17 to 26 July, 2027

Begimai, our local host

Where we will go

This is a trip focused on heritage, nature and landscapes.

Day 1: Arrival in Bishkek and Welcome heritage dinner

Day 2: Bishkek, Women’s fashion, Silk & felt scarf making, Borsok show and Market visit

Day 3: VIP mountain train, Yurt making demo and assembling

Day 4: Skazka Canyon, Elechek show and lunch, Ethno shop, Natural Cosmetic Making, Lagman show

Day 5: Ak Suu hot springs, Dungan Mosque, Orthodox church, Jeti-Ögüz Canyon

Day 6: Free morning (beach, kayaks), Eagle Hunting Demo

Day 7: Drive to Song Kul Lake, Nomad Life, Traditional Yurt Stay

Day 8: Horse riding and hiking, Drive back to Kochkor

Day 9: Altyn Kol felt workshop, return to Bishkek, free time, Farewell Dinner

Day 10: Departure

Day 1 : Arrival in Bishkek and Welcome heritage dinner

Driving time: Less than 1 hour return to dinner.

On arrival, you’ll make your way to the hotel on your own time.

We will meet in the evening for a welcome briefing followed by dinner at a female owned heritage restaurant in the outskirts of Bishkek.

This is a place that aim to preserve and showcase Kyrgyz traditional food and traditions, including many recipes that are only enjoyed in local homes and rarely found in restaurants.

We will enjoy a meal under the stars, weather permitting, and sample the first morsels of local cuisine.

Inclusions: Welcome drink and heritage dinner. Transportation in minibus to and from dinner.

Overnight at Sheraton Hotel 5*

Newly opened Sheraton Hotel is currently the best hotel in the city.

This is a wonderful 5* property housed in the tallest building in town with panoramic views of the Ala Atta mountain range and with a fantastic rooftop Pan-Asian restaurant and bar that has the most incredible views in Bishkek.

Rooms are spacious, modern and sleek with large windows and all the amenities that a traveler needs to settle in after a long journey.

There is a well equipped gym, a large breakfast spread worth waking up for and a large outdoor pool for laps or to relax after a long hot summer day. The onsite full service spa also offers sauna and steam baths for guests.

The hotel is very conveniently located in the city center and attached to a shopping mall for any last minute needs.

Day 2 : All about Bishkek, Women’s fashion, Silk & felt scarf making, Borsok show and Market visit

Activity: 4 hour walking history and shopping tour of the city with various stops split into morning and afternoon.
Driving time: 1 hour driving.

Today is all about discovering the capital of Kyrgyzstan that most tour groups miss but that has a lot to offer if you know where to look.

We will start with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel and head out for our walking tour of the city with our local guide.

Our tour will start with the main monuments and buildings that make up the political and legislative center of the country which will help us understand better Kyrgyzstan’s recent history and Soviet Union times.

We will also learn about a few of the women who have shaped the country through the statues erected in the area.

Our walking tour will also take us to two female owned stores that showcase both modern and traditional Kyrgyz apparel.

The first store is a modern, haute couture take on some of the traditional pieces Kyrgyz women wear, from corsets to belts, hats and more.

The second store is owned and managed by a mother daughter who are bringing back the chapan jackets, a piece that was lost during the USSR and that is now making a come back as a fashionable statement that reclaims Kyrgyz identity.

They handmade each piece from scratch at the workshop store that we will visit where you can see the seamstresses at work, try the pieces and learn more about this important clothing item.

The daughter is also an artist and will share her creative designs.

We will continue to the outskirts of the city for our lunch and silk + felt scarf making masterclass at a foundation led by one of the famous craftswomen in Kyrgyzstan.

The project is managed by women and aims to revive Kyrgyz traditional knowledge and skills in felt making, yurt assembling, embroidery, traditional costumes and more.

Our lunch will start with a borsok (fried dough bread) cooking show. This is the most commonly eaten food item in the country and is served at almost every meal as a starter, and enjoyed dipped in sour cream or jams.

