Home / Tours / Kyzyl-Oi, Song-Kul & Chong-Kemin - 8 Days
Kyzyl-Oi, Song-Kul & Chong-Kemin - 8 Days
Start with a night in Kyzyl-Oi, then ride from Kyzart to Kilemche and on to Song-Kul, with two nights in yurts. After the south shore of Issyk-Kul you trek to Altyn-Arashan and out to Ak-Suu, and finish with a night in Chong-Kemin and a Bishkek city tour.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at hotel, 2 nights at yurt, 4 nights at guesthouse
- Activities: Horse riding - 2 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 leave Bishkek and head into the mountains, climbing the Too-Ashuu Pass at 3600 m where the views open out across range after range. A picnic lunch waits in the wide Suusamyr Valley.
From there the road follows the river down to Kyzyl-Oi, a quiet village set among red rock. Your guide leads a short walk before dinner at the guesthouse.
A short transfer brings you to Kyzart Village, where a home-cooked lunch and a few riding pointers get you ready for the saddle.
The afternoon ride follows the Chaar-Archa River through open valleys and rolling hills to Kilemche. By evening you reach a yurt camp run by a nomad family, with time for a walk and a look at herder life before dinner.
Today's ride climbs steadily to the Jalgyz-Karagai Pass at 3300 m, a demanding ascent that rewards you with Song-Kul shining far below.
After a rest you drop down to a yurt camp for lunch, then ride west along the lakeshore to the Tuz-Ashuu pasture, where you settle in for the night.
You leave the lake over the scenic Kara-Kiya Pass at 3300 m, taking in a last view of Song-Kul before the trail drops back down to Kyzart Village.
After lunch and a rest, it is an afternoon drive to the southern shore of Issyk-Kul and the village of Bokonbaev, where a guesthouse waits for the evening.
The morning starts with an eagle-hunter demonstration, a window onto an old Kyrgyz craft. From there you visit the colourful Fairy-Tale Canyons and stop in Tamga for lunch at a mountaineer's home.
The afternoon takes in the Barskoon Waterfalls and the red rock of the Jety-Oguz Valley before you reach Karakol in the evening, with an optional walk through town.
A short drive to Ak-Suu village, then you set off on foot up the valley to Altyn-Arashan. The trail follows a sparkling river through alpine forest, with a riverside picnic along the way.
The path climbs gently to your guesthouse in the gorge. After a full day walking, sink into the natural hot springs before dinner.
A final morning on the trail retraces the river path down to Ak-Suu village. From there you drive to Karakol for lunch.
The road then runs along the northern shore of Issyk-Kul, through Cholpon-Ata and Balykchy, before turning into the green valleys of Chong-Kemin National Park, where a guesthouse waits for the night.
You drive from Chong-Kemin back toward Bishkek, stopping at the historic Burana Tower, a Silk Road minaret standing alone on the plain.
After lunch in the city, a guided tour takes in Ala-Too Square, the bustling Osh Bazaar, and a few of the capital's landmarks 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.
Altyn-Arashan
A green hot-springs valley cradled by peaks above Karakol.
Chong-Kemin
A long river valley and national park threaded with forest and meadow.
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.
Kyzyl-Oi
A red-walled village beside the Kekemeren River in the Suusamyr valley.Gallery
Common questions
It runs 8 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 2 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 yurt, 4 nights at guesthouse.
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