We went on a three-week road trip in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in July 2026. We travelled all four. T had just finished high school, and N was between years two and three. Helle and Peter visited Kyrgyzstan in 2024, but a delayed flight altered our plan, and we had to come back to this beautiful country.
We flew with Air Astana via Frankfurt to Almaty, where we rented a car. We drove a loop that started in Altyn Emel NP, on the Charyn canyon and Kolsai and Kaindy lakes. Then we crossed the border to Kyrgyzstan, and stayed by lake Issyk Kul, with tours to Fairytale canyon and Baskoon waterfall. We rafted in Boom canyon, had a day by Kol Ukok, and continued to Kok Kiya valley where we rode horses to Kel Suu lake. From there, At Basshi was the base for a visit to Tash Rabat Caravanserai, and continued to Song Kul lake on the day of the Korchkor festival by the lake. Kyzyl-Oi was a beautiful place to spend the night before we reached Bishkek, and Almaty, where we returned the car.
The car rental company had adviced that Yandex Navi was more accurate than Google Maps. Yandex shows speed limits, and the location of speed cameras.
Day 1 – Almaty
We landed in Almaty at 05:00 after just a couple of hours of sleep. An agent from Rentacars.kz was waiting for us at the airport, and we headed to hotel Alpen Ville for some much‑needed rest.
After a late breakfast, we set out to explore the city and stock up for the road trip. Parking turned out to be a challenge – payment is only possible via a local app linked to a Kazakh phone number and bank account, so one of us always had to stay with the car.
We managed to buy a gas canister for out JetBoil. Helle bought a SIM card, but activation required the physical passport, which she had left in the car. Peter used a MobilMatter eSIM which is convinient but slow.
Eventually, we parked at a supermarket and stocked up on water, snacks, and plant milk for Tobias’ oatmeal. A quick stop at the car rental office was also needed to add Helle and Tobias as drivers, this had been forgotten in the morning.
We had spent the morning unsuccesfully trying to find a place to park the car. By now we were exhausted by the heat (33 degrees) and spent the afternoon relaxing by the hotel pool instead of sight seeing.
Refreshed and well‑fed from the pool bar, Peter and Helle went back into the city center after dinner to explore the city, while the boys enjoyed a quiet evening at the hotel.
The wooden Zenkov Cathedral was beautiful in the evening light and the golden domes at the Central Mosque equally stunning. Almaty is a green city with many threes and flowers everywhere. The water is led from the mountains to the city in channels.
Day 2 – Almaty to Altyn Emel National Park
We checked out of Hotel Alpen Ville and headed north out of Almaty. We were happy to leave the big city. In Konaev, Helle found a Beeline shop, and with physical passport at hand, the staff could activate the SIM card she had bought yesterday.
Our first destination was Tamgaly-Tas Petroglyphs with three massive carved Buddha figures and Tibetan mantras that have been dated to the 17th century.
Impressive, but the area itself on the bank of the Ili river also deserved attention. It was 35 degrees, but the air was dry, and it was not uncomfortable.
We used one of the covered picnic sites for lunch, and boiled rice for T, so he could get a gluten free meal. We had bought fresh lunch for the rest of us in a supermarket. Helle and Peter had deep fried bread with cabbage, and Nikolaj had pancakes with cheese and honey.
We reached the village Bashi, which is the gateway to Altyn Emel national park. We bought tickets for the following day, and checked into Aigai Qum guesthouse, which we had booked on WhatsApp. The small shop at the guesthouse also functioned as reception. It took a few attempts to explain we had a reservation, and then we could check in to our rooms. It is a friendly and modern guesthouse.
Dinner at the guesthouse was bell peppers stuffed with rice. A tour group had dinner at the same time. They were Danes traveling with the agency Viktors farmor.
Day 3 – Basshi and Altyn Emel National Park
Altyn Emel is one of the big highlights of Kazakhstan and it is easy to understand why.
The first sight you come across is a willow tree that is apparently 700 years old.
From the willow, we continued to the dark volcanic Kakutau Hills with weathered rocks in all shapes. It is a large area with a lot to explore on foot, but we wanted to continue to the part of the park we had looked the most forward to visiting.
