1,5 weeks in Kyrgyzstan! 🇰🇬 (July 2025)

July 2025 I spent about 1,5 weeks in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan! It was possibly the best experience I've had while travelling. This was part of a larger journey covering Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. This was my first country of the bunch, and my first time visiting Asia!

We started out in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The city itself is not very beautiful, but it is interesting, and there is quite a lot to do. There are many great restaurants, museums, statues, etc. Everything there is incredibly affordable. We found apartments for €30/night, beers for €1 and a three course meal for €10. People are generally very friendly, and curious about what you are doing there. Only some of the younger people know some English, but you should assume you can't communicate in English there. Russian and Kyrgyz are the way to go.

The Osh bazar in Bishkek is amazing. They have everything you could want, and it's a busy, colourful, tasty place. When I was there in the summer, it was incredibly hot though...

After some days in Bishkek, I did a 7-day tour through the incredible nature that Kyrgyzstan has to offer. We were with 3 persons, and it cost about €100 per person, per day. Not too bad considering that renting a 4x4 (which you definitely need), is already €100/day. All dinner, activities and accommodation is included!

We did a 2-day horseback trek, while sleeping in yurts, eating local food and enjoying the views. For me, this was one of the highlights of the trip. I had absolutely no previous experience with horse riding, but all went relatively well. I fell of my horse once after it tripped, but no serious injuries.

After that we continued with the 4x4, visiting some highlights such as Kel-Suu lake, Song-Kol lake, Tash Rabat, Issyk-Kul lake, and Skazka Canyon. We had an incredibly friendly guide who was around the same age, so we could talk about anything.

Some tips I have for if you want to visit:

-Pick your season well: in the summer it's scorching hot, and in the winter it's insanely cold.

-Use sunscreen, you will absolutely burn alive

-Go to local restaurants, try local food, accept locals' offers for a drink.

-Get am eSIM beforehand and download YandexGO (Russian Uber), so you can get to the centre easily. Alternatively, you can get the marschrutka for <€2.

-Be adventurous; do the scary things, and do the crazy things.

The people are incredibly hospitable, and tourism isn't yet very big, but it's growing rapidly. I would recommend visiting soon, to experience authentic Kyrgyzstan!!!

Please, let me know if you have any questions.

Pictures

1-6: Bishkek

7-8: views while horseback riding

9-10: Song-Kol lake

11-12: views while driving

13-16: Hiking to Kel-Suu lake

17-18: Skazka Canyon

19: horse who knocked me off

20: mosaic busstop