Destination Kyrgyzstan – Country Rating

Executive Summary: The long and the short of it is; Kyrgyzstan’s noteworthy qualities lay in its natural landscapes, namely hiking in its mountains. If you do not enjoy the outdoors, do not go to Kyrgyzstan. The countries most beautiful sights are generally a few hours hike at least (though several locations have cheat routes via car as well), with some even requiring an overnight in a yurt. Kyrgyzstan is very accessible and do-able for new travelers as well as the more advanced, war-ready adventurers. The country offers some amazing opportunities to experience the life of a nomadic sheepherder, and those wanting an off-the-grid holiday, look no further. City dwellers, art lovers, and those looking for a chill-take-it-easy vibe might want to look elsewhere for their holiday. The food is good but most probably wont seek out their local Kyrgyz restaurant. A two week itinerary is probably best to see the country as moving region to region can take time due to road condition and geography. One week, you can see some of the hot spots. If you’ve got more, take a couple deep dives into the mountains or head to one of the neighboring Central Asian countries.

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Full analysis: Gorgeous mountains, glorious nature, tremendously vast landscapes all add up to one beautiful country. Luckily everything can be achieved by bringing relatively little yourself. Almost all sights have yurts at the basecamp or mid-way through the hike for overnight stays if wanted so boots and weather appropriate clothes are all that are needed. Although many travelers bring their own tents and sleeping bags for the advanced multi-day treks, not needed to explore the best sights. There are a couple beaches around Issyk-Kul which can be enjoyed similar to any resort town designation. The cities are pretty small with Osh being the more happening place where as Bishkek is really pretty small and only need an hour or two of walking to check out. Most are sprawling dilapidated soviet cities so the blocks are long and the architecture mostly unassuming and worn out. Most people try to visit in the warmer months so you can catch the shepherds in their summer homes (yurts) moving their flocks and driving their cattle in the high pastures. During the summer, it is highly recommended to get a guide and a horse and ride around Song Kul, staying with true nomadic shepherds, not in the tourist camps. This is a very engaging and unique experience that gets you up close and personal with a different culture and way of life you probably haven’t experienced. Roads are not great so plan for delays in the winter and bumpy rides in the summer. Marshrutkhas and shared taxi’s are the cheap and common way of getting city to city. There is a lot of history here, though hard to learn about it on the ground as the museums are not great, with the nomadic tribes, soviet rule, and formation of the modern republic. As a muslim nation, you will hear the call to prayer (always an exotic sound that pauses many in their tracks the first time they hear it) but you will not see many people praying. You can drink at bars and restaurants as alcohol is readily available, though not much of a traveler party scene as most people are trying to stay hydrated and well rested for their next climb. Russian will help a lot but not needed. The younger generation is learning english so you’ll often deal with kids when getting to a guesthouse. Plan for an average of 30 dollars a day which includes transportation from one town to another, meals, and dormitory lodging.

Thing	Scale (0 = bad, 10 = Great)
Beaches	6
Geography	10
Architecture	4
Locals	9
Weather	7
Food/Drink	7
Travel Infrastructure	6
Parties	1
Chill out	3
History	5
Culture Uniqueness	8

Overall: 6.0. Seems low but it’s a polarizing nation. If you love the outdoors you’ll love it, while the rest maybe not quite so much.

Beaches – Surprisingly you will find beaches at the top of the world. The lake Issyk-Kul is the worlds ten largest by volume, primarily due to its extreme depth. You can scuba dive but for the average traveler it serves as a nice break to lay down and rest the body on the north shores (Cholpon-ata is the largest resort town). They are sandy and offer activities like jet skiing, water slides, and of course drinking. During the mid-30s (C) summer days it is pretty ice. The snowcapped mountain backdrop also add to the aesthetic but the water can be a big cold for the weak (like myself),

Geography – Buckle up for this ride. The geography is jaw-dropping. If you fly into Bishkek, driving into the city you will immediately witness the sharp and jagged terrain jolting up behind it. You will see red cliffs, orange bluffs, white capped peaks, and crystal clear streams running down floral canyons. Three Important Stops:

• Ala Archa National Park – Glacier and Views. About an hour or two drive from Bishkek. Public transportation easy to get to entrance gate, hitchhike the rest of the way to the trail head. Ask around for which marshrutka gets you to the entrance. You can overnight in a yurt camp about half way up the trek, and then make the final crawl to a the glacier in the morning if needed. Or make it a day hike and enjoy the valley views on the way up and turn around when you’ve had enough.
• Kel Suu. A beautiful alpine lake that is worth the overnight trek. A travel agency (many in Naryn, best to call ahead or find one online) will arrange the special permits needed (its very close to China so they like to keep an eye on you). Its about 4 hours drive from Naryn, leave in the morning, hike around lake in afternoon, then sleep in yurts, drive back in the morning.
• Altyn Arashan National Park – One of the many treks from Karakol. You can do the day hike of walking from bridge one to bridge two, see the alpine lake, or summit the mountain. All do-able for the average hiker with yurt stays at certain points to eat and crash for the night.
• The Fairytale Mountains – Red spires and canyons like the Cappadocia of Kyrgyzstan (not quite as grand). This is do able in a single day from Karakol although Tamga is a quiet and relaxed town near by.

