Self-drive routes

Talking about Kyrgyzstan, it is possible to say that it is the country of amazing mountain ranges and blue sky of self-drive routes. The tops of mountains are nearly touching the sky and there is a feeling that you are at the brink of the world. Guests can make a tour in the country and visit various remote places where the ancient life can be seen.

Those who travel notice that the roads are usually bad in our country, especially in the mountains, so the 4WD off-road trips are taken. The following sites can be visited by the visitants during Kyrgyzstan tours. Get to know more details about them:

One of the first places worth visiting is Ala Archa National Park. The park is at the height of 1600-4800m above sea level and there are two ways of spending free time there - active and passive. Usually guests choose to hike the mountains.

The other place which will be visited by the group is Chon Kemin gorge. The gorge is known for its amazing views and unforgettable landscape. Being here everyone can start horse-riding, and the local people will be always glad to teach the details. At the same time the animals know the territory and they can show various hidden places.

Then we continue our route by going to the Issyk Kul Lake. The Lake is well known for being at the height of 1600m above sea level, surrounded by the mountains, but never freezing. That is why the name means "hot lake". There are a lot of sites of great significance which must be visited by the boarders - Grigoryevskoe and Semenovskoe gorges, Jeti Oguz gorge, Barskoon waterfalls and Fairy Tale (Skazka) Canyon.

Being in the Issyk Kul region guests should not miss the Karakol town. It is the home of the religious places as Russian Orthodox Church, Dungan Mosque and Memorial Museum of N. M. Przhevalsky. All of them can be investigated during Kyrgyzstan tours. Then the route goes along the Kochkor village. The village is popular for the local people, their local traditional cuisine and various handicraft demonstration shows. Right from the village we make a way to the Tash Rabat Caravanserai.  The date of its creation is unknown, unfortunately, and the local people call it the "stone castle" though the name actually means "stone barn".

The continuation of the trip goes to the Son Kul Lake, the lake located at the height of 3016m above sea level. This site is peculiar for the enigmatic, spellbinding landscape. The territory is a dream. There are nomads and cattle here during the warm seasons of the year. They are always glad to tell various legends and myths of all the famous sites of the country. At the same time it is known that guests can't wander here any time but only during the period of June to September. The altitude makes the precipitations to be high, and the territory is covered with a thick sheet of snow.

Then the visitants make a route to Kazarman village and investigate the ancient places of the Osh city. Moreover, the way goes to Uzgen minaret of the Jalal Abad region. Being here we also witness the greatest walnut natural forest Arslanbob, where walnuts, apple, pear, and cherry grow.

On the way we notice the Toktogul water reservoir which is almost dried up. It is located at the Naryn River and it goes to the other neighbor countries then. For the better acquaintance we offer the example of the trip:
Day 1: Bishkek - Ala Archa - Bishkek
Day 2: Bishkek - Chon Kemin
Day 3: Chon Kemin - Issyk Kul lake northern shore
Day 4: Issyk Kul northern shore - Grigorievskoye - Karakol
Day 5: Karakol - Jeti Oguz (can sleep here) - Issyk Kul southern shore - Kochkor
Day 6: Kochkor - Kichi Naryn - Naryn (or drive directly to Tash Rabat via Dolon pass)
Day 7: Naryn - Tash Rabat
Day 8: Tash Rabat - Son Kul
Day 9: Son Kul - Kyzyl Oi
Day 10:  Kyzyl Oi - Bishkek
And in case you can spend more time in the country, please see the additional days:
Day 09: Son Kul - Kazarman
Day 10: Kazarman - Osh
Day 11: Osh - Arslanbob 
Day 12: Arslanbob  - Toktogul
Day 13: Toktogul - Bishkek
Day 14: Flight