Home / Tours / Song-Kul Ride & Issyk-Kul Circle - 5 Days
Song-Kul Ride & Issyk-Kul Circle - 5 Days
Three days in the saddle from Kyzart over two passes to Song-Kul and back, with a night in a shepherd's house and one in a yurt by the lake. Then we drive you to Issyk-Kul for an eagle show, Skazka Canyon, Barskoon Gorge, Jeti-Oguz and Karakol, ending with a boat ride and hot springs. Made for riders who want the high pastures and the big lake in one trip.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at shepherd's house, 2 nights at yurt, 1 night at hotel
- Activities: horse riding - 3 days, sightseeing - 2 days
- Departures from: Bishkek
- 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 pick you up at your Bishkek hotel early. The drive south into Naryn Region takes four to five hours. Once you pass the Orto Tokoy reservoir, the real mountains begin.
Lunch is at a guesthouse in Kyzart, your first home-cooked Kyrgyz meal. Then you meet your horses and your English-speaking guide. A short lesson covers how to sit, steer and stop.
The trail rises slowly through green valleys and open grass. After three to four hours you reach Kilemche, a meadow at 2,500 m. You sleep in a shepherd's house, and dinner is cooked right there.
Breakfast at the shepherd's house, then back in the saddle. Today is the big climb, up to Jalgyz Karagai Pass at 3,400 m. Your guide rides with the group all the way and keeps the pace comfortable.
Higher up, the valleys below fill with horses, sheep and cattle grazing loose. From the pass you get your first look at Song-Kul. No towns stand on its shore, just water and open grass in every direction.
You ride down to the yurt camp by early afternoon and have time to walk along the lake. Dinner is served inside the yurt. With no lights anywhere around, the Milky Way crosses the whole sky.
Get up early if you can. Mist sits on the water, horses graze by the camp and the last stars fade. Breakfast is in the yurt, with no rush.
Your last ride takes a different way out, over Kara Kiya Pass. From the top you see Song-Kul behind you and a wide valley ahead. The descent to Kyzart takes two to three hours.
A farewell lunch in Kyzart closes the trek. Your driver and guide for the lake part meet you there. About two hours by car bring you down to the south shore of Issyk-Kul.
In Bokonbayevo a local berkutchi flies his golden eagle for you, and you can hold the bird for photos. Then you check in at the yurt camp and eat dinner in the dining yurt. A luxury yurt with its own toilet and shower can be arranged.
Today is all south shore. First comes Skazka Canyon, also called Fairy Tale Canyon, where wind and rain worked red and orange rock into strange shapes. A short walk takes you inside, with Issyk-Kul in view.
Next is Barskoon Gorge, a narrow rocky valley with forest on its slopes. You hike up to the waterfall. Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, liked to come here.
In the afternoon we drive east to Jeti-Oguz, the Seven Bulls, named for the red rocks above a wide green valley. It is one of the most photographed spots in the country, and a short walk shows you why.
The day ends in Karakol, the largest town in eastern Kyrgyzstan, at the foot of the Tien Shan. You check in at a hotel and can stroll the streets in the evening.
The morning starts with a walk around Karakol. You see the Dungan Mosque, built of wood in 1910 without a single nail, and the Russian Orthodox church with its green roof. Then the central bazaar, a good place for souvenirs.
Next we drive up into the Semenov and Grigoriev gorges. Both have glacial rivers, pine forest and wide mountain views. You get time for a walk.
Along the north shore we reach Cholpon-Ata. You visit the Ruh Ordo complex by the water, take a boat out on the lake and soak in natural hot springs.
The last drive to Bishkek takes four to five hours. You are back at 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.
Karakol
A characterful eastern town with a wooden mosque and Russian church.Cholpon-Ata
Kyzart
A quiet farming village and trailhead for the horse route to Song-Kul.Gallery
Common questions
It runs 5 days, starting and ending in Bishkek.
It's moderately paced, with 3 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: 1 night at shepherd's house, 2 nights at yurt, 1 night at hotel.
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