Further into the park we reached Aktau Hills (White mountains) with layers of rock colored from white to red, orange, green and hints of blue. We hiked from the carpark into the gorge along the dry riverbed. The mountains were truly magnificent with all the colors. It was soaring hot with 34 degrees and no breeze or shade.
After 3 km we turned around and walked back out. T had a sprained ankle, and Helle was recovering from a recently broken toe.
After a picnic at the carpark we continued on a gravel road to the singing dune. The singing dune is supposed to give a humming sound like a jetplane under the right wind conditions, but unfortunately we heard no sound. We climbed the first dune and had an amazing view of the Ili River and the beautiful surroundings. The dry landscape and sand dunes reminded us of Namibia.
When we returned to the checkpoint we were stopped, and the officer tried to tell us something. We didn’t understand him, but it seemed he wanted us to go back to the park office. Once back at the park office it turned out that Helles purse had been found at the 700 years old willow we had visited in the morning. She must have dropped it there without noticing.
While the boys had enough of driving, Peter and Helle headed back to the willow (half an hour drive each way) to collect the purse, which had been found by a caretaker. We offered the lady a tip, but she refused. We were impressed how the national park staff had been able to find us, and it was a huge relief to be reunited with driving license, credit cards etc.
We were back at the guesthouse at 19:00, just in time for dinner.
Day 4 – Basshi to Charyn Canyon via Zharkent
After a heavy breakfast with porridge, eggs and bread we left Aigai Qum guesthouse in Basshi and drove to Zharkent some 120 km east.
Zharkent is a small town only 20 km from the Chinese border and hence a trade city. There were many cars with Chinese license plates. We started at Zharkent mosque, which now houses a museum. The mosque was designed by a Chinese architect and is a mix between Chinese, Islamic/Arabic and Central Asian architecture. It’s been constructed in wood with no nails and the decorations were plentiful with flowers, birds etc.
We went to the local market to buy melon, bread and nectarines. The market was busy with people.
Next to the supermarked was a cosy restaurant and we decided to have lunch here. The menu was in Russian and no English was spoken, so we had good use of T’s Russian skills. He managed to order and communicate that he needed gluten free food. T has had Russian in high school for three years.
After driving for two hours we reached Charyn Canyon late afternoon. We had booked two of the cabins by the visitor center. The cabins have great views across the canyon. It was 36 degrees, so T and N stayed at the air-conditioned room, while Peter and Helle took a stroll at the edge of the canyon.
The canyon was beautiful in the afternoon sun, where the red colors stood out. We spent the evening at our terrasse enjoying the tranquility
Day 5 – Charyn Canyon
Charyn Canyon is actually a network of separate canyons, of which Castle Valley is best known due to spectacular rock formations. The temperature had already reached 34 degrees when we started walking at 10:30, but luckily there was a gentle breeze which made it bearable.
It is a 3 km gentle stroll down through Castle Valley until you reach the Charyn River. The current in the river is strong, so swimming is prohibited, but we did dip our feet in the refreshing cold water. Lots of tourists visit Castle Valley, many on day trips from Almaty.
Returning back up, the temperature had risen to 37 degrees and we were dripping with sweat. We seeked shelter in our air-conditioned rooms and had the lunch with bread, cheese, peppers, cucumber and carrots that we bought yesterday, rounded off with the sweetest honey melon. T had a dehydrated meal.
The boys had had enough of the heat, so they stayed inside, while Peter and Helle drove to Moon Canyon.
Moon Canyon is not signposted, but we read about it on caravanistan.com and found it on Google Maps. It was a 45 min drive, but totally worth it. We had it all by ourselves and enjoyed the 4×4 track and surroundings.
We didn’t manage to get down into the canyon, but watching it from above was spectacular.
On our way back we stopped at Charyn River and had an easy stroll along it. It reminded us of Namibia, with dry desert and a green line of trees next to the river.
Back at Charyn Canyon we enjoyed nuts and a Russian sparkling wine before dinner, while watching the late afternoon reddish colors of the canyon.
Day 6 – Charyn Canyon to Saty
We left Charyn Canyon after breakfast and made a stop at Black Canyon, which is also a part of the Charyn River canyon landscape.
