Trip Of A Lifetime: A Fabulous 14 Day Adventure In Kyrgyzstan

Day 1 - Bishkek/Cholpon-Ata

After a long and noisy flight from London, via Istanbul, with Pegasus Airlines, we arrived at Bishkek airport at around 5am local time. International flights seem to be greeted with huge crowds of taxi drivers, making it very hard to get away from them pestering you. If you turn right when you come out of arrivals you avoid most of the taxi drivers and can get to some quieter seats to access the airport Wi-Fi and gather your thoughts!  Take the exit at the far right of the terminal to wait for the marshrutka (minibuses) to the centre, which are operational from 7am. There are also many people giving out free Kyrgyz sim cards, which proved to be very handy. We took a Beeline sim and were able to top it up at newsagents in various towns. We didn’t use it often, and 500 som lasted us the two-week trip.

We took a taxi for 500 som (probably overcharged!) and were dropped off at the West Bus Station (the station if you want to head to Issyk-Kul.) We were immediately greeted by a man shouting 'Karakol', we said 'Cholpon-Ata? Marshrutka?', and he took us to his bus. Simple. We thought we'd cracked it! Until we realised we had a looong wait on our hands; surprisingly there's not huge demand for marshrutkas at 6am, and they only leave when full!

We were quite lucky that a family got on and took up many seats, meaning we only waited 1 hour for the bus to leave. The journey was comfortable, though we were exhausted, and provided a good chance to catch up on a bit of sleep that we missed on the plane. The people were also very friendly, despite the language barrier, and made the effort to try and communicate with us when we stopped for the 15-minute toilet break! It took 4 hours in total to get to Cholpon-Ata, and we were dropped off by the side of the road, just next to Cholpon-Ata автовокзал (bus station). We were charged 300 som pp (initially we were told 250, but most drivers seem to add around 50 som for bags).

Outside the bus station we were approached by a lady asking if we needed a room, but we'd already booked a guesthouse just nearby. We made our way there, so tired from all the travelling, but happy to have made it to our first destination in one piece! We had a long, relaxed lunch at Aббac, sampling our very first Kyrgyz food of the trip.

Then we walked down to the lake shore, where we were surprised to find it totally empty. This made it the perfect spot for a nap and a short wander, before heading back to catch up on SLEEP!

Planning advice:

It was difficult to go straight from the airplane to take the bus to Cholpon-Ata (rather than stay in Bishkek), but we think it was definitely worth it to be able to relax on the beach when we arrived (we were there for lunchtime). The alternative would have been to wait in Bishkek from 5am onwards to check in to a hostel, without having any energy to go city-sightseeing. It also meant that we didn't 'waste' a precious day of our 14 day trip. If you have more time then by all means take it at a more relaxed pace, and spend a few days hopping on marshrutkas to Karakol (6 hours in total from Bishkek).

Day 2 - Cholpon-Ata/Karakol

On our second day, we had a laid-back breakfast and then took a marshrutka from the roadside at Cholpon-Ata to Karakol bus station, which took 2.5 hours and cost us 200 som each. The bus station is about a 25-minute walk to the centre, but we took a taxi for 70 som to our hostel, which seems to be a set price for any journey in Karakol. We spent two nights in Karakol, staying at the Park Hostel. The owner was very friendly and eager to help us, and the breakfasts were lovingly made and delicious. It seemed slightly more expensive than other places in Karakol, but it was worth it for the Wi-Fi, proper showers, towels and a nice bedroom!

We then spent the rest of the day gathering info from different tourist offices and gained many different opinions (and prices!), which shows how important it is to go to a few. For example, the official Tourist Information gives fantastic information on doing things independently, with numbers and prices for marshrutkas, trekking maps, and clear instructions. However, they did tell us that trekking to Ala Kul wouldn’t be possible, due to high levels of snow in early June, but we later found out that it could be done. The Visit Karakol Centre (part of Discover Kyrgyzstan) were very friendly and easy to talk to, answered all our questions, and were contactable at any time via WhatsApp. The man at the Eco-Tours and Treks (118 Toktogula) spoke good English and was able to show us some photos that their recent clients had taken on various different treks.  The CBT office is just opposite the Tourist Information centre, but was closed when we arrived.  We were keen to go to Ala Kul whilst in Karakol, and this seemed like the popular option amongst other tourists we met. After a good afternoon spent researching, Discover Kyrgyzstan arranged for a car and driver to take us to the starting point of a 7 hour walk (there and back) to Ala Kul.  We chose a Russian Uaz (4000 som return), whilst another group of tourists opted for the comfier, and pricier, ride in a Jeep.  Unfortunately, it meant we would miss the animal bazaar on the Sunday, which we had been hoping to see at 7am (you can get there for 10 som with the marshrutka 102).

