Home / Tours / Burana, Chong-Kemin & Cholpon-Ata - 2 Days
Burana, Chong-Kemin & Cholpon-Ata - 2 Days
A private two-day trip east of Bishkek for travellers short on time. You climb Burana Tower, walk to the Kegety waterfall and spend the afternoon in Chong-Kemin on horseback, in a horse carriage or on foot. Day two takes you through Kok-Moynok Canyons to Cholpon-Ata on Issyk-Kul for petroglyphs, Ruh Ordo, a boat ride and hot springs.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at guesthouse
- Activities: horse riding - 1 day, sightseeing - 1 day
- Departures from: Bishkek
- Best time to go: All year round
- Local certified English-speaking guide
- Private transport & airport transfers
- Small group or fully private
- 24/7 support team in Bishkek
What to pack
- Long trousers that won't chafe during long hours in the saddle
- Closed shoes or boots with a small heel that sit well in the stirrups
- Riding gloves to protect your hands on the reins
- A waterproof, windproof jacket and a warm layer for cold yurt evenings
- Sun protection: a hat or cap, sunglasses, and high-SPF sunscreen
Full packing list and arrival tips: Easy from abroad: visas, arrival and logistics
Before you go
- Visa: most Western and East-Asian passports enter visa-free for up to 30 days within any 60-day period (the rule changed at the end of 2025), so check your own nationality on evisa.e-gov.kg
- Money: the local currency is the Kyrgyz som; carry cash for villages and camps, as card payments mostly work only in towns
- Connectivity: mobile data is decent in towns, but there is usually no signal at high mountain yurt camps, so let people know you may be offline
- Altitude: camps sit around 2,500 to 3,900 metres, so take it easy on the first day and drink plenty of water
- Drinking water: stick to bottled or boiled water, and bring enough for stretches where none is available
Read before you go: Safety first: how we look after you in the mountains
Day-by-day itinerary
Tap any day to expand. Every itinerary can be tailored to your dates, pace and fitness.
Your guide collects you from your Bishkek hotel and we head east. The first stop is Burana Tower, built in the 9th to 10th centuries on the Silk Road. You walk past the old balbal stone figures, then climb the tower for a view toward the Tien Shan.
Next is Kegety Gorge, with a clear river and forest on the slopes. A short walk brings you close to the Kegety waterfall. It is a good place to stretch your legs.
By early afternoon you reach Chong-Kemin National Park and a family-run guesthouse. Lunch is home-cooked. Then you pick your afternoon: a 2-3 hour guided ride through meadows and easy trails, a horse carriage ride that suits families, or a hike.
Dinner is homemade too. A sauna and a swimming pool are available for an extra fee. The valley is quiet at night and the sky is full of stars.
After breakfast we drive east through Boom Gorge, where the Chu River runs between high stone walls. It is worth a photo stop.
At Kok-Moynok Canyons you walk among red, orange and purple rock. The ground is easy and an hour is plenty. Take your time with the camera.
We carry on to Issyk-Kul and lunch in Cholpon-Ata. You visit Ruh Ordo, a lakeside complex devoted to the world's religions and cultures, and the petroglyphs, carved more than 3,000 years ago. From May to September, weather allowing, you take a short boat ride and relax in natural hot springs.
Late in the afternoon we drive back to Bishkek and arrive in the evening.
Sights visited on this tour
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan's leafy, Soviet-planned capital and the gateway to the mountains.Cholpon-Ata
Chong-Kemin
A long river valley and national park threaded with forest and meadow.Burana Tower
Gallery
Common questions
It runs 2 days, starting and ending in Bishkek.
The season runs All year round. June to September brings the warmest days, and the high-pasture yurt camps are open.
It's moderately paced, with 1 days horse riding and 1 days sightseeing. Good general fitness is enough, and there is no technical climbing.
No. Our guides match each horse to your level and keep the first day gentle, so complete beginners ride this route every season.
A mix over the trip: 1 night at guesthouse.
Tell us about your trip
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