# Issyk-Kul Loop via Chong-Kemin - 5 Days Five days around the whole of Issyk-Kul, with more riding and cooking than a usual lake tour. You ride three hours into the Chong-Kemin mountains, bake boorsok with a local family, ride again into Kok-Jaiyk Valley to a yurt and finish with an eagle show and archery near Bokonbayevo. Suits travellers who want culture and time outdoors in one trip. - Duration: 5 days - Type: Combined - Starts and ends in: Bishkek - Pace: Moderately paced - Activities: horse riding - 2 days, hiking - 1 day, sightseeing - 5 days - Accommodation: 1 night at guesthouse, 1 night at hotel, 2 nights at yurt - Price: from $1400 per person (the exact price depends on group size and season). No prepayment to enquire. - Group: small group or fully private, with a local English-speaking guide - Page: https://azattours.com/tours/issyk-kul-loop-via-chong-kemin-5-days/ ## Highlights - 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 - Eagle show and archery class near Bokonbayevo ## Itinerary ### Day 1: Bishkek to Chong-Kemin via Burana Tower We meet you at your hotel in Bishkek and drive to Burana Tower near Tokmok. You walk among old mausoleums and finds dug up by archaeologists, then climb the tower for a view over the Chuy Valley and the Tien Shan. A small museum and an open-air yard of gravestones and rock drawings fill in the history. On the road we stop for samsa, baked in a clay tandoor at a local street stall. In Boom Gorge you try tea with milk and kattama, a layered onion flatbread. In Chong-Kemin National Park you swap the car for a horse. The ride lasts three hours and climbs into the mountains, with the Tien Shan in view. Back at the guesthouse, a local family shows you how to make boorsok, a Kyrgyz puffed pastry. You eat what you made at dinner and spend the night in the park. - Activity: Horse riding · 3 h · cooking class - Meals: Lunch & dinner - Overnight: Guesthouse, Chong-Kemin ### Day 2: Chong-Kemin to Karakol via Cholpon-Ata After breakfast in the park we drive to Cholpon-Ata. You see the open-air petroglyph field and the Rukh Ordo cultural centre, a good primer on Kyrgyz history and culture. Lunch is Kyrgyz food at a good restaurant in town. Then a boat takes you out on Issyk-Kul. From May to September you can swim from the boat, and life jackets are on board. Next come the Grigoriev and Semenov gorges, two of the best-known valleys on the lake. Your guide tells you about the area as you go. Around sunset we reach Karakol and head to natural hot springs by a mountain river. Dinner is at a local restaurant, and the night in a hotel. - Activity: Boat ride · gorge visit · hot springs - Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner - Overnight: Hotel, Karakol ### Day 3: Karakol to Kok-Jaiyk Valley via Jeti-Oguz Breakfast at the hotel, then a look around Karakol. We visit the Dungan Mosque and the Russian Orthodox church, two sides of the town's mixed history. We drive out to Jeti-Oguz to see the red rock called the Seven Bulls. Here you get back in the saddle and ride deeper into Kok-Jaiyk Valley, between high peaks and glacier rivers. The ride takes two to three hours and ends at a yurt camp, where lunch and a rest are waiting. Before sunset there is time to walk around and take photos. Dinner and the night are in the yurt. - Activity: Horse riding · 2-3 h - Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner - Overnight: Yurt camp, Kok-Jaiyk Valley ### Day 4: Jeti-Oguz to Bokonbayevo via Barskoon and Skazka Canyon We start early to see sunrise on the Seven Bulls. Then we drive to Barskoon Valley, known for its waterfalls. Nearby stands a giant head of Yuri Gagarin, a tribute to the cosmonaut's training at Issyk-Kul. A hike of one to two hours takes you to the main Barskoon waterfall. Further along the south shore we stop at Skazka Canyon, the Fairytale Canyon, known for rocks in odd shapes. A 30-minute climb to a small hilltop gives you a view over the lake. The night is at a yurt camp on the Issyk-Kul shore. It has showers, toilets, laundry and a bar with a lake view. There is free time before dinner, and you fall asleep to the sound of the waves. - Activity: Waterfall hike · 1-2 h · canyon walk - Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner - Overnight: Yurt camp, Issyk-Kul shore ### Day 5: Bokonbayevo to Bishkek via Ak-Sai Canyon Breakfast, then free time until late morning for a swim or a slow start by the water. Next is the eagle show, with three demonstrations. The hunter calls his eagle from far off to his hand, then stages a hunt with a fox fur. The last one is a real hunt on a live rabbit. After the show you get an archery lesson. We then drive into the Ak-Sai canyons and the Canyon of Forgotten Rivers. At its entrance you can still see the beds of rivers that dried up long ago. Down by the lake a wild beach waits for a picnic lunch. From there it is about 200 km back to Bishkek, where we drop you at your hotel. - Transfer: Issyk-Kul shore to Bishkek · 200 km - Activity: Eagle show · archery · canyon walk - Meals: Breakfast & picnic lunch ## Common questions **How long is this tour?** It runs 5 days, starting and ending in Bishkek. **How fit do I need to be?** It's moderately paced, with 2 days horse riding and 1 days hiking and 5 days sightseeing. Good general fitness is enough, and there is no technical climbing. **Do I need horse-riding experience?** No. Our guides match each horse to your level and keep the first day gentle, so complete beginners ride this route every season. **Where will I stay?** A mix over the trip: 1 night at guesthouse, 1 night at hotel, 2 nights at yurt. **How much does it cost?** From $1400 per person. The exact price depends on group size and season, and we confirm it for your group within 24 hours. ## How to book Send your dates and group size and we confirm availability and a tailored price within 24 hours: https://azattours.com/tours/issyk-kul-loop-via-chong-kemin-5-days/#book - WhatsApp and phone: +996 502 888 001 (https://wa.me/996502888001) - Email: azatbeyshenaliev1@gmail.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azattourskg/ - Enquiry form: https://azattours.com/#plan - Based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan