Day 1: Arrival in Bishkek, Airport pick-up
Welcome to Bishkek! Our tour guide and the driver will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to the hotel. If time permits, enjoy lunch and the guide will accompany you to tour around Bishkek city. The Old Square, Oak Park and Ala-Too Square are good places to visit. Ala-Too Square is located in the center of the city and the buildings in the square are typical Soviet style. Every late afternoon, a solemn flag lowering ceremony is held in the square. We can also see the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Abdylas Maldybayev from outside. A hearty dinner will be served at the garden of Hotel Umai. Accommodation: Orion Hotel Bishkek (5 stars)
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Day 2: Discover Burana Tower & the north shore of Issyk-Kul Lake
The first stop today is Burana Tower. It is the remains of the ancient city of Balasagun and you can see the medieval tombstones, Balbals, and rock paintings near the tower. Then we will drive through the Chui Valley to the Boom Gorge. On the way, enjoy a short hiking in the Konorchok Canyon. Some of the rocks here look like human beings, some look like animals, and some look like castles. Then we will go to Issyk-Kul Lake, which is the highlight of your Kyrgyzstan private tour. 15km away from Cholpon Ata, we will stop and visit the New Nomad Museum. Finally, you can move freely in Cholpon Ata, where you could enjoy clear water, bright sunshine and soft sand beach. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Light House Hotel
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Day 3: Drive 3h to Karakol
Today we will drive to Karakol, the largest city on the east of Issyk-Kul Lake. Two hours later, we will make a stop at a local restaurant in Tup, a small town to have lunch. Afterwards, continue driving for about an hour to the destination Karakol. There, we will visit the Nikolai Przhevalsky Museum, which is named after Przhevalsky, a famous Russian explorer and traveler who discovered more than 200 species of plants and animals during his lifetime and studied the distribution of mountains in Central Asia. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: My Hotel Karakol (3 stars)
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Day 4: Tour around the south shore of Issyk-Kul Lake
Karakol is a multi-ethnic, multicultural city, with some Russian-style wooden houses still visible. If it is a Sunday morning, we will go to a bustling animal market, where the locals trade horses and sheep. Then, we plan to visit the Russian Orthodox Church and Dungan Mosque. The next stop is the beautiful Jeti-Oguz Canyon, where many songs, paintings and music videos are created with the rocks as the theme and inspiration. The tour guide will tell you some legendary stories of the "Seven Bulls Rocks" and the "Broken Heart". After lunch, we will travel along the south bank of the Issyk-Kul Lake to the Royal Gate Yurt Hotel, where you will stay for one night. Then walk a few minutes to Skazka, the Canyon Fairy Tale, a place with little vegetation and no streams, famous for its strange rocky landscape, and you'll meet a variety of animals. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Royal Gate Yurt Hotel at Skazka Canyon
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Day 5: Explore Bokonbayevo, Drive 5h to Song Kol Lake
Today we will explore Bokonbayevo first. You can watch golden eagles here, listen to their owners sharing their daily routines about training, or have a visit to the local bazaar. Then we will drive two hours to Kochkor. After having lunch in a local family, we will continue driving for 3 hours to Kyrgyzstan's second largest lake, Song Kol Lake with an altitude of 3016 m. On the way we will pass by Kalmak Ashuu Pass, 3447 m above sea level, so you can overlook stunning views of Song Kol Lake here. If it is summer, you can see many herdsmen grazing their cattle, sheep and yaks on the broad plateau. In the evening we will live in a yurt camp on the southern bank of Song Kol Lake. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Nomad's Dream Yurt Camp
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Day 6: Song Kol Lake discovery
Today you will enjoy a leisure day with our guide. You can get up early to watch the sunrise and then walk around the lake, or ride a horse touring around the lake at your own expense. You can also visit the hospitable Kyrgyz family to taste the fermented horse milk. It will be romantic to watch the sunset at dusk and the starry sky at night. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Nomad's Dream Yurt Camp
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Today we are going to Naryn City. On the way we will pass by the Moldo-Ashu Pass at an altitude of 3, 346 m, from which you can clearly see the road winding down, and it is also an excellent spot to overlook Naryn. As the administrative center of the Naryn Region, Naryn City has museums, research institutes, government buildings and other public buildings. In the afternoon we'll enjoy a walk around the city. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Aska Hotel
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Day 8: Tash Rabat exploration
Today we are going to visit Tash Rabat in At-Bashi. On the way we will stop at Koshoy Korgon and visit its museum. Koshoy Korgon was once a defensive fortress for the rulers of Turkic. The museum is divided into two parts: one displays the tools, household items, military equipment and other items used by ancient tribes; the other shows the Kyrgyz culture and nomadic life. Upon arrival, we will go to visit Tash Rabat Caravanserai. It is a stone building dating back to the 15th century and has 31 rooms. Part of the building is embedded in the mountain. While visiting inside, you can feel the ancient businessmen’s enthusiasm for trade and cultural communication between the east and the west along the ancient Silk Road. We will have lunch at Tash Rabat and return to Naryn City in the afternoon. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Aska Hotel
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Day 9: Transfer to Kochkor
After breakfast, we will head to Kochkor, a felt making center. In Kochkor, women from several villages have set up a felt store together, Altyn-kol, to sell their products, and the process of making felt can be seen here. On the way we will also visit the salt mine in Tuzz. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Nomad Lodge Kochkor (4 stars)
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Today we will drive back to Bishkek and reach there in early afternoon for lunch. Spend the rest time of the day to relax or move around freely. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Orion Hotel Bishkek (5 stars)
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Day 11: Transfer to the airport and departure
Your holiday will be over today. The tour guide will transfer you to Bishkek Airport based on your flight time. Meals: Breakfast
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