increased over the years.

Prices above include: Round-trip transport from/to Sary Mogul village and the trailhead, local guide, food.

Note: If you want to do this trek independently without a guide, round-trip transport from/to Sary Mogul village costs around 2,000 som / $30 where the driver will wait for you at Damjailoo yurt camp.

When to go Trekking in the Alay Mountains

The trekking season in the Alay Mountains begins in early-to-mid June and runs until mid September. The high season is July and August when temperatures are warm and the mountain passes are fully cleared of snow.

By the end of August temperatures begin dropping considerably at higher elevations. Although some treks can technically be done in early September, be especially sure to pack additional warm clothing and layers for this time. If you can time it, we recommend going early in the season in mid-late June when wildflowers are blooming and everything is green. Having said that, it remains stunning through August, as our experience proved.

Both times we went trekking was in late August. The weather was excellent. Days were warm and sunny, and although it was cold at night at altitude at the campsites (close to 4,000 meters / 13,123 feet) it was comfortable as we were prepared with warm sleeping bags and plenty of warm layers.

Should I trek in the Alay Mountains independently or with a guide?

All of the Alay Mountain treks above can be done either independently or with a guide. Many of these trails and routes have been marked recently (keep a lookout for red paint) and are included in the new regional trekking maps (available at Destination Osh or Visit Alay offices in Osh city). However, these trails do take you into some rather remote and high altitude areas where it is easy to get lost.

Your decision whether to go on your own or hire a guide should include factors like: how much experience you have trekking in remote areas, your skill at reading trekking maps and/or GPS devices, the length of your trek, your budget, and weather. That said, never sacrifice safety.

Although our Koshkol Lakes and Heights of Alay treks technically could have been done without a guide, we were thankful to have one with us. This provided us with peace of mind that we were on the right path (as some of you may remember, we have gotten lost in the mountains before).

Having a guide allowed us to focus on the experience. We avoided having our nose in a physical map and on digital tracks, worried about taking the wrong trail. Not to mention, it was nice to have horses carry our gear rather than having to deal with heavy backpacks.

In addition, our local guide provided local context and a stronger connection to local people and culture. We asked questions of our guide, regarding his experience growing up in these mountains and recent changes he'd seen in environment, culture and economy. Some of the areas where we trekked had local shepherds and yurt camps, and we were often invited in for tea, bread or other snacks. Our guide acted as a sort of cultural ambassador, and served as an interpreter so we could ask questions and engage in deeper conversations.

While trekking independently in the Alay Mountains may save you some money and perhaps allow you a little more flexibility of schedule, local guides are immensely helpful. In addition, we knew that the money we spent was going to support local people and communities, directly and indirectly.

How to Organize Your Alay Mountains Trek: Trekking Agencies, Guides and Options

We'd recommend going with a local trekking agency. They know the area well and work with local guides. The closest big city to the Alay Mountains is Osh, which can serve as a planning and organizing hub.

Travel to Osh, do your research, visit local tour operators (we've trekked with and recommend Visit Alay), and make your trekking arrangements. There is also a CBT office in Sary Mogul that can help you organize treks, find homestays, and hire guides and horses.

If you are traveling to the Alay Mountains region from Tajikistan (e.g., Pamir Highway) or China consider making arrangements in advance so that you don't end up back-tracking. In this case, it makes more sense to stop off in Sary Mogul or Sary Tash on your way to Osh and do your treks directly from there.

If you are trekking during high season (July-August), send a few email inquiries in advance to be certain that trekking agencies are not already at capacity with their guides, tours and rental gear. We heard that Visit Alay and some of the nearby CBT partners were expanding their inventories of trekking gear (e.g., tents, sleeping bags, mats, backpacks, cooking stoves, etc.) so hopefully this will be less of an issue in the future.

Our trek was organized by Visit Alay, the Osh branch of Community Based Tourism Kyrgyzstan. We were really happy with our experience and the level of service.

The manager, Talant, is from the Alay Mountains himself and knows the local communities well. In fact, as we trekked with him he would greet all local families along the way. They talked with him about what we were doing and if the families might want to become involved by offering accommodation (e.g., yurt stays), meals or other support. All the tours and treks through Visit Alay use local guides, and a portion of their profits goes back to the community. (Disclosure: Our trek was organized for us and paid by the USAID-BGI tourism development project as we were helping to mark the trails.)

Because we were also marking the trails at the same time, we had two guides on our trip. We can recommend both of them. Aziret grew up in a village in the Alay Valley, but is currently based out of Osh since he is studying foreign languages at university. He guides during the summer to support his eduction. Ubai is based in Sary Mogul and knows all the mountains in the area like the back of his hand. Both are pretty good cooks, too. Update September 2019: Aziret is now working in the Visit Alay office in Osh so he is no longer guiding. However, we had Timur as our trekking guide during our recent visit and he was also great during the nine days we were together in the mountains and in villages.

They took good care of us, always making sure there was hot water for tea or coffee. They had abundant snacks on hand any time we looked hungry. They are also both horse experts, and were very adept with pack horses, especially over some of the very difficult mountain passes.

Help your guide help you. Make sure that you let the trekking agency and guide know in advance of any medical needs you might have, as well as any dietary restrictions. This will allow your guide to purchase the right type of food and snacks for you. Many of the trekking guides recently completed additional culinary training for mountain treks, so they ought to be well prepared to cook vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other styles of food.

Accommodation and Sleeping Options in the Alay Mountains: Camping and Yurt Stays

Some treks will give you the option of either camping or yurt stays (staying with local shepherds and their families on the jailoo). Some combine the two accommodation options in one trek. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Camping: The primary advantage of camping is that you have more flexibility of where you can spend the night, which may allow you to reach more remote areas. The down-side: when temperatures drop, you need to be prepared.

Kyrgyz yurt stays: All the main Alay Mountain treks now have a network of yurt camps so you can spend all the nights in yurts. These are usually offered by shepherd families where you are in a separate yurt set up solely for trekkers. We recommend you take this option as you'll have more opportunity to interact with local people and you won't have to carry tents, food or camping equipment.

The advantage of yurt stays is that you have more opportunity to engage with local people and culture, eat a hearty home-cooked meal, and sleep inside (i.e., usually warmer). Also, you know that your tourism money is contributing to the income of the local family.

What to expect in a Kyrgyz yurt stay:

• Home-cooked meals: Food will be hearty and plentiful. Almost every meal includes some type of homemade bread, fresh dairy products (e.g., yogurt, sour cream, milk, etc.), local honey and jams, and tea. Lunch or dinner usually features some sort of meat with rice or potatoes.
• Sleeping area: Sleeping in yurts usually consists of a thin mattress or mat on the ground with lots of blankets piled on top. Typically 6-8 people will share a yurt. Carry a sleep sack with you.
• Toilets: Either don't expect any as you're out in nature or expect a makeshift outhouse. Either way, always have some tissues on hand and bring a headlamp for any nighttime toilet trips.
• Drinking water: Yurt camps will provide you with boiled water if you request it so you can easily refill your reusable water bottle or water bladder. We recommend carrying water purification drops or a SteriPEN with you just in case. This way, you'll always be assured of having clean drinking water with you.

Costs for Trekking in the Alay Mountains

If you wish to trek independently or with only limited support, a price list of guides, horse porters, camping gear, and accommodation follows. Note: Although the prices listed are from Visit Alay, we hear that prices are similar at CBT Sary Mogul and other local agencies.

2025 prices for these treks and hikes in the Pamir-Alay Mountains:

Accommodation Costs in the Alay Mountains and Sary Mogul

It seems like pricing is pretty standardized at 1,000 som ($15) a person for sleeping, dinner and breakfast at yurt stays and guest houses in the Alay Mountains. If you're sleeping in your own tent, but want a home-cooked meal, costs run about 300 som ($4.50) for dinner or lunch, and 250 som ($3.70) for breakfast.

Many treks in the Alay Mountains set off from Sary Mogul village so you'll need to arrange accommodation there the night before. There are a few basic guest houses and homestays there, usually with shared rooms and bathrooms. Visit Alay or CBT Sary Mogul can help make a reservation for you as most do not currently support online booking. The basic price is similar at 1,000 som ($15) for a bed, dinner, and breakfast.

Transport: How to get to the Alay Mountains

The Pamir-Alay Mountain region in southern Kyrgyzstan lies at the crossroads of China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The city of Osh is Kyrgyzstan's second largest city, and offers the widest support for the Alay Mountains (if you are already in Kyrgyzstan or coming from Uzbekistan). However, if you are coming from China or Tajikistan, you might wish to stop off in Sary Mogul or Sary Tash on your way to Osh and organize some treks along the way.

How to get to Osh City

Flying to Osh

The fastest way to get to Osh if you are already in Kyrgyzstan is to fly there from Bishkek. It's a quick 45-minute flight over some stunning mountain ranges, so try to get a window seat. We used Skyscanner to price and book flights from Bishkek to Osh.

In the summer months there are also direct flights from Tamchy Airport (IKU) on the north shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, which is a better option if you're coming from Karakol, Jyrgalan, or South Shore.

The are also direct flights to Osh from Moscow, Novosibirsk and a few other destinations. You can check the full schedule of flights to/from Osh airport here.

Land Transport: Buses, Shared Taxis and Public Transport to Osh

Shared taxi from Bishkek: Shared taxis to Osh leave from the Western Bus Station in Bishkek throughout the day. The cost is around 1,000-1,200 som/person. It's a long journey (10-11 hours), but you'll be rewarded with some beautiful views at the Toktugol Reservoir and over several mountain passes. No marshrutkas are allowed on this route because of safety.

Transport to Osh from China (Irkeshtam Border Crossing): It's best if you can arrange bus transport for the entire journey. If you can't, there are usually shared taxis hanging around the Kyrgyz side of the border that can take you either to Sary Tash (where you can then catch a marshrutka to Osh) or directly to Osh (4-5 hours).

Transport from Uzbekistan (Dostuk Border Crossing): Fortunately, the border with Uzbekistan is only 10km from Osh so this is an easy transfer. There are always oodles of shared taxis and marshrutkas at the border waiting to take you to the center of the city.

Transport from Tajikistan (Kyzylart – Bor Dobo Border Crossing): Travelers usually travel this way as part of their Pamir Highway road trip. Public transport is limited to none around the border area, so it's best if you arrange transport in advance to take you either all the way to Osh, or at least to Sary Tash or Sary Mogul. From those villages you can always catch onward public transport.

How to get to the Alay Mountains from Osh

Many of the treks in the Alay Mountains use Sary Mogul or Sary Tash as a base. Both villages are accessible by public transport from Osh either by marshrutka or shared taxi.

Trekking Packing List for the Alay Mountains

Much of what we include in our How to Pack for a Trek article still applies here. However, we offer a customized Alay Mountains trekking packing list to ensure you have what you need to be comfortable in the mountains yet don’t overpack.

