Home / Tours / Song-Kul & 33 Parrots Pass Express - 3 Days
Song-Kul & 33 Parrots Pass Express - 3 Days
Two lakes in three days, with a yurt night at each. We drive over Kalmak-Ashuu Pass to Song-Kul at 3,000 m, you ride its summer pastures next morning, then we come down 33 Parrots Pass to an eagle hunter and a camp on Issyk-Kul. The last day takes in Barskoon Gorge and Skazka Canyon. The drives are long, so it suits travellers who want a lot in little time.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 2 nights at yurt
- Activities: horse riding - 1 day, sightseeing - 2 days
- Departures from: Bishkek
- Best time to go: May to September
- 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.
Your guide meets you at your hotel in the morning and we drive east. At Burana Tower you hear about the old city of Balasagun and the balbal stones around it. A narrow staircase leads to the top and a view of the Tien Shan.
The land turns dry and colourful at Kok-Moynok Canyons. You walk for about 30 minutes, an easy stroll with time for photos. Lunch is in Kochkor village.
In the afternoon the road climbs over Kalmak-Ashuu Pass. The air cools and wide pastures with grazing herds open up. By late afternoon you reach the yurt camp at Song-Kul, 3,000 m up, for dinner under a clear sky.
The morning is yours. Take a gentle ride across the pastures, fine for beginners, or walk the shore and watch herders with their animals. Every summer nomad families bring their flocks up to these meadows.
Mid-morning we leave the lake on 33 Parrots Pass, a road of tight bends with stops for photos. At the bottom an easy 30-minute walk leads to a hidden waterfall in a shady gorge. Then we follow the south shore of Issyk-Kul.
In the afternoon you meet a local eagle hunter. He explains how the birds are trained and how the tradition survives today. You can hold the eagle yourself.
You spend the night at a yurt camp by the lake, with a home-cooked dinner and a bonfire.
The morning is slow. You can add a horse ride in the hills or along the shore, paid on the spot, or just sit by the water. We set off late in the morning.
Barskoon Gorge is wide and green, with spruce on the slopes and a clear river. Walk 30 minutes to the first waterfall, or hike about 3 hours to a higher one further up the valley.
Skazka Canyon, the Fairy Tale Canyon, comes next. You spend about an hour among red, orange and ochre rock that looks like a ruined city. Your guide knows where the light is best for photos.
Late in the afternoon we drive back to Bishkek along the north shore, with the lake in view most of the way. You reach your hotel in the early evening.
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.
Fairy-Tale Canyon
Wind-carved red and orange rock formations near the Issyk-Kul shore.Burana Tower
Gallery
Common questions
It runs 3 days, starting and ending in Bishkek.
The season runs May to September. June to September brings the warmest days, and the high-pasture yurt camps are open.
It's fast-paced, with 1 days horse riding and 2 days sightseeing. 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: 2 nights at yurt.
From $800 per person. The exact price depends on group size and season, and we confirm it for your group within 24 hours.
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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