From Black Canyon it was an hour drive to Saty and even though we drove up to 1800 mas, it was still 32 degrees.
Just before Saty we turned towards Kaindy Lake. The first very short part of the road required 4×4, but they are building a new road to the lake, so later this summer it’ll be possible to go in any car.
Kaindy Lake is also known as the Sunken Forrest. In late 19th century a landslide blocked the river and Kaindy Lake was created. The trunks of the trees are still standing tall in the turquoise, ice cold lake and create an otherworldly landscape.
We had a picnic by the lake and soaked in the landscape and atmosphere. There is a short walk that takes you along the shore of the lake with several view points along the way.
Saty has quite a lot of guesthouses and restaurants for such a small village. But it is the gateway to both Kaindy and Kolsay Lakes and due to the remoteness it was necessary to stay overnight.
We had booked a homestay with a lovely garden, goats, view of the mountains and the sound of the nearby stream. It had an air conditioner, but it was completely unable to cool down the house. In the evening the temperature dropped to bearable.
We had dinner at a local Kazakh restaurant and was treated with plov (rice dish with beef), eggplant stir fried salat and skewers of lamb and chicken.
Day 7 – Kolsai Lakes
After breakfast Peter, Helle and T drove up to Kolsai National Park to hike from Kolsai Lake 1 to Kolsai Lake 2. A hike of 17 km return. N needed a day off and decided to stay at the guesthouse to have a day on his own.
The carpark is at 1800 mas and it was 30 degrees when we arrived at 9:30. The first Kolsai lake is easily reached from the carpark on a wooden walkway, and the walkway continues along the lake. From there the trail became a single mountain track. We were dripping with sweat from the very beginning, so even if the trail was fairly flat it was hard work in the heat.
The area around the first lake was crowded with people. There are many restaurants and it is possible to rent pedal boats. It was Saturday, so maybe many locals go there for a day out.
The scenery was beautiful with the turquoise lake, steep mountain slopes partly covered with trees and the mountain tops with cliffs. All lined with a perfectly blue sky without a cloud. Once past the first lake, there were few people.
It is forbidden to swim in the lakes and streams in the national park, so we cooled down by washing head and arms in the ice cold water.
The trails winds it’s way up from 1800 mas to 2250 at the second lake, with only one longer steep climb.
It’s also possible to go by horse riding to the second lake, and we were passed several times by groups riding horses with a guide.
After 2 1/2 hours we reached the second lake, and had our lunch break overlooking the lake. There was a campsite and we saw many tents and also people fishing. While we were there they caught 5 fishes.
We returned down the same way and once back at the car we all needed a cold drink. We stopped at the supermarket back in Saty to buy more cold drinks and ice cream.
At the guesthouse we rehydrated, while we watched how a big truck with hay was first driven over the small creak into the farm and thereafter the hay was unloaded. It was large bales of hay, and it was hard work.
Day 8 – Saty to Issyk Kol via Karakol
We had an early breakfast at 6:15 am and were ready to leave at 7:00 because we had a long drive including a border crossing. At 8:30 we reached Kegen (the last village before the border). Gasoline is half price in Kazakhstan compared to Kyrgyzstan, so we filled the tank.
At 9:15 we arrived at the border with Kyrgyzstan. There was a long queue of cars and it moved very slowly. It took two hours to cross the border before we finally entered Kyrgyzstan.
Our plan was to eat lunch in Karakol, but we did not arrive until 14:00. Everybody were tired after a poor nights sleep and getting up early. So at the time we finally reached Karakol, especially the boys were starving and we were all in a bad mood.
On the way into the city we made a quick stop to see the wooden Dungan Mosque from 1910. It was a mix of Chinese and Buddhist architecture and looked quite odd.
Once in the city we split up. N and Peter found a burger restaurant for N, where he had a kebab burger with French fries inside the burger – a combo he hadn’t tried before.
Simultaneously Helle and T searched for gluten free food. It turned out to be difficult. Most dishes were based on either bread or noodles. We finally found a restaurant, but it was only rice and mashed potatoes that were gluten free. So T had to accept this bland combo as his lunch. Peter and Helle had a tasty eggplant salat.