Since there is now a network of yurt camps on the different Alay Mountain trails there is no need anymore to carry sleeping bags, tents or other camping gear. However, this does mean that you will need to carry a backpack with your clothes and basic toiletries.

Recommended trekking backpacks

Women's recommended backpack: Deuter ACT Trail Pro 32 SL Backpack: I love this backpack. It's very light with all sorts of great functionality like a built-in rain cover, water bladder compatibility, wide waist belt for stability, and more. Buy on Amazon | Buy on REI

Men's recommended backpack: Osprey Packs Exos 38 Backpack: This backpack comes in several sizes, and the Large version is well-suited for tall people (like Dan). Light, comfortable, and durable. Buy on Amazon | Buy on REI (48-liter)

Clothing

You really don’t need much in this department. Don’t worry about wearing the same thing every day. Everyone does it. It's more about having the proper layers as the temperatures may fall quickly at night. Here’s what we suggest:

• 1 set of hiking clothes: T-shirt (preferably quick dry), long-sleeved hiking shirt ( (his and hers) or pullover, shorts or trekking pants, hiking socks.
• 1 set of evening clothes for sleep: T-shirt, long pants (or pajama bottoms), socks. To ensure these remain dry, pack them in a plastic bag or other impermeable container inside your backpack.
• Ski hat and gloves: This may not be necessary earlier in the season, but by late August we were very thankful to have these.
• Underwear for every day of your trek: With an extra pair thrown in for good measure, if you like. Recommended his and hers
• Extra pair of socks: Just in case you want to switch out or it's freezing and you need an extra layer to stay warm in your sleeping bag.
• Fleece or other shell jacket: For cool nights or sleeping.
• Rain or windproof jacketI upgraded to a NorthFace Climatech technology waterproof jacket recently and I love it. It not only provided protection against the rain and cold, but the jacket material is very breathable so it didn't feel like a sauna inside. Highly recommended. Buy at REI | Buy on Amazon.
• Down jackets: We've also started carrying a light down jacket that can be stuffed into a tiny cinch bag. It hardly takes up any room or weight in the backpack, but can provide warmth and comfort at night when temperatures drop. Dan loves his seamless ultra-light down jacket from Uniqlo.
• Waterproof Poncho (optional): Just in case it rains. This one covers your backpack for additional protection.
• Waterproof pants: Hopefully you won't need these, but better to be safe than sorry. We carry a pair of light pull-on biking waterproof/water resistant pants. They fold up into a small bag so they barely take up any room or weight in your backpack, but keep you quite dry when the clouds open up.
• Thermal underwear (top/bottom): If you're trekking either early or late in the season, consider bringing along some silk long johns as they are warm, comfy and take up almost no room at all.
• Hiking shoes: Low-rise hiking shoes are fine. We both recently shifted to wearing Oboz Sawtooth hiking boots. The insoles and support for your feet are really good, and the shoes are sturdy and can stand up to some tough terrain. In addition, Oboz plants a tree for every pair of shoes sold so you can feel good that your purchase is going towards reforestation and environmental projects. Men's Obuz Sawtooth Hiking Shoes: Buy at REI | Buy on Amazon. Women's Obuz Sawtooth Hiking Shoes: Buy at REI | Buy on Amazon
• Flip flops or river shoes: At the end of a long day of walking you may want to take off your hiking shoes and give your feet a rest. But you'll still need something on your feet to go to and from the yurt to the outhouse. That's where flip flops or river shoes worn with socks (yes, ignore the fashion police) are perfect. Buy on Amazon (Women's) | Men's River Shoes

Other Trekking Gear

• Refillable water bottle or water bladder: Refill your own water containers with boiled or purified water instead of carrying bottled water and leaving a trail of plastic wasted. We also recommend carrying water purification drops or a SteriPEN with you so that you can always be assured of having safe drinking water with you.
• Walking stick: Highly recommended, especially for downhill sections through slippery scree. We usually share one walking stick set of two so each of us uses one stick.
• Waterproof backpack cover: You never know when a rainstorm will hit, so it’s essential to keep a rain cover for your backpack close at hand.
• Quick-dry travel towel: To dry off your hands or face after washing it in the stream.
• Sleep sack: To provide an extra layer between you and the piles of blankets. Plus, this helps keep you warm if the temperatures drop at night.
• Headlamp: The yurt camps do not have electricity or lights outside. Carry your own headlamp to find your way to the toilet and to sort through your stuff at night in the yurt if it doesn't have a solar light.

Toiletries and Health Kit

You won't have access to a shower for several days at a time, but you don't really miss it as the evenings and mornings are quite cool. You will have access to fresh water everywhere to wash your face and hands.

• Soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss: You know, the basics. And don't laugh at us that we put dental floss as a basic. You'll thank us after eating a meat-heavy meal.
• Sunscreen: The higher the SPF, the better. At this altitude the sun is very powerful.
• Sunglasses: Necessary. That sun is darn strong.
• Hand sanitizer: To be on the safe side.
• Pack of tissues or roll of toilet paper: There were rolls of toilet paper available in out houses, but it’s always a good idea to carry your own…just in case.
• Duct tape: Effective for hot spots and blisters on your feet.
• Medical Kit (for emergencies): Band-Aids, anti-bacterial gel (for cuts), rehydration powders, ciprofloxacin (or another medication against stomach bacteria), Tylenol (anti-headache/aches), Immodium (or some sort of “stopper” if you get diarrhea). Note: All this can be easily and inexpensively purchased at local pharmacies in Osh.

Electricity and Charging Batteries

You will have access to electricity when you stay in guesthouses in Kyzyl Shoro and Kojokelen villages, but prepare yourself for having limited to no electricity at the yurt camps. Although some yurt camps do have solar panels the level of charging ability varies. Some tips to handle this and further your battery power.

• Put your smartphone on airplane mode. There is no connectivity along the trek anyhow, so don't waste your phone’s battery power trying to find a network.
• Consider buying a phone case that doubles as an extra battery. Here’s an example for our iPhone X battery case. Alternatively, you could carry a Mophie charger or solar powered power bank. They all provide another 1-1.5 charges.
• Take an extra camera battery or two.
• Don’t spend time reviewing your images on your phone or in the camera viewfinder, as this will quickly consume battery power. Unless you are reviewing images to determine whether you’ve captured a specific shot, there will be time enough for photo review when your trek is finished.

Still have questions about the Alay Mountains and trekking in the region? Please ask in the comments below.

The post Trekking in the Alay Mountains, Kyrgyzstan: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on Uncornered Market.

If you visit Kyrgyzstan, it’s possible to overlook the Central Asian cultural mixing bowl that is the city of Osh. For many travelers, Osh serves as a transit point en route to the Pamir Mountains, Irkeshtam Pass to China, Dostyk crossing to Uzbekistan, or the newly marked trekking trails in the Alay Mountains rather than a destination in and of itself with a diversity of things to do, see and eat.

However, if you’re looking to encounter a unique blend of cultures and history, lively markets, gregarious people, and a culinary scene which many Kyrgyz call their favorite, then we recommend giving Osh a closer look.

The diversity you’ll see owes itself to over 3,000 years of history and the city's favorable position as a midpoint along one of the Silk Road's main East-West arteries. From there, trade and migration helped evolve Osh into the urban tapestry of cultural interchange you see today, a regional crossroads home to more than 80 ethnicities.

We’ve visited Osh a couple of times over the last ten years, each time peeling back an additional layer of its living history, unpacking nuances of its blended culture. Osh stands unique in both Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia.

Here are some of the things to do in Osh experiences to look for when you go, so you can understand why.

Osh Experiential Guide: 20 Things to Do, See and Eat

1. Climb Suleiman-Too (Solomon Mountain) for the Best Views of the City and its History

If you’d like to understand Osh geographically and historically, there’s no better way to do so than to make the short climb up Suleiman-Too (Solomon Mountain or Solomon's Throne). Besides offering the best views of Osh and the surrounding area, a walk up the UNESCO World Heritage mountain-cum-sacred pilgrimage path is a walk through the region’s pre-Islamic (e.g., Zoroastrian, Shamanistic) and Islamic history.

Your experience will also be one of living history as you witness present-day visitors performing rituals, much as they have been doing for millennia.

Along the way, peer into caves and niches dotted with prayer relics and the occasional petroglyph, take a run down the now well-worn “fertility slide”, drop a coin into the fortune-telling wishing well, interact with locals, and check in with the imam giving blessings in a small mosque at the top. (Note: After spending some time meditating in Osh, Babur — the one who built the original mosque in 1510 — later went on to found the Mogul Empire in India. Look closely and you’ll find evidence of cultural exchange between the two regions in shared features like the use of the tandoor oven and spices like cumin, and in certain regional dishes.)

If a deeper, quirkier dive into regional history and archaeology interests you, spend some time at the Soviet-style archaeological museum. There, you can catch up on some additional pre-Islamic history, including “the cult of the horse.” Plan for about 60-90 minutes for a straightforward climb up and exit down the other side. Add another hour or two for a longer museum and petroglyph wall visit.

2. Learn to Make — And Eat! – a Giant Osh Samsa as Big as Your Fist

While traveling in Kyrgyzstan, it’s very likely you’ll eat samsa (also known in Uzbek as somsa), dough pockets tucked with meat, onions and spices. However, if you wish to visit samsa central, a visit to Osh is a must. Elsewhere in Kyrgyzstan, samsas are often baked in a ordinary oven, whereas the “Oshski samsa” is baked inside a clay tandoor oven.

Our favorite among samsa experiences, bar none, was the samsa class at Bismilloh Samsakana (232 A. Navoi Street). Maybe it’s my favorite because, in this part of the world, samsa-making is a man’s job. Although our instructors made the rolling of dough rounds and measuring and tucking of meat look speedy and trivial, I assure you it’s not. But that does not stop untold 1000s from being cranked out each day.

Of the different varieties that Bismilloh serves, my favorite is what I might call a soup samsa, one known locally as a Giant Osh Samsa or Chon Samsa. After being packed with one pound of meat filling, it is then tucked, turned and slapped to the inside of a hot tandoor oven. The resulting samsa emerges with a firm bottom crust, which is then cut, revealing a sort of built-in samsa soup bowl.

Build up an appetite for one of these, or go for the smaller Parmuda Samsa on offer. Note that Osh is no stranger to spice, either. Some samsa are tucked with a slice of hot pepper and issued with a warning of black sesame or nigella seeds on top.

For those of you who like to make historical connections through cuisine, note that the word samsa resembles its Indian/South Asian cousin, samosa. Although we initially believed the samosa made its way north and gave rise to the Central Asian samsa, it is in fact the other way around. Samosas likely originated somewhere in the Middle East, yet were introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by Silk Road traders from Central Asia.

