Tour Bishkek-Ala Archa-Bishkek-Bishkek Bazaar-Burana-Chon Kemin-Northern shore of Issyk-Kul Lake-Issyk-Kul Lake-Karakol-Jeti Oguz-Southern shore of Issyk-Kul-Kochkor-Bishkek-Tashkent for 8 days

An accompanying guide will meet you at Manas International Airport, from where you will go to the capital - Bishkek city (30 minutes’ drive from the airport). Your first day in Kyrgyzstan will be completely devoted to a tour of Bishkek. You will visit Victory Square, Oak Park, Ala-Too Central Square, Old Square, National Philharmonic Hall and many other attractions. The afternoon is devoted to a trip to Ala Archa, located at the foot of the Tien Shan mountain range. It is a nature reserve and one of the most beautiful gorges of Bishkek. In Soviet times, only privileged people had the right to walk in this park. At the end of the tour, you will return to Bishkek. Dinner is served at 7 pm. Overnight at the hotel.

Today you will be transferred to Chon Kemin gorge. On route to the gorge you will visit Burana Tower (an 11th century minaret) and an open air museum of Balbals (stone warriors). After an interesting excursion and climbing on the top of the tower is transfer to Chon Kemin gorge. Here you will meet a nice family that will prepare a traditional lunch for you. In the afternoon we will have 3 hours of horse riding. Your route will go high in the mountains and you will even ride horses through a mountain forest. On the top you will see the panorama view of the gorge. The night and dinner will be in a home stay.

Today you will be transferred to the celestial Issyk Kul Lake, the second largest alpine lake in the world (1608 m above sea level). Its length is 180 km and it is 60 km wide. The lake is called "the pearl of Central Asia". For more than 1 500 years local people considered the lake to be a sacred one. Thanks to the salty water, Lake Issyk Kul possesses curative qualities. You can come up to the lake and to see mountains all around it. At Soviet period the heads of governments had their houses near the lake to have a rest. Your night is in a hotel.

The day starts with a breakfast at 8 o’clock. Afterwards, you will start your trip to Karakol city. On the way, we will take a short break to give you the opportunity to visit ancient stone inscriptions (dating back to 800 B.C.). These petroglyphs were made more than 2 000 years ago by shamans. Then we continue our way along the northern shore of the lake to the town of Karakol. You will visit the Dungan mosque. One of its highlights is the fact that it was built in a Chinese style without using a single metal nail. The mosque will be followed by a visit to an old wooden Orthodox Church. The night is spent in a hotel.

Today we will drive to Jeti Oguz gorge. It’s famous for its red rock formations that are called the Seven Bulls – Jeti Oguz. Also you will see Broken Heart Mountain. We will take as many photos there as you’d like and if you want it is possible to walk to the top of a mountain (20 minutes) to see a panoramic view of the gorge! There are yurts in the gorge and people can offer you Kumis to drink. It is a national drink that is made from fermented mare’s milk, and it is mildly alcoholic. Your dinner and night will be in nomadic felt dwellings, yurts.

Today we will drive to Kochkor village. This time we will drive along the southern shore of Issyk Kul Lake. This is a great chance to see the whole lake from all sights. We will have a break in Bokonbaeva village, where we meet a local eagle-hunter. He hunts hares and foxes with the help of eagles (traditional way of nomads hunting). Night will be in a homestay.

In Kochkor village a local family will show you how our national felt carpets are made. You can even learn the art of felt making and create your own carpet together with them! You will have a chance to make your own picture with a help of colored wool and then all together we will beat it in a special way to get a nice felt carpet.  You will also get to visit a small handicraft museum there. In the afternoon you will visit Asian bazaar where you will be able to take a lot of dynamic photos of bustling local life. Afterwards you will be transferred to the capital of Kyrgyzstan – Bishkek city. Night is in a hotel.

In the morning is transfer to airport.