Home / Tours / Kel-Suu & Issyk-Kul Express - 5 Days
Kel-Suu & Issyk-Kul Express - 5 Days
Five days, three lakes. A yurt night at Song-Kul with an optional ride, a night in Tash-Bashat, the 14 km walk to Kel-Suu, then a night by Issyk-Kul on the way home. The drives are long and the scenery earns them.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at hotel, 1 night at yurt, 2 nights at guesthouse
- Activities: Horse riding - optional, trekking - half day
- Departures from: Bishkek
- Best time to go: May to October
- Local certified English-speaking guide
- Private transport & airport transfers
- Small group or fully private
- 24/7 support team in Bishkek
What to pack
- Proper hiking boots with ankle support for rocky, uneven trails
- Trekking poles to ease the climbs and descents
- A comfortable daypack with a refillable water bottle and snacks
- A waterproof, windproof jacket and warm layers for the passes
- 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 begin at the Burana Tower, an old minaret standing among the scattered remains of a medieval town. From there you stop in with a Dungan family for a homemade lagman, a window into one of Kyrgyzstan's local cultures.
The road carries on through Kochkor Village and over the Kalmak-Ashuu Pass at 3400 m, the landscape opening into high alpine country. You reach Song-Kul in time for an evening walk by the lake and your first night in a yurt.
The morning is for an easy ride around Song-Kul, passing yurts and grazing herds along the shore. If you'd like more, your hosts can take you up into the hills for a wider view of the lake.
After lunch we drive toward Tash-Bashat village, crossing the Terskey-Torpu Pass with its dramatic switchbacks and passing through Naryn town on the way. You arrive at a village hotel in the evening, with time to look around.
An early start takes us through the villages of the At-Bashy region and over the Kyndy Pass at 3200 m into the wide Arpa Valley, rough, remote driving through some of the emptiest country in the south.
After lunch at a guesthouse in the Kok-Kiya Valley, you set off on foot along the river over gentle ground to Kel-Suu, a lake hemmed in by sheer cliffs. There's the option of a boat ride before you walk back for dinner and the night.
This is the longest day on the road, so we start early. The route retraces to Naryn to refuel and break for lunch, then climbs over the Dolon Pass at 3030 m and runs on through Kochkor Village.
If time allows, we stop at the Ak-Say Canyons near Issyk-Kul to see the strange wind-carved rock. You arrive in the evening at a guesthouse in Bokonbaev Village, on the lake's southern shore.
The last morning brings a visit to a local eagle hunter in Bokonbaev, who shows how he works with his bird and shares the history behind the tradition. From there you explore the Fairy-Tale Canyon and its unusual rock shapes.
After a relaxed lunch we drive back to Bishkek, with an optional stop at the Osh Bazaar for souvenirs before the trip comes to a close.
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.
Issyk-Kul Lake
A vast, warm mountain lake that never freezes, framed by snowy peaks.
Kel-Suu Lake
A remote, fjord-like lake hidden among cliffs near the Chinese border.
Tash-Bashat
A small mountain village offering warm homestays and rural calm.Gallery
Common questions
It runs 5 days, starting and ending in Bishkek.
The season runs May to October. June to September brings the warmest days, and the high-pasture yurt camps are open.
It's fast-paced, with Horse riding - optional and trekking - half day. Good general fitness is enough, and there is no technical climbing.
A mix over the trip: 1 night at hotel, 1 night at yurt, 2 nights at guesthouse.
Tell us about your trip
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