Kol-Ukok to Song-Kul Horse Trek - 7 Days

After breakfast you climb to the Kyzyl-Jar Pass at 3600 m, the highest point of the ride, with wide alpine views in every direction. A picnic lunch at the top makes the most of it.

From the pass you drop into the Kara-Kujur Valley and ride on to the remote village of Ak-Kiya, reaching it by early evening. A quiet walk and a home-cooked dinner round off the day.

You ride out through Ak-Kiya, past traditional homes and everyday village life, then climb into rougher hill country with rolling ridges and distant peaks. A mid-morning picnic gives the horses a rest.

The trail follows the ridges, crosses the Bishkek-Torugart highway briefly, and brings you to a yurt near the Dolon Pass. A shepherd family hosts you for the night with a hearty dinner and good company.

The morning climbs toward the Dolon Pass with views over the Ken-Suu Valley and the Kara-Unkur gorge. You pause for a relaxed picnic in a sheltered spot.

The afternoon is easier going, riding through the Ken-Suu Valley past open pastures, grazing sheep, and scattered yurts. A Kyrgyz family welcomes you for the night, with dinner by firelight under the stars.

After saying goodbye to your hosts, you ride up to the Terskey-Torpu Pass, where Song-Kul suddenly appears, turquoise and ringed by mountains. A picnic at the top gives the horses time to rest.

From there you descend through open grassland toward the lake's edge, reaching the quiet Kumduu-Suu Valley by day's end. A yurt set up by local herders waits for you, just short of the lake itself.

Today you take in Song-Kul up close, riding the open northern shore on smooth ground that is made for a relaxed canter, with the lake on one side and big horizons on the other.

Around midday you stop at a lakeside yurt for a warm lunch and a rest. The ride then continues gently to the Uzbek-Ashuu pasture, where you settle into a yurt for your last night in nomad country.

The last morning begins with breakfast and farewells, then a ride up to the Uzbek-Ashuu Pass at 3300 m for a final look back at Song-Kul before the trail descends toward Kyzart Village.

You part with your horses after seven days in the saddle and enjoy a well-earned lunch at the guesthouse. From there it is a drive back to Bishkek, the quiet nomad world slowly giving way to the city.