Planning advice:

You could make this a 2 day trek, walking from the entrance of the national park and staying at a yurt camp near the bridge. Or, add a third day, and descend on the Altyn Arashan side (advised only from end of June due to large amounts of snow).

Day 3 - Ala Kul (or not!?)

At 7am the Uaz was waiting at our hostel to take us through Karakol National Park, along the river and up to the beginning of our walk. Word of warning, if you opt for the Uaz, be prepared to be bouncing all over the place in the back!

We'd been told that we would arrive by 9am, but the road was in a bad state. Our driver was great, and it seemed like our car was able to cope fine with the muddy and extremely rocky roads, however Discover Kyrgyzstan had another car - a jeep with 5 tourists in it - behind us, which was really struggling.

It was so bad that our driver would keep getting out and moving rocks from the road to assist the Jeep. This massively delayed us, and we arrived at 10.45, which in hindsight was really too late to begin the 6-7 hour walk.  The ride there was – despite the bumps – quite good fun, and we definitely thought that we'd picked the better (and cheaper!) car.

We began the walk by crossing the river and followed a path upwards.

The Korean tourists, had overtaken us, and we didn't see many other walkers on the way up. The sun was shining and the scenery was stunning… so stunning, in fact, that we got distracted and at some point, took a wrong turn.

Not realising how wrong we were, we kept going, having to clamber over huge rocks, which never seemed to end. It took an embarrassingly long time for us to recognise that we were not only far from the path, but far from the lake, and at about 2.30pm, we decided that the safe and sensible option was to make our way back to the starting point, and the car. The weather, which had thus far been glorious, was starting to turn, and the skies were growing dark, which was definitely another factor in our decision. It was a good job we did turn back, as it was a long climb back across all the rocks, and it started to rain.

As we were walking back we noticed red paint on the rocks, marking the route, that we had stupidly managed to ignore! However, one advantage of taking a route that nobody else was daft enough to attempt, was the fact that we saw lots of lovely wildlife, like this little guy!

We came across some groups who had started the walk from Karakol, and were staying the night at a yurt camp, before descending via Altyn Arashan. We had been told it wasn't possible to do so early in June due to snow (hence why we were going back the way we came), but they had guides and proper equipment with them, so it must have been ok.

At 5.30pm we arrived back at the car, tired and frustrated not to have made it to the lake. The Koreans were still not back, and the stormy weather had made the skies pretty dark. Our driver took us back, and everything that was fun about the ride there became hellish on the way back. The car stank of fuel and Maria felt so sick for the duration of the 2-hour journey. Although slightly annoyed with Discover Kyrgyzstan for the poor planning, we were eternally grateful to our driver for having a good sense of humour and getting us there and back safely! We ate that night at Café Zarina, which at first glance looks very touristy, but it seems like many locals come here too. Good food at good prices. We really enjoyed the fried lagman. It’s perhaps not your most traditional place, but we didn't mind, and an English menu was much appreciated after a long day of hiking!

Day 4 - Karakol/Tosor

On stomachs full of tasty pancakes, we began our 4th day with some exploration of Karakol. We intended to go to the Discover Kyrgyzstan to explain that we’d had some difficulties with the trip the day before, however the office was closed when we dropped by. We visited the Dungan Mosque and Holy Trinity Cathedral, both of which are well worth a stop at, for their impressive and unusual architecture.

We then walked from our hostel to the South Shore Bus Station (5 minutes from centre – not the same station we arrived at), to take the marshrutka to Tosor. This cost 100 som pp and took 1hr40. We believe the marshrutka 315, 208, 300 and 310 run that route. Tosor had been recommended to us by a couple in Karakol, as there is a picturesque yurt camp just by the lake shore. From where the marshrutka drops you at the road, you turn right and head down to the lake, and the yurt camp reveals itself. Our plan had been to walk to Skazka (Fairytale) Canyon, but luckily for us, we met a tour guide who was just about to take his private clients there, and agreed to give us a ride. We arrived at about 6pm to enjoy the sunset, and the gorgeous views and colours. It’s really worth a visit and a leisurely stroll, in our opinion, though it’s wise to bring good shoes, as some of the ground isn’t too stable.

We had a delicious dinner at the yurt camp, and then played cards before heading to bed. As the yurt camp is purpose-built for tourists, there are proper beds, toilets and showers, so it was quite luxurious for our first night in a yurt!

Day 5 - Tosor/Kochkor - Organising our Song Kul trek

Our most amazing morning yet was spent by the lake at Tosor, sunbathing and swimming in the very cold Issyk-Kul. The name ‘Issyk-Kul’ actually means ‘warm lake’, as it never freezes over, but if you’re expecting it to be a pleasant temperature, think again! No sooner was Jey in the water than he was jumping right back out again. Maria lasted a bit longer, which is why she’s the only one in the pictures! It was so quiet on the beach and we felt as if we had the whole lake to ourselves! Issyk-Kul is the second largest saltwater lake in the world, as well as the second largest alpine lake, so it’s well worth going for a dip!

