Travel Guide to Kyrgyzstan

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• published: 29 Sep 2014
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Kyrgyzstan, or the Kyrgyz Republic to give it its official name, is quite simply one of the most interesting, pristine and beautiful countries in Asia, offering the adventurous traveller a rich and rewarding destination. My name is Jonny Bealby, I founded Wild Frontiers, and in this short film I am going to talk about tourism in Kyrgyzstan. Although small, Kyrgyzstan is perfectly formed. The Tien Shan – or Mountains of Heaven – that stretch across its length and breadth are lush and green, high and wild, dissected by sweeping steppe lands, primal forests, crystal streams, turquoise lakes and lofty snow-capped peaks. I first rode through here on horseback in 1999 while writing a book and making a Discovery Channel film, and I thought then it really was one of the most beautiful countries I had ever visited. The country is primarily a mountainous land rising in altitude from 400 metres in the Ferghana Valley to over 7,400 metre on the summit of Peak Pobeda. More than half of the country is over 3,000 metres high, while a third is permanently covered in snow. But despite the immense natural beauty of this landlocked Central Asian, Silk Road republic, it is the people themselves that bring Kyrgyzstan to life, and on many of our tours to the country you will stay with local families with whom we have developed special friendships. So to the country and the main sites you’ll see. Heading east out of the leafy, tree-lined streets of the capital Bishkek – a place renowned for its markets, monuments and excellent museum – you’ll first pass the imposing 11th century Borana Tower, before skirting the edge of Lake Izzy Kul. Here, in the far northeast of the country, you can spend a couple of days on the lake, visit the interesting town of Karakol or head to Karkara Mountain Camp for a bit of helicopter assisted glacier trekking, available every year on our Celestial Mountain Action Adventure. From here you’ll probably move on around the southern shores of the lake, visiting one of the famous eagle hunters, and possibly trek over the one of the many magnificent passes, before hitting the main road south towards China, and one of the last remaining ancient Silk Road caravanserais at Tash Rabat. Here you can go for walks, or ride one of the local’s horses, all the while staying in one of the traditional yurts while Nazira and her family look after you. People often ask me, where is my favourite place in the world – well, this is right up there; sitting on the hills above the valley is one of the most peaceful settings I know. From here most will either head over the border to China and the famous Silk Road crossroads town of Kashgar or west across the mountains to another jewel in the Kyrgyz crown, Lake Son Kul. A 3,000 metre high glacial lake, some 40 kilometres in length, again it offers a great place to walk or ride among the hills and meet more of the locals. As you head further west so you can cross the sensational Ferghana range and visit the region around the Tajik border – particularly travelling up to Peak Lenin base camp – or head down into the Ferghana Valley and the ancient Silk Road town of Osh. Many of our trips come this way as they head into neighbouring Uzbekistan, but continuing on the circuit back round towards Bishkek and you come to yet another wonderful region of natural beauty, Sary Chelek National Park. At Wild Frontiers we run both small group tours and tailor-made holidays to Kyrgyzstan. While some trips focus solely on this country, others take in Kyrgyzstan on longer journeys through this Silk Road region. It’s also the place that we run one of our best horse riding adventures; loosely following the route I took back in 1999, for those interested in equine holidays, this trip is simply sensational. As you can see, as far as natural mountain beauty is concerned Kyrgyzstan is unrivalled in the region. It is a country with few political issues, a place with good tourist infrastructure and yet relatively few tourist. It’s a place where you can walk, ride, mountain bike, raft or heli-trek – with us, all on a single trip! – and as of 2012 there are no visa requirements for British and many other nationalities. As I say when I rode through the country 15 years ago, I knew I had discovered a gem…and so it is today. Kyrgyzstan really is one of adventure travels best kept secrets.