Once fed, the mood improved and we had a quick look at the wooden cathedral, a Russian-Orthodox church.
We continued for another two hours on the main highway between Karakol and Bishkek along Isyyk-Kul. The road was one long construction site, so driving was slow. Finally at 18:00 we reached Ak-Tengir Yurt Camp. We were tired, but the camp had a really nice atmosphere. It is right at the south shore of Issyk Kul Lake and is nicely laid out with walkways, flowers and fruit trees.
Before dinner we enjoyed a refreshing swim in the lake.
In the evening we watched the sunset and played Uno flip.
Day 9 – Issyk Kul, Fairytale canyon and Barskoon waterfall
Ak-Tengir Yurt Camp is close to Fairytale Canyon. Fairytale canyon has red rock formations in many shapes, and one in particular that looks like the Chinese wall. For Peter and Helle it was a pleasant return, we here in September 2024. This time it was high season with much more people and high temperatures.
We continued to Barskoon to find lunch and accidentally came across Kausar Restaurant which had excellent food with pizza for N and gluten free options for T. We had a huge lunch and brought the remaining food with us for dinner.
Further up the valley is Barskoon waterfall. It is huge, and in the most stunning alpine setting in 2400 mas.
Back at the yurt camp we had a refreshing swim in Issyk kul lake, eating dinner by the water and just relaxing in the evening with Kyrgyz white wine and a stunning sunset.
Day 10 – Issyk Kul to Kochkor with rafting in Boom Canyon
We woke up to an overcast sky with the sound of drops on the roof of the yurt. It was the first rain we had on the trip, and it felt refreshing.
After breakfast we drove towards Boom Canyon on the Chu river between Bishkek and Kochkor. We made a lunch stop in Balykchy at the very good Muras Restaurant. Once again we were lucky to find food for everyone.
We arrived at Boom Canyon at 14:00 and a large team was waiting for us with all necessary equipment. Rafting is not a big thing in Kyrgyzstan, and we did a lot of research from home to find a company and location. We rafted with Rafting.kg booked through Arista. It was a private tour for the four of us. One of the guys from the team drove our car to the end point while we got ready.
It was a 1,5 hour tour with rapids class III/IV on Chu River. Our two guides Vlad and Roman did an excellent job. We had action from the very start to the end and this is probably the most fun rafting we have ever done.
The river is powerful, so we travelled 12 km downstream. A few places we could swim, but only by holding on to the raft, as one could easily get carried away by the current.
Our car was waiting for us when we finished, and we drove an hour to Kochkor, where we checked in to the lovely Center Guesthouse.
It started raining and with streets of gravel and lots of potholes we took the car to the nearby Syrduu Restaurant. Many tourists pass through Kochkor, so they spoke English in the restaurant. The food was ok, but more important, they had something for everyone of us, including gluten free.
We stocked up on snacks in a supermarket, and T bought local brandy to bring home for gifts.
Day 11 – Kochkor to Naryn with a day visit to Kol Ukok
The sky loomed grey in the morning, and a light rain turned the roads to mud, but we decided to drive towards Kol Ukok as planned. Kol Ukok is a mountain lake in 3000 mas. The road is for 4×4’s and it was fun to drive.
We parked at the yurt camp by the lake and packed our bags for a day hike. Initially our plan was to hike to Kol Tor in 3500 mas, but due to the weather we decided to make it a shorter trip and didn’t bring any lunch.
When we started hiking the weather improved and when we reached the end of Kol Ukuk we would like to stay longer in the mountains. There was a yurt camp at the end if the lake, so we approached it to see if we could buy lunch.
The yurt camp was at the other side of a wide and deep river. We signaled to the people in the camp and a man on a horse crossed the river to meet us. We used hand signs and Google Translate to ask if we could have lunch and then we were transported over the river on horse.
A family had the yurt camp, and the father went back to his business. The two daughters directed us in to a yurt dedicated to eating and made lunch of buckwheat cooked with onion and peppers. We also had bread, fresh cream (from horse or cow – we don’t know), jam and tea. They were extremely friendly, but we could only communicate with Google Translate.