Just before noon, we walked back up to the roadside to hail a marshrutka to Balykchy, and then to Kochkor. We took one in the direction of Bishkek, which took 1hr40 and cost 200 som pp (the price did change mid-journey, but we just had to accept that!) We saw nothing of Balykchy, as we were shepherded onto a shared taxi to Kochkor before we could say no, although there are most definitely marshrutka. This taxi was quick to fill and only took 45 minutes to get to Kochkor, costing 200 som pp. There were some brilliant views on this drive.

Upon arrival at Kochkor taxi stand we noticed immediately how busy and hectic it seemed. A tour operator from Caravan Tours found us and showed us to his office, where we were able to gather some information and discounted prices for a horse trekking tour to Song-Kol. We thanked him and took his phone number, as we prefer to gather information from a few places before making a final decision. We didn’t like how this guy pestered us as we stood outside trying to gather our thoughts, whilst stood there with our big bags! We went for some lunch, for some much needed privacy to discuss our plan, at a huge and empty restaurant, where the majority of the menu was unavailable!

At CBT Kochkor were some really friendly (if over-enthusiastic!) volunteers who initially gave us a price for the whole 3 day horse-riding package that was around double the Caravan Tours price (which was heavily discounted for us). We said that we had a much cheaper quote, but they informed us that their guides and horses were the most reliable and experienced, as some of the horse guides at other organisations can be very young. After heavy discussion, and the arrival of another staff member, the price was agreed at 13,500 som for us both. The reason for this nearly 50% cheaper price was due to it not being very busy (not the prime season in early June), and the fact that we excluded some options from the main package (i.e. no lunch, as we took our own, and no transport, as we arranged this separately ourselves.) They also provided us with sleeping bags for free, in case it was very cold at Song-Kol. It’s helpful to ask for an individual breakdown of the costs, rather than a package fee, as that way you know exactly what you can expect to be included, and remove any unwanted parts.

After paying in advance for the trip, we visited Café Retro for some tea and to use their wifi (as many tourists seemed to be doing!) A big storm began and it was quite late by the time it had cleared – we went looking for a guesthouse that CBT had recommended, but we couldn’t find it!

A young girl approached us and offered her family home, and we were so glad to accept as they were really lovely, and prepared a great dinner and show for us, with traditional music, costumes and puppet shows! It was such a sweet evening, and their generosity reminded us of the reasons we decided to visit Kyrgyzstan in the first place.

Day 6 - Adventure to Song Kul

We woke up on day 6 excited, nervous, and feeling like the real adventure was about to begin! We met our guide Adil at the CBT office, and ran a few errands (buying food, water, and exchanging more dollars) whilst waiting for our shared taxi to Kyzart Pass to fill up. The shared taxi was 250 som pp, and we had to pay for Adil too. We believe it is possible to get from Kochkor to Kyzart Pass with the marshrutka 514 to Chaek, though perhaps only in the afternoon.

The journey took about 1hr45, but it did involve our driver doing all his errands before we really left Kochkor, plus the occasional traffic jam when herds of sheep take over the road!

Our horses were waiting for us at the pass, and our guide’s horse carried our bags (which were considerably lighter since we left most of our things at the CBT office.)

Neither of us had ridden before, so it was quite daunting to be helped onto a horse, and told nothing more than the phrase ‘ch ch’, before we were off and on our way!

After about an hour of me relentlessly saying ‘ch ch’ to get the horse moving, we found our rhythm and it became great fun. Adil helped us out a lot by sometimes riding behind us to hurry up the lazy horse (Jey’s!), and it was hilarious to watch them go galloping off. We first rode to Chaar-Archa pass, where we had a quick break to take in the phenomenal views.

We carried on riding to a lovely spot by a river, where we had our picnic lunch. Adil was practising Ramadan, and so wasn’t eating or drinking with us, however he was happy that in a few days it would soon be Eid!

As we rode along, we were in awe of the beautiful landscapes, and we had the perfect spot to view them from on our lovely horses. We also saw plenty of marmots, many cows and sheep in huge herds, and even some eagles soaring high. Our sure-footed horses took good care of us and managed steep rocky paths and fast-flowing rivers with ease.

At one point we passed a herd of animals on the move, and felt like cowboys helping to shepherd them along!

As we neared the end of our day’s ride, we were rewarded with some fantastic green jailoos and beautiful colours on the surrounding hills as we approached the yurt where we would stay for the night. We arrived at about 3.30pm, after around 4 hours of riding, and it felt like we were stopping earlier than expected. As soon as we were off, though, the pain hit us, and we were so thankful for the rest!

