Kyrgyzstan: A Winter Expedition - The Land of the Celestial Mountains
This video is a brief representation of Kyrgyzstan and does not represent the exact itinerary that is stated in the sign up article below
Note: We offer two main types of expeditions to Kyrgyzstan: the spring-summer-autumn edition, and the winter edition. You are currently reading the winter edition’s itinerary, and you can head over here to check out our itinerary for spring-summer-autumn!
Winter in Kyrgyzstan unveils a different facet of its charm, with ancient Silk Road cities like Osh and Karakol adorned in a blanket of snow. Wandering through snow-covered alleys and exploring markets, you'll feel transported to a winter fairy tale.
And in the winter embrace of Kyrgyzstan, the mountains become a snow-draped wonderland, beckoning winter enthusiasts to experience a different kind of magic. The pristine slopes offer thrilling opportunities for skiing, snowboarding, and winter trekking, transforming the landscape into an adventure lover's paradise.
The frozen beauty of Kyrgyzstan's lakes, like Issyk-Kul, creates a serene and surreal atmosphere, inviting those seeking tranquility amidst the winter splendor. Kyrgyzstan's nomadic traditions endure in this snowy realm, offering a unique glimpse into a resilient culture shaped by winter's embrace.
Join us on an expedition through Kyrgyzstan's winter wonder, where the landscapes transform into a snowy canvas, nomadic traditions thrive, and the allure of the season creates unforgettable memories. This is an invitation to discover a winter paradise in the heart of Central Asia.
Day 1: Welcome to the City of Bishkek
Your journey commences the moment you step foot into the Kyrgyzstan airport, which is located in Bishkek, the capital city, after midnight. Also known as ‘Manas’, the Manas International Airport is located approximately 20km from the hotel you will be staying at. If you’re someone who’s afraid of jetlag, you’ve come to the right place.
Kyrgyzstan’s time zone is GMT+6, meaning it’s only 2 hours behind Singapore. If it’s 6pm in Singapore, it’s 4pm in Kyrgyzstan! This means that there’ll be little to no jetlag experienced, allowing you to immediately start enjoying the beautiful nature sights of Bishkek.
After breakfast and a short but much needed rest, you’ll be heading off to Kochkor Village to have lunch in one of the locals’ house. There, you’ll get to experience first hand the Kyrgyzstan’s way of life and the cultural practices they partake in during meal times. Subsequently, after the hearty meal and rejuvenating shower, you will be moving on to another village, known as Kyzart Village. Upon reaching the small town, it’s time to get some rest! A fulfilling dinner will be prepared for you and you will spend your night there at a local guest house.
An important thing to note is that the drive from Biskek to Kyzart Village is not a short one. Spanning 280km, this 4.5hour drive comprises smooth sailing roads, and bumpy ones as well.
Day 2: Kyzart Village - Son Kul Lake Part 1.
The highlight of Day 2 would be the horse riding tour followed by a visit to Son Kul Lake. In the morning, after an energising breakfast, you will get the opportunity to ride horses to Son Kun Lake. These majestic, gentle giants exude beauty and grace, with every interaction you have with them being a magical one.
The horses will ensure a safe and smooth 11km journey to Son Kun Lake — this takes about 4 to 5 hours. Upon reaching the lake, you would notice that the waters are frozen. During the non-winter season, the waters are so untouched by modern civilisation that its crystal clear waters look almost invisible.
Lunch will be served in one of the yurts built along the lake. During winter, there are times when the temperature gets too cold. Hence, there aren’t many people around the lake during the winter, sometimes even none! At the lake, there’ll be one yurt camp for you to spend the night in. You may also find fishermens’ tents set up around the lake. The sturdiness and strength of the yurt and tents are able to endure strong winds and harsh temperatures; many atimes the locals come back to a yurt that’s in pristine condition.
While you’re admiring the clarity and view of the lake that’s a sight for sore eyes, the horseman will get busy helping to heat the yurt up, providing you with a space to defrost and stay overnight. In addition, it’s time for the horses to take a break as well! The horseman will tend to his/her horses, ensuring that the horses are sufficiently hydrated and fed. Last but not least, your trusty guide and/or horseman will whip up a delicious, warm meal that is sure to fill your tummies!
Day 3: Son Kul Lake Part 2
Rise and shine, fellas! After a cosy, cooling night in the yurt, it’s time to get going. Having seen the horseman and guide prepare the yurt and help the horses settle, it’s now your turn! You will get the opportunity to heat the yurt, prepare breakfast and help the horses complete their morning routine. What an exciting morning, don’t you think?