While we had lunch, the parents milked the mare, while the foals were tied to a rope nearby.
After lunch we were returned on the other side of the river by horse. This time it was the daughter, who had cooked our meal, who rode us across on horse.
We hiked further up towards Kol Tor. The sun came out and we saw lots of marmots. Half an hour later we we reached the waterfall coming down from Kol Tor, and turned back.
Back at the car it started dripping and while driving down to Kochkor we saw lightning and dark clouds. It was another 2 hours to Naryn in the rain. Most of the traffic was Chinese trucks, as this is one of the main transport corridors between China and Kyrgyzstan.
We checked in at As a Nomad Ethnic Camp just outside Naryn. It is a luxurious yurt camp with private bathrooms. At the CVT – Community Based Tourism – in Naryn, we collected the border permit for Kok Kiya Valley. Kok Kiya is close to the Chinese border. We had ordered the permit from home, and it was ready as we arrived at the office.
In Naryn we found yet another good restaurant with food for everyone – we felt we were on a streak of luck.
Day 12 – Naryn to Kok Kiya Valley
The first part of the road to Kok Kiya Valley was on Google Maps. But past Bosogo the road no longer was on either Google Maps, Yandex Navi or Maps.me past Bosogo. After 20 km we reached Ak-Muz, and from there it was a gravel road with many potholes. The Landcruiser handled it well.
At the Kyndy check point our passports, border permit and car documents were checked. It only took 15 min.
We arrived at 15:00 to Ulan yurt camp at the end of the road. We were very surprised by the number of yurt camps in the valley. We had only found 2 from home. Ulan camp is small and quite primitive. The boys were frustrated as our camp had no WiFi and other camps did. We had booked a single yurt for the four of us, and the boys would like their own to at least have a bit of privacy. The nomad family wanted to help, but all yurts were booked.
Kok Kiya valley is extremely scenic with a big wide river valley and green hills around with higher mountains with cliffs and glaciers surrounding the valley. The camp is in an altitude of 3350 mas and Helle, who is not so good at heights, had a headache.
The nomad family was really friendly and spoke good English. They researched what gluten was and later came back with a plan for T’s dinner. It meant a lot to us.
While we had dinner the coal fired oven in our yurt was started and we came back to a warm yurt. We went early to sleep, but it was very warm in the yurt so it wasdifficult to fall asleep. Around 11:00 they knocked on our door to refill the oven. We said no, but they refilled it anyway making it even hotter.
Some Kyrgyz guests had offered us vodka during dinner and they got drunk, loud and emotional during the night.
At 01:00 the father of the nomad family came back and wanted to refill our oven with coal. He was now very drunk and some of his adult children were trying to prevent him from disturbing the guests. Our oven was not refilled this time and finally we got some sleep.
Day 13 – Kel-Suu lake and Kok Kiya Valley
After a terrible night the mood had reached a new low point. Both of our boys just wanted to go back to the city and find a hotel to get a good nights sleep.
We had planned to hike to Kel-Suu Lake, which would be take us 6-7 hours. We had booked an additional night at the yurt camp, but now we considered if we could leave the camp and drive down the same day. But we did not have to for the hike and to drive down to a different hotel.
It is possible to go to Kel-Suu lake on horse back. We checked with the nomad family, and they could arrange horses and a guide for us with very short notice. That would give us enough time to visit the lake and drive out of the valley. The oldest daughter in the family handled the guest communication, and she was really sorry that we would like to leave. She genuinely cared, and emphasized that it was very unusual to have drunk guests, and that they had left already. But our decision was taken.
All four of us were happy with the new plan, and we set out on horses to Kel-Suu with a guide and his dog. Peter got the fastest horse and was in front. T’s horse followed Peter’s, while the horses of N and Helle had to be encouraged repeatedly and were always behind.
It was raining a bit and it was quite cold with temperatures below 10 degrees. We were happy we brought warm clothes.
The ride was easy and we enjoyed the scenery on the way. Once in a while the dog snapped the tails of the horses and at one point Helles horse suddenly went fast forward.
It took an hour to reach the lake. The setting of the lake was absolutely stunning. The turquoise lake is situated between steep cliffs.