3. Look at the Eyes

What do you mean, “Look at the eyes,” you ask? Osh is a crossroads of peoples and pilgrims, of Silk Road trading, of Stalinist Soviet border drawing. As a result, Osh is a human tapestry of ethnic groups, including Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Tajik, Tatar, Russian, and Turkish to name a few.

As you walk the streets and markets in Osh, look at the people. At any turn, you might imagine yourself further East in China, just South into the Wakhan Valley of Tajikistan/Afghanistan, or further West into The Caucasus. The people of Osh and their features serve as visual evidence of intermixed and intermarried cultures having left their mark.

If there’s ever a full accounting of the evolution of human ancestry, and of cultural migration, one of the highest-traffic intersection points would have to be Osh.

To know that so many cultures have left an impression on this place, just step back and look at the people. Look at the eyes. They tell us a story, one that is deep, complex, and unfolding.

4. Day Trip to Uzgen, Visit a Silk Road Mausoleum and See How Red Rice is Grown and Processed

No trip to Osh is complete without a day trip to the nearby town of Uzgen, once the home of the ancient Turkic Karakhanid dynasty, now the site of the Silk Road sites of an 11th century minaret and 12th century mausoleum.

Our English-speaking guide there, Husniddin Sharipov, was a knowledgeable storyteller and offered history and context for what we saw. Photographers note: late afternoon offers better light on the mausoleum and less contrast with the snow-covered Pamir Mountains in the distance.

After taking in the historical Silk Road sites in Uzgen, seek out the story behind Uzgen rice. Uzgen red rice is said to be the best rice for the preparation of plov (a rice and meat dish popular throughout Central Asia). A visit to a traditional rice factory includes a walk around the edge of the rice plantation and a look inside the facility. Hydro-power water wheels and stone milling equipment are used to remove the husks from the kernel. In this way, not much has changed in 2,000 years.

Although you may have visited the Jayma Bazaar in Osh and had your fill of nuts, dried fruits and spices, we recommend a stop at the Uzgen Bazaar.

From the picturesque and quaint tile work and Cyrillic lettering at the entrance, to the approachable environment inside, it’s well worth a visit. We found the people friendly, gregarious and generous. While there, we sampled a host of dried fruits and nuts, several variations of a fermented drink called “bozo” and various homemade chili sauce concoctions. Shopping tip: Prices for nuts and dried fruit in the Uzgen Bazaar are quite a bit lower than in Osh.

5. Watch the Blademaster of Osh Give Life to Recycled Materials

If you happen to be in or near the mahalla (neighborhood) near Craftsmen Street (formerly known as Alebastrova Street, here is a Google Map), take the time out to stop by the little hole-in-the-wall knife-making workshop run by Zakir Jon, the friendly knife craftsman of Osh.

He learned his trade when he was just 11-years old from a master craftsman traveling through the city. Even after 57 years of experience of knife-making under his belt, this craftsman sports a youthful and playful approach to his craft, and to life.

Zakir Jon runs a simple set up. A coal-powered fireplace heats the metal to the point where it can be flattened and shaped with a hammer. Each knife takes between 25-28 hours to make, including the blade and custom handle. You can admire the work on display as you watch him turn the grindstone, pound the metal and form the makings of an honest-to-goodness hand-smithed blade made from scrap metal.

Better yet, ask Zakir Jon how he makes his knives from recycled car parts and industrial materials. You'll notice that many of the blades are engraved with stars, his trademark symbol. As he tells it, when he was young the coolest thing going were Soviet cosmonauts.

And buy one, like I did. Each one has a story and comes with its own hand-decorated leather sheath. I use mine just about daily — to dice garlic, slice tomatoes, cut meat. It remains sharp, and the artistic flourish at the base of the blade always draws me in. Each time I pick it up, I glance at the colors in the handle. I think of the experience and consider how that knife was made. And I kind of marvel at how the world works.

6. Relish and Explore Osh's Jayma Bazaar

Wind your way through lanes old and new in the Jayma Bazaar, a 2,000-year old marketplace that has stood the test of time as the heart of the city's trading center. At several kilometers long, it's one of Central Asia's biggest.

It overwhelms at first. At a minimum, we recommend you sample your way through the section with the dried fruits and nuts. You'll find a vast array from not only Kyrgyzstan, but also nearby Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkey and even Iran. Don't be afraid to try several types of almonds, pistachios, raisins or dried apricots before deciding your favorite. Note: If you are going trekking or on a Pamir Highway road trip, we recommend stocking up here. You'll be thankful for these healthy snacks later on.

Around the corner, check out the spice mounds and get yourself into a conversation regarding the finer points of custom laghman spice blends and different grades — or potency — of chili powders.

Should you tire of fruits, vegetables and food, check out some of the craftsman and metalsmith areas. Or strum a handmade komuz, a traditional Kyrgyz stringed instrument you'll likely hear across your travels in Kyrgyzstan.

7. Make Your own Lepyoshka Bread and Design

The importance of bread to the culture and daily routine is no less true than in Osh. Several types of bread make the rounds in bakeries, on the streets, stacked in bazaars, and in restaurants. However, the bread that stands out for its ubiquity, flavor and design is the Uzbek-style traditional bread called lepyoshka. You’ll know it when you see it in stacks in markets and in bakeries. It will arrive at your table during virtually every meal.

To deepen your cultural experience and understanding of Osh, we recommend taking a walk down the area along Kurmanjan Datka Street (in front of City Hospital) that former Peace Corps Volunteer Mark affectionately called “Ashkana Row” in his great Osh guide.

Poke your head into one (or more) of the bakeries there in the early morning. While inside a bakery, ask to look inside one of the tandoor ovens and note the way in which bread rounds bake, closely arranged on the inside of a tandoor. The whole thing is warm, and cool — and really photogenic, too.

How to organize a bread-making class in Osh:

Go one step further and take a morning lepyoshka-making workshop with one of the local master bakers. Learn how to make the bread, create your own design on top, and watch it bake in the tandoor. Then, eat it hot with a spot of fresh kaymak (local sour cream) for breakfast — all in one hour.

8. Watch Old Men Play Chess in Navoi Park

One thing we noted in Osh was the amount of green space and parks, and how full those parks are of locals taking walks, playing games, and enjoying time with family. Take a walk through leafy Navoi Park and after passing by the amusement parks and games, seek out the old men playing competitive chess, likely just as they did during Soviet times. Lines of old men, beards often stretching to the chess board, focus and time their moves.

Stand back, watch, and take it all in. Much of the park feels like a walk back in time, most especially this.

9. Visit the Osh Animal Market

If you happen to be in Osh on a Sunday morning, and you wish to get a glimpse of local tradition in livestock, this is the place. Sheep, horses, donkey and cattle change hands, sometimes several times in the course of a day.

There's a secret language and code, and a dramatic flourish, to the animal negotiation process. It's fun to watch. Pay attention and you'll also hear people yell “Osh! Osh! Osh!” as a sort of “Go! Go! Go!” as they make way and attempt to get their stubborn animals to move where they want. Some speculate this is how the city got its name.

The environment may be a little muddy and dirty underfoot (i.e., don’t sport your best footwear), but the Osh Sunday animal market is as real as it gets. And the people are friendly, too.

How to get to the Sunday animal market: From the Aravanskaya bus stop in Osh, take marshrutka 105 or bus 5 headed east, to the end of the line. A taxi should cost around 300-400 KGS.

10. Learn the Secrets Behind the Famous Osh-Style Plov

Plov (notice the resemblance to the word ‘pilaf’) is a rich Uzbek dish traditionally made of rice, mutton, carrots and spices slow-simmered in a large metal half-sphere pan called a kazan. In addition to traditional or everyday plov, you might also find wedding plov and holiday plov varieties featuring additions like chick peas or raisins, among others. Every family has their own secret recipe, one passed on from mother to daughter.

Osh and nearby Uzgen are famous for having the best plov in Kyrgyzstan, in large part because of the local Uzgen red rice (see #4 above). Be sure to balance out the richness of plov with some tart kymys (fermented mare’s milk). Yes, yes, we know that sounds strange. But here you do as the locals do, because they know what’s good for you.

How to take an Osh-style plov cooking class:

For a look into the experience of how to make plov, including buying the various ingredients at a local market and a cooking class in a local family home, check out this Plov Cooking Class. We know the guide well and he's done a lot of research into the cuisine and culture of the region. The entire experience lasts around 4 hours. A vegetarian version is also possible. Warning: you may not need to eat for several days after this experience.

11. Get Your Uzbek Fashion On

Get your Uzbek fashion on as you shop for fabric and buy pre-made and custom cut clothes. You’ll know you’re looking at Ikat, a distinct kind of Uzbek design style, when you see the multi-colored oval bleed patterns or sharp-line designs in textiles. Don’t let our description of the design frighten you. From light silk top coats, to skirts, scarves and everything in between, you are likely to find something interesting to wear that draws a lot of “Where did you get that?” reaction.

Coming to a fashion studio near you, Uzbek design from southern Kyrgyzstan.

To find some Uzbek-designed jackets, tops, dresses, or scarves, check out the stores in the Shahid Tebe District. One favorite shop (for its prices, modern designs and ease) is at 515 Kurmandjan Datka Street. You can also find Ikat designs in the Jayma Bazaar. For a deeper look into Uzbek fabrics and fashion design, we’re told you should make your way to Kara-Suu Bazaar, a 45-minute ride north of Osh.

12. Choose Your Favorite Piece of Large-Scale Soviet Public Art

Osh is arguably one of the best locations in Kyrgyzstan to avail yourself of large-scale Soviet relics, mosaics, murals and bas reliefs. From a Cubist style bird mural to a mosaic rendering of the 1980 Moscow Olympics mascot (remember that cute teddy bear?), the images ring nostalgic. Themes run in multimedia, from a workers paradise mosaic to multi-kulti bas relief stone cuts to modern murals with a nod to pan-Asian solidarity.

These works demand a second look. They often serve as a measure of history, from the sense of Soviet propaganda in an ethnically diverse city to the notion of what fits and makes the cut in the modern day.

Note: You can also learn more about Soviet public art by taking a city walking tour. The route passes by some of the more notable Soviet murals and mosaics, then provides a map walk-through to find other pieces not on the tour.

13. Take a Vegetarian Break with Maida Manti and Gök Chuchvara

When you visit Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, surely you’ll have tried manti, the regional style of steamed dumpling. What’s challenging in Kyrgyzstan: finding vegetarian versions.

Surprisingly, considering how meat-dominated Osh is, the city sports a local vegetarian specialty that you can't find anywhere else in Kyrgyzstan called maida manti. These small parcels are made from very thinly rolled leaves of dough stuffed with pinches of potato filling.