Once everything’s settled, you might probably be a little tired. How about taking a rejuvenating, breath-taking morning trail with the horses? As you trail down from Son Kul Lake to Kyzart Village, take your time to enjoy the fresh, crisp air and serenity of the lake’s view. Time passes when you’re enjoying yourself, and soon enough, you would’ve reached Kyzart Village in no time. There, you can spend the rest of the day exploring the village. Alternatively, you can also take a shower to freshen up to ensure you have clean clothes the next day.
The day comes to an end with dinner at the same guest house in Kyzart Village as before, with soothing dishes that’s bound to keep you warm. Afterwhich, it’s lights out to you!
Day 4: Kel Suu Lake
When the sun rises, shining through the fluffy white clouds of Kyrgyzstan and leaving beautiful sparkles of sunshine on its land, you know it’s time to wake up. Breakfast is served in the guesthouse, consisting exciting dishes that is filled with carbohydrates to keep you pumped up for the rest of the day.
Following which, your departure for Kel Suu Lake begins. Midway through your road trip, you will pass by Naryn City, a small town located 2000m above sea level. There, you can grab your lunch before setting off for the rest of the road trip. There may be occasions when there are road blockages along the way due to extreme weather conditions such as snowpile. Hence, in such circumstances, your trusty guide will take an alternative route which is longer to get to your destination.
Once you’ve reached Kel Suu Lake, there will be containers which can be used for your overnight stay. A fun fact about Kyrgyzstan and even Kazakhstan is that there’s no such thing as full-time nomads. Because of this, some shepherds who travel about the mountainous areas of Kyrgyzstan during the winter for the yaks stay in these containers.
As you snuggle into your sleeping bag, the tranquility of the container serenades you.
Day 5: Kel Suu Lake Horse Riding
Do you miss Day 2 and 3’s horse riding experience? Well, you’re in for a treat! Today, after you’ve devoured your breakfast, you will get to ride the horses once again and travel to Lake Kel Suu. Situated a whopping 3520m above sea level, this alpine lake is considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the whole of Kyrgyzstan.
There, you will have time to explore the lakes boundaries, admiring the tall, rocky landscapes that keep this mysterious lake hidden from the rest of the world.
Beauty comes from destruction. Lake Kel Suu is definitely one of the products of this phrase. Many years ago, when Mount Massif collapsed, it created a beautiful crater-like feature that looked like the gates to heaven. Today, it’s known as Lake Kel Suu, where Kel Suu means ‘leaving waters’. As the name suggests, this cheeky lake disappears sometimes, its waters seeping into the underground caves or grottoes. In the winter, the lake might even be frozen!
Before the sun sets and night takes over, you will ride back to camp on the horses, where you will once again spend the night in the containers.
Day 6: Bokonbaevo Village
Day 6 is an exciting day for you, with many activities in store! The day starts with an early departure to Lake Issyk Kul, meaning ‘hot lake’. Its name comes from the fact that it’s the second-largest non-freezing lake in the world, with water temperatures averaging 20°C, compared to the rest of Kyrgyzstan which averages around -10°C.
That’s a 30°C temperature difference! Take the time to explore the area, gapping at the beauty of the snowcapped mountains that look like icing sugar on top of chocolate ice cream.
The day continues as you will be brought to the Bokonbaevo Village, also known as the village of the eagle hunters. Hold your eagles! Before you reach Bokonbaevo Village, you’ll first stop by Naryn City for a scrumptious lunch. Dinner shall be served in Bokonbaevo Village, where you will get to stay overnight there with a local family and learn more about the Kyrgyz culture.
Are you enjoying yourself so much so far until you’ve forgotten that you haven’t been able to shower for the past couple of days? Well, it’s time to get scrubbing! At Bokonbaevo Village where you’ll be staying overnight, there are showers available for you to use, so it’s time to soak yourself in the warm waters (or cold, if you prefer cold showers).
Day 7: Hunting with the Eagle Hunter
Day 7 of your expedition with Beyond Expeditions is the ultimate highlight of the trip. This is because not only will you get to spend your day roaming around the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, you will also get to go hunting with an eagle hunter. How exciting is that?!
However, with all living beings, not every day is a perfect day. The same hence extends to the eagle hunters and their eagles. There may be days when the eagles have no luck on the mountains, soaring about the skies but are unable to find any prey. As such, this is a matter of luck! If you get to experience the eagle hunters hunting in action, feel honoured, for it’s a sight I believe many would be dying to see.
Once the afternoon sun is out, it’s time to leave the village. Saying goodbye to the eagles and the eagle hunters, it’s time for you to make your way to Karakol City. With a distance of 135km, this 2.5hour journey is the perfect duration for you to sneak in a quick nap if you’re feeling tired. Alternatively, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the experiences and sights you’ve seen, take this time to consolidate everything you’re feeling and get ready to be wow-ed even more.