There is no hiking trail along the shore, so we had arranged a boat ride. It was a very scenic ride and we were lucky that the clouds lifted and we got a bit of sunshine. It was already pretty, but it got even better in sunshine.
Peter and T’s horses were even faster on the way down, and it was a fun ride. We had not been offered helmets, and we were happy that we had no accidents. It took less than an hour to get back to Ulan yurt camp.
The car was packed and by 14:00 we left the camp. We had no accommodation booked, but we hoped to be able to check in a day ahead of time at a hotel in At-Bashi. We had no mobile coverage so we simply drove to Sandyk hotel and asked. Luckily they had rooms available, and happily changed our booking. Sandyk is a very friendly and comfortable little hotel with a very kind manager.
It is the first real hotel since Almaty, so the boys were super happy. We all got a shower and found a nice restaurant in town for dinner.
Day 14 – Tash Rabat
N needed a rest day at the hotel, while Tobias, Peter and Helle went to Tash Rabat to see the caravanserai. We passed several traditional burial places, with large monuments.
Tash Rabat is situated in a beautiful valley surrounded by green hills and a stream in the bottom in 3000 mas. The caravanserai was been covered by a huge sheet metal roof to protect the structures, perhaps during a period of renovation.
The caravanserai dates back to the 12th century and was on the Silk Road. It had many rooms for people as well as camels and horses.
T was tired, so after seeing the caravanserai we drove back to At-Bashi with a quick stop at Koshoy Korgon, very old citadel ruins in Kara-Suu. The ruins left a lot for the imagination. There was a small museum at the site, but we didn’t go inside.
After returning T at the hotel, Peter and Helle drove towards Zhel Tegirmen Es Aluu east of At-Bashi in the mountains. We picked it randomly because of the photos on Google maps. The road there turned from gravel to rough tracks, and we parked the car when we could not drive further. It was a very beautiful hike, but we were tired and turned back after an hour. We saw three eagles, perhaps the famous golden eagle.
We had dinner in the same restaurant as yesterday. On the short walk we were greeted by people, and children who wanted to speak English with us. We felt very welcome.
Day 15 – At-Bashi to Tash Bashat
We started at the Sunday morning market in At-Bashi. It is a place known for livestock changing hands and everything else from clothes to food and kitchen utilities for sale.
Sheep had already changed owners when we arrived, but there were still geese, goats and sheep on sale. We had hoped to buy felt products at the market as the village is known for producing great quality pieces. But they had also already closed down. We enjoyed the hustle and bustle and bought a can of honey and some apricots.
As we passed Naryn we stopped at Naryn Art Gallery to look for felt, and N found a nice piece.
We continued east of Naryn to Eki-Naryn, where the two Naryn Rivers meet. The two rivers have different colors and it was fun to see how they merged into one river. We had a picnic by the river shore and enjoyed the setting.
The road continues north along the rivers, and we wanted to explore more of the landscapes. We passed the Malyn Naryn River Northern Bridge Crossing along a steep mountainside on a dirt track with the river far below.
We returned the same way and reached Hotel Altay Village in Tash Bashat Villlage. it is a truly magnificent place to relax and recharge, and we spent the afternoon in the garden with the sound of a small stream and amazing views of the high mountains.
The dining room has large panorama windows towards the mountains, and we were served an excellent dinner while admiring the sunset.
Day 16 – Tash Bashat to Song Kul
We left our lovely Altyn Village Hotel with a wish to come back. On the way we passed a burial site. They have small and large monuments to commemorate family members. There is a site outside almost every town.
An hour west of Naryn we found a small roadside restaurant, where T had two portions of plov (rice with meat). The small village Jangy-Talap was further west, and here we had found a restaurant on Google Maps with a picture of a pizza. Unfortunately they had no electricity and N could not have a pizza.
We drove into the mountains towards Song Kul, and first we passed dry, bare hills which soon turned into an alpine landscape with grass meadows, trees and hilltops. It was extremely beautiful. We had to go over Moldo Pass in 3350 mas and the road was a serpentine up a steep hillside. The road was gravel, but really good and two cars could easily pass each other. We made a lot of photo stops along the way.