If you're lucky and it's the right season you will also be able to find pumpkin manti. Same goes for gök chuchvara, small dumplings filled with spinach-like local greens. Along with the butter in which the manti are turned, your plentiful and reasonably-priced portions will also be served with kaymak (local sour cream), sliced red onions, flavored vinegar and the option to sprinkle ground red pepper on top. The best manti and chuchvara we've found are at Oybek Manti at 362 Kurmandjan Datka Street. You order by weight (e.g., half kilo) rather than by portions or plates.

Don’t forget to ask about the different flavors of homemade compote-style juice drinks available.

Note: You can also experience these dishes and learn more about their origins as part of the Osh Food Tour. We know the guide and he takes you to some good, local places. In fact, you can request a fully vegetarian food tour if you so desire. Just let them know in advance.

14. Accept an Invitation into a Family Courtyard in a Mahalla

Whether you are in the neighborhood near our favorite knife-maker, or shopping for textiles along Kurmandjan Datka Street in the Shahid Tebe District, be sure to look — respectfully — into the family courtyards along way if the gates are open.

In the mahallas (traditional Uzbek neighborhoods) you often see from the street only a foreboding gate or wall. What you'll find inside those gates are surprisingly large family compounds, sprawling park-like courtyard affairs with tapchan (raised tables for dining), a green space in the center, and living quarters (often for multiple generations) along the side. People are quite friendly, so you might find yourself invited inside for a further look and some tea.

15. Trek into the Nearby Alay Mountains

Given the variety of accommodation, food and experience options in Osh, it makes for a good planning and jumping off point for treks and hikes, not only into the Pamirs, but also to the closer Alay Mountains. In our opinion, the Alay Valley features some of the most beautiful one-day and multi-day treks in Kyrgyzstan — which, if you’ve read some of our other articles on trekking in Kyrgyzstan, says a lot.

If you only have a limited time and wish to experience a remarkable day trek, check out the newly-marked Koshkol “Four Lakes” trek that begins not too far from the village of Sary Mogul (via car transfer). This moderately-difficult day trek takes you to a series of turquoise alpine lakes, glaciers, and gorges and to a high point of 4,195 meters. Along the way you’ll pass a yak-filled jailoo (high pasture), meet local shepherds and their families, and enjoy views of Peak Lenin and the Pamir Mountains in the distance. It's pretty remarkable how all this can be packed into one day.

If you have more time, check out the so-called “Heights of Alay” trek, a moderate-to-difficult trek that can be experienced as 2 nights/3 days (+ a day to transfer to Osh) or 5 nights/6 days for the full circuit over the Jiptick pass. Also recommended is the 8-day Best of Alay Trek that includes hiking up to Peak Lenin Base Camp.

The trek begins a few kilometers outside of Sary Mogul and takes you on the first day to Sary Mogul Pass at 4,303 meters — with views of alpine lakes, glaciers, the Pamir Mountains, and a remarkable almost moon-like landscape. The trek then winds its way down alpine river valleys, through small villages and finishes across a series of shepherd routes.

The final day features a sweeping “Best of Kyrgyzstan” canvas of red rock gorges and multi-colored mountain layers before the final descent into the town of Kojokelen. We had a limited schedule so we transferred to Osh that same afternoon, but the standard (more relaxed) trekking tour includes an overnight in Kojokelen with the transfer to Osh the next day.

If you're up for more trekking then continue over the Jiptick pass where you will end in Sary Mogul again after three days.

If you need any more convincing of how beautiful trekking in this area is, check out our Alay Mountains photo essay.

How to organize a trek in the Alay Mountains, Kyrgyzstan:

We've published long guides to how to plan and organize a trek in the Alay Mountains, from choosing a route to finding guides: Trekking in the Alay Mountains, Kyrgyzstan: The Ultimate Guide and Alay Region Travel Guide

The treks we did were part of a trail-marking project connected to the USAID Business Growth Initiative (BGI) tourism development project in Kyrgyzstan. Our treks were organized by Visit Alay, part of the Community Based Tourism Kyrgyzstan network. We trekked with their local guides, horses (i.e., porters) and equipment (e.g., tents, sleeping bags, mats, etc.).

We not only had a really great time with them, but we were impressed by the quality of service, food, transport, and rented gear. In addition, the organization works to support and promote local businesses so that tourism development benefits communities and families in the region.

16. Find the Old Russian Airplane

Filed under: “How did this get here? And why?” As you wander through Navoi Park you might stumble upon a decommissioned Soviet-era Yak-40 Aeroflot airplane just sitting there, a relic which speaks to a bygone era. Apparently, a cafe once operated inside. For an aerial view, spend a few som and take a ride on the ferris wheel just next door.

Note: It's best to admire the plane from afar, as the inside of the plane has been transformed into a sort of trash heap meets public bathroom.

17. Down Some Top-Notch Shashlik

One of the most powerful sensory memories we have from our first visit to Osh over 10 years ago is the smell of shashlik, and the charcoal smoke rising from street grills lined with skewers of cut and ground meat. That's why we so closely associate shashlik with Osh.

It wasn't until our last visit, however, when we tasted the mother of all shashlik at Atabek Cafe as part of the Osh Foodie Tour. High quality meat, nicely grilled, good flavor, and tasty condiments. Not to mention, seasonal fresh figs and melon to finish it off.

18. Try Spicy Korut as a Beer Snack

We confess that we are partial to the fried fava beans in Karakol as our favorite beer snack in Kyrgyzstan. However, spicy korut (dried, yogurt balls) are worth gnawing on with a cold beer. Korut tends to be quite salty, as well as hard to bite into, so you might want to take it slow and easy.

Although you can find korut everywhere in Osh, the spicy variety is a bit more difficult and novel. We recommend buying them from these vendors at the Jayma Bazaar. These women are good-natured and jovial. They also seemed to find hilarious the idea that travelers might be interested in their korut and their other local dairy products.

19. Take Cover Under Central Asia's Biggest Lenin Statue

Behold the largest standing Lenin statue in Central Asia, ironically positioned just across from city hall and independent Kyrgyzstan's flag. Get up close and you'll realize just how huge he is.

If you are interested in more Soviet-era monuments and memorials, continue into nearby Toktugol Park where you'll find the Soviet-era World War II Memorial, along with another dedicated to the local contingent of the Chernobyl “liquidators”, people sent to clean up and contain the Chernobyl nuclear power plant meltdown in 1986.

20. Walk the Streets, Catch a Festival and Laugh with the Locals

Although Osh is a big city, it's one of those places that's best explored on foot as much as possible. We recommend this especially in Osh because of the local people you'll encounter and engage with along the way.

We find people to be quite gregarious and open, and curious about and excited to see foreign visitors. There's an energy and spirit to the streets. And even if you don't share the same language, interaction still happens. The attempt to communicate often results in charades. Take, for example some women (pictured below) we met at Osh Fest, a local summer festival.

They invited us to join their tea party. We spoke a little broken Russian, everyone had their photo taken with everyone else (we aren't the only photographers these days) and a cheer of “Osh! Osh! Osh!” broke out.

Accommodation in Osh

There are a lot of accommodation options in Osh for every budget and style. For a medium budget, we've stayed at and can recommend Classic Hotel, Shanghai City Hotel (free laundry and a good Chinese restaurant with vegetarian food, so a good place after you've been trekking), Sunrise Guesthouse.

As for budget accommodation and hostels, we've heard good things about Biy Ordo Guesthouse, but it's a bit outside of town. Closer in is its sister accommodation Biy Ordo Hostel and Osh Guesthouse.

How to Get to Osh

If you are already in Kyrgyzstan, the fastest and easiest way to get to Osh is by flying there from Bishkek (FRU). It's a quick and easy 45-minute flight and the mountain views out the window are pretty spectacular (you can search for flights to Osh on Skyscanner). During the summer, there are also flights to Osh from Tamchy Airport (IKU) on the north shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.

Alternatively, you can catch a shared taxi (10-11 hours) from Bishkek to Osh from the Western Bus Station in Bishkek. And, there is a range of shared taxis, marshrutksas, and buses to Osh from nearby locations.

Osh is also located near the borders of China (Irkeshtam Border), Tajikistan (Kyzylart – Bor Dobo Border Crossing) and Uzbekistan (Dostuk Border Crossing).

The post Travel Guide to Osh, Kyrgyzstan: 20 Things to Do to Get Started appeared first on Uncornered Market.

If you travel to Kyrgyzstan, it’s almost impossible to miss Issyk-Kul Lake, the second largest alpine lake in the world (after Bolivia’s Lake Titicaca). But Lake Issyk-Kul is large with two long shores, each a different personality. So where to focus your visit and time?

We suggest the South Shore and this Experiential Travel Guide explains why with 20 things to do, see and eat in the South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.

For many, the temptation is to take the highway along the northern shore directly from Bishkek to Karakol as it's technically the quickest route. But if immersing yourself in unspoiled nature while engaging with Kyrgyz tradition and nomadic culture is what you are after, then we’d recommend taking the southern route to an area known affectionately as “The South Shore.”

The South Shore area of Lake Issyk-Kul stands unique, aided by a twist of history. As the Soviet Union developed other parts of Kyrgyzstan and the region, it more or less left the South Shore untouched, to its own. It wasn’t commercialized for tourism or built up for industry as the northern shore had been.

As adherence to traditional Kyrgyz culture was discouraged and considered backward in the rest of the country during the Soviet era, many pockets of Kyrgyz life and culture along Issyk-Kul’s South Shore remained as they were. In a way, protected. A visit today feels as though you are experiencing living history.

We’ve visited the South Shore a couple of times over the last ten years. Each time we have, it has yielded some our most memorable experiences in the country, even inspiring one of our earliest posts, entitled A Perfect Day in Kyrgyzstan.

If local, real, and authentic Kyrgyzstan is what you are after, then spend a few days along the Issyk-Kul Southern Shore between Kyzyl-Tuu village in the west and Barskoon in the east towards Karakol.

And here are some of the things to do and experiences to look for when you go.

1. Sleep in a Yurt Under the Stars

During our first visit to Kyrgyzstan in 2007, we visited the South Shore of Issyk-Kul and spent the first night there in a yurt. The panorama: the red rocks of Manjyly in the foreground, the peaks of the Tian Shan mountains in the distance. The skies that day were crystal clear, there was little else around to distract us in our peace and silence. We were hooked.

If you think that sleeping in a yurt means roughing it, think again. Not only are yurts supplied with ample blankets and bedding, but they are stylish and colorful inside. These days, you can even find yurts with a bathroom and sauna attached.

