Home / Tours / Chong-Kemin, Eagle Show & Lake Yurt - 3 Days
Chong-Kemin, Eagle Show & Lake Yurt - 3 Days
Three private days from Bishkek to the south shore of Issyk-Kul. You ride in Chong-Kemin, hike a canyon of your choice, meet an eagle hunter in Bokonbayevo and sleep in a yurt by the lake. On the way home you walk through Skazka Canyon and picnic by the Barskoon waterfall. A good fit if you want riding, culture and canyons in a short trip.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at guesthouse, 1 night at yurt
- Activities: horse riding - 1 day, hiking - 2 days
- 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: Staying in a yurt: nomad culture & etiquette · 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 picks you up in Bishkek and we drive east to Burana Tower. It dates from the 9th to 10th centuries and stands among old balbal stone figures. Climb the steps for a wide view of the Tien Shan.
We continue to Kegety Gorge and walk a short way to its waterfall. Forest, a clear river and cool air make it a good first stop in the mountains.
In the early afternoon you check in at a family guesthouse in Chong-Kemin National Park and sit down to a home-cooked lunch. Later you choose: 2-3 hours on horseback through meadows and easy trails, a horse carriage ride, or a walk.
Dinner is homemade. You can add the sauna or pool for a fee.
After breakfast we drive toward Issyk-Kul with mountains on both sides. The first stop is a canyon, and you pick which one.
Kok-Moynok is a gentle one-hour walk through pink and red rock with views of the lake. Konorchek is a 2 to 3 hour hike into deep red gorges with steep walls. Your guide helps you choose based on how much you want to walk.
Lunch is in Balykchy, a quiet town at the western end of the lake. In the afternoon we reach Bokonbayevo for a private show with a burkutchi, a Kyrgyz eagle hunter.
His golden eagle flies out over open ground and comes back to his glove. Your guide translates as he explains how the birds are trained and what they mean to his family. You can hold the eagle, then try a traditional archery lesson, which is harder than it looks. At sunset you reach the yurt camp on the lake, with dinner in the main yurt.
After breakfast in the yurt we head east along the south shore. Skazka Canyon, also called Fairy Tale Canyon, is a short drive from camp.
Its red, orange and yellow rock has worn into towers that look like castles and animals. A one-hour walk on an easy path takes you through the middle of it, with no steep parts.
Further east we follow a river into Barskoon Gorge, between forest and high cliffs. A short walk brings you to the foot of the waterfall, and lunch is a picnic by the river.
After lunch we start the long drive back to Bishkek, partly along the north shore. You are at your hotel in the evening.
Sights visited on this tour
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan's leafy, Soviet-planned capital and the gateway to the mountains.
Fairy-Tale Canyon
Wind-carved red and orange rock formations near the Issyk-Kul shore.
Chong-Kemin
A long river valley and national park threaded with forest and meadow.Burana Tower
Gallery
Common questions
It runs 3 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 2 days hiking. 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, 1 night at yurt.
From $800 per person. The exact price depends on group size and season, and we confirm it for your group within 24 hours.
Tell us about your trip
Tell us your dates and we'll confirm availability and a tailored price within 24 hours. Free to enquire, no prepayment.
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Other tours you might like
Combined5 daysIssyk-Kul Loop via Chong-Kemin - 5 Days
- Three-hour horse ride in Chong-Kemin National Park
- Boorsok cooking class with a local family
- Ride into Kok-Jaiyk Valley and sleep in a yurt
Winter tours3 daysChong-Kemin & Issyk-Kul in Winter - 3 Days
- Horse ride or carriage in snowy Chong-Kemin
- Night with a local family in Chong-Kemin
- Private eagle hunting show and archery in Bokonbayevo
Combined2 daysIssyk-Kul Canyons, Eagles & Yurt - 2 Days
- Hike the red sandstone walls of Konorchek Canyon
- Hold a golden eagle at a live hunting show
- Ride 1-2 hours on the lakeshore or in the hills