The show will be followed by a homemade lunch and a workshop in felt and silk scarf making where you will have the opportunity to make your own creation to take home as a gift from Kyrgyzstan.

Silk scarf are fused with felt from sheep wool using traditional techniques. Make your own patterns and create a piece that will take you back to the trip.

After the workshop, we will return to the city with a stop at Osh Market, one of the largest markets in Central Asia where you can find pretty much anything.

Note: Osh Market may be closed for renovations in 2027 and it may not be possible to visit it.

We will start at the food section to learn about some of the items that are unique to Kyrgyzstan such as the edible earth, the many varieties of dried cheese, the wide array of pickled vegetables and nuts and so much more.

After some free time, we will return to the hotel with one last stop at a locally and female owned store selling contemporary items made with local materials.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, walking city tour with stops to meet up the owner at the Chapan store, lunch and borsok show, felt
& silk scarf making, market visit. Transportation in minibus.

Overnight at Sheraton Hotel 5*

Day 3 : VIP scenic mountain train, Yurt making demo and assembling

Activity: Less than 1 hour.
Driving time: 4 hours train ride, 3 hours driving.

We will start the day early with breakfast at the hotel followed by check out and a short drive to the train station for our scenic journey to the lake.

The newly opened VIP carriages of the former Soviet trains are comfortable, spacious and have large windows from which to enjoy the Kyrgyz landscapes.

These are some of the most amazing mountain, gorge and valley views you have ever enjoyed from a train and they will take us all the way to the shore of Lake Issyk Kul.

Sit back, enjoy the view and do as Kyrgyz people do: order a pot of steaming hot, extra sweet tea with mint leaves and lemon as you watch the world go by.

From the final station, we will board our minibuses for a short drive to lunch, where we will sample some more Kyrgyz dishes, this time, with a focus on trout and regional cuisine.

We will continue our journey south towards Kochkor with stops for panoramic views over lakes, reservoirs and mountains.

We will make one last stop before reaching our lodge for the night at a village famous for being the center of the yurt production in Kyrgyzstan.

Most of the families in town are dedicated to the art of making all the parts of a yurt and selling them across the country and Central Asia.

This concentration is due to family traditions and crafts being shared in the community and to the presence of willow trees, the wood which is the basis for yurt making.

Our yurt making workshop will include demonstrations of how each part of the yurt is made and will the assembly of all the pieces as a team to see what it takes to build the home of Kyrgyz nomads from scractch.

Yurts are a traditional, portable, circular home made of a collapsible wooden frame covered with felt, skins, or woven fabric made without using any nail.

These are the traditional homes of nomadic people and a common affordable tourist accommodation option across Kyrgyzstan.

They can easily be assembled and disassembled and can be carried on horses or yak from mountains to the plains depending on the season.

Fun fact: At the world nomad games, yurt assembling is one of the sports and the fastest group built one in 6 minutes.

After the yurt making demo and assembling, we will continue towards our lakeside yurt camp for the night for check in and dinner.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, VIP train tickets, lunch at a local restaurant, yurt making demonstration and assembling, transportation in a minibus with a separate minibus for the luggage, dinner at the camp.

Overnight at Oimo Tash 3*

Oimo Tash is a local and female owned luxury yurt camp with traditional yurt accommodation combined with modern, ensuite bathroom facilities.

Each unit includes a main yurt bedroom and a private bathroom with shower and toilet. All beds in the yurts are single as is customary, even in the double rooms, and some yurts come with 2 or 3 beds. Our twin sharing rooms will only be shared by 2 guests even though there may be an extra third bed.

The camp has a spacious yurt restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a fire pit and direct access to the beach for a swim.

Day 4 : Skazka Canyon, Elechek show and lunch Ethno shop, Natural Cosmetic Making, Lagman show

Activity: 1 hour walking in the canyon.
Driving time: 3 hours.