Yurt camps along the South Shore. All include home-cooked meals:

• Altyn-Bulak Yurt Camp, Manjyly-Ata: This is the yurt camp we originally stayed at in 2007 and it's still in operation. Beautiful setting amidst the red rocks with ample space to wander and explore.
• Bel Tam Yurt Camp: A handful of yurts set just back from the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul so you have easy access to the beach if you want to take a dip. We haven't slept here, but we did enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch served up by the sisters who operate the camp.
• Almaluu Ethno-Village: A yurt camp in Ton (Tong) village about 6km outside of Bokonbaevo offering standard yurts and VIP yurts with attached private bathrooms. Some even come with an attached sauna. The latter are especially impressive. Since Almaluu has equipped several of its yurts with heaters, they are also available in the winter months. The food served here is also top notch and fresh, much of it grown in the nearby gardens.
• Meiman Ordo Yurt Camp: This is one of the newer yurt camps in Tong village outside of Bokonbaevo. We haven't visited or stayed there yet, but have heard good things from others who have.
• Jaichy Yurt Camp: For sleeping in a yurt up high on the jailoo (high pasture) about 27km from Bokonbaevo with panoramic views of the Teskey Ala-Too mountains, give Jaichy Yurt Camp a try. We haven't stayed here ourselves, but have met the owner several times. In addition to offering accommodation, Jaichy Yurt Camp also offers horse back riding, trekking and other outdoor activities. They can also organize a local kok boru (goat polo) game if you so desire. The owner also grows his own organic food at the garden and his wife can offer cooking courses/demonstrations.
• Feel Nomad Yurt Camp: This yurt camp was opened by several colleagues we worked with on the USAID project in Kyrgyzstan. In addition to the traditional yurt stay experience, they also offer a lot of different day tours and trips, from hiking to yurt building to cooking classes. Located on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in Ak-Say.

2. Learn Everything You Wanted to Know about Yurts but were Afraid to Ask

The village of Kyzyl-Tuu, between Bishkek and Bokonbaevo has fast become known as the epicenter of yurt craftsmanship in Kyrgyzstan. It’s THE place to have your yurt built. People from all over the world place their yurt orders here, as local craftsmen are known to construct well-made yurts that can last as long as 100 years.

Several families work together for almost a month to build all that’s needed to assemble the yurt, including the wooden frame, felt covers, and decorative interior shyrdaks.

Learning how the wood is treated and shaped to create the various segments of a yurt frame is far more engaging than it sounds. The hours we spent with Turusbek Kalykov, a fourth-generation yurt craftsman, helped us appreciate the genius and timelessness behind Kyrgyz yurt design and construction. Traditionally, all the components of a yurt were traditionally intended to be carried on the back of a single camel (nowadays, the back of a truck), and are designed for assembly without the need of nails or screws.

3. Experience Game of Thrones, Kyrgyz Edition, with Salbuurun (Traditional Hunting)

Hunting with golden eagles, falcons, and hunting dogs, standing archery, archery on horseback – all with a cinematic backdrop. Salbuurun, as the tradition is referred to, is intended to demonstrate how Kyrgyz nomads once moved and hunted across the mountains. The knowledge of these techniques and the culture embedded within them is kept alive through the Salbuurun Federation, based on the South Shore of Issyk-Kul.

Archery may look easy from afar, but try your hand at it and you’ll likely develop a whole new respect for the sport. To make matters even more impressive, members of the Salburun Federation take off on horseback, quiver in hand, shooting bullseyes as they gallop across the field.

Respect.

The founder of the federation, Almas Akunov, learned traditional hunting from his grandfather when he was a child. However, Soviet ways discouraged such ethnic expression. Since Kyrgyz independence, Almaz has focused his efforts in researching and learning the traditional methods of archery, hunting with eagles and dogs, nomadic dress, and the call of drumbeats. Talk with Almaz and you’ll find his passion palpable and his interest in passing along this revived culture and knowledge to future Kyrgyz generations genuine.

Although some local guest houses and yurt camps can organize a golden eagle demonstration for you on their premises, we suggest going with the Salbuurun Federation in Bokonbaevo for a more encompassing experience that includes not only a golden eagle demonstration, but also how the eagles work together with taigan dogs and hunters on horseback in traditional Kyrgyz hunting.

4. Release your Inner Child and Roam Skazka Canyon

From sunrise to sunset, the various layers, landscapes and canyon formations along the southern shore of Issyk-Kul run the eyes around the color wheel. One of the best locations to experience this color and contour is Skazka Canyon (aka, Fairytale Canyon), just east of Bokonbaevo.

Climb to the top of the first canyon summit for a panoramic view of red cones set agains the deep blues of Issyk-Kul and surrounding peaks of the Tian Shan. It makes for a good selfie spot, too.

How to get to Skazka: Many local accommodation providers offer half- and full-day tours that include Skazka Canyon. Otherwise, you can hop on one of the mashrutkas (minibus, shared public transport) that run along the main road, and get off at the service road that leads to Skazka. Taxis are also easy to hire from Bokonbaevo and a round-trip fare is 1,500 Som, including waiting time.

5. Take a Dip in the 2nd Largest Alpine Lake in the World, Lake Issyk-Kul

With a spread of snow-covered Tian Shan Mountain peaks surrounding it, the setting of Lake Issyk-Kul is dramatic. Although the northern side of the lake is more well-known for swimming and spas in towns like Cholpon-Ata, the lake’s southern shore features warmer temperatures and more pristine surroundings due to the lack of commercial development and industrialization.

The mineral-filled waters of Issyk-Kul carry purported healing powers. This, along with the presence of underground thermal springs prevents the lake, the second-largest alpine lake in the world, from ever freezing, even in the coldest of Kyrgyz winters.

Last time we visited was winter so we didn't go swimming ourselves. However, locals tell us that “Uch Chunkur,” a natural, undeveloped beachfront, is the best place to go swimming. Taxis from Bokonbaevo cost 300 Som ($4.50) for one-way or 600 Som ($9) return where the driver waits for you.

6. Shop for Traditional Felt Shyrdaks and Tush-kiyiz, Learn Their Symbolism

The outside of a yurt may usually features a functional, yet somewhat bland, gray or off-white felt cover. In fact, the Kyrgyz term for a yurt boz üy means, quite literally, “gray home.” However, a yurt interior is where the Kyrgyz show off their best and brightest adornments and decorations.

A typical yurt is lined with shyrdaks covering both the floors and walls. Not only do these heavy felt wool rugs keep you warm and lend a cozy feel, but they are visually beautiful, their bright colors and designs harkening of ancient peoples who lived from — and together with — nature. You'll also find tush-kiyiz, embroidered decorations into which it was said that grandmothers would stitch they dreams they had for their grandchildren.

The designs you’ll see carry specific meanings. Shyrdaks from different regions in Kyrgyzstan feature different symbols and colors to represent a shared story, their local history. Whenever a shyrdak strikes you, whether in a yurt or a store, ask the owner or salesperson whether there’s a special meaning behind the symbols and colors. You’ll appreciate the beautiful design even more.

Where to shop and learn more about shyrdaks and tushkiz:

• Golden Thimble (Altyn Oimok) in Bokonbaevo: Janil Baishova, the founder of the organization, is passionate about learning traditional Kyrgyz handicraft techniques from elder masters and passing these techniques on to younger generations. The shyrdaks produced by Golden Thimble are very high quality and have won awards from UNESCO and other organizations. If you don’t have space for a shyrdak in your luggage, the shop also features plenty of smaller items that are easier to carry. Address: 69 Karymshakova Street, Bokonbaevo.
• Almaluu Crafts Center (Felt Art) in Bokonbaevo: A wide selection of handmade shyrdaks and other Kyrgyz handicrafts are sold here. An array of traditional herbs and medicines are available for purchase, too. Be sure to go around back to the workshop to see women artisans at work. Address: T. Moldo Street #8, Bokonbaevo.

7. Get to Know and Love the Taigan, the Kyrgyz Hunting Dog

We realize that we may be a bit biased here, but to our minds the Taigan is among the more remarkable hunting dog breeds in the world. At the very least, they are the cutest and friendliest. Aside from their signature curly tails and shaggy ears, Taigans seem to possess a loyalty magnet whereby they attach themselves and literally lean against their masters and friends, as if to say, “Don't worry, I’ve got this. I’m here to protect you.”

The Taigan dog breed bloodline supposedly dates back several thousand years, and is said to be genetically predisposed not to fear wolves. We can’t be certain about this claim, but they are impressive to watch when they are on the hunt (or hunting demonstration, as it were), particularly when teamed with a golden eagle.

8. Drink the Healing Waters at Manjyly-Ata, the Valley of the Sacred Springs

Do you have stomach problems? Bad nerves? Anxiety? Then take thee to to Manjyly-Ata to what is known as the Valley of the Sacred Springs, a pilgrimage site whose network of natural springs possess all manner of purported healing powers.

Even if healing springs can’t draw you, perhaps the Manjyly-Ata dramatic backdrop of rolling red rock cones and valleys can. As you explore the area – informal hiking paths and marked natural springs — expect to get a little lost, or perhaps purposely take a wrong turn as you find the perfect angle for a photo. From one hill to the next, one healing spring to the next, it’s all part of the fun.

Where to stay: For a full experience, consider spending the night at the yurt camp located nearby in Manjyly-Ata.

9. Behold, Up Close, a Kyrgyz Cemetery

It might sound odd to put a cemetery on one’s itinerary, but Kyrgyz cemeteries are something truly special. It’s likely that your first encounter will be to see them glide by your roadside field of view as you make your way around Lake Issyk-Kul. At first glance, they look like mysterious sculpture gardens adorned with elaborate miniature yurts and castles set against the backdrop of dramatic hills and mountains.

Take a closer look and you’ll realize that this is how local Kyrgyz honor those who’ve passed. Fascinating and beautiful, mausoleums and burial sites in Kyrgyzstan are a testament to the connection between how a culture honors its dead and celebrates the living.

10. Become One of the Family in a Kyrgyz Homestay

As the South Shore naturally develops its tourism, many of the accommodation options are homestays that involve a stay in a Kyrgyz home. These are usually called guest houses.A homestay experience is intimate: as you meet the family, you learn a bit about their day-to-day lives and enjoy their home-cooked meals.

We have done homestays numerous times throughout Kyrgyzstan and Issyk-Kul South Shore, whether it’s been for an overnight, for a meal, or even for afternoon tea with a local family. It's one of the things that makes traveling in this region unique and feel more personal.

11. Relish a Candlelight Dinner in a Yurt

Some of the best meals we’ve had in Kyrgyzstan have been in yurts and we firmly believe there is a connection. First, the food is always fresh and homemade. More importantly, perhaps, it has something to do with the colorful, cozy, plush décor of a yurt’s interior that complements the food.

There are few structures whose warmth and color envelop ones senses the way a yurt does. If you have the option for a candlelight dinner in a yurt, take it. It’s perfect. Romantic, too.

12. Take a Kyrgyz Cooking Course

Nomads aren’t typically known for their high cuisine, but that should not put you off from fully exploring the national cuisine of Kyrgyzstan and its regional variations. The reality of Kyrgyz cuisine is that it is traditionally heavy on meat. However, the surrounding regional influences, especially as you head east towards China, introduce a wide range of vegetables, herbs and spices.

