Travel guides

Kyrgyzstan Travel Guides

Practical answers to the questions travellers ask before a trip to Kyrgyzstan: where to go, when to go, and what it takes to get there. Every guide lists its sources and the month it was last checked.

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Guides for planning your trip

New to Kyrgyzstan? Start with when to go. Then pick a destination, or come back to the practical detail once you have dates.

Snow-covered yurt below a forested ridge in Jyrgalan in February Planning Jyrgalan in February
Seasons9 min read

Best Time to Visit Kyrgyzstan

Season by season and month by month: when Song-Kul's yurt camps are open, when high passes clear, what May and October are good for, and when to come for freeride.

Links to all 7 trips Read the guide
Song-Kul lake from above, with a yurt camp in a side valley Lake Song-Kul
Yurt stays12 min read

Song-Kul Lake: The Complete Guide

How to reach Kyrgyzstan's best-known high lake, when the yurt camps are open, what a night in a yurt is actually like, and what to pack.

Trip from $475 Read the guide
Turquoise Ala-Kul lake below glaciers Trek Ala-Kul lake
3–4 days10 min read

Ala-Kul Trek Guide

The classic hike from the Karakol valley over the Ala-Kul pass to the Altyn-Arashan hot springs: stages, altitudes, altitude sickness, season, fees and whether you need a guide.

Trip from $390 Read the guide
Kel-Suu lake between steep rock walls in the Kakshaal-Too rangePhoto: Калачев Сергей · CC BY 3.0 Border zone Kel-Suu lake
Permit needed9 min read

Kel-Suu Lake Guide

How the border-zone permit works and how long it takes, the route from Naryn to the Kok-Kiya yurt camps, and how many days the lake really needs.

Trip from $395 Read the guide