Today is a very exciting cultural and outdoorsy day that will start with breakfast at the lodge.

We will then board our minibus and continue on the south shore of Lake Issyk Kul towards Karakol.

Our first stop of the day will be at a Shazka Canyon also known as Fairytale Canyon, for a wander and free time to explore this beautiful natural formation on your own.

This rainbow clay and sandstone formation has been eroded by thousands of years through wind and rain that has resulted in castle like formations, rounded hills and incredible views.

Have a wander around the area, discover colorful corners and take as many photos as you like. Note how the colors change from red to yellow and everything in between.

After the visit, we will return to the minibus and continue towards a guesthouse where we will have an elechek and female headwear masterclass followed by lunch.

Elechek is a unique turban-style head wear that married women in Kyrgyzstan traditionally wore after their wedding.

The piece is inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List and is still worn in special occasions, though not Kyrgyz women own one or know how to wear it.

We will participate in a workshop to learn about all the different hear wear pieces women in Kyrgyzstan wear from young age to their wedding ceremony and marriage status to signify the rite of passage.

We will also get to wear them, and see how an elechek is put on, always with the help of other women.

The fabric that makes an Elechek is traditionally 40 meters long, wrapped around a base cap and covered in a decorative piece that is indicative of the wealth and status of the family.

Nomad Kyrgyz women used it also as a safe, to hide their valuables in case of attack by other tribes, and used the cloth with which the elecheck is made for many other purposes, from carrying babies to every day tasks.

After the masterclass, we will stay for lunch.

In the afternoon, we will continue towards Karakol to visit a female owned and run store that showcases Kyrgyz artisans from across the country and chat with the owner. You can find jewelry, felt products, household items and more.

Our next stop will be a visit of the One Village, One product factory where we will also participate in a natural cosmetic making workshop and make our own refreshing balm.

One village, One product is a social cooperative founded over 15 years ago that has become a powerhouse in promoting Kyrgyz materials and ingredients as the basis of beautiful products.

The project now exports to various countries around the world and produces food items such as juices or preserves, as well as cute felt products made with natural dyes, household items and natural cosmetics using the natural herbs and ingredients find in the Kyrgyz wild.

At its core, the projects aims to promote a love for what is local and a view of our surroundings as possible ingredients to beautiful products.

We will visit the factory to learn about their natural dying processes using herbs, leaves and plants and then proceed to the laboratory to prepare our own balms with local herbs and beeswax.

After the workshop, we will check in to the guest house in Karakol and end the day with a lagman noddle making show cooking and dinner at a Dungan family home.

Karakol has a large community of Dungan people, Muslims of Hui Chinese origin living in Central Asia. Dungan cuisine is famous for generous use of chilli and for its Chinese techniques such as stir fries.

Lagman noddles are a typical Dungan dish that came along the Silk Road and evolved from lamian Chinese noddles. They are hand pulled, an easy technique that we will learn at the show cooking, and made with flour and water only.

The noddles will be accompanied by an authentic home cooked Dungan feast where we will try all the dishes that make this cuisine different from the rest of Kyrgyzstan gastronomy.

We will return to the hotel after dinner.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, visit of Shazka Canyon, elechek masterclass and lunch, local store visit, One village, One product factory visit and natural cosmetic workshop with a small balm to take home, lagman noddles cooking show and family dinner. Transportation in a minibus.

Overnight at Green Yard Hotel 3*

Green Yard Hotel started as a small family guesthouse and has evolved into the coziest boutique hotel in Karakol.

As soon as you walk in, you know you are in someone’s home and are treated as a real guest. Shoes are left at the entrance and you are given rubber slippers to wear during your stay so the spaces are kept clean.

Owner Chinara Sagyndykova started the guesthouse after the fall of the Soviet Union with the help of Swiss financing and training. She continues to live in the hotel and is always around at breakfast to greet guests. She has built a reputation of genuine care and hospitality.