Through your travels in Kyrgyzstan, you might become familiar with dishes like beshbarmak or laghman, each with their special hand-made noodles, or manti (dumplings). However, when inquiring about cooking courses, be sure to ask about special dishes like oromo, dymdama, or one of the many tangy shredded carrot and cabbage salads.

• Almaluu Ethno-Village and Bel Tam Yurt Camp in Tong Village: Cooking classes are available upon request.
• Jaichy Yurt Camp: Cooking courses with ingredients fresh from the garden and pastures are available upon request.

13. Imagine the Story Behind the 1,000+ Year-Old Female Balbal

Balbals, ancient stone statues found across Central Asia, still puzzle archeologists and historians. It’s believed that ancient nomadic tribes used them to mark the graves of the elite and village leaders some 1,500 years ago. Experts continue to speculate as to why many of these figures sit cross-legged and hold a tea cup. Some say the cup holds poison on which leaders would swear truth or allegiance.

Balbal (or Kurgan Stelae) figures are typically male, which makes the female figure found near Tuura-Suu village and museum near Khan-Dobo Citadel especially remarkable. She is believed to have been an ancient female nomadic leader from around 1000 years ago. Here is the location of Kan-Dobo Citadel.

14. Accept Bread from Each Home as a Gesture of Hospitality

One of the traditional offerings of hospitality in Kyrgyzstan is bread, often brought out when you depart a family home. A round of bread is typically broken into small pieces and placed on a tray. As a guest, you take a small piece, one that symbolizes your acceptance of the good wishes of the host for your journey.

As you take bread, do not feel compelled to take the whole loaf, for even a very small piece will do to seal this gesture of hospitality. And if you are allergic to gluten, just take a piece and tuck it away in your hand.

15. Take a Morning Hike up to Shatyly Viewpoint

After one of our workshops in Bakonbaevo, Alybek Osmoev from CBT Bokonbaevo, pointed up to one of the hills surrounding the town. “From up there you have a 360-degree panoramic view of Lake Issyk-Kul and the nearby mountains. It only takes about an hour to walk up. Want to go early tomorrow morning?” he asked.

Getting ourselves out of bed at the crack of dawn the next morning did not really sound pleasant, but the draw and curiosity of this panoramic view won over. Turns out that was absolutely the right decision.

Although it's possible to do this short trek (4km round trip) any time of day, we thought the early morning light was rather special. This also allowed us to get up and back into Bakonbaevo by breakfast as we had a full day planned ahead of us. Alternatively, bring your breakfast with you and enjoy it at the panoramic viewpoint.

How to do it: The start of the trek is about 11km from Bokonbaevo town so you'll need to arrange a transfer to get out there and bring you back to town. CBT Bokonbaevo organized our transportation and guided us. It's also possible to do this trip by horseback. It took us about 2-2.5 hours total to get to the viewpoint and back to Bokonbaevo, but if you have more time you can keep walking past the viewpoint and extend it into into a half-day or full-day trek. Alybek at CBT knows all the local treks in the area.

16. Visit the Bokonbaevo Babushka and Cure What Ails You

A visit to a local babushka (traditional healer) had never been in our itinerary. However, when talking with some Kyrgyz people about traditional medicine, we heard about the local belief regarding the connection between the placement of one’s heart and prior traumas or shocks in one’s life. We then learned that female healers – known affectionately as babushkas (literally, grandmothers) – are believed to aid or cure these afflictions. Most Kyrgyz towns and villages, including Bokonbaevo, are home to several.

After we arrived for our appointment, the babushka employed a combination of stones and what looked like a miniature leather whip to draw and cast out evil spirits. Even with all her years, she was a strong woman, one whose careful hands could detect something as insignificant as a few drops of water in her guest’s stomach.

Rather than further describe our session with the babushka, we encourage you to seek out your own experience by asking at your guesthouse whether your host knows of one. Ideally, you’ll have the time and opportunity to visit for multiple sessions, but a single encounter offers a meaningful glance into traditional Kyrgyz medicine, belief and culture. Payment for the treatment is typically by donation.

17. Take a Felt-Making Course and Create Your own Kyrgyz Souvenirs

Inspired by all the shyrdaks and felt you see inside the yurts and homes? Then try your hand at felt crafstmanship yourself at a handicraft workshop in Bokonbaevo.

How to take a Kyrgyz Handicrafts Course:

• Altyn Oimok (Golden Thimble) offers felt-making courses in the summertime in their courtyard. Janil Baishova, the founder, will take you through the process of how wool is selected and processed, and turned into felt. Then, you’ll make your own pillow mat or placemat with some of the symbols and colors from the traditional shyrdak. Contact them by email — altyn_oimok – at – list.ru to arrange a private course or find out when the next one is taking place so you can join a group.
• Almaluu Ethno-Village & Handicraft offers felt-making courses at its crafts shop in Bokonbaevo town. You can spend the night at its yurt camp just outside town and then learn about how all the decorations in your yurt were made at the handicrafts course. Contact Nuripa, the manager, by mobile (+996 779 854098) or email to learn more or book a course. Prices range from 500 Som ($7.50) for the “Shyrdak” course or 300 Som ($4.50) for the simpler “Ala kiyiz” felt carpet course.

18. Learn What an Elechek (Traditional Kyrgyz Headwear) Has to Do with Posture and Pregnancy

One of the lessons of traditional Kyrgyz nomadic culture is the importance of items serving multiple uses. Since nomads carry everything with them, packing light was key, multi-purpose the watchword.

Consider the elechek, a traditional form of Kyrgyz headwear. At the Felt Museum in Kyzyl-Tuu village (closed for renovation until 2019), we learned that an elechek begins as a long segment of natural cotton cloth that is then wrapped around a woman’s head fifty times. 50 times! Because wearing an elechek required balance, it was used naturally to improve a woman’s posture. The McGyver trick: if a pregnant nomadic woman goes into labor while out in the fields, the clean cotton cloth of her elechek can be used in child birth and later to swaddle the newborn baby.

Makes modern-day headwear seem a bit one-dimensional.

19. Horseback Ride with Shepherds in the Jailoo (High Pasture)

In summer, shepherds take their sheep, cows, horses, goats and other animals up to the jailoo (high pastures) to enjoy several months of high quality grazing. During this time, Kyrgyz shepherds live a nomadic life as they set up a yurt as a base, ride horseback with their animals to fresh pastures during the day, then return in the evening.

If you take a horseback riding tour into the hills, you’ll not only be surrounded by stunning mountain landscapes, but you might also learn a thing or two from a Kyrgyz shepherd along the way.

20. Breathe Deeply and Take in the Beauty of Where You Are

When we visited the South Shore recently in December, I would exit the back door of Emily Guesthouse in Bokonbaevo each morning and be struck by the simple yet incredible beauty of the mountains that seem to surround this area.

Our Kyrgyz hosts found me odd, when morning after morning in the cold of winter, I would take a series of photos of the backyard where a few pieces of laundry hung, backed by a spread of snow-covered mountains in the distance.

Why?

For me, this span of the South Shore — in its simplicity and its depth — is quintessential Kyrgyzstan.

Disclosure: Our experiences along the South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul are from a combination of a personal trip that we made years ago and a more recent visit as part of a tourism development project. This latter trip was made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. As always, the thoughts contained herein — the what, the why, and the how — are entirely our own.

The post Issyk-Kul South Shore, Kyrgyzstan Experiential Travel Guide: 20 Ideas to Get Started appeared first on Uncornered Market.

When readers ask, “I’m traveling to Karakol. Is there anything to do there? Where should I go?” We have a raft of ideas of things to do in Karakol, often surprising them with the diversity of cultures and cuisines to explore, day tours available, hikes to take, and much more.

Why? Because most travelers (and guidebooks) know Karakol, a town in eastern Kyrgyzstan, only as a jumping off point for popular day hikes and multi-day treks in the nearby Tian-Shan Mountains. What they don’t often realize, however, is the rich cultural context of the town and what there is to do there.

But first, a little background on Karakol.

Karakol stands at a crossroads, geographically, culturally and even culinarily. Historically, it was in the middle of what was Turkestan, a region stretching from Mongolia’s Gobi Desert to the Caspian Sea. Today, Karakol bridges China to the east and the rest of Central Asia to the west. Because of this, a kind of ethnic diversity spills into Karakol’s food and markets, and into the activities and atmosphere of the town. Top it all off with traditional Kyrgyz culture, Russian history and influence, and vestiges of the Soviet era, and you have a place in which to engage, but also decompress and catch-up after your time adventuring in the mountains.

To help, we created this experiential travel guide to Karakol. It highlights some of the best experiences and memories from our five visits to Karakol over the years, including our most recent trips during spring, summer and winter. It’s peppered with a few others’ recommendations, too. Our intent is to offer some diverse inspiration and practical advice to help you plan your travels in Karakol, to give you the building blocks to create your own itinerary from scratch, and maybe even encourage you to stay longer than you expected as you enjoy some of Karakol’s après-trekking, culinary and cultural features.

Let’s go!

Karakol Experiential Travel Guide: 25 Things to Do and Eat

1. Take a Hike…and Disconnect to Reconnect

If you are the outdoor or adventuring sort (as we are), then a visit to Karakol on your trip to Kyrgyzstan is an absolute must.

Karakol is considered the gateway to the Tian Shan Mountains for good reason. From Karakol’s western perch on Lake Issyk-Kul (the second largest alpine lake in the world), you’ll find yourself surrounded in views on a clear day. On the trekking spectrum, Karakol has something for all levels of difficulty and time commitment. The most popular trek is to Altyn Arashan, which for the more adventurous continues to Ala Kol lake.

Other treks include Altyn Arashan to Jeti Oguz and the Turgen Valley. Treks in nearby villages include some newly developed trails that set off from the village of Jyrgalan (90 minutes/60km from Karakol). Our Jyrgalan Boz Uchok Lakes trek was three days, but shorter and longer variations are being rolled out, including an option to sleep in a yurt along the way.

And for the most serious mountain climbers, there are several peaks nearby that top out well above 5,000 meters.

2. Sample a Minimum of Eight Dishes for Good Luck at a Dungan Family Home

Eight dishes might sound like a lot for dinner, and is best experienced in a group. Dungan cuisine features meat and vegetables, is flush with various greens and is touched with subtle flavors, as well as vinegars and soy. According to Karim and his wife, our hosts for the night, there’s a deliberate approach to meal preparation whose aim is for all the dishes to complement one another. And while eight is the minimum number of dishes they will serve guests, it's usually much more…like the twelve different dishes you see in the photo below.

This experience is more than just a meal; it's a full Dungan village experience in Deishan/Yrdyk (about 15 minutes from Karakol) with a visit to the Dungan museum, mosque and walk through the village. This allowed us to really understand the history and culture of Dungan people and their presence in Kyrgyzstan as a whole, and specifically Karakol and its surroundings.