We were welcomed with some tea and traditional snacks, and then afterwards we went to sunbathe on a hill with a gorgeous view of the river.

Deep into my nap, a sudden noise woke me up, to see a group of men fighting, some on horses using their whips on another man. More people came running from our yurt to join in, throwing stones. The whole family, and Adil, were involved in stopping the fight, and Adil later told us that it was a conflict about the horsemen riding too near to their property. It didn’t help that they were also very drunk… It was crazy to see how a moment could go from being so tranquil to so violent in such a short space of time.

For dinner we had meat and vegetable stew, followed by some fermented milk, which Jey drank some of, but Maria found disgusting. The family were very quiet with us, but they did prepare a really cosy bed in the yurt, which we really appreciated! We watched the sun go down after a truly epic day - now THIS was Kyrgyzstan!

Day 7 - Made it to Song Kul

Adil had to wake us up… as we were having a great lie in! Though we were sleeping on the floor, the yurt was surprisingly comfy and we slept well. We had breakfast, and were curious about the family who lived in these yurts. There were many family members, with the mother at the centre of it all. Adil told us that they do not move around like most Kyrgyz that live in yurts, but instead stay in the same spot all year because they have so many animals. It seems like a very harsh and unforgiving place to live in the winter; it was cold enough in June!

At 9.30am we said goodbye and got back on the horses (still no more gracefully than the day before!).

As we were riding uphill to reach another pass, the weather quickly changed, and we could tell a storm was about to start. It was definitely no longer t-shirt weather. Maria found it hard work getting on and off my horse, and so tried to put on all her layers whilst still sat on my horse, which certainly wasn't easy to do quickly! She managed it just in time, before the rain turned to hailstones. We couldn't believe how cold we were after being so warm when we first started riding.

After riding over the pass, the worst of the weather was over and we started to feel the warm sun beating down on our backs. Then, in the distance, we could seek the endpoint: Song Kul.

The final few hours of our horse trek were really enjoyable, riding alongside the lake on the grassy and flat land, on the way to our yurt camp, with a stop for lunch and a quick sunbathe just at the shore.

It started to rain again just as we arrived at the large CBT yurt camp (about 5 hours of riding that day) and so we watched the storm from the comfort of our bed, under many thick blankets.

We could definitely feel the temperature difference from the night before- we had all our layers on and still felt the cold! In the evening they lit a stove in our room which provided the most amazing warmth, and we were so grateful!

At dinner we met a big tour group who were driving through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on their bus, and we cheekily asked if they could drop us back in Kochkor, but they were heading in the opposite direction to make their way to Osh. The rice and vegetables, plus a meat stew, made for a tasty and hearty meal....and no fermented milk, which was a bonus! After dinner, the rain had cleared and so we went for a little walk around the area, enjoying the evening sunlight. It was still incredibly cold, and Maria did do most of the walk whilst wrapped in one of the thick blankets from the yurt!

Once you walk a little bit away from the yurt camps, Song-Kol is wonderfully tranquil, romantic and serene.

Warm and cosy thanks to the fire, we fell asleep, having set an alarm to wake up in the early hours, with the hope of seeing the Milky Way, as our guide had managed to see it the night before. Unfortunately it wasn't visible, but the stars were still truly magical.

Day 8 - Song Kul/Kochkor - Returning to civilisation!

Today was Eid, the end of Ramadan, and Adil seemed very happy to be returning back to celebrate with his family. As with most horse trekking tours, the guide rides back on the third day with all the horses,  whilst we drive back to Kochkor. Adil said goodbye at around 9.30am, leaving us at Song-Kol with no firm plans of how to get back (we had decided not to pre-book the transfer with CBT).

This is actually quite a good idea, as the chances are that you can hitch a ride back to Kochkor in one of the large tour minibuses, and if not, one of the yurt owners will take you in their car for around 3000 som. It was nice to spend a few hours enjoying the morning by the lake, especially since we had spent two days travelling to get to this point.

As we were wandering by the lake, we spotted a group of tourists from South Korea, and -crucially- their bus! They were very kind and agreed to drop us in Kochkor on their way back to Bishkek, and we left at noon. We were even able to stop to take photos on the amazing journey back.

The drive took 2h30, and we saved £30! It was worth Maria's slight panic that we would be stuck at Song-Kol forever! Once back in Kochkor, we collected our things from CBT and thanked them for a fantastic and truly unforgettable experience.

We would definitely recommend doing a horse-trek whilst in Kyrgyzstan, especially to Song-Kol, as the distances are manageable. With a good guide and good horses, it’s really not that difficult to ride, even on your first time, and this was why we were very grateful to CBT for the service they provided.

