Home / Tours / Kara-Kiya Pass Ride to Song-Kul - 2 Days
Kara-Kiya Pass Ride to Song-Kul - 2 Days
A short, full-on ride for confident riders. We drive you to Kyzart, put you in the saddle in Kilemche valley and cross the Kara-Kiya Pass at 3,400 meters to reach Song-Kul by evening. You sleep in a lakeside yurt and ride back by another pass the next day. It runs all year, and summer brings green jailoo full of herds.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at yurt
- Activities: horse riding - 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.
We pick you up early at your Bishkek hotel. The drive south into Naryn region takes 4 to 5 hours and passes the Orto-Tokoy reservoir as the mountains open up.
From Kyzart village it is a short hop up to Kilemche valley, where the horses and horsemen are ready. You mount up and go.
The trail climbs straight away, through open grass to the Kara-Kiya Pass at 3,400 meters. It is windy on top and the view runs far in every direction. Riding time is about 4 to 5 hours.
You come down to Song-Kul as the evening light hits the lake. Dinner is served in the yurt, and outside it is completely quiet.
Get up before breakfast if you can. Mist on the water, horses on the jailoo and the last stars are worth the early start.
After breakfast you ride out by a different pass, so the views are new all the way down. The trail drops into Kilemche valley and flattens out near Kyzart. Riding time is about 3 to 4 hours.
Lunch waits at a local guesthouse in Kyzart. Then our driver takes you the 4 to 5 hours back to your hotel in Bishkek.
Sights visited on this tour
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan's leafy, Soviet-planned capital and the gateway to the mountains.
Song-Kul Lake
A high alpine lake ringed by summer yurt camps and grazing horses.
Kyzart
A quiet farming village and trailhead for the horse route to Song-Kul.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 fast-paced, with 2 days horse riding. 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 yurt.
From $520 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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