Winter in the Mountains of Heaven

After breakfast we get in the car and leave Bishkek, the journey will take about 4 hours. We cross the Too-Ashuu pass and arrive in the Kökömeren river valley, where we will have an outdoor lunch. Then we will saddle up the horses and set off towards the village of Kyzyl-Oi, about 10 kilometres away. We will spend up to 2 hours in the saddle and warm up with our first canters. In the late afternoon we will arrive to the village to have dinner and spend the night hosted by a local family.

After breakfast we ride to meet local shepherds. We will hop into our saddles and head out of the village, an trail leading to a horse farm. There we will look for herds of horses scattered around the area. This part of the day will take about 2 hours. Once there, depending on the weather, we will ride horses in the area or spend more time with a local family. We will have lunch with the shepherds at their simple farm and then return on horses to Kyzyl-Oi. From there, by car, we will drive to the village of Kyzart, where we settle at our now hosts’ house and have dinner. There is a little, local sauna in the village that we can use.

In the morning we will go by car to the Bazar-Turuk Gorge, where we will mount our horses. The ride will take us approximately four hours. First we ride through mildly uphill area to start our climb towards the pass located at 3,400m above sea level. The approach will get a bit steeper and gradually more and more snowy. After reaching and crossing the pass we will ride into an endless snowy landscape, stretching all the way to horizon. We will descend towards Song-Kol Lake to reach its shore. At this time of year the surface of the lake is covered with thick ice and covered with a cap of snow. In the afternoon we will reach the only settlement of Winter yurts in the valley. Temperatures here can drop to -30° C (-22 °F) at night. Our camp is properly prepared and our yurt is equipped with a stove that we will keep hot all the night. Before it gets dark there’s still some time to have fun – you’ll like it 🙂 We’ll enjoy the sunset, dinner and then a amazing, frosty night at Song-Kol. We sleep in the yurt, in sleeping bags.

In the morning we will have breakfast in the yurt. Next we will saddle our horse and ride out. We will take the same trail we rode yesterday, although it will look and feel quite different. Riding back will take us around 4 hours. Upon arrival to Bazar-Turuk Gorge we will change our brave horses to mechanical ones. A car will take us to Kyzart village for a late lunch. In the afternoon we will go to Kochkor valley, where a comfy guesthouse awaits us. There’s a local sauna in this village, too. After two days riding to Song-Kol and back you will enjoy it.

Today we don’t ride, although there will be an unusual opportunity to jump in the saddle. After breakfast we drive to the Jaichy valley, where we will… cheer at a game. We are going to a Kok-boru match. The game is very old, dating back to nomadic times, and very popular in this part of Asia. Kyrgyz national team is one of the very best ones in the world. Although players today are professionals, the game requires unusual riding skills definitely is a full-contact sport, for both horses and people. We will have some time to mount Kok-boru horses and hang out with players. After the game we will go to a local hunter in Jaichy, where we will have lunch together. The it’s time to drive to the beautiful area of the Lake Issyk-Kul. The road will take us up to 2 hours. At the Kesken-Bel pass we will stop and go for a hike to Kazka Park, where we can admire the colourful canyons and the panorama of the lake. Issyk-Kul is often called the Kyrgyz Sea, as it is the largest body of water in Central Asia, the second largest mountain lake in the world (after Lake Titicaca) and its water is mildly salty. Next, we will get in the car and drive to the local pool house and hot springs at Kadjy-Sai. After basking in the pool, we will drive to the village of Bokonbay, where a guesthouse and dinner await us.

After breakfast we will dress up in proper outfits (that we’ll provide – surprise) and set off on horseback to accompany local eagle hunters. The tradition of hunting with birds dates back to ancient times. Today they still   Together we will set off to the nearby steppe, where the hunters will try to hunt small game. They don’t always succeed, especially with… well a bunch of (often) noisy foreign riders who will scare animals away within a 3 km radius 😉 Jokes aside, they will tell us a bit about the history and tradition of eagle hunting, how do they get their birds, raise them, live together and form a bond. In the late afternoon we will ride back to the town for a meal. Next we will fo by car to Chong-Kemin, where a guesthouse, a swimming pool and dinner await us.

After breakfast, unless the weather throws us a surprise (and it does, sometimes) we will saddle up the horses for the last time. Mount up and let’s ride out for 2-3 hours to the surrounding mountain ridge of Chong-Kemin. Once we return to Ashuu we will have lunch and then we leave by car and head to Bishkek. On the way, depending on time and groups’ will, we might stop at one of the few monuments in Kyrgyzstan – the Burana Tower, a remnant of the famous Silk Road. In the evening we will arrive in Bishek and head out to our last, farewell dinner together. When the time comes we will return to the hotel in Bishkek for the night.

It’s time to leave Kyrgyzstan. All riders will be transferred to the airport for their flights.