In total contrast to the day we first arrived, Kochkor was eerily quiet, since most people were celebrating Eid. We had a quick meal in Cafe Retro (the lagman wasn’t the best we’d tasted though!).

Eid celebrations meant that the marshrutka to Bishkek took a little longer than usual to fill up, as there was less demand. We were ready to leave at around 5pm, and so arrived in Bishkek at 7.30pm, to a serious downpour!

Quite late, we went to Taksim Cafe for dinner, which was a turkish place with unusual decor: a fast food room full of teenagers, a couples room with a fancy fountain, and a room with play equipment dotted amongst the tables for the children. As we had done everywhere else in Kyrgyzstan, we ordered tea, but rather than our usual big pot of green tea, we received small glasses of very strong Turkish tea. Jey threw a load of sugar into his and managed to drink it (he actually loved it), but Maria just couldn't, and had to ask for the usual tea, only to be more horrified when we were then given a big teapot of the turkish tea. Gutted!

Day 9 - Bishkek/Osh - The two main cities

We had a day to explore Bishkek, and were really pleasantly surprised. Whilst it hadn’t felt like the most welcoming or safe place the night before, in the daylight it was a lovely place to stroll around, taking in the main sights and stopping to chill in a park or one of the many cafes. Chuy Avenue, one of the main central streets, was an especially nice tree-lined street that passes through Ala Too Square - the big main square with pretty flowers, (fake) cherry trees, and a countdown clock to the World Nomad Games.

It is also the site of many governmental buildings, the State History Museum, a grand statue of Manas, a huge flagpole, and two soldiers standing guard, who Jey was convinced weren’t real (upon closer inspection it appeared that they were indeed real, but just looked like they were asleep!) From there it is just a short walk to a variety of green parks, one of which is the fun-filled Panfilov Park, an amusement park home to many fairground rides and ice cream stalls, with many rides dating back to the Soviet Era. We stumbled across the park whilst looking for a tranquil place to rest from the sun- which this definitely was not - but there was a real sense that this was a place where locals brought their kids, and it added another dimension to our walk around the city.

We were on the hunt for a good brunch, and came across Coffee Relax, where we proceeded to order nearly everything from the iPad menu! This place was fan-cy, and the prices reflected it, but despite that it was still cheaper than your average cafe at home. We recommend the rustic potatoes! The outdoor terrace is a lovely spot to watch the world go by, and catch up with some all-important diary entries.

After ample time spent chilling, we went and did the complete opposite, by walking round the hectic Osh Bazaar, the biggest market in Bishkek. The bazaar is home to an extraordinary range of products, and although we had nothing in particular we wanted to buy, it’s a lot of fun just to witness the spirit of the place. What’s not so much fun is trying to make your way back out of the place past all the taxis! Also, it goes without saying, but keep your belongings close to you, and be aware of pickpockets.

Before we knew it our day in Bishkek was over, and it was time to collect our bags and head to the airport. We took the marshrutka 380 from just near our hostel (where Chuy Avenue intersects with Jash Gvardiya Boulevard), and it cost 40 som pp. The buses run every 15-20 minutes, and its roughly a 30 minute drive. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time before our flight to Osh. As it was an internal flight they seemed very relaxed and didn’t check us in until quite late. We’d booked the flights in advance on pegasus.com for around £20 pp, and we were very glad to have a 45 minute flight and not a 10 hour drive to Osh. However, if you have more time than us, we've heard that the journey is worth doing!

When we landed in Osh, we were determined to get a marshrutka to the centre, rather than get ripped off by a taxi driver (as in Bishkek!) A man just would not leave us alone, harassing Jey and shouting at us that there were no more marshrutka running. We found a bus shelter just past the roundabout in the car park, and we waited (with the unshakable shouty man), until much to our delight, a marshrutka did arrive.

It was probably only a 15 minute wait, but it felt like so much longer, and we were very glad that we did not give in to his persistent assertions that we were wrong. The journey, for 15 som pp, took about 20 minutes, most of which was spent in traffic around the city.

Our hostel owner recommended Tsarskii Dvor restaurant, where we ordered a lot of skewered meat, and had a nice evening, despite our tiredness. Funnily enough, at the same restaurant, we bumped into the tour group that we met at Song-Kol, who had driven down to Osh over two days, whilst we flew in 45 minutes!

Day 10 - Osh/Sary-Mogol - Delightful journey to Sary-Mogol

Today was a Sunday, which meant that yet again (we never learn!), the tourist information and CBT wouldn’t be open! Thankfully our host spoke great English and advised us that we could take a marshrutka at 1pm to Sary-Mogol in the Alay Valley, where we planned to do some hiking. The Alay Valley doesn’t seem as popular with tourists, but we were intrigued by the chance to do some hiking with views of the impressive Lenin Peak (7,134m).

