Home / Tours / Kilemche, Song-Kul & Altyn-Arashan - 6 Days
Kilemche, Song-Kul & Altyn-Arashan - 6 Days
Ride from Kyzart to Kilemche and over the Jalgyz-Karagai pass to Song-Kul, with two nights in yurts. Then the south shore of Issyk-Kul and a two-day trek into Altyn-Arashan and back out. Six days, and you are moving on most of them.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at hotel, 2 nights at guesthouse, 2 nights at yurt
- Activities: horse riding - 3 days, trekking - 2 days
- 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
- 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 set off from Bishkek to Kyzart Village, in the hills below Song-Kul. A homemade lunch is waiting at a family homestay, and once you've eaten, your guide shows you the basics in the saddle before you head out.
The afternoon ride is an easy one, following the Chaar-Archa River through wide valleys to Kilemche. By evening you reach a herder family's yurt camp, a good place to settle in with your horse and watch the slow pace of pasture life before dinner.
Today asks a little more of you. After breakfast you climb toward the Jalgyz-Karagai Pass at 3300 m, the steeper sections take some effort, but the top brings open mountain views and your first sight of Song-Kul.
After a rest at the pass you drop down to a yurt camp for lunch, then ride west along the shore past nomad camps and grazing herds. You finish at the Tuz-Ashuu pasture by the lake, where the horses are turned loose for the night and dinner is waiting in the yurt.
You return to Kyzart over the scenic Tuz-Ashuu Pass at 3300 m. After farewells to your nomad hosts, you ride up for a last sweeping view of Song-Kul, then descend to the village for lunch and a rest.
In the afternoon we drive to Issyk-Kul, following the southern shore with the lake on one side and mountains on the other. You arrive in the evening at a guesthouse in Bokonbaev Village, with time to settle in before dinner.
The day opens with an eagle hunter showing how he works with his bird, a tradition still kept alive in these villages. From there we drive to the Fairy-Tale Canyons, a maze of red and orange rock shaped by wind and time.
Lunch is in Tamga Village at the home of a Soviet-era mountaineer, then we visit the Barskoon Waterfalls and the striking red cliffs of the Jety-Oguz Valley. You reach Karakol in the evening, with a chance for a short look around town before dinner at a restaurant.
We drive the short way to Ak-Suu village, where the trail to Altyn-Arashan begins. With your pack on, you follow the river up through alpine forest, the mountains rising steadily around you. A riverside picnic breaks up the walk.
The path climbs gently the rest of the way to the gorge, and you reach the guesthouse in the early evening. After the trek, the natural hot springs are the place to soak away tired legs before dinner and a quiet night under the stars.
After breakfast you walk back down to Ak-Suu, retracing the river trail through the forest. It's the same path, but a different feel on the way out, a last stretch of clean mountain air and time to take it all in.
From the village we drive to Karakol for lunch, then follow the northern shore of Issyk-Kul back toward Bishkek with the lake glinting alongside. You'll reach the city in the evening, around 8-9 PM, at the end of the trip.
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.
Altyn-Arashan
A green hot-springs valley cradled by peaks above Karakol.
Kyzart
A quiet farming village and trailhead for the horse route to Song-Kul.Ak-Suu
A high pasture region of clear streams on the way to Kel-Suu.Gallery
Common questions
It runs 6 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 moderately paced, with 3 days horse riding and 2 days trekking. 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 hotel, 2 nights at guesthouse, 2 nights at yurt.
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