Kyrgyzstan: Hiking in the Celestial Mountains

We meet and transfer to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital and largest city. Settled in the 6th century, it’s filled with pretty parks, graceful mosques, and a lively restaurant scene. We take in the rhythm of life at the famous Osh Bazaar, where locals buy and sell food, clothing, hardware, carpets, and more.

It’s a day of spectacular views as we hike past rushing waterfalls, through scented juniper forests and mountainside meadows. We learn some startling Kyrgyz history and view impressive Soviet architecture.

We visit the striking 80-foot Burana Tower, view ancient gravestones called balbals, and hike up a mountain for scenic panoramas. This evening we gather around a campfire for drinks and are introduced to Kyrgyz culture with an evening of traditional music and dance.

The north shore of Lake Issyk-Kul is the center of the area’s resort zone popular with both travelers and locals. Boating gives us a unique perspective on this sparkling paradise, often called the Pearl of Kyrgyzstan, where Silk Road traders once stopped to rest. We search for petroglyphs, have lunch with a local family, and pass by clear streams, meadows, and roving herds of horses.

Our hike takes us through verdant grasslands and past shepherds’ yurts to a panoramic lookout. We explore an extraordinary geological formation, the famed red sandstone Seven Bulls rocks, and visit with a family in their home. Today’s highlight is a demonstration by the amazingly athletic Kyrgyz horsemen as they participate in a wild, no-holds-barred competition.

Today we get in on the action at Karakol’s famous animal market—old-style commerce at its best, with buyers touching and evaluating the horses, sheep, and cattle—and visit bazaars to discover everything from Soviet memorabilia to beautiful Kyrgyz carpets and handicrafts. We visit with traditional Dungans—Muslim people of Chinese origin who immigrated to the region—and share a delicious home-cooked banquet with them.

Our camp at Kyzyl Suu is comfortably furnished with tents and cots, and provides the perfect base for hiking. We step into the nomadic world, leaving everyday life far behind as we journey across lush alpine meadows and into the solitude of humbling mountains.

We head for the wilder southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul, visit Fairy Tale Canyon with its remarkable red-and-ochre ridges, share a lunch of traditional Kyrgyz dishes at a local family’s home, and hike to a beautiful panoramic spot at Lake Issyk-Kul. Our yurt camp is near a family farm where we visit with locals who show us around. We overnight in Jaichy yurt camp and enjoy dinner with a traditional musical performance.

Today we meet with an eagle hunter and learn about this ancient tradition, which was especially important in the days before people had rifles for hunting game. Have your camera ready for the moment when you can put on leather glove and actually hold one of these magnificent creatures. We hike to Kara-Choku Mountain and back, past waterfalls, with a spectacular panorama and a picnic lunch along the way.

We head for a remote area of the Lake Song Kol, a beautiful place to experience life on an idyllic jailoo, or summer pasture. Here we meet shepherds and can participate in their everyday life: milking mares, tending cattle, or making traditional Kyrgyz milk products like kymyz (fermented mare’s milk). At the “Village of Yurt Makers” we visit a family and learn about this essential element of Kyrgyz nomadic culture. Hiking to Jalgyz-Karagai Pass gives us a stunning panorama of Lake Song Kol. We overnight both days at Jaman Echki yurt camp, where nighttime stargazing is spectacular.

We leave Lake Song Kol—gleaming like a brilliant sapphire—and head to Kochkor, where we have lunch at a family’s house and see a demonstration of the traditional art of felt-making. This ancient art is not only beautiful; it’s also vitally important to the Kyrgyz people, as felt is used for making everything from shoes to yurts. We transfer to Bishkek, where our festive Farewell Dinner includes traditional music.

We bid a fond farewell to Kyrgyzstan and transfer to the airport in Bishkek for our flights home, which depart early in the morning.