Landscapes of Tien Shan

Program’s name: Landscapes of Tien Shan

Quantity of days: 8 

Day 1: Bishkek – Burana – Issyk Kul northern shore – Karakol
In the International Airport of Manas you will meet with your tour guide with whom you will head to the east of the country, to the beautiful town of Karakol. On our way we will have several stops. The first one is at the tower of Burana which was built in the 11th century by Karkhanids. The tower was located in the ancient city of Balasagun which was the capital city of Karakhanid state and one of the most important  cities on the Great Silk Road. The next stop is at the open air museum near Cholpon-Ata town. There are more than 2000 petroglyphs that date back to 800BC. Stone carvings were left by shamans of this era and depict many different things. From the museum you will be able to get a panorama view of the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul. Next stops will be in the Karakol town at the Dungan Mosque, Orthodox Church of Holy Trinity, and at the museum of M.V.Przhevalsky. The night is in a hotel.

Day 2: Karakol – Altin Arashan – Karakol
In the morning we will start driving on a russian military vehicle to a place called Altyn-Arashan. It is a gorge which is not easily accessible on regular vehicles. The slopes of the gorge are covered by fir trees followed by the fast-flowing river of Ak-Suu on the bottom of the gorge. The gorge is famous for hot springs that gave the name to the gorge in the first place. You will have a nice picnic in the gorge after which you may either hike along the river or go into the hot springs. Afterwards we head back to Karakol. The night is in the hotel.

Day 3: Karakol – Jeti Oguz – Issyk Kul southern shore – Tamga
Another gorge near the town of Karakol we will visit is the gorge of Jeti-Oguz during your travel. The gorge is famous for the red sandstone formation that gave name to this gorge. The formation is referred to as ‘Seven Bulls’ in kyrgyz language, thus the name Jeti-Oguz. We will walk up to the hill that reveals a panorama view of the gorge. You will also get to see a lot of yurts in the gorge. Locals will certainly invite you to try our national drink kumis. Afterwards we continue our way to the village of Tamga. The night is in a homestay.

Day 4: Tamga – Kochkor – Kichi Naryn – Naryn 
We will leave the village early in the morning and start driving along the southern shore of the lake. The first stop will be at the village of Bokonbaevo. In the village you will get to meet an eagle hunter. This is a person who hunts not eagles but rather with eagles. He will tell you everything about this ancient craft. The next stop will be at Kochkor. In this village you will get to get familiarized with another craft, namely, the craft of making felt carpets. You will even get to make a small piece of your own. Afterwards, we will be driving through the gorge of Kichi-Naryn to the administrative center of Naryn province. The night is in a guesthouse.

Day 5: Naryn – Son Kul
After breakfast we will start driving towards the second largest lake in Kyrgyzstan, the lake of Son-Kul. No tour in Kyrgyzstan should go without visiting this pristine alpine lake. The road to the lake lise through picturesque mountain passes one of which we will get to be on. The lake is surrounded by pasture lands making it perfect for breeding cattle And that is exactly what locals do here. You will get to see a lot of yurts set up by locals for the summertime to breed their cattle. As we arrive at the camp, you are free to explore the place. The night will be in yurts.

Day 6: Son Kul – Kyzyl Oi
For the first half of the day you will be enjoying your time. You may go hiking to the nearest mountains or walk by the shore of the lake, or even ride horses. You will also get to visit locals and talk to them. Guests are always welcomed in kyrgyz traditions. After lunch we will hit the road. We will be driving to the village of Kyzyl-Oi. The road to the village lies through picturesque places. We will go through a mountain pass, along the river that flows in the bottom of the gorge. The night will be in a homestay.

Day 7: Kyzyl Oi – Bishkek
In the morning we will start driving to Bishkek. We will take one of the most beautiful roads in the country. We will drive through the mountain pass of Too-Ashuu that has an elevation of more than 3000 m. On the top of it you will get to see beautiful sceneries to both sides of the gorge. As you arrive in the city you will have lunch followed by a city tour that includes visiting many interesting places like Pobeda Square (Victory Square), Duboviy Park (Oak Park), Central Ala-Too Square, the National Arts Museum of Kyrgyzstan, National Philharmonic. The night will be in a hotel.

Day 8: Bishkek – Airport
Transfer to the airport will be followed in the morning.