Another couple staying at the same hostel wanted to do the same, so she suggested we took a shared taxi, and organised this for us. Unfortunately, the other couple didn’t want to take a 4 person taxi, rather an 8 person (to reduce the cost by 150 som pp), and so we waited until lunchtime for the taxi driver to find 4 other passengers. In hindsight, we should have just paid the difference, it was so minimal. But, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and as you will discover, it was the first of many mistakes we made on the fateful trip to Sary-Mogol!

We got into the taxi, and immediately wished we had just gone for the marshrutka. We took an instant dislike to the driver, who was very shouty and grabbed Jey’s bag from him to throw in the back. Not only that, there were four of us sharing the three-person back seat, making for a rather uncomfortable 3.5 hour ride. The driver spent ages doing odd-jobs and running errands before we actually left Osh, which just added to our frustration. The problem with shared taxis is that you are totally at the mercy of the driver and his whims.

All these complaints aside, this really is a spectacular journey. Leaving behind the city of Osh and heading into the Alay Valley, the views of the mountains are breathtaking.

The couple from our hostel left the taxi at Sary-Tash, a small village where the roads to China and Tajikistan meet. Apparently there are some nice hikes in this area, which isn’t hard to imagine: just look at the view!

We carried on a little further to the even smaller village of Sary-Mogol, where we were dropped at a tiny fuel station by the road. From here, we followed signs to the CBT office, and, by some miracle, it was open on a Sunday! The man there told us we could organise a car to take us up to Tulpar Kul CBT yurt camp that evening for 1500 som (including return).

However, this was when we realised, in perhaps the most stupid mistake of the trip, that we didn’t have enough cash left, and of course, in the smallest village of them all, we weren’t going to find an ATM. We worked out that we had just enough to pay for a night in a guesthouse and the marshrutka back to Osh in the morning…

Mortified, we explained our predicament to the man at CBT, who didn’t seem to understand our problem, but he did tell us there was a bank that would open at 9am the next day. We decided to go to a guesthouse and hope that in the morning all our problems would be solved at the bank (we passed the ‘bank’ on the way back, which was more of a box than a building! It wasn’t looking good…).

At the CBT guesthouse (usual CBT rates of 1000 pp, including meals), we were welcomed by the friendly owner and shown the room, which was a dorm, but thankfully we had it to ourselves. The owner seemed keen for us to use the shower, since he had heated up the water specially, and so, out of politeness, we did! OK, so it wasn’t technically a shower (more a bucket and some hot water), and OK, it was outside next to the toilet building, but it was warm and rather pleasant, even if we did just soak our feet!

For dinner we were served a large portion of pasta with meat and vegetables, and it was nice to sit with the other guests, a Chinese tourist and a Tajik completing a research project for his university. We had an interesting conversation and were told about how the Chinese government had funded the building of the road to Sary-Mogol. We had an early night, sleeping with our fingers crossed about the bank in the morning.

Alas, the diary entry does not end there! Waking up at about 3am, Maria felt really unwell, and managed to make it outside...but not all the way to the outdoor toilet. The view of the stars was rather wonderful though! Of course it would be in the middle of nowhere, with no pharmacy, no money and an outdoor toilet that one of us would get food-poisoning. Sary-Mogol was continuing to throw challenges at us, but we were determined not to be beaten!

Day 11 - Sary-Mogol/Tulpar Kul - Overcoming the worst

After a diabolical night, in which neither of us got much sleep, Jey had the task of roaming around Sary-Mogol to try and salvage something from our trip there. Whilst Maria lay in bed, Jey miraculously got hold of some money, as well as much needed water and food, resulting in this:

The ultimate guide to Sary-Mogol ???

Bank

The bank Kompan’on was, as we expected, not somewhere we could withdraw money, and Jey got some very funny looks walking in there with his mastercard. In sheer desperation, he visited another building called Mol Bulak Finance, which was even less of a bank. ???? With nothing else to do but try and arrange transport back to Osh, he went back to the CBT office. There were a few other guys there, and to their credit they all wanted to find a way to help. With a few phone calls and lots of muttering in Kyrgyz, the CBT owner then took Jey to…

The Post Office

It transpired that the phone calls had been made to the owner of the post office, who had to open up especially for Jey. This was the most inconspicuous ‘post office’ ever! There is no way we would have known that here, in what appeared to be someone’s house, there was the only card machine in the whole area. The small transaction fee was well worth it, and Jey left happy, having solved one of our problems! Wallet reassuringly heavy once more, he then visited…

The Shop

This one is a biiiit more obvious, although by no means is it your usual kind of grocery store! The general idea seems to be that the shop looks closed 24/7, but if you shout ‘hello’ around the side of the building, one of the house owners will come round the front to open up the shop, rather than the place being staffed all day. It’s what worked for us anyway! There’s limited stock, but we did like the cherries and the wafers!