Rooms are spread over 4 buildings, clean, comfortable and well maintained, with separate entrances for certain groups of rooms and various living room spaces throughout.

Breakfast is an authentic feast with home made jams, breads, pastries, cakes, freshly cooked to order eggs, berries and fresh fruits, cereals and oatmeal and more, all fresh, home cooked and wonderful.

Day 5 : Ak Suu hot springs, Dungan Mosque, Orthodox church, Jeti-Ögüz Canyon

Activity: 1 hour hiking and 2 hour walking around sights in Karakol.
Driving time: 3 hours total with stops.

We will start the day a bit earlier than usual to beat the crowds at Ak Suu hot springs where we will enjoy the stone natural hot spring pools in the beautiful surroundings of a forest and flowing river.

We will get changed in the changing rooms and rent towels if you need them, don our swim suits and get ready to experience 5 pools at different temperatures.

The three main pools are connected but have 3 different warm temperatures. There are two other pools, one by the river and one by the entrance that are cooler, with the latter being pretty cold.

If you want, you can also shower with glacier water from the river that flows from the towering mountains above.

After the soak, we will continue our day west with various stops along the way.

We will first return to Karakol for lunch at a local female owned restaurant where we will get to try more local dishes.

We will then visit two of Karakol’s main sites before leaving the city: The Orthodox Church and the Dungan Mosque.

The Holy Trinity Church is a colorfully painted wooden Russian orthodox church that was built at the end of the 19th century and evolved from a small brick structure built for the military personnel stationed in Karakol.

The Dungan Mosque is also a colorful wooden building built at the beginning of the 20th century by the fleeing Dungan people of China.

Our journey will carry on towards Jeti-Ögüz Canyon, a postcard perfect red rock formation that contrasts with the green of the forests around it.

Known as Seven Bulls Rocks, this stunning canyon is best enjoyed with a short hike to a view point from where we will have incredible panoramic views of the rock formations and the landscapes around us.

On our way, look out for a split red-rock formation that looks like a broken heart, locals have a love story about it.

After the hike, we will continue our journey towards our luxury yurt camp for the night for check in.

Dinner will be served under the stars, weather permitting, or in the indoor yurt.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, Ak suu hot spring entry tickets, lunch at a local restaurant, visits of Dungan Mosque and Orthodox Church, hike in Jeti-Ögüz Canyon, dinner at the camp. Transportation in minibus.

Overnight at Oimo Tash 3*

Day 6 : Free morning (beach, relaxation), Eagle Hunting Demo

Activity: Free time to walk or swim as much as you like around the lake
Driving time: 3 hours.

This morning is devoted to resting and recharging after a few long days.

If you are up for it, go down to the beach for a stroll or a swim on the lightly salted waters of Issyk Kul Lake, or take the kayaks out if they are available.

We will enjoy lunch at the camp and continue our drive along the lake shore towards Kochkor.

On the way, we will stop at a local village for an Eagle Hunting demonstration by a professional eagle hunter. Historically, the eagles helped hunt prey for food, but this is no longer the case.

Eagle Hunters in Kyrgyzstan train their golden eagles from early age to help them hunt for various small predators in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, primarily to help the government maintain the balance in the eco-system but also for their fur. Eagles get to eat the meat, and the hunter keeps the pristine fur.

Hunters capture eagles from a young age and train them through a very long period that does not stop until the day that they are released back into the wild.

Female golden eagles are preferred as they are bigger and stronger. They live with their hunters like another family member and when they reach the age of sexual maturity, they are released back into the wild to live freely and mate in a long process that undoes the training they followed to work with the hunter and teaches them to fend for themselves.

We will meet the hunter and the eagle and learn more about this profession and art. You will also get to hold the eagle if you wish.

Our day will continue towards the town of Kochkor for check in.