Once in the pass it was gently downwards through open steppe with herds of sheep, cows and horses towards Song Kul in app 3000 mas. The scenery was absolutely stunning. Song Kul is a huge lake with open steppe and mountains rising up to app 4-5000 mas surrounding it. The surroundings constantly changed with clouds, rain and thunder in the distance and occasional sunshine. We checked in at One Million Stars and took in the scenery.
In the late afternoon the camp manager took us on a horse ride. This time Helle had the fast horse, while Peter and N’s horses were so slow our guide had to tie them to his own horse. T’s horse was always behind, but managed to follow.
We rode up in the mountains and had a beautiful view of the lake from above.
Back at camp we relaxed until dinner. Dinner was quite bad. It was the first time on our travel that it hadn’t been tasty.
We enjoyed a magnificent sunset over Song Kol, while the temperature quickly dropped.
Day 17 – Song Kol Festival
Today was July 28, the date of the annual Song Kol Festival. It is organised by CBT (Community Based Tourism) in Kochkor.
The festival website had information about the 2024 festival. We contacted CBT on WhatsApp, and they confirmed that it happened on July 28 in 2026. The exact location was not clear, but a map on the invitation indicated that it was on the north shore of the lake. We drove in that direction, and found the festival site at the CBT yurt camp. We were not sure it was actually happening until we parked. To our surprise, the next car to arrive was a group of Danes who had decided to go to Kyrgyzstan after hearing our talk at Cafe Globen in Copenhagen. Later we ran into another Danish group. What a coincidence among the 500 participants.
In the morning there was singing, music and dance performance with some very loud speakers and quite poor sound quality. They played the same Kyrgyz pop song over and over again.
Later they showed how to erect a yurt – it only took around 10 minutes and it was quite impressive to see how smooth and efficient they worked together.
Boorsok – the bread that Kyrgyz serve as a welcome – was cooked over fires. It is simply a deep fried dough that becomes puffy once in the oil. It tasted good when freshly made.
Felt making was also demonstrated from raw wool to yarn or felt. The showed how to make a shyrdak, a felt carpet with traditional patterns.
For lunch we had the national dish beshbarmak, a rice dish with a few carrots and chicken. It was really tasty and we wondered how they were able to cook rice for hundreds of people on wood fired stoves.
The really fun part was after lunch. Here eagle hunting was demonstrated, although the eagles were not that eager to fly. The hunting dogs that came after were much more eager to move. The dogs were running even faster than the horse that was dragging the prey.
Horse wrestling, acrobats on horses, a competition to pick up money from the ground at high speed on horses was also demonstrated. It was incredible to see how the rider and horse worked together as one unit. The riders very extremely skilled and some of them very young. You were not in doubt that they ride from a young age.
As a final the national sport kok-boro was played. Kok-boro is probably best described as a mix between polo and rugby on horse, where the “ball” is the corpus of a goat or sheep. Two teams are competing against each other. The most difficult part is to pick up the sheep from the ground without being pulled or pushed off your horse. The sheep weighs approximately 35 kg and after picking it up the player must to ride with the sheep to the opponents end of the field, without loosing the sheep. It was amazing to watch the game and the very skilled riders.
The festival ended at 17:00 and we were tired from all the impressions. We decided to drive west around Song Kol and enjoyed the tranquil and beautiful nature. The road was mostly just tracks in the grass and Peter had a lot of fun driving our Land cruiser.
Dinner at the camp was much better than the day before. We had vegetables mixed with beef. To make it vegetarian for Helle and Peter, they simply removed the largest lumps of meat.
Day 18 – Song Kol to Kyzyl-Oi
Breakfast at the yurt camp was a typical Kyrgyz breakfast with two fried eggs, an unidentifiable porridge and old bread.
There are many flies at Song Kol, and we did our best to keep them out of the car as we left the lake. From Song Kol we headed west. The road goes across the Kara-Keche pass, and the active coal mine of the same name. The road goes straight through the open pit mine, and we saw many trucks with heavy loads. The mountains here are dry, and mostly colored red.