Originally from China, the Dungan people emigrated to Karakol and Deishan village in the 1880s to escape religious persecution and brought with them — and have continued to preserve — their traditions, culture, and cuisine. You’ll find this especially true as you make your way around the Big Bazaar and Little Bazaar in town. Karakol owes a big thanks to Dungan culture for its impact on the local food scene.

3. Find the Meaning of Life in a Russian Bath and Sauna

OK, OK. Maybe this oversells the experience just a little. At the very least, however, a Russian bath offers an immersive (literally) local experience, and a pleasant and inexpensive way to relax, get clean and warm those weary muscles as you wind down in Karakol after a long hike. You can even enjoy a few beers at the bath house along your sauna journey. Bring your trekking mates and make it a social outing.

If being naked in public isn’t your thing, don’t worry. You’ll be given a towel – more like a sheet — to wear. Alternatively, you can also book a private sauna at one of the local guest houses in Karakol (e.g., Altamira, Tagaytay, Amir, Intour, Sweet House).

How we did it: Karkyra banya (Баня «Каркыра») on Karasaev Street costs around $1.50/hour and features cold and warm pools, a toasty wood sauna and hot showers. It’s not in the center of town, so you’ll need to take a taxi there (fixed price of taxis in town = 70 Som/$1).

4. Take a Free Walking Tour and Try to Find a Nail at the Dungan Mosque

The Dungan mosque was designed by Chinese architects and artisans between 1907 and 1910 for the local Dungan community. However, the wooden mosque was constructed entirely without the use of nails. Pretty remarkable, like a puzzle. As you walk around, note that it probably doesn’t look like any other mosque you’ve seen in your travels. Much of its imagery, including a wheel of fire and a pagoda (in place of a minaret), harkens to the Dungans' pre-Islamic, Buddhist past.

5. Devour the Best Ashlan-Fu in Kyrgyzstan

One of the best loved dishes in Karakol is the Dungan spicy, cold soup called ashlan-fu, made from a combination of thick rice noodles, wheat noodles, a vinegar-chili sauce and a topping of chopped herbs. Traditionally, it’s sided with piroshki (fried, potato-stuffed dough pockets), so as to balance the flavor and spice and to enable efficient mopping of the broth. Vegetarians keep an eye out: ashlan-fu can be served vegetarian or with meat. In either case, it’s delightful, refreshing and an absolute must try. Not to mention, we’ve been told it’s the local hangover cure if you’ve taken in too much Kyrgyz cognac.

There’s a special alley-way in the Karakol Small Bazaar devoted almost exclusively to ashlan-fu. Take a walk, take your time, then sample away.

If you wish to sample ashlan-fu in town, there are plenty of restaurants which specialize in it. Our favorite from our last trip is from this no-name place (look for this sign) on Przhevalskiy Street near the intersection with Jusaeva Street. A hearty bowl will cost you around $0.50. Note however that once they sell out of their fresh, daily supply of ashlan-fu (almost always), they close for the day.

Additionally, as part of the Dungan family dinner experience in Deishan village (see #2) you'll learn the secret to making your own ashlan-fu straight from the source. Can't get any better than this family version.

6. Soak Your Aching Muscles in a Natural Hot Spring

Two options here. Head to Ak-Suu Hot Spring or Up Into Altyn Arashan.

Ak-Suu hot spring is closer to town, and in 2017 it ought to feature a new outdoor pool/bar at the lower end of the access road. A bit further afield, and perhaps better timed with a hike, is Altyn Arashan where you can spend the night in a yurt or simple hostel and enjoy soaking in the hot spring pools before or after trekking onward and upward to Ala Kol lake.

The sulfurous odor of a natural hot spring offers a hint: the mineral-laden waters feel great and are good for what ails your skin, bones and muscles.

7. Dig Into Spices and Culture at the Big Bazaar

The Karakol Big Bazaar seems to sell whatever you need. Warm clothes to top off the pack before your hike to Ala Kol? Check. Dried fruit, nuts and snacks for the trek? Check. Beautiful heaps of colorful spices? Check. Ten different grades of ground red pepper flakes? Check. Walk through the Karakol Big Bazaar and in short order you’ll meet people with Kyrgyz, Russian, Dungan, Uighur, Uzbek, and Kalmak backgrounds selling their wares and specialties.

Tip: show genuine curiosity and you’ll often be rewarded by the friendliness of the spice and vegetable vendors, and a few free samples along the way.

Note: There is also a more centrally-located open market with similar offerings, but on a much smaller scale…hence the name Small Bazaar.

8. Check out the Ella Maillart Black and White Photography Exhibit at the Karakol Historical Museum

We often have our doubts about the relevance of remote history museums. At first glance, the Karakol Historical Museum also drew our doubtful ire. However, its permanent exhibition now includes a well-lit room of black and white photos from Karakol and the wider region (e.g., Turkestan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc.) taken in the 1930s by Ella Maillart, a Swiss adventurer and likely the first solo female European traveler ever to tackle the region.

Maillart’s images, besides being well-composed, also reinforce the concept of Karakol as a crossroads. They convey what the region, including its people and cultures, looked like before Sovietization. It’s worth a quick visit at the beginning of your time in Karakol to better appreciate the city and surrounding area.

Warning: you may need to pass by the museum exhibition full of dead, stuffed animals from the region, but the payoff of the photo exhibit is worth it.

9. Snap the Region into View at the Przhevalsky Museum

Russian explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky set up shop in Karakol in the late 19th century. Rumors are that he was sent back to this region several times by the Russian Tsar in order to find a short-cut secret route from Karakol to Tibet. You might be thinking Tibet is nowhere near Kyrgyzstan. However, when you take a step back and look at a map of the region and Przhevalsky’s routes, you begin to realize how close everything really is and how the wider region might be more interconnected than you first imagined.

If you’ve traveled elsewhere in Kyrgyzstan, in Central Asia or even in Xinjiang Province in China, the Przhevalsky museum and the telling of his travels provides essential context. If you’d like to understand how the region fits together geographically, historically, and culturally, this stop is an important piece in the puzzle.

Note: The museum is just outside of town in a quiet park overlooking Lake Issyk-Kul. A shared taxi from town costs 30 som ($0.40) or around 120 som ($1.40) for the entire taxi. The museum offers a guided tour, included as part of the entry fee, and is recommended to help fill the gaps of the exhibition pieces documented in English. In winter, only a Russian language guide was available. We’re told that English language guides are available in the summer months.

10. Haggle for a Horse at the Sunday Karakol Animal Market

If your visit to Karakol falls on the weekend, be sure to check out the rollicking animal market held on Sundays on the town’s outskirts. We can attest that the market, with its array of horse, sheep and cattle, looks much as it did 10 years ago. We can only imagine, especially after checking out Ella Maillart’s images of the market in the 1930s, that not much about its appearance has changed in decades, or possibly even centuries. This perspective alone makes the market worth a visit. It’s a cultural experience unique to Karakol.

Warning: As you might imagine, the animal market gets a little sloppy under foot, particularly if it’s wet. Better not to dress in your Sunday best!

11. Buy a Lada or Moskvitch at the Used Car Market and Plan Your Next Road Trip

If you’ve traveled across Central Asia, you’ll likely have found that the landscape — ranging, mysterious, and remote — hints “Road Trip!” If an urge to hit the road strikes you, or if you just wish to dream and look at old cars, stop by the used (and often antique) car market held on Sundays, right next to the Karakol animal market.

Lada, Niva, Moskvitch, Zhiguli, Volga, UAZ — name any of the old Soviet car models and you are likely to find at least one here for purchase. Some are in original condition, if a little beaten up. Others look as though they’ve been tricked out for cruising around the main square. Prices seem reasonable, even low. With doubt on our faces, we drew plenty of offers to take the merchandise for a test drive. We were tempted to buy the green Moskvitch above (roughly $700) and store it at a friend’s place for our next trip.

12. Amaze Your Friends with Your Cache of Soviet Memorabilia

If you like tchotchke, especially of the Soviet or communist variety, then you might spend all day in this corner antique shop. The owner-collector, Alexandr Korablev, has not only spent decades finding and collecting a sea of Soviet memorabilia but he seems to know the story behind every pin, poster and clock.

You don’t need to break the bank, either. Many smaller items like event and festival pins cost $1 or less. Very affordable, especially if you want to surprise all your friends for Christmas with 1980’s Moscow Olympics paraphernalia. Even if you have no interest in buying anything, pay a visit if only to peer into the past.

Where to find it: The Antique Shop is on the corner of Zhamansarieva and Toktogula streets.

13. Discover All the Kyrgyz Felt Products You Never Knew You Needed.

We don’t consider ourselves avid shoppers or souvenir buyers when we travel, but the “One Product, One Village” store on Toktogula Street in Karakol draws us each time we visit. The shop, run by a rural women’s development project sponsored by JICA, a Japanese aid organization, has not only trained Kyrgyz women across the country in high quality felt and natural soap production, but it also offers a fair marketplace in which to sell their traditional crafts.

If you’re considering buying souvenirs in Kyrgyzstan — everything from wall hangings to hats and change purses to locally made honeys and jams — this shop is worth a visit. Although the range and style of handicrafts can be somewhat limited, prices and quality are competitive or better than similar shops in Bishkek.

14. Find a Kyrgyz Handicraft Course – In Karakol Town or in a Nearby Village

After admiring all of the handicrafts in “One Product, One Village”, you might want to understand better the Kyrgyz nomadic tradition of felt making and shyrdaks, and learn how they are made. Ask the staff about the half and full-day outings available (request to see the catalog) to nearby villages, and learn how to make felt, handicrafts, honey, jam and more. Or, send a message to request information through their Facebook page.

Alternatively, Damira from Tolgonai NGO offers various handicraft courses in town. She has an interesting personal story, too. As she tells it, her skill in traditional crafts passed onto her by her grandmother is what enabled her to get out of debt and support her family as a single-mother. To say she's passionate about Kyrgyz traditions is an understatement.

How to book these experiences: The Destination Karakol (Destination Marketing Organization) can help coordinate visits and handicraft courses.

15. Enjoy REAL Coffee and Support Local Community Projects

If you find yourself desperate for the taste of real coffee — a luxury in a part of the world whose cafes run rivers of Nescafe – check out Fat Cat Karakol at Gagarina Street 22. While there are a number of formidable cafes in town serving coffee, tea and even homemade spirits (e.g., Karakol Coffee) — Fat Cat brewed coffee comes on offer with homemade cookies, cakes and other goodies – a portion of whose sale proceeds go to support community projects for disadvantaged families in the area.

Fat Cat is also a haven for meeting English speakers, locals, visitors, and Peace Corps volunteers alike. The owner, Jamila, is full of information about the area and can tell you which other businesses in town — taxi companies, hostels, hair dressers, etc. — also work with her to donate a portion of their profits for community projects.

