Home / Tours / Song-Kul & Issyk-Kul Road Trip - 5 Days
Song-Kul & Issyk-Kul Road Trip - 5 Days
A short loop by road: a yurt night at Song-Kul with a ride by the lake, the south shore of Issyk-Kul with an eagle hunter, the canyons and Jety-Oguz, and an off-road trip up to Altyn-Arashan. There are no long hikes.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at hotel, 1 night at yurt, 2 nights at guesthouse
- Activities: Horse riding - optional, trekking - easy walkings
- 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
- Proper hiking boots with ankle support for rocky, uneven trails
- Trekking poles to ease the climbs and descents
- A comfortable daypack with a refillable water bottle and snacks
- A waterproof, windproof jacket and warm layers for the passes
- 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.
You leave Bishkek and start with the Burana Tower and its old archaeological grounds, then sit down with a Dungan family for a homemade lagman lunch, a warm window into one of the country's many cultures.
The road carries on through Kochkor and up over the Kalmak-Ashuu Pass at 3400 m, with mountains opening on every side, before dropping to Song-Kul. You spend the night in a yurt on the high lakeshore.
A gentle morning ride takes you along the shore of Song-Kul, past yurts and grazing herds, with the option to head up into the nearby hills if you'd like more time on horseback.
After lunch you leave the lake and drive toward Issyk-Kul, perhaps stopping at the Ak-Say canyons on the way, before settling into a guesthouse near Bokonbaev for the night.
The day opens with an eagle-hunter demonstration by a local Kyrgyz hunter, a chance to see a tradition that's been passed down for generations. From there you explore the colour-streaked Fairy-Tale Canyons.
Lunch is at Lyubov Danichkina's home in Tamga Village, then you take in the Barskoon Waterfalls and the red sandstone of the Jety-Oguz Valley before arriving in Karakol for the night.
This morning you climb into the mountains aboard a rugged Soviet UAZ truck, following a sparkling river through dense pine forest up to the Altyn-Arashan gorge, a bumpy, beautiful ride.
After lunch the afternoon is yours: soak in the natural hot springs, wander the trails, or simply sit and take in Peak Palatka rising to 5200 m at the head of the valley.
After a slow mountain morning, the UAZ carries you back down to Karakol for lunch at a local restaurant.
From there the road runs along the northern shore of Issyk-Kul, the Pearl of Central Asia, with long lake views the whole way to Bishkek, where you arrive in the 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.
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.Gallery
Common questions
It runs 5 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 fast-paced, with Horse riding - optional and trekking - easy walkings. Good general fitness is enough, and there is no technical climbing.
A mix over the trip: 1 night at hotel, 1 night at yurt, 2 nights 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.
Enquiry received!
A local expert will email you within 24 hours about “Song-Kul & Issyk-Kul Road Trip - 5 Days”.
Other tours you might like
Road trip7 daysKyrgyzstan Overland Road Trip - 7 Days
- A yurt night and a short ride at Song-Kul
- The 14 km walk to Kel-Suu from Tash-Bashat
- The south shore of Issyk-Kul
Road trip8 daysKok-Kiya & Kel-Suu Road Trip - 8 Days
- A yurt night at Song-Kul
- Off-road to Kok-Kiya and the walk to Kel-Suu
- Cooking lagman in Kochkor
Road trip5 daysKel-Suu & Issyk-Kul Express - 5 Days
- A yurt night at Song-Kul
- The 14 km walk to Kel-Suu lake
- A night by Issyk-Kul on the way back