And there you have it, the definitive guide to the amenities of Sary-Mogol! Learn from our mistakes: Take plenty of som in cash, ask for vegetarian food (we are not totally sure, but we think the meat in our stew caused Maria's illness), and always bring ample supplies of medicine from home, as you never know when you might need it.

Jey came back to the guesthouse a hero, and by the afternoon Maria had a bit more strength, and we went to sit by a stream just by the guesthouse. We sat in the lovely sunshine, in awe of the truly incredible view of the Pamirs that dominate this tiny village.

Jey remarked that a house with a view like this in his home country Switzerland would cost millions, and yet there we were staying in the most humble of accomodations.

Gazing at the remarkable view, we reflected on our time so far in Sary-Mogol, a place Maria had been cursing pretty much since arrival. The friendliness of the locals was undeniable; everywhere we went the children waved excitedly at us, and when Jey was running errands, men would come up to shake his hand as he walked by. Even as we sat there in a pensive mood, as if to reinforce our impression of the place, a young boy came and sat down next to us for a chat. More kids had come and asked for us to take their photograph.

At dinner the day before, the Tajik man was telling us that it is a very harsh place to live due to the brutal winters, and that, right outside our guesthouse, they are growing potatoes here for the first time EVER (yet another indicator of climate change.) They are very sensitive though, and just a few days of cold could kill the whole crop, which would definitely be a huge setback for the villagers. Thinking of this, Maria suddenly started to worry that I’d trampled on the potato crop during my urgent toilet visits the night before…

We decided that, if Maria was feeling better by the evening, we would try and make it to Tulpar Kul, a small lake in the mountains (around 3,500m), where there are a few yurt settlements. A CBT car drove us there for 1500 som (including pick up the next day), and we think it’s the best option, as the road (long and straight) seemed like it would be quite boring to walk. Best to save your energy for hiking near Lenin Peak base camp. The journey took about 1 hour.

We bumped into the couple that had been in our shared taxi, and they had began the walk up to Tulpar Kul, before hitchhiking once they got bored. They were staying at the non-CBT yurt camp next door, which is slightly cheaper.  After dinner (tasty lentils and vegetables - though Maria didn’t feel like eating), we got cuddled up in our yurt, and the owner lit the fire, which provided loads of heat! We were pleased to have made it up to the lake, despite all odds, and looking forward to getting a bit closer to the majestic Lenin Peak in the morning.

Planning note:

We had planned to get up to Tulpar Kul much sooner to really make the most of hiking in the area. Unfortunately, due to our mistake with the cash, and Maria being sick, we actually could only spend one full day there. We were also told that Sary-Tash is a good starting point for some hikes. You may need to first visit a CBT (perhaps in Osh?) to verify this and find a route, as there isn’t much at all there.

Day 12 - Lenin Peak

By dawn Maria was feeling unwell again, but one advantage to waking up very early was the sublime view! From the yurt camp, we were treated to a spectacular view of Lenin Peak, unobstructed by any clouds. Maria sat in the early morning sunshine whilst Jey went a little further to get some awesome selfies. Tulpar Kul didn’t seem that impressive the day before, but on a clear morning like this one, Lenin Peak reflects on the water, which is just stunning!

We set off at an incredibly slow pace in the direction of Peak Lenin, but even feeling unwell, it was worth it, as the hike is a really beautiful one. There are some rare and lovely flowers, marmots everywhere, and the hike itself isn’t too strenuous, although care is needed when crossing some rivers.

There were plenty of nice places where we stopped and rested in the sun, enjoying the stunning views around us. As you walk along, across the river you can see the base camp for Lenin Peak, with its eye-catching yellow tents. We believe that you technically need a ‘border zone permit’ to cross the river and get to the camp itself, though we have our doubts that anyone is actually there to ensure this rule is adhered to.

We arrived back to the yurt camp at 5pm, where we met some tourists ready to move into our yurt. We had a good chat and one lady, who had also suffered from food poisoning on her trip,  gave Maria some medication, since the supplies she had brought had long since been used up.

Our driver took us straight back to a different guesthouse in Sary-Mogol, without consulting us about it, but we were happy enough as this one had an indoor toilet! The pills Maria had taken were beginning to take effect, so she went straight to bed, whilst Jey was brilliant and got us some more supplies, and booked us a nice hotel for when we got to Osh. Concerned about me being ill, the CBT owner arranged for the marshrutka to pick us up from the guesthouse in the morning. This was a much better prospect than the walk back up to the road to flag it down.

Day 13 - Back to Osh... or should that be Shanghai?

