Kel-Suu to Chong-Kemin Road Trip - 10 Days

A full day to slow down at the lake and step into nomad life. You can ride out along the shore with a guide, drop in on a herder family, and try a bowl of kymys, fermented mare's milk, the taste of summer up here.

The afternoon is unhurried: walk the shoreline, watch the herds move across the pasture, or simply rest. As the light fades the lake turns silver, and after dinner the stargazing is some of the best you'll find anywhere.

You trace the lakeshore one last time, then take on the Terskey-Torpu Pass, a wall of switchbacks that unwinds slowly to reveal the valleys below. The descent leads to Naryn, where you stop for lunch and a stretch of the legs.

By late afternoon you reach Tash-Bashat, a quiet village largely untouched by tourism. Check into a comfortable hotel, wander the streets, and gather round a bonfire in the evening as the stars come out.

Today the asphalt gives way to dirt as you drive deep into the At-Bashy region, passing small villages framed by serious mountains. A riverside picnic in the Bosogo Valley breaks the journey before the track begins to climb.

You cross the high Kyndy Pass at 3900 m into the wide Ak-Say pastures, where yurts and herds dot the grassland. By evening you reach your guesthouse in Kok-Kiya, with time for a slow walk before dinner.

After breakfast you set out on foot toward Kel-Suu, one of the most hidden lakes in the country. The trail follows the river through open valleys, past grazing horses and yaks, with the mountains closing in around you.

Roughly two hours in, the lake appears, ringed by sheer cliffs, a place that feels far from anywhere. A short boat ride is possible before you walk back, then drive to Naryn for a hotel bed and a hot dinner in town.

You head north over the Dolon Pass at 3030 m, then stop in Kochkor to visit a Dungan family and learn to make lagman, the hand-pulled noodles they're known for. The reward is the meal you helped cook.

Driving on east to Issyk-Kul, you reach a lakeside yurt camp with time for a swim in the warm water. In the evening, head out to the Ak-Say canyons to catch the sunset before returning for the night.

The morning opens with an eagle-hunter demonstration, a glimpse of a tradition passed down through generations. From there you wander the colour-streaked Fairy-Tale Canyons and stop in Tamga for lunch at a mountaineer's home.

In the afternoon you take in the Barskoon Waterfalls and the red sandstone ridges of Jety-Oguz before reaching Karakol, time for a short tour of town before dinner.

This morning you climb into a Soviet-era UAZ truck for the bumpy, beautiful run up to Altyn-Arashan. The track follows a river through pine forest, and the rattle is part of the fun.

You reach the gorge in time for lunch, then the afternoon is yours: soak in the natural hot springs, wander the trails, and rest in the quiet. Dinner and a night under the mountains round out the day.

You ride the UAZ back down to Karakol in the morning and stop for lunch in town. From there the road runs the length of the northern Issyk-Kul shore, through Cholpon-Ata and Balykchy, with the lake on one side and mountains on the other.

By evening you reach a guesthouse in the green Chong-Kemin National Park, a softer, forested landscape after the high passes, and a calm place to spend your last night on the road.

A final drive carries you from Chong-Kemin back to Bishkek, with a stop at the Burana Tower to close the loop where the trip began. After lunch in the city, a short tour takes in Ala-Too Square, the Osh Bazaar, and a few of the landmarks that give the capital its character, a fitting end to ten days on the road.