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Architecture / Cities – Unless dilapidated soviet architecture gets your rocks off, there isn’t much here. There might be a mosque or two worth visiting but the biggest chatter among travelers regarding any building designs was the elaborate graveyards. They seemed to be more populated than their living counterparts and resides in more elaborate facilities than them as well. A treat for the eye. The cities themselves are not bustling with life, picture small structures with large yards with rarely a city above 100K people. If you are feending for a little hit of city Osh is your best bet. Perhaps a product of their environments, Osh in the fertile Fergana valley shows signs of life while the higher altitude Bishkek is reminiscent of a more barren alpine landscape.

Locals – The locals are very friendly and welcoming despite the 30 and above crowd being Russian speaking with English speakers few and far between. The younger generations speak some english though. It is common for an 11 year old to run up and say hi, introduce themselves, then disappear. Once in a while you will run into someone displeased if you don’t speak Russian. They might not get up on the bus and make you step over them, but that is it. No real malice. A very friendly and welcoming bunch on the whole, don’t be surprised if you get free bread or tea from time to time.

Weather – The summer months are beautiful and get up to the mid 30s C. While winter is very cold. Weather can change at any point so whatever time of year you visit prepare for all weather. Freezing nights and warm days is most common during the high season.

Food/Drink – Read around the internet and you’ll see a lot of haters of the kyrgyz cuisine but its enjoyble. Lots of fresh fruit venders on the street with peaches, nectarines, and watermelon. Dinner time is noodles, meat, and bread. Veggies are normally tomatoes or cucumbers. Vegetarians will find it harder to find food but they surivive. For the more adventurous eaters, you might stumble across eating sheep head, pictured below.

Travel Infrastructure: Pretty easy to get around but takes time to get places. Marshrutkas and shared taxi stands are in every town and the gather point for onward travel. They leave when full. You’ll pay more than locals and best to ask around to get the price you SHOULD pay beforehand because they will try to price gouge you. This is where some Russian helps most, negotiating with drivers or telling them where you need to be dropped off. Most roads are not paved so get ready for a little bounce. Side note: I also had an old man spilling vodka on me at 10am so there is that too.

Parties – Not a party country at all. You’ll find some clubs in Osh and some people to grab a couple beers with in hostels in Osh / Karakol / Bishkek but outside of that it is family guesthouses and towns which dont stay open late. You’ve been warned.

Chill out – Very bad for chilling out. A few towns around Issyk Kul are worth a stop and hanging out on Song Kul is nice but overall you’ll be going for some long walks, hikes, mountaineering so I wouldn’t call it chill out time. Even spending time in cafes isn’t easy as the cities are small and serve Nescafe. If you want to chill and relax head elsewhere brah…

History – There is a lot of history here, if you want a long and difficult read pick up the epic of Manas (or just wikipedia it). There is history with the soviets, and the silk road and with the Uzbeks and Tajik’s and China and not all of it is pretty, however, the museums are few and far between and pretty terrible. There is history here but more easily discovered on your sofa than in the country. Though seeing it for yourself is a beautiful experience. Reading up on Marco Polo beforehand then visiting it would be the best combo.

Cultural Uniqueness – Yessss!!! The shepherds in the hills and mountains are a great escape into something new/different/fun/beautiful. Help them milk cows, herd cattle, and hook a good ole delicious sheep head for dinner. There are experiences aplenty to keep up and personal with their culture so find a guide and do it. Summer is the best time to do this and Song Kul is your best bet.

Pro Tips:

• A little Russian goes a long way, though you’ll survive without it.
• Do a guided tour in the shepherd yurts, if even for one night (tour operators will arrange whatever you life, I went with NomadsLand). You’ll get to freely gallop past grazing cattle, sheep, horses in a beautiful landscape then dine with a traditional shepherd family and sleep under 40 pounds of blankets to keep you warm.
• Planning / Itineraries – Some countries (like Vietnam) lay out in such a way that it is easy to see your path. Kyrgyzstan isn’t so lucky. There are mountains that prevent or lengthen travel. You’ll probably need to double back at certain points but travel is cheap and efficient considering everything. My recommended Itinerary would be Bishkek – Koshkor – Cholpon Ata – Karakol – Naryn – Kel Suu – Osh (This requires going Naryn to Osk through kazarman which is amazing). Then hop a flight Osh to Bishkek.
• Prep for altitude sickness
• Good boots are a must but tents and sleeping bags aren’t. Yurt camps are everywhere.
• Coffee drinkers, get ready for Nescafe…