Home / Tours / Konorchek Hike & Chong-Kemin Ride - 2 Days
Konorchek Hike & Chong-Kemin Ride - 2 Days
A private two-day trip for people who would rather be outdoors than in town. After Burana Tower and the Kegety waterfall, you ride through the meadows of Chong-Kemin and sleep at a family guesthouse. Next morning you hike two to three hours through the red rock of Konorchek Canyon, with an optional lakeside lunch at Balykchy on the way home.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at guesthouse
- Activities: horse riding - 1 day, hiking - 1 day
- 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: 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 meet you at your hotel in Bishkek and drive east. Burana Tower comes first, a Silk Road minaret from the 9th to 10th centuries. Your guide tells its story among the balbal stones, and you can climb up for a view of the Tien Shan.
In Kegety Gorge a short walk leads to the waterfall. The river is clear and the slopes are covered in forest.
Early in the afternoon you arrive at a family guesthouse in Chong-Kemin National Park, where lunch is waiting. Many consider this valley the best place to ride in Kyrgyzstan. You head out for 2-3 hours across meadows and gentle trails, or choose a horse carriage or a hike instead.
Dinner is cooked at home. Sauna and pool are optional, at extra cost.
After breakfast we drive out through Boom Gorge, a tight canyon cut by the Chu River. We stop briefly for photos.
At Konorchek Canyon you set off on foot. Wind and water carved the red, orange and purple rock into towers and ridges. The hike is easy to moderate and takes 2 to 3 hours at a calm pace. Some travellers say it looks like Mars.
After the hike you choose how to finish. With time to spare, we stop in Balykchy at the western tip of Issyk-Kul for a walk on the beach and lunch by the lake. If you need to be back sooner, we eat on the road and drive straight to Bishkek.
Either way, you are in Bishkek by early evening.
Sights visited on this tour
Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan's leafy, Soviet-planned capital and the gateway to the mountains.
Chong-Kemin
A long river valley and national park threaded with forest and meadow.Burana Tower
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 moderately paced, with 1 days horse riding and 1 days hiking. 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 guesthouse.
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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