Guides
Two weeks in Kyrgyzstan: the whole country
A fortnight either covers the north without rushing anything, or splits into eight or nine days in the north and a flight south to Osh, the Alay valley and the walnut forest of Arslanbob.
Two weeks is enough to stop compressing: more than one night on the eastern lake, two nights on the pastures instead of one, the caravanserai country south of Naryn, and no day that is only driving. It is also the shortest trip in which the south becomes a real option. There are two sensible ways to do it.
Version one: the whole north, unhurried
This is our fourteen-day route, and nothing in it is rushed.
- Days 1 and 2. Bishkek, then a day walking in Ala-Archa, 40 km from the city.
- Day 3. The Burana tower, then 92 km on to the Chon-Kemin valley.
- Day 4. A ride in Chon-Kemin, then 157 km and three hours to Cholpon-Ata.
- Day 5. The petroglyph field, then 141 km and two and a half hours to Karakol.
- Day 6. Up to the hot springs at Altyn-Arashan, three hours for 30 km of track.
- Day 7. Jeti-Oguz, the Barskoon waterfalls, a night on the south shore.
- Day 8. Skazka canyon and an eagle hunter, then 118 km to Kochkor.
- Days 9 and 10. The pass up to Song-Kul, and a full day on horseback.
- Day 11. Song-Kul to Naryn, 100 km in four hours.
- Days 12 and 13. Tash-Rabat, then back north to Kochkor.
- Day 14. Kochkor to Bishkek, 193 km and about four hours.
Ala-Archa on day two is not filler: the gorge floor is at 2,100 m and the paths above it climb past 3,000 m, useful before Song-Kul at 3,016 m and Tash-Rabat at 3,200 m later on.
Version two: north and south
The alternative splits the fortnight. Give the north eight or nine days, then fly from Bishkek to Osh: a morning, instead of the 680 km and twelve hours of road over the Too-Ashuu and Ala-Bel passes. The south is lower, hotter and older, with the Fergana valley below it. Five or six days covers Sulaiman-Too and the bazaar in Osh, the Alay valley under Lenin Peak, and the walnut forest at Arslanbob, 185 km from the city. That half is close to the southern seven days.
Hours on the road
The north has no monster days: the longest drive is the run home from Karakol, 398 km and six and a half hours. In the split version the flight replaces the worst day of road travel in the country, and southern driving is front-loaded. Osh to Sary-Mogol is 220 km and about four hours over the Taldyk pass at 3,588 m, then 25 km of gravel and another hour up to Tulpar-Kul.
What to cut if you lose days
Take the days out of the north, not the south, because the southern half loses its shape faster. Chon-Kemin and the second Bishkek night go first; after that Tash-Rabat, which turns the trip into the ten-day version. What not to cut is the second night at Song-Kul. One night there is an arrival and a departure; two is a day on the pastures.
Harder versions
A fortnight is long enough to hold a real trek. The Ala-Kul crossing takes two or three days from the Karakol gorge over a pass at about 3,900 m into Altyn-Arashan. The Alay valley offers high walking from Tulpar-Kul at about 3,500 m and Achik-Tash at about 3,600 m, including the acclimatisation climb to roughly 4,100 m. Saimaluu-Tash, a valley of more than ten thousand carved stones at about 3,200 m, is harder still, and its park season runs only from mid-June to the end of September. Read trekking in Kyrgyzstan first.
Permits and season
The Lenin Peak area is a border zone, and travellers have been asked for permits at Tulpar-Kul as well as at the base camp; Kel-Suu and Chatyr-Kul need them too. They are stamped paper originals, take days to weeks to issue, and copies are refused at the checkpoints, so start two to three weeks ahead. The whole plan is a summer one: the northern camps run from about mid-June to mid-September, the Alay camps into early October. When to go sets out what each month allows.
Good to know
Questions travellers ask
- Can I see the whole country in two weeks?
- You can see the north properly, or you can split the fortnight and take in both halves at a steadier pace than either sounds. What you cannot do is treat the two as one continuous drive: Bishkek to Osh is 680 km and about twelve hours over two passes above 3,000 m, which is why the split version uses the flight.
- Should I fly or drive between Bishkek and Osh?
- Fly if the fortnight is split. The road is 680 km and roughly twelve hours over the Too-Ashuu and Ala-Bel passes, and it costs a full day at each end. The flight takes a morning and leaves the day usable. Drive it only if the Suusamyr valley, Toktogul and the passes themselves are part of what you came for.
- What is the longest driving day on a two-week route?
- On the northern circuit it is the return from Karakol to Bishkek, 398 km and about six and a half hours on the paved northern shore. Nothing else exceeds four hours, which is what two weeks buys: the same ground as a shorter trip, with the long legs broken into halves.
- Which permits do I need to arrange in advance?
- Border-zone permits for the Lenin Peak area, including Tulpar-Kul and the base camp, and for Kel-Suu and Chatyr-Kul in Naryn region. They are stamped paper originals, copies and photographs are refused at checkpoints, your driver needs one as well, and processing takes days to weeks, so start two to three weeks before you travel.
- What should I cut if I lose two days?
- Take them from the north. Chon-Kemin and the second night in Bishkek go first, and after that Tash-Rabat, which reduces the trip to the ten-day shape. Keep the second night at Song-Kul and the night at Altyn-Arashan: those two are the ones that give you a day in the mountains rather than a drive through them.
- Is two weeks long enough to include a trek?
- Yes, and it is the first length at which a trek does not unbalance everything else. The Ala-Kul crossing from the Karakol gorge into Altyn-Arashan takes two or three days over a pass at about 3,900 m. In the south, the camps at Tulpar-Kul and Achik-Tash give several days of high walking without carrying a camp.
Guides
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