Discover the beauty of Kyrgyzstan in one week!
1–7 September 2021

Arrival by air in Bishkek. Meeting with your guide at Manas airport. Transfer to Bishkek. City tour in Bishkek, then transfer to Chong Kemin valley through the Burana tower. Night in homestay.

After breakfast, we drive to the south side of Issyk Kul Lake, the second biggest mountain lake in the world, at 1600m high. Arrival at Bel Tam yurt camp. Discover the place, go for a swim, play, you will have free time.
Option: 2, 5 h. walk-in Konorchek canyon at the Boom gorge to admire the red rocks structures.

In the morning, drive to Barskoon gorge. The Barskoon Falls. 90km from Karakol on the south shore, you’ll see the turn-off that leads up a long, dirt road.
The Barskoon Waterfall is a towering cascade that requires a short hike to reach the base. You can see the falls from the car park, but it’s best to keep on hiking to reach them.
The next stop is a visit to Skazka (fairy tale) canyon. The red, ocher or yellow sedimentary rocks are stunning and seem to be taken out from another planet.
We then meet Kadyrdin, one of the last Berkutchis in the region. He is a master falconer who hunts winter with his golden eagles! He will tell us about his passion for his golden eagles and show us how he trains them to hunt during the summer
Back to our yurt camp.

Last moments on the shore of Issyk Kul, we meet with a yurt maker and their workshops.
We then leave the region of Issyk Kul and reach the city of Kochkor, where we meet the managers of the city's women's felt cooperative, an association of more than 120 women. With them, you will discover all the secrets of making Shyrdaks, the Kyrgyz felt carpets listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Departure to the Tach Rabat caravanserai built in the 10th century, at an altitude of 3,200 m. The caravanserai served as an inn, fortress, and marketplace for caravans passing through this hostile region during the Silk Road era. It is also there that the shepherds we met the day before in the village take their flocks for the summer. The yaks will pass the Tach Rabat pass at 4100m, and will stay all summer around Lake Chatyr Kul.
Visit of the caravanserai, participation in the daily life of the nomads, with the milking of cows and mares, the preparation of crème Fraiche, cheese, and kumis (a drink made from fermented mare's milk).
Dinner and overnight in the yurts.

Drive to the town of Naryn (2000m. alt.). We will visit the bazaar to replenish supplies before driving to Lake Song Kul (3016m. alt.). Stop at the natural reserve of Song Kul, then to the waterfalls of the Song Kul river before reaching the plateau where you will spend the night in a yurt. Time of transfer: 6/7h

In the morning, drive to Kyzyl Oy village where we will have lunch, through the Karakitchi pass 3350 m. Then we drive to the high valley of Suusamyr, visit of the Kojumkul village, name of a Kyrgyz hero of the last century. After, the road cross by a tunnel the mountains of the Kyrgyz Alatoo, and down to Bishkek. Dinner in local restaurant. Night in guesthouse.