Upon exiting the vehicle, you might realise that it’s quite dark by the time you reach Karakol City. You’ll be having a late dinner, where a local family will be cooking an extra portion of their delicious cuisines for you to munch on. To end off the perfect day, hop into the shower for a good cleanse and head to bed, for Day 8 will be an adventurous day.
Day 8: Skiing Day or Snowboarding Day
In the wee hours of the morning, you’ll be out even before the Sun has awoken. Your awesome guide will then drive you over to Kapriz, a famous ski resort in Kyrgyzstan. Ski gear may be rented to you, or you may also bring your own gear, so that you will be able to ski down snow mountains well-protected.
The rest of the day, until 4pm, you’ll be learning how to ski down snow peaks and snowboard down mountainous taverns. Before you get too caught up in mastering the art of skiing and snowboarding, don’t forget about lunch!
A short break will be taken in the middle of the day for a quick lunch before you can go back to perfecting that trick shot. Once it’s 4pm, you will need to return the equipment and return to Karakol City to wash up, grab dinner and have a well-deserved sleep. During dinner, to help with your worked out muscles, dinner will contain lots of delicious protein to help you rejuvenate your muscle’s lactic acids. After all, a whole day of skiing and snowboarding is bound to tire anyone out!
Day 9: Bishkek
The expedition is almost coming to an end, are you excited to be back home? Or after having seen the wonders of Kyrgyzstan, would you prefer to (permanently) migrate here? If you’d like, you can even consider continuing your adventure to Kazakhstan or Mongolia, the neighbouring countries of Kyrgyzstan!
Sun’s out, one’s out! It’s time to start your 2nd last day in Kyrgyzstan right with a hearty breakfast before leaving Karakol City and travelling back to Bishkek City. This 400km drive is roughly a 6 hour drive, with the road back being a very smooth sailing one. By the time you reach back in Bishkek City, it would be the late afternoon, and you will be checking into a hotel to unload your luggages and have a quick break before going down for a short walk in the city center. There, many shops are lined up for you to look through hand made souvenirs made by none other than the locals themselves. If you’d like to bring home a memento or two, don’t hold yourself back! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to bring home a treasurable item from the Land of the Celestial Mountains.
As the sun sets, the last segment of Day 9 has come. Eating a celebratory dinner with your expedition guide and fellow mates at a local restaurant in Bishkek, you will get to see a folk show and take group photos, which you can bring home to show all your friends and family the wonderful friendships forged and amazing memories made. That’s bound to make them jealous. Going back up to your hotel room, you can start to pack your luggage and prepare for the flight back to Singapore.
Day 10: Home Sweet Home
For the first time in 10 days, waking up early is not for a good reason. Driving you to Manas Airport, it’s also time to party ways with your expedition driver. As I’m writing this with tear-filled eyes, I can’t imagine how you will feel experiencing it first hand.
As the plane takes off and the Land of the Celestial Mountains looks smaller and smaller by the second, it’s back to modern civilisation.
Before you go, there’s more to know about Kyrgyzstan in our featured articles on our website, which may give you a deeper insight on food, village culture and activities to look out for on your next adventure.
Life as a Golden Eagle Hunter in Bokonbaevo, Kyrgyzstan
A Voyage in Kyrgyzstan’s Winter Wonderland
Tasting Kyrgyzstan: A guide to our 7 favourite bites in this mountainous nation
Till we meet again, Kyrgyzstan.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Upon payment of 50% non-refundable deposit, you will secure a spot for 1x Kyrgyzstan Winter group expedition (20 Nov to 30 March). The total price for the trip is S$7,990 nett inclusive of flights. The remaining 50% is to be paid 8 weeks prior to trip commencement.
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Round-trip economy flights from Singapore to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (check-in up to 30kg and carry-on up to 7kg)
Airport transfers
Accommodation for all nights (three-star twin-sharing hotel rooms in the capital, traditional yurts/guesthouses/camping tents in the countryside)
All-terrain expedition support vehicle, driver and petrol
English-speaking, experienced local Kyrgyz expedition guide
All meals (breakfasts, lunches, dinners) and a bottle of water per day
All staff costs including their fees, insurance and equipment
All national park fees and government/local taxes
All activities stated including horse-riding, ski pass (excluding booking of instructors) and Shepherd homestays etc.
4 seasons sleeping bag
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Excess luggage and hand carry fees for flights
Additional incurred costs during layover
Personal expenses
Tips (optional)
Personal travel insurance
Emergency rescue flights (if needed)
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