We continued towards lower altitude, and reached a paved road where we could enjoy smooth driving. We also got mobile signal and saw speed cameras, suddenly we felt back in the world of modern comforts.
The paved road continued to Jalal-Abad, but we turned north and were back on dirt roads. We drove towards Kyzyl-oi in the Suusamyr valley, and the valley was very beautiful.
We reached Nazgul guesthouse at noon. The name is not a reference to Lord of the Rings, but means beautiful flower. And it is a guesthouse with many flowers, and a very friendly family. They made a tasty lunch for us.
Helle and Peter went for a walk in the mountains after lunch. We met a group of farmers working on a tractor, and a farmer on horse who offered to bring us back down. We were out for a walk, so we refused the kind offer.
Nazgul guesthouse is at the Kokemeren river, and we went there after the walk to cool down.
Day 19 – Kyzyl-Oi to Bishkek
During the night the entire village had a blackout. In the morning there was no water, but the power was back on. We used a bucket of water for the toilet and they had an outdoor sink with a water container that we could use for washing hands.
After breakfast we headed towards Bishkek. We drove through more fantastic landscapes in Suusamyr Valley and over the Ala-Too mountain range via Too-Ashuu Pass in 3000 mas. Everywhere in Kyrgyzstan the mountains are incredibly beautiful and we enjoyed the scenery.
As we reached the valley the temperature rose to 35 degrees and the traffic was dense. It last drive into Bishkek took forever.
We stopped outside Bishkek to find lunch. First stop was a pizzaria for N and then we continued to a Kuurdak Restaurant. Kuurdak is a typical Kyrgyz dish with meat and potatoes. T ordered 3 main courses and Peter and Helle had the only vegetarian option – a crispy eggplant salat. We have had it almost every day, as it usually is the only vegetarian option. But it is really tasty, so we don’t mind.
Next stop was Osh Bazaar in Bishkek. It is a huge bazaar divided into sections of goods. We were heading for the section with traditional goods as we would like to take home some of their wool products. We ended up with a shyrdaks (felt carpet to hang on the wall) and wool slippers. It was crowded and very hot in the bazaar.
We checked in at Kausar Hotel. It was modern and comfortable, a huge contrast to the yurts and small guesthouses we have stayed in most nights.
The boys relaxed on the room in air conditioning, while Peter and Helle walked to the main square Ala Too. Peter tried the Russian drink kvas, made from fermented dark bread. It was very refreshing.
It was a pleasant revisit to the square and we came just in time to see the guard shift.
We had booked a table on Pishpek Restaurant in the evening to celebrate Peter’s birthday (a day in advance) and that T was accepted to study physics at Copenhagen University. There was live music and we sat outdoor in the lush green garden where we enjoyed Russian champagne and good food.
As we were about to leave they asked if we could stay a little longer. It turned out that they came with a cake for Peter, while playing happy birthday. A good end to a cosy evening.
Day 20 – Bishkek to Almaty
We started early to have time for the border post of Ak Zhol / Korday between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. There was almost no queue at the border. It is only the driver who is allowed to stay in the car, the passengers have to walk across the border. Peter stayed in the car, while Helle, T and N crossed in 15 minutes.
Peter was waved aside by customs on the Kazakh side. He was directed to an area without signs and no clear instructions. After a lot of waiting, he was instructed to completely empty the car. Then nothing happened for a while, while customs officers stood chatting among the many waiting cars. Finally an officer took a quick glance at the car, and stamped the paper. It took an hour extra, without any obvious purpose.
The boys were hungry, so we found a restaurant in Korday to have lunch before we drove to Almaty. The road to Almaty was good with an even surface. It was a huge pleasure after all the bumpy roads in Kyrgyzstan. We really got to see the Kazakh steppes with dry grass and soft hills.
There was a lot of traffic in Almaty. After checking ion to la Boutique hotel, Helle and Peter went for a walk in the pedestrian area of Almaty. The city centre is very modern and similar to other big cities in the world.
It was Peter’s real birthday today and we had booked a table at a Georgian Restaurant near the hotel. It was a cozy last evening in Kazakhstan
Also at this restaurant, the staff wanted to celebrate Peter’s borthday.