There will be some free time to walk over to the local market or visit a supermarket where you can see what Kyrgyz people love to eat (hint: they love ketchup and mayonnaise) and maybe buy some snacks and drinks for the road trip to Song Kul Lake.

Dinner will be at the lodge with a delicious spread of homemade dishes.

Inclusions: Breakfast and lunch at the yurt camp, Golden Eagle hunting demonstration, dinner at the lodge. Transportation in minibuses.

Overnight at Nomad Lodge 3*

Nomad Lodge is a newly built, locally owned, comfortable boutique hotel in Kochkor city center with spacious ensuite rooms with AC and heating that have all you need for a short stay.

Meals are home cooked and prepared by the women who manage the lodge and the location is walking distance to the main market.

All rooms come with 2 separate beds even if you booked a single room.

Day 7 : Drive to Song Kul Lake, Nomad Life, Traditional Yurt Stay

Activity: Free time to walk around the lake.
Driving time: 4 hours, 90 min of which is on unpaved mountain passes.

We will wake up early for a home cooked breakfast and depart on our wonderful drive to Song Kul Lake.

We will split into two minibuses for safety reasons and so that we can more easily climb the mountain roads.

The drive will take us through high passes that peak at over 3,000 meters and offer some of the most amazing landscapes.

A bit over half o the drive will be on paved roads while the last 90 minutes will be on mountain passes with unpaved roads and often bumpy driving.

This is because we are driving all the way to the south part of the lake which is also the most remote and beautiful.

Snow covers the roads come September, so the mountain passes and camps only operate until the end of August.

We will stop for panoramic views on the way and cross the legendary Kalmak Ashuu Pass to arrive at the traditional yurt camp at lunch time, when the team will be waiting for us with a glass of bubbly.

Temperatures in Song Kul Lake reach freezing point at night, and remain cool during the day, even in the peak of summer.

After a cozy lunch in the dinning yurt, we will head out to meet the nomad families that live in the mountain during the summer months.

Nomadic Kyrgyz families graze their sheep, cows and horses in the high altitude mountains in the summer and bring them back down to the plains in the fall to keep them safe and warm in the stables during the cold winter months.

The area around Song Kul Lake is particularly popular with several nomadic families, bringing hundreds, if not thousands, of horses to the region.

Our visit to the nomadic families who will be our neighbours for the night will help us learn more about traditional nomadic living in a yurt in a high altitude environment.

We will learn and taste fermented mare’s milk and other products, we will understand the need for self sufficiency when there is nothing else around and practically no signal to connect to the internet or phone service. Take it all in.

Kymyz is a traditional, slightly carbonated, and tangy nomadic drink made from raw mare’s milk that is famous of the country and available only in the summer months. We may be able to participate in the milking and taste the end product too.

We may also be able to try their sausages and the dry cheese.

Observe the still lake and the seasonal birds that come by. Watch the horses roam freely. Admire the landscapes.

In the evening, we will enjoy a home cooked dinner in the camp and have the opportunity to enjoy the starry night above us. Without any light pollution around, the Milky Way is not far.

Overnight at Dreams Yurt Camp

Yurt camps in Song Kul Lake are all set up for the season at the beginning of June and packed up at the end of August.

Dreams Yurt Camp is the most comfortable camp on the lake shore but still offers the chance to sleep like a nomad in a traditional yurt.

The camp only has 15 yurts with 4 beds each (we will only share 2 guests to a yurt), 2 dining yurts, and shared bathrooms and shower facilities with flush toilets and hot water.

Temperatures drop at such altitude but yurts are heated by a stove and thick blankets. However, it may still be quite cold in the mornings.

Electricity is solar powered and switched off at night, charging points are available in the main yurt, even satellite internet connection, though we highly recommend to disconnect.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch and dinner at the camp, afternoon time with the nomads, transportation in minibuses.

Day 8 : Horse riding and hiking, Drive back to Kochkor

Activity: 3 hour horse riding
Driving: 4 hours back to Kochkor

We will wake up probably earlier than usual to enjoy the quiet alpine landscapes and the animals grazing.

