Active family tour
15-day tour, since 2015
This tour is suitable for families with children between 6 and 14 years old
Active and adventurous, and an experience your children will never forget
Living in yurts, swimming in mountain lakes. Riding horses, hiking in magical canyons … and limited internet. A unique experience for the whole family.
About tour
An active and adventurous tour with a varied programme. Kyrgyzstan is a very special, and still relatively unknown, destination for a family holiday. Ecotour has put together a special programme for families with children. It is an active programme with much happening – hiking in the high mountains, horse riding (or learning how to ride on the small Kyrgyz horses) and swimming in Lake Issyk-Kul. At the different yurt camps where you will be staying there will be local children who will love to play with your children or take them off for a hike.
In Bishkek you will stay in a small comfortable hotel not far from the centre of town, and in the mountains a few times in a nice B&Bs, in a boz-ui (yurts) the felt house of the nomads or nice hotel. Local families who live in the yurt camp will take care of you and your children. Transportation will be by minibus and an English or German speaking guide/interpreter will accompany you during the whole tour.
If you have children who love adventure, if you are interested in learning about and experiencing other cultures, if like to be active and are in reasonable physical condition, if you do not need luxury, then this is just the holiday for you and your family in a wonderful destination. It will depend on the age and interest of your children if you want to include all options mentioned in the programme.
This price includes everything except flights, insurance, personal expenses, entrance fees and bottled beverages.
Day By Day Programme
Here you can find a detailed description of the tour with routes and locations
| Day 1 | Departure from your local airport. |
| Day 2 | Arrival at Manas Airport where you will be met and taken to your hotel in Bishkek. After a rest and a light lunch some sightseeing around Bishkek. Bishkek is a relatively new city built mostly in the Soviet style with wide boulevards, many parks and numerous terraces. We will visit the Old Square from where we can walk through the oldest park in Bishkek, Oak Park, to the main square, Ala-Too. Passing by the National Opera and Ballet Theatre we will get to Victory Square, built for the 40th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War (Second World War). We will also visit the Panfilov amusement park for children. Stay in hotel. |
| Day 3 | By minibus to the Chon Kemin Valley. This long valley stretches across altitudes of 1.400 m and 2.800 m, and reaches over 80 km deep into the mountains, parallel to the Kazakh border. It has verdant pastures, woodland (of Tien Shan Firs), several mountain lakes and spectacular views of the mountains. Here we will stay in a nice guesthouse at the edge of a village. From here we hike into the mountains. It is possible to rent horses here (cost not included). Stay in Guesthouse. |
| Day 4 | Day in Chon Kemin. We can go hiking or horse riding in the surrounding mountains; a rather strenuous hike up to a wooden shed at 2800m. is one of the possibilities. Stay in guesthouse. |
| Day 5 | It is a short drive to the Boom Valley where we will hike for a couple hours in the Konorchok Canyons. The weather-beaten rocks have been shaped and carved by time, wind and water and, with the use of some imagination, they may turn into people, animals or castles of bizarre shapes and forms. From here we continue to the yurt camp Temir-Kanat on the south side of Lake Issyk-Kul. The yurt camp is located on a plateau above the village (2.450 m). The last 100 m up we will have to walk or go on horseback as vehicles cannot easily reach the yurt camp. From here you have a beautiful view of the lake and, on the far side of the lake, the mountains beyond that border Kazakhstan. Stay in yurt. |
| Day 6-7 | Two days in the yurt camp where you can hike and/or go for a horse ride (not included). There are many (young) animals and often children from the village come to play with your children. We can taste the traditional drink, kymyz, made of fermented mare’s milk and cook a traditional meal with the family in the yurt camp. Watch some local games played on horseback. Stay in yurt. |
| Day 8 | Down to Sonun yurt camp on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. In Bokonbaevo we will stop to meet a man who hunts with golden eagles and other birds of prey. He will show his birds and tell about his profession. Then continue to Sonun, located in a semi-desert area at the border of the lake. From where we can see the white topped mountains on the other side of the lake. In the afternoon we can go swimming in the lake or hike in the badlands. Stay in yurt. |
| Day 9 | Day in Sonun yurt camp. Hike in the badlands or go swimming in the lake. It is also possible to help cooking a Kyrgyz meal. |
| Day 10 | