Home / Tours / Song-Kul Horse Trek - 3 Days
Song-Kul Horse Trek - 3 Days
The classic ride. From Kyzart to Kilemche on day one, over the Jalgyz-Karagai pass to Song-Kul on day two, and back over Tuz-Ashuu on day three. Two nights in yurts, and the trip starts and ends in Kyzart.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 2 nights at yurt
- Activities: horse riding - 3 days
- Departures from: Kyzart
- 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.
The tour begins in Kyzart Village, the closest settlement to Song-Kul. After your guide runs through the basics in the saddle, you set off at an easy pace along the Chaar-Archa River, letting horse and rider get used to one another across wide, gentle valleys.
A picnic lunch by the water breaks up the day before you carry on toward Kilemche. By evening you reach a yurt camp kept by a herder family, time to wander the surrounding hills, watch the rhythm of nomad life, and settle in before dinner.
Today asks more of you. After breakfast you climb steadily toward the Jalgyz-Karagai Pass at 3300 m, with the mountains opening up around you the higher you go. From the top comes your first glimpse of Song-Kul lying far below.
You drop down to a lakeside yurt camp for lunch, then ride west along the shore in the afternoon, passing grazing herds and scattered yurts on your way to the Tuz-Ashuu pasture. The evening is yours by the water, and on a clear night the stars are something to see.
After saying goodbye to your host family, you ride back toward the Tuz-Ashuu Pass at 3300 m. The climb is gradual, and from the top you take in Song-Kul one last time, ringed by open pasture and high peaks.
From there a pretty trail carries you down toward Kyzart. Lunch and a rest at the guesthouse round off your time in the saddle before the tour comes to a close.
Sights visited on this tour
Song-Kul Lake
A high alpine lake ringed by summer yurt camps and grazing horses.
Kyzart
A quiet farming village and trailhead for the horse route to Song-Kul.Gallery
Common questions
It runs 3 days, starting and ending in Kyzart.
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. 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.
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.
Enquiry received!
A local expert will email you within 24 hours about “Song-Kul Horse Trek - 3 Days”.
Other tours you might like
Horse riding4 daysTwo Nights at Song-Kul on Horseback - 4 Days
- Two nights by Song-Kul in two different yurt camps
- A shoreline ride to Kara-Kiya valley
- A free afternoon to swim, walk or join herding life
Horse riding3 daysWinter Horse Trek to Song-Kul - 3 Days
- Our only winter trip, November to April
- Riding through the snow from Kyzart to Kilemche
- Over the Tuz-Ashuu pass to a frozen Song-Kul
Horse riding3 daysSong-Kul Two-Pass Loop on Horseback - 3 Days
- Two different passes at 3,400 meters, no backtracking
- A night with herders in a shepherd's house in Kilemche
- A yurt on the Song-Kul shore with the Milky Way above