Advertising: this trip was created in collaboration with Visit Karakol.
Kyrgyzstan – a country with so incredibly much to tell. Every corner surprises you with new, breathtaking nature, the people are super hospitable and, honestly: this country won my heart from the very first second.
Together with Visit Karakol we travelled with our guide (and for 5 days even with our own cook!) and discovered places and experienced things I will never forget. We rode horses up to over 3,600 metres , found hot springs , explored forgotten places and hiked through landscapes that are hard to put into words.
Our route through Kyrgyzstan
Tap a stop to read more. Route lines simplified from our Strava recordings, distances & elevation gain according to Strava. I’m deliberately not revealing the exact location of a few places in the backcountry – after all, doing your own research is part of travelling.
How we planned the trip
Karakol lies in the east of Kyrgyzstan, at the end of the huge lake Issyk-Kul, and is the perfect starting point for adventures in the mountains. I flew from Munich to Bishkek, Tom came straight from China – we met in the capital and then travelled on together to Karakol. We travelled at the end of September / beginning of October.
Arriving and the first adventures
Karakol – our base
In Karakol we stayed at the Green Yard Hotel and often ate at Lighthouse – super tasty! We deliberately took the first days slowly, strolled through town and were always out with our guide, who showed us corners we would never have found on our own.
What fascinated me most were the forgotten places: around Karakol, many buildings have stood empty for ages – like the old cinema, abandoned since 1991, which tells so much history. Places like that always feel totally mystical to me.
By bike to the ski base
We took the mountain bikes up to the Karakol ski base at around 3,000 metres. The trail wasn’t really rideable, though – so we had to push. We pushed the bikes up around 700 metres of elevation , but the view at the top was worth it.
Through the snow to Ala-Kul lake
One highlight was the hike up to Ala-Kul lake. It had snowed quite a lot and I wasn’t even sure the car would make it up the track to the trailhead – but easy peasy. In total it was around 13 km and 1,200 metres of elevation gain up to approx. 3,700 metres, and the view up there was incredible.
A small setback: that day Tom crashed the drone for the first time – it ended up hanging 10 metres up in a tree. Shit happens, on we go!
Off into the backcountry
Then we left civilisation behind: we drove for hours along the Kazakh border, 45 kilometres through mud and deep into a valley where there is simply nothing – no houses, no people. And then, at over 3,000 metres, there’s suddenly a family living there, looking after their yaks. We spent our first night in a tent, at minus 15 degrees – but in the sleeping bag it was surprisingly fine.
Along the way we met a group of kids who really wanted to play football with us – so we played with them for over an hour ⚽ So much fun, but at around 3,000 metres also extremely exhausting. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed incredibly warmly.
On horseback to over 3,600 metres
One of the absolute highlights: we rode horses up to over 3,600 metres. Afterwards there was nothing better than relaxing our tired muscles in the hot springs.
Altogether we spent 3 nights in the mountains, sleeping in a small hut and a converted trailer – with two people who live up there.
Life at the end of the world
From here, the nearest supermarket is 6 hours away. There’s no running water in the house – only a spring in the sauna hut, about 100 metres away. Electricity comes only from the solar panel on the roof.
And the toilet? A long-drop toilet, 150 metres from the house. In the middle of the night, that was honestly pretty creepy: pitch dark, with noises all around you. On top of that, there are wolves here – and we were told that the snow leopard has sometimes even been right outside the house. 🐆
Simple, remote and right in the middle of this incredible nature – these are exactly the days I’ll never forget. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Hot springs in the middle of nowhere
After four unforgettable days it was time to say goodbye – and where we went next surprised even me: to hot springs in the middle of nowhere. Simply wonderful! I’m deliberately not revealing exactly where they are – after all, research is part of travelling, and it’s fun too.
Along Issyk-Kul
Via Karakol we continued to the south shore of Issyk-Kul. First stop: the Fairytale Canyon. Close by we met Ruslan and his son and learned an incredible amount about traditional eagle hunting . Ruslan raises and trains some eagles for 15 to 20 years – and they can live to 40 or 50. Sadly this tradition is slowly dying out; there are only very few eagle hunters left in Kyrgyzstan.
The next day we went on to the Ak-Sai Canyon. The contrast between the blue lake in the background and the orange mountains is simply breathtaking – we couldn’t stop marvelling.
Min-Kush – the forgotten town
A newly built road took us on into the valley to Min-Kush. This town used to be very wealthy – and yet it wasn’t on any map, because uranium was mined here. Up to 20,000 people once lived here. Today Min-Kush is only a shadow of its former self: the houses have crumbled and only a few people still live here.
One moment that really got to me: a little dog on a chain, guarding a few geese. Leaving him there almost broke my heart.
To finish: Konorchek Canyon & Ala-Archa
On the way back towards Bishkek we stopped at Konorchek Canyon : first up through the canyon, then the landscape opens up with red rocks. And along the way, quite unexpectedly, there were camels standing by the road.
Finally, from Bishkek we went hiking in Ala-Archa National Park – up to a mountain hut at approx. 3,500 metres. Suddenly it was really busy again, which felt very strange after the days in seclusion. And on the last day we rented a scooter in Bishkek and explored the city – only the museum was unfortunately closed that day.
Good to know
- When to go: We were there at the end of September / beginning of October – which is rather the end of the season. If you want to experience the mountains to the full, plan your trip a little earlier in the year.
- Guide: For trips into the mountains I’d definitely recommend a local guide – without ours we wouldn’t have found half of it.
- Costs: We were invited by Visit Karakol, so I can’t give you exact figures. Roughly, though, I’d budget around 3,000 euros per person .
- Food: The food was generally super tasty – but very meat-heavy. Our guide told us he doesn’t know a single vegetarian, and vegan is practically unknown there anyway. If you don’t eat meat, be sure to clarify this with your guide or accommodation beforehand.
Kyrgyzstan, this wasn’t our last time. ❤️