Learning crafts

Program’s name: Learning crafts

Quantity of days: 9 

Day 1: Bishkek
Upon your arrival at the airport of Manas you will meet your guide who will then take you to the capital city of Bishkek. The city is 25 km from the airport so it will roughly take 30 minutes to get there. Then you will have a city tour which includes visiting Pobeda Square (Victory Square), Dubovoy Park (Oak Park), Central Ala-Too Square, the National Arts Museum, National Philharmonic, and many other places of interest. Last but not least you will get to visit the Osh Bazaar. It is a very colorful bazaar and one of the biggest in the country. One can find literally anything in this bazaar: food, clothing, souvenirs etc. The overnight stay is in a hotel.

Day 2: Bishkek – Alamedin gorge – Bishkek
The next place to visit is the gorge of Alamedin. It is one of most beautiful gorges that you can find in Kyrgyz Ala-Too mountain range. Hiking along the mountain river that flows in the bottom of the gorge you will be able to see kyrgyz yurts, dwellings that are unique for being mobile and easy to assemble/disassemble. In five kilometers from the end of the asphalt road you will find a waterfall. You will have a nice picnic next to the waterfall after which we will head back to Bishkek. You will spend the night in the same hotel.

Day 3: Bishkek – Burana – Chon Kemin
Final destination of the day will be the valley of Chon-Kemin. We start driving towards it early in the morning. On the way we will have a stop to visit the tower of Burana. Burana is minaret which was attached to a mosque in the capital of Karakhanid state, Balasagun. It was built in the 11th century and the city was a place of a great importance during the time of the Great Silk Road. It has seen many events, cultures, and nations. You can also have an interesting excursion around the site, in the museum with its open-air section that has a collection of balbals. Afterwards, we continue our way to the valley. In Chon-Kemin after lunch you will have a 3 hours-long session of horse riding. The route will go along the trails that lead up to mountain forest. On the top of the route you will get a fascinating view of the whole valley. The night is in a homestay.

Day 4: Chon Kemin – Rafting – Kochkor
The highlight of the day is rafting along Chuy river in Kyrgyzstan. The river is famous among fans of rafting for its moderate level of difficulty which allows even for beginners to have an enjoyable ride. Our professionals will give you all the necessary instructions to follow to ensure your safety. After rafting we will head towards the village of Kochkor. The village is famous for the felt products produced by people in the village. We will visit a family that has preserved an ancient technique of making felt carpets. You will learn a lot about this craft and even get to create a small piece of your own. After that we will visit a small museum that stores a great collection of handicrafts during your travel.

Day 5: Kochkor – Issyk Kul southern shore – Jeti Oguz
From the village in the morning we start driving to “Pearl of Central Asia” so called in Kyrgyzstan. The alpine lake of Issyk-Kul is situated at the altitude of 1600 m above sea level. The name of the lake is translated as hot lake alluding to the fact that it does not freeze over. The lake is slightly saline. It is surrounded by two gorgeous mountain ranges with snow capped tops. There are a lot of gorges worth visiting around the lake during the tour. The gorge of Jeti-Oguz will be  our final destination for the day. On the halfway there we will stop to meet a person who has preserved an ancient tradition of eagle hunting. This person does not hunt eagles, as you might think, but rather with an eagle he hunts other animals, from small like hairs to bigger ones like ibexes, deers and even wolves.  You will get to learn more about this unique craft after which we will head to the famous Seven Bulls sandstone rock formation in Jeti-Oguz. The place is also famous for the mountain of Broken Heart. The overnight stay is in the yurts.

Day 6: Jeti Oguz – Jyrgalan
You are free to enjoy fort half of the day roaming around the gorge and along the river. After lunch we will be on our way to Jyrgalan valley. This valley is such a remarkable place for it provides all travelers an amazing opportunity to mountain biking, horse riding, hiking along the trails that go through gorgeous places. During the winter time one can do skiing.

Day 7: Jyrgalan – Karakol
For the first half of the day you are to enjoy your free time. In the afternoon we head to the beautiful city of Karakol. The city is located on the eastern shore of the lake Issyk Kul. The city was found as a garrison city for the russian troops in 1869. In the same year started the construction of a wooden church that we are to visit next. The next stop will be the Dungan Mosque which is unique in a sense that it is built in chinese architectural style as no other traditional mosque. Moreover, Not even a single nail was used during the construction. Afterwards, we will visit the museum of M.V. Prejvalsky, the great russian explorer. The night is in a hotel.

Day 8: Karakol – Issyk Kul northern shore – Bishkek
In the morning we will start driving towards the capital city of Bishkek along the northern shore of the lake Issyk-Kul. Approximately halfway to the city we will stop at the open air museum near the city of Cholpon-Ata. The museum has more than 2000 petroglyphs, stone with carvings left by shamans in the 800 BC. There is a panorama view open to you from the museum. The night is in the hotel

Day 9: Bishkek – Airport
Transfer to the airport.