Home / Tours / Two Lakes & Kok-Bulak Horse Trek - 7 Days
Two Lakes & Kok-Bulak Horse Trek - 7 Days
Ride from Kyzart to Kilemche, over the pass to Song-Kul and along to its western shore. After a guesthouse night by Issyk-Kul you are back in the saddle through the Boz-Salkyn and Kok-Bulak pastures down to Bokonbaev. Seven riding days, five nights in yurts.
Why you'll love this tour
Good to know
- Accommodation: 1 night at guesthouse, 5 nights at yurt
- Activities: Horse riding - 7 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 set off from Bishkek to Kyzart Village, in the hills below Song-Kul. A home-cooked lunch and a few riding pointers at a family homestay get you ready for the saddle.
The afternoon ride follows the Chaar-Archa River through open valleys and gentle mountain country to Kilemche. By evening you reach a nomad family's yurt camp, your home for a first quiet night in the hills.
Today's ride asks more of you, climbing toward the Jalgyz-Karagai Pass at 3300 m. The steady effort is repaid at the top with sweeping mountain views.
From the pass you descend to a yurt for lunch, then ride west along the lakeshore past nomad settlements to the Tuz-Ashuu pasture, where you stay the night.
An easier day in the saddle, riding the smooth lakeside grass where your guide may pick up the pace to a canter or gallop.
By midday you reach the Ozbek-Ashuu pasture and lunch with a nomad family. The afternoon is yours: walk the shore, watch herder life, or take a short ride into the nearby hills before dinner.
You leave the lake over the scenic Ozbek-Ashuu Pass at 3300 m, with a last view of Song-Kul before the trail drops down to Kyzart Village. Lunch and a rest follow.
In the afternoon you drive south to Issyk-Kul along the scenic shore, with an optional sunset stop at the Fairy-Tale Canyons, ending at a guesthouse in Bokonbaev Village.
The second half of the trip opens with a gentle ride through the village toward the Boz-Salkyn summer pastures, where nomad families spend the warmer months.
After lunch in a welcoming yurt, you ride on to the Shatyly viewpoint for a wide panorama of Issyk-Kul framed by snow-capped peaks, then return by a different trail to the yurt camp.
A demanding climb takes you up to the Karaly-Archa Pass at 2900 m through alpine forest, opening to broad views of Issyk-Kul and the peaks of the Terskey Ala-Too range.
After a rest you descend to the Tuura-Suu River, where the horses graze and you take a picnic by the water. The afternoon ride, the lake glinting in the distance, ends at the Kok-Bulak yurt camp.
The last ride descends through a scenic gorge back to Bokonbaev Village. There you meet local eagle hunters, who show the old craft of hunting with a bird, with time for photos.
After a closing lunch at the guesthouse you part with your horses and drive back to Bishkek, arriving in the evening at the end of seven days on the trail.
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.Bokonbayevo
A lakeside town on Issyk-Kul's south shore known for eagle hunters.
Kyzart
A quiet farming village and trailhead for the horse route to Song-Kul.Gallery
Common questions
It runs 7 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 7 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: 1 night at guesthouse, 5 nights at yurt.
Tell us about your trip
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