Adventure Holidays in Kyrgyzstan

Name: Kyrgyzstan
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.5 (57 reviews)

Find horizons that never seem to end, vast open spaces and the celestial summits of the Tien Shan

Tours in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is a place where the wind whispers of ancient ancestors, family ties and the immense skill of people able to survive in such an extreme environment. It was once part of the historic Silk Road trading route, which brought huge wealth and cultural interaction across the continents and resulted in a melting pot of ethnicities and customs. Off-limits to foreigners during the Soviet era, today you don’t even need a visa to the landlocked country.

On Kyrgyzstan trips, you’ll discover a seemingly never-ending sequence of stunning scenery: the jagged white spears of the celestial Tien Shan mountains; the arid, dry steppe where nomadic tribes of eagle hunters roam; and the staggering beauty of Issyk-Kul Lake, the second-largest alpine lake on the planet.

Our Top Destinations in Kyrgyzstan

Tien Shan

Kyrgyzstan Holidays

16 Days from £ 3199

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Culture

23 Days from £ 6199

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Culture

23 Days from £ 6199

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Culture

10 Days from £ 1849

Guided Group (Excl. Flights)

Walking & Trekking

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Expert opinion: Kyrgyzstan trips

“Kyrgyzstan’s big draw is the natural beauty and rural lifestyle. There are still nomads here, their yurts and horses scatted along the landscape. As I journeyed through the Tien Shan, the Mountains of Heaven, I visited a Women’s Association for a homemade lunch and bought traditional felt rugs, which the Kyrgyz decorate their yurts with. I visited the home of a traditional eagle hunter and hiked through the beautiful Djety-Oguz valley. Arriving at the resort town of Karakol on the end of Issyk-Kul Lake, the diversity of this small nation became clear as I visited a Russian Orthodox Church and a Dungan Mosque, with its distinctive Buddhist iconography. The Dugan are a small minority who are descendants from Chinese women and Arab traders and fled China for Central Asia. I even got to sample a home-cooked dinner in the home of a local Dugan family.”

Exodus Expert Tom Harari. Read more from our experts here.

There was a lot of bus/ travel time on this journey. Given that, I felt that some days were very poorly planned.
Examples:
One day all we did was cross the border to Turkmenistan. We started at 1:pm and it took 2 hours. The next day there was a six hour excursion to a UNESCO site. Then back to the city for lunch. Then another 5.5 hour drive out to the gas crater. Obviously the UNESCO excursion could have been done the previous afternoon if we would have crossed the border in the morning. Then we would have arrived for sunset at the camp. Instead we were driving in the dark on a very poor and dangerous road, arriving stressed. As an aside, some passengers got bed bug bites at the camp.

The day we arrived in Uzbekistan we had been travelling for 9 hours. All we wanted was our hotel, a drink and some food. Sergi proceeded to say we had to go to the summer palace and a silk factory that night. The whole group was fed up and we did not enjoy either one. These activities were scheduled for the next day.

Anyway there were many days like this; it was agreed by all that we would prefer to get to our hotel in the late afternoon in order to unwind and perhaps explore on our own. There was no need for so many late check ins.

Most hotels were adequate. I did not have high expectations. Rooms were clean and comfortable. However, the breakfasts were horrendous. Cold food, empty buffet trays, very little offered.

Nickey Knight The Five Stans of the Silk Road – Almaty to Ashgabat

I’m writing this two months after coming back. I’ve just finished my photobook of the trip and completing this made me realise how much fantastic stuff we saw. And how it’s like two trips in one. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are based on mountains, open spaces and some walks. Uzbekistan is cultural, four interesting cities and fantastic Islamic architecture. It’s great to have experienced both and enjoyed three new countries in one adventure.

Nigel Turner The Silk Road

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