16. Imagine Dancing in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral

Ok, so you can't go dancing in there now…and we really encourage you not to try for risk of getting thrown out by the priest. However, at one point during Soviet times Karakol's famous Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral served as a (rather elaborate) dance hall.

The cathedral originally dates back to 1869, a time when Karakol was only a garrison town outpost on the edge of the Tsarist Russian Empire. Back then, the cathedral was a chapel that served Cossacks and other troops. Today, its unusual wooden structure is one of the town's main landmarks.

Note: The Russian Orthodox Cathedral is one of the main stops along the free Karakol walking tour. So, if you want to learn more about the legends and stories behind this church be sure to hop on one of the walking tours given by Destination Karakol.

17. Populate your Instagram Feed with Russian Gingerbread Homes

Make a point to walk around Karakol and notice all the gingerbread-style windows, doors and awnings. These photogenic gingerbread homes with all their blue and white adornments are a throwback to Karakol as 19th century boom town on the edge of the Russian Empire. Today, they’re very much a unique visual fixture of the Karakol town landscape that remind us of its history.

18. Find Treasure in the Chaos of the Slavic Market

The Karakol Slavic Market, held on weekends, looks a bit like grandma emptied her attic of all its Soviet relics and spread them out on a blanket. A photogenic free-for-all, the Slavic Market is the local incarnation of the maxim, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

It’s also the place to go if you need spare parts for that old Soviet car you just bought at the used car market (see #10 above).

19. Relax on Lake Issyk-Kul with a Sunset Cruise

When visiting Karakol it can be easy to forget that the town is only about fifteen minutes away from Issyk-Kul Lake, the 2nd largest alpine lake in the world. During our last visit we had a chance to go out to the lake and hop on a boat with our Kyrgyz friends.

Starting from summer 2017 it's possible to take a 90-minute sunset cruise around this bay and area of Lake Issyk-Kul. Talk about peaceful, tranquil and stunningly beautiful. And yes, the Tian Shan Mountains encircling the lake do stay snow-covered all year round.

20. Learn the Three Ways of Laghman

Sure you’ll eat more laghman, homemade noodles topped with vegetables and meat (usually), as you travel across Kyrgyzstan. But, before you do, use Karakol and its restaurant scene to understand the three primary styles — boso laghman (fried), traditional (more soup-like), and guyru laghman (not fried, less soup) — to figure out your favorite. Among the best in town according to our sources, and our own experience, is at Cafe Zarina on Lenin Street 120.

For the full laghman experience, you can sign up for a session with Gulya at her home on how to hand-pull the noodles and enjoy home-cooked Uighur-style laghman and other dishes for a full meal.

21. Go Vegetarian in Kyrgyzstan

If there’s a destination in Kyrgyzstan whose food variety, restaurants and culinary scene give vegetarians a fighting chance, it’s Karakol. Get a dose of vegetarian relief with the Dungan and Korean salads (in big buckets) at the Big Bazaar or Small Bazaar.

Try ashlan-fu, pumpkin manti dumplings, vegetarian laghman and kitaiski (Chinese) salad. Of course, you’ll have to ask questions and do your homework to avoid meat, but there are enough vegetables festooning the market stalls in Karakol to hint at its being a possible vegetarian oasis in Kyrgyzstan, if not all of Central Asia. Some restaurants in Karakol even offer a vegetarian menu. Here is a handy English-Russian translation guide for vegetarians.

22. Discover the Magic of Fried Fava Beans at the Market

Why these dried, fried fava beans are not served everywhere in Karakol — and throughout Kyrgyzstan — is a mystery to us. Not only is this natural snack tastier and healthier than most other fried snacks, it’s also fresh and different. Each time we've brought bags of these fava beans back to Berlin, our friends tell us we need to begin importing them since they are that good.

This is a free hint to Karakol’s entrepreneurs and bar owners: serve these with beer and during happy hour. The Karakol chill out scene will never be the same.

23. Taste Four Different Ethnic Cuisines on the Karakol Food Crawl

Remember diversity and crossroads of cultures that we mentioned at the very beginning? Well, on the Karakol Food Crawl you have a chance to taste what that means for Karakol's unique (and rather delicious) local food scene. In this food walking tour you'll be able to sample a minimum of six dishes or snacks from four different ethnicities – Dungan, Kyrgyz, Tatar and Uighur – and taste what makes each cuisine different, yet also somehow complement the others.

As you explore Karakol through its different ethnic cuisines and dishes, you'll hear stories and learn about local eating traditions. For example, in Kyrgyz culture your social status is reflected in the piece of meat you are given at a feast or celebration. How's that for transparency regarding what your hosts really think about you?

24. Hop on a Horse, Head to the Hills

If trekking isn’t your thing or you wish to cover a bit more ground, find yourself a horse trek and head into the mountains. Horse trekking in Kyrgyzstan is an absolute must-do. If you haven’t already planned or ventured out on a day trek or multi-day ride elsewhere in the country, get your giddy up going in Karakol.

How to do it: Destination Karakol visitor center can help make arrangements for you. Alternatively, you can contact Almaz at Bulak Say Horseback and Trekking. You can also check out other local horse trekking options at the Karakol Tourist Info Center, Ecotrek, or CBT Karakol. A little further afield, Jyrgalan village offers horse treks in the summer season with half, full or multi-day horse treks available (contact Destination Jyrgalan for more details).

25. Paraglide or Ski/Snowboard From 3040 Meters

We have not yet paraglided above Karakol and Lake Issyk-Kul. That will change with our next visit. The physical beauty of the region — lake, mountains, meadows, big sky, and all — makes it too perfect to pass up the chance to see it from above. We did see several people take off from the 3040m panorama, however. It looked like it would be a ton of fun, particularly in summer. (Note: Contact Sky Trial to arrange a paragliding trip.)

If paragliding isn't your thing, you can also take the Karakol Ski Base lifts to the 3040m Karakol panorama peak in summer.

And, if winter sports are more your thing…Karakol becomes a haven for skiers and snowboarders looking for a long skiing season, fresh snow, beautiful views from the slopes, and reasonably priced day passes at $20/day.

Accommodation in Karakol

We've stayed at Hotel Tagatay a few times and it's a nice mid-range guest house with a super friendly owner that uses solar and other renewable energies for heating its hot water and electricity. Most recently, we stayed at Matsunoki Guest House, a Japanese-styled place that has very comfortable beds, an incredibly huge and delicious breakfast, soundproofing to keep it quiet, and a Japanese minimalist design. Also highly recommended.

For budget travelers there's a good selection of inexpensive hostels in town, or if you want to experience sleeping in a yurt give Happy Yurt Camp a try just outside the town center (disclosure: we haven't stayed there ourselves, but know the owner.)

Book a room in Karakol

Getting to Karakol

Take a marshrutka (minivan) or shared taxi from Bishkek's main bus station. The journey takes about 5-6 hours. From the South Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul or Cholpon Ata, hop on any marshrutka heading towards Karakol. The main bus station is outside of the town center so you'll need to catch a local taxi (70 som) or marshrutka #109 to get to the center. You can find out more transportation information regarding getting to or from Karakol here.

English language travel information + how to book experiences

The Destination Karakol Visitor Center at 22 Gagarin Street can help you with English language travel information and book the experiences and tours highlighted here. The office is open from 9AM- 8PM Monday-Saturday and 9AM- 4PM on Sunday. You can also contact them by Whatsapp: +996 558 508 808 or email: info@destinationkarakol.com. Note: In full disclosure, we worked with Destination Karakol to help develop many of these new tours and experiences as part of a tourism development project to promote local tourism initiatives and keep tourism money local.

The post An Experiential Travel Guide to Karakol, Kyrgyzstan: 25 Ideas to Get You Started appeared first on Uncornered Market.

With over 90% of its territory covered in mountains, Kyrgyzstan has no shortage of treks filled with stunning landscapes, alpine lakes, shepherds, yurts and a feeling of being very far out, immersed in nature. It's why we often recommend Kyrgyzstan to travelers interested in trekking with a taste of the offbeat. Our recent trek of the newly developed Boz-Uchuk Lakes Trek in the Tian Shan mountains above Jyrgalan village reminded us again why we make such recommendations.

Trekking in Kyrgyzstan, you'll find you don't often run into too many other travelers; there's plenty of space and elevation to go around. But if you really want to go offbeat and have the mountains to yourself, consider the newly developed Jyrgalan (Jergalan) to Boz Uchuk Lakes Trek in eastern Kyrgyzstan.

You'll share the peaks and alpine lakes with just a handful of shepherds and their animals grazing on the jailoo (high pastures). It's this sort of trademark experience that makes Kyrgyzstan an unusual trekking destination.

We felt fortunate to be among the first to experience this new trek in Jyrgalan Valley. Its path takes you 55km (33.5 miles) through the Terskei Ala-Too Range of the Tian Shan Mountains of eastern Kyrgyzstan, over mountain passes, across river valleys and up to alpine lakes.

Given our previous visits to Kyrgyzstan, our expectations were high. Yet they were exceeded in terms of landscape and overall trekking experience.

Here’s why, day by day. Here’s also why you might want to consider putting trekking in Kyrgyzstan — with over 90% of its territory covered in mountains, 40% of which are over 3,000 meters / 9,840 feet — on your travel wish list. We’ve included all you need to know to plan, prepare for and enjoy the Boz Uchuk Lakes trek.

What to Expect on The Boz Uchuk Lakes Trek in Jyrgalan Valley: Day by Day

Originally a coal mining village, Jyrgalan has had a rough time of things since the mines closed a decade ago. The local economy and business declined and half the population left. The setting of Jyrgalan, surrounded by mountains, makes it a prime location for trekking in the summer and skiing in the winter. Within the last year, a few community members have joined together to form a DMO (Destination Management Organization) to promote tourism development in the area with the goal of increasing local economic opportunities. The Boz Uchuk Lakes trek is among its initial experience offerings.

We did the Boz Uchuk Lakes trek with a mountain guide, cook, and horses to carry camping equipment, food, and our gear. We were thankful for the full support. Because we only carried a daypack and camera during the day, we could focus on the experience at hand. Our big backpacks, tent and other supplies were all carried by horses.

Food appeared at lunch stops and our tents and backpacks, complete with clothes for cooler nights, appeared at our campsites at the end of each day, just as we needed them. Not to mention, the local horsemen served as our unofficial cultural ambassadors by sharing videos of Kyrgyz music, sports and family stories from their phones.

With detours to alpine lakes each day, the Jyrgalan trail and surrounding landscape proved more beautiful and varied than we'd expected. Our photos don't fully do justice to the fluctuations of mountain light and color.

Note: The route below represents the three-day Boz Uchuk Lakes trek route we experienced, as tracked by our use of the Endomondo app. You can also find the official GPS tracks here. It is possible to extend the trek to five days, or to shorten it to an overnight experience.