In the Footsteps of the Nomads of Kyrgyzstan

Follow in the footsteps of Nomads in this small group Kyrgyzstan moderate hiking tour.



On this Kyrgyzstan cultural tour you will get to experience three of Kyrgyzstan’s most beautiful alpine lakes: Stay in yurts with views of the majestic sea-like Issyk-Kul lake, watching the local eagle hunters; Earn a view of Chatyr-Kol after hiking or horse-riding to a high pass deep in the Tian Shan Mountains along the ancient Silk Road; Ride horses alongside nomad herders in the tranquillity of Son-Kol Lake, situated in the heart of the country surrounded by a gentle crown of mountains and grazing livestock in the summer months.



Kyrgyzstan is famed for its hiking in the high Tian Shan but if you prefer a more relaxed adventure yet still with the ability to take in many of the mind-blowing views, then this is the trip for you. The nomadic way of life is still very much alive in this country – nestled deep within the Central Asian Steppe – and you will have plenty of chances to meet with the local people and learn about their timeless way of life.



Kyrgyz food is absolutely delicious and apart from gorging ourselves in the capital on the many traditional dishes, we will also experience the home-cooked meals of the family we are staying with in communal dining yurt – in Son Kol particularly – with maybe even a schnapps or two to wash it down after. Kyrgyzstan displays incredible natural beauty with horses in abundance; even if you have no previous horse riding experience the mounts are very well trained and used to having travellers ride them so this can be the perfect opportunity to try something new and get a feel for the nomad that lives in all of us. We fully believe in, and practice, Responsible Tourism, using hotels run by locals. We put time and effort into building our relationship with them to ensure you have a a great trip.



We choose hotels based on cleanliness, comfort, safety, proximity to our route (to avoid unnecessary extra travel), and a warm client welcome, as well as reliability in their service to us. Some hotels will be basic, and in modern buildings and or in towns. Wherever we can, we will choose smaller more characterful, individual hotels, but in areas where tourism is still developing, this may not be available.



An aspect of our adventures is to escape the ‘trappings’ of modern Western lifestyles and to experience new things which is exciting and memorable, and reflects the countries we are visiting.



This is adventure travel and on occasion the advertised services at a hotel, guesthouse or camp (eg wifi, or hot showers!) may not be functional on our arrival. This tends to occur in the smaller, more remote places. Very rarely a hotel lets us down and we are required to find alternative suitable accommodation that might not be our first choice.



This accommodation on this adventure involves both hotel stays and camping in Yurts. The list below gives information on our first choice of accommodation for this adventure. Where hotels and refuges are fully booked or unavailable, we will use an alternative of a similar standard, and equally well situated. We will provide you with an accurate list of accommodation, with contact information to leave with relatives, prior to departure on your adventure.



Bishkek (3 nights): 3* Navat Boutique Hotel, or similar



Yurt Camping (5 nights): A yurt is a large felt tent made from sheeps wool, which results in a warm, cosy and waterproof shelter. The centre of the yurt houses a metal wood burner with a chimney for all smoke to escape through the roof.



The yurts house either 2 or 4 simple but comfortable beds with plenty of extra blankets to pile onto your sleeping bag (please bring a winter season bag), should you feel chilly. If you are travelling with a group of friends then we are happy for friends to share a yurt (4 people), or YellowWood can arrange the rooming for solo travellers to share with others of the same gender.



Toilet facilities are shared and in a separate ‘hut’. There are taps and running water in the camp for washing. We use traditional nomadic yurt camps where electricity is available between 18:00 and 22:00 and there is no mobile signal. Please note that part of this adventure is to escape the ‘trappings’ of modern Western lifestyles.