Land of treasures

Itinerary name: Land of treasures
Day-by-day program:

Day 1: Bishkek – Burana – Issyk Kul northern shore – Karakol
Once you land at the International Airport of Manas, you will be greeted by your tour guide. Straight from the airport you will start driving towards the east of the country. The city of Karakol is our final destination for the day. However, along the way we have several interesting things to visit. The first stop is at the tower of Burana. The tower was built by Karakhanids in the 11th century. There will be a museum next to the tower which stores all the artefacts found in this area. Those findings point to the fact that the tower used to stand in one of the most important cities along the branches of the Great Silk Road, Balasagun. The next stop will be at the open-air museum of the city of Cholpon-Ata. The museum is home to more than 2000 petroglyphs. From the place the museum stands you get a panorama view of the gorgeous lake of Issyk-Kul. It is the second largest alpine lake. Continuing our way we reach the city of Karakol where there are several places to be visited. The first one is the museum dedicated to the world’s great explorer M.V.Przhevalsky. The next stop will be at the Dungan Mosque followed by the Orthodox Church of Holy Trinity. The night is in a hotel.

Day 2: Karakol – Altin Arashan – Karakol
The province of Issyk-Kul is unique for it has a majestic lake surrounded by mountain ranges that hide a lot of beautiful gorges during your travel. Moreover, there are many hot springs around the lake. The highlight of the day will be the gorge that happens to have hot springs. After breakfast we will start driving to Altyn-Arashan. The place is not easily accessible on a regular vehicle which makes the place less crowded. You will be going on a rugged russian military vehicle. The name Altyn-Arashan is translated as ‘The Golden Spas’. The hot springs are located in beautiful gorges with snow-capped mountains. You will have a chance to either hike along the river that flows in the bottom of the gorge or go into the hot springs. Then we will head back to Karakol. The night is in the same hotel.

Day 3: Karakol – Jeti Oguz – Issyk Kul southern shore – Tamga
In the morning we start driving to one of the most famous gorges in the province, Jeti-Oguz. The gorge is famous for the red sandstone rock formation that represents seven bulls according to the legend. That is where the name of the gorge came to be. It is almost guaranteed that you will be invited to one of the yurts where locals will offer you kyrgyz national drink, kumys.  Afterwards we continue our way to the village of Tamga. The night is in a guesthouse.

Day 4: Tamga – Kochkor – Kichi Naryn – Naryn 
The final destination of the day is the regional center of the most mountainous province in the country, the town of Naryn. We will be driving along the southern shore of the lake. We will have a stop at the village of Bokonbaevo to meet an eagle hunter. The person will tell you all about this unique craft of kyrgyz culture: starting from the process of acquiring the eagle, ending the whole process of setting it free back to its natural habitat. Continuing our way, we reach a village that deals with another interesting craft. The village of Kochkor is famous for the felt products that people in the village make. You will get to see the production process and participate in it. You will eventually make a small piece of felt carpet on your own. Afterwards, you will certainly have to get your cameras ready, for we will be driving along the beautiful rugged mountains of the Kichi-Naryn gorge. The night is in a guesthouse.

Day 5: Naryn – Son Kul
After breakfast we will start driving to one of the most beautiful and quiet places in Kyrgyzstan during your travel. The destination is the lake of Son-Kul, the second largest lake in the country. It is situated at a high altitude of 3013 meters above sea level. The lake is surrounded by pasture lands where you can find many yurts, kyrgyz dwellings. Locals set up their yurts in the beginning of summer and stay there to breed their cattle. The overnight stay is in yurts.

Day 6: Son Kul – Kyzyl Oi
For the first half of the day you are free to enjoy your free time. Close to lunch we will visit nomads living in the area for guests are always welcomed in our culture. You will get to experience kyrgyz and communicate with locals. After lunch we head to the village of Kyzyl-Oi that lies on the banks of the fast-flowing mountain river. The overnight stay is in the village, home stay.

Day 7: Kyzyl Oi – Bishkek
Early in the morning we will start driving towards the capital city of Bishkek. In about an hour we will get on the highway that connects south and north of the country. The highway lies through several mountain passes for which it is considered to be one of the most beautiful roads to take. On our way we will get on the mountain pass of Too-Ashuu with an altitude of more than 3000 m. from the top of the pass you will be able to see a panorama of Suusamyr valley on one side and a fascinating view of the mountains on the other side. After lunch in Bishkek you will have a guided tour of the city. Visiting Pobeda Square (Victory Square), Dubovoy Park (Oak Park), Central Ala-Too Square, the National Arts Museum, National Philharmonic will constitute the tour. The night is in a hotel.

Day 8: Bishkek – Airport
Transfer to the airport is in te morning.