At 7.20am we said our thank yous and goodbyes to the guesthouse/CBT owner, and left Sary-Mogol for good! The marshrutka journey was much more comfortable than the shared taxi there, and at half the price. It was 250 som each to Osh, and takes just under 4 hours. The driver lives in Sary-Mogol and sets off early (around 7.30am), as he then makes the journey straight back, departing Osh between 12 and 1pm. The bus takes you to the Old Bus Station in Osh, which is basically just a busy parking lot full of minibuses and taxis, and from there we bartered for a taxi to our hotel for 100 som.

Arriving at the Shanghai City Hotel was like a dream! The staff offered us a free shuttle to the airport in the morning, which we weren’t expecting, and the rooms were so lovely and luxurious in comparison to where we’d been staying previously. We booked with Booking.com, at a discounted price of just £31 - well worth the ‘splurge’ (usual guesthouses cost around $15-$20/night).

Taking the opportunity to rest and shower, we didn’t even mind that the hotel wasn’t extremely central to Osh, in fact, it was nice to be in a calmer area next to a river and a park.

We visited Aztec restaurant for a late lunch, where my appetite returned somewhat after not having eaten for days. This place doesn’t look open from the outside, and the customer service is pretty non-existent, but the food is good, if lacking in traditional options.

In the evening we went to a rather fancy bar/restaurant called Izium for a drink, where we people-watched, whilst sheltering from the crazy rain! It was cool to see a place where the young people of Osh went to party, though we were much too tired to join in. It’s a really nice setting and drinks were cheap!

Day 14 - Travelling Home

The breakfast at Shanghai City Hotel was really great, as they had a mixture of Kyrgyz, American and Chinese cuisine to suit all tastes. Our free transfer to the airport went smoothly, as did our flight back to Bishkek.

Taking the marshrutka to the centre (30 mins, 40 som pp), we got off where everybody else did, at a stop not far from the Osh Bazaar. We walked to our tried and tested cafe ‘Coffee Relax’, now wanting all our home comforts, and stayed there most of the day. We had our big bags, and so didn’t feel like wandering around the city again.

At around 6pm we went to a rooftop bar called Bar 12 (no real signs, but go up to the 12th floor and it’s there!), which was quite a swanky place with a nice terrace to watch the sunset. The views aren’t world-class (Bishkek, with its Soviet architecture, isn’t the prettiest of places!) but it’s still a lovely place to unwind and celebrate our last night. If you like irish cream, you’ll love the Bailey’s cocktail!

The time came for us to take a taxi back to the airport, and we found a firm called Namba online which has a flat rate of 500 som for airport transfers. It wasn’t easy to book though, and we needed the help of a waitress and a security guard before we eventually got in it!

After a lot of waiting around in the airport, and being utterly exhausted, we made it to Istanbul, and then eventually London.

Even just looking at our photographs on the journey back home, we knew we’d had the most wonderful time exploring Kyrgyzstan and experiencing a life which couldn’t be further from our own.

Further reading

Please note that this is in no way sponsored by anybody. These are articles/websites we've come across during our long planning and that we thought could be of interest to you.

Bus and shared taxis

• Caravanistan have a great article about bus and shared taxis in Kyrgyzstan, costs of typical trips and duration.
• This article gives a lot of useful tips on taxi and shared taxi travel in Kyrgyzstan, from someone who lives there!

Karakol/Ala Kul

• Interested in knowing more about the full Karakol-Ala Kul-Altyn Arashan trek? Check out these two great articles: here (in English) and here (in French).

Song Kul

• Planning a trip to Song Kul without a guide? Head to this article for more information. Alternatively, check out our GPS itinerary on Wikiloc (which will be updated soon) and/or contact us to get the GPX file with all the coordinates.
• Make sure you read this blog post for a nice anecdote about horse trekking to Song Kul.
• A good review of a 3 day trek to Song Kul here (although we don't share the same opinion), for those hesitating between going by themselves or with an organisation.

Alay Valley

• More general information about the valley can be found on Lonely Planet.
• Want to have some general information about Tulpar Kul, the surrounding area and yurt camps? Read this article by Visit Alay.
• A 7 days/6 nights trek itinerary going up to Sary Mogol and Jiptick passes can be found here.
• Tempted to go to Lenin Peak base camp? Read this blog post containing great pictures and some useful information about it.
• Are you looking for a nice and easy hike with great Lenin Peak viewpoints? Check out our Wikiloc itinerary.
• Weekend tours around Lenin Peak organised by CBT can be found here.
• Lenin Peak expedition anybody? Look at ITC Asia Mountain's site (there are other options though).

Itineraries

• Want to find another itinerary? Maybe for 3 weeks? Head to Pete's amazing blog.

More to come soon...