Tour of the high-mountain lakes
Tour itinerary
Arrival in Bishkek – Ala-Archa – Bishkek (45+45 km)
Arrival in Bishkek. Transfer from the airport to the hotel (check-in at 2:00 PM). Transfer to the Ala-Archa National Park (45 km, 1 hour). Short walk through the gorge. Return to Bishkek. Excursion: Victory Square, Ala-Too Central Square, Oak Park, the National Philharmonic Hall and the square in front of it. Free lunch (not included).
Bishkek – Burana – Chon-Kemin (190 km, 4-5 hrs)
Transfer to the Chon-Kemin Gorge. En route, stop in Tokmak (85 km, 1.5-2 hours) to visit the Burana Tower architectural complex. Continue to Chon-Kemin. Upon arrival, check into a guesthouse. Lunch (included). Three-hour horseback ride through the gorge. Dinner (included).
Chon-Kemin – Kochkor – Kalmak Ashuu Pass – Son-Kul (195 km, 5-5.5 hrs)
Transfer to the village of Kochkor. Visit the local folk crafts museum. Learn about the process of felting traditional shirdak carpets. Continue to the second largest lake in Kyrgyzstan, Son Kul, via the Kalmak Ashuu Pass. Accommodation at the Nomad’s Dream yurt camp. Lunch and dinner (included in the price).
Son Kul – Moldo Ashuu Pass – Kalmak Ashuu Pass – Kochkor (220 km, 5-5.5 hrs)
Transfer to the Moldo Ashu Pass (3,201 m), considered one of the most beautiful passes in Kyrgyzstan. Return to the yurt camp for lunch (included in the price). Transfer to Kochkor village via the Kalmak Ashuu Pass. Accommodation at a hotel. Dinner (included in the price).
Kochkor – Jeti Oguz – Karakol (270 km, 6-7 hrs)
Transfer to the village of Bokonbaevo (120 km, 2.5-3 hours) along the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. Meet a berkutchi (golden eagle hunter). The hunter will tell the story of taming and training the birds and demonstrate how they are trained and used. Lunch (included in the price). Transfer to the Jeti Oguz Gorge (120 km, 2.5-3 hours) – translated from Kyrgyz as “Seven Bulls Gorge.” Walk through the gorge. Transfer to Karakol (30 km, 40 minutes).
Karakol – Grigorievskoye Gorge – Cholpon-Ata (210 km, 4-4.5 hrs)
Tour of Karakol: the wooden Church of the Holy Trinity, the Dungan Mosque – a magnificent example of Chinese architectural style from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Then transfer to Cholpon-Ata. En route, stop by the picturesque Grigorievskoye and Semenovskoye gorges, which merge at the end. Accommodation at a hotel on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.
Cholpon-Ata – Bishkek (265 km, 4 hrs)
Tour: Chyngyz Aitmatov Ruh Ordo Cultural Center, Open-Air Petroglyph Museum, Cholpon-Ata Local History Museum. Then transfer to Bishkek (265 km, 4 hours). Lunch is free (not included).
Bishkek. Departure
Transfer to the airport three hours before departure.
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(price depends on group size)
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