Breakfast will be served in the camp and we will then set out on a 3 hour guided horse riding adventure with the nomad horsemen, the highlight of any Kyrgyzstan trip.

The ride is easy and mostly on flat terrain since the area around the lake is made of meadows and flat lands, so beginners can enjoy it too.

If you prefer no to ride, you can also stay around the camp and go for walks or hikes in the area.

We will enjoy one last lunch at the camp and retrace our steps back to Kochkor for the night. The drive will be the same, so this is one last chance to admire the beautiful places that will stay with you when you return home.

When we arrive back in Kochkor, we will check in to the lodge and enjoy dinner together.

Inclusions: Breakfast and lunch at the yurt camp, 3 hour horse riding, dinner at the lodge. Transportation in minibuses.

Overnight at Nomad Lodge 3*

Day 9 : Altyn Kol felt workshop, return to Bishkek, free time, Farewell Dinner

Activity: Dancing.
Driving time: 3hours.

We will wake up for a large spread of home cooked breakfast items and say goodbye to Kochkor on our way to the local village where Altyn Kol cooperative is located.

This wonderful social enterprise and cooperative was set up by women for women and employs over 100 of them across the region.

The majority of women work from home and combine their daily tasks with part time handicraft work.

Their main art is felt making, and this is your chance to finally understand how all the felt carpets, spreads, floor mats and even the yurt’s walls are made from scratch.

We will participate in a felt masterclass and workshop with the local women who will share their craft with us and jointly make a felt mat.

The process is easy but complex and requires a lot of work to go from the sheep skin to the finished product.

We will start by beating the skins and then cutting it in small pieces to make the base for the piece.

We will then place dyed pieces of felt to make a design and continue by watering it and rolling.

The next phase of the process is the most fun and will have us dancing to Uzbek music and stepping onto the felt to compress it and make sure the design is embedded into the base.

When we unroll our creation, we will find a wonderful design the result of team work and great moves!

As part of the masterclass, we will also learn about Shyrdak, a mosaic-style felt carpet made by cutting contrasting colored felt pieces into exact interlocking shapes, then stitching them down with fine quilting and decorative colored cords.

We will continue north towards Bishkek and stop on the way for lunch.

We should arrive in the city in the afternoon for check in and some free time for last minute shopping or to enjoy the hotel pool or spa.

Our farewell dinner will be at a nearby restaurant with live music.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel, lunch at a local restaurant, felt making masterclass and farewell dinner.

Overnight at Sheraton Hotel 5*

Day 10 : Departure

Enjoy one last breakfast in Bishkek and depart at leisure. The hotel can help arrange airport transportation or you can book a taxi with Yandex.

Inclusions: Breakfast at the hotel.

About Your Host, Begimai

Begimai has been guiding travellers around Kyrgyzstan since 2019 and loves sharing her country’s spectacular landscapes, rich nomadic heritage, and authentic local culture.

After studying International Relations in Bishkek, her passion for travel, adventure, culture, and nature led her to pursue a master’s degree in Tourism Strategy and Cultural Heritage in Rome, Italy. During her time in Europe, she travelled to more than 20 countries, broadening her horizons and deepening her appreciation for different cultures and perspectives.

Having explored Kyrgyzstan extensively, Begimai enjoys introducing visitors to its majestic mountains, nomadic traditions, local communities, and everyday life. From trekking and yurt stays to traditional food and handicrafts, she aims to make every journey adventurous, welcoming, and meaningful.

For Begimai, guiding is more than showing people beautiful places; it is an opportunity to exchange stories, discover new perspectives, and share the richness of Kyrgyzstan with the world.

Our inaugural July 2027 departure will also be accompanied by one of our professional photographers and our Co-Founder, Mar Pages, who designs our itineraries.

Mar has visited over 145 countries more than half of those solo, and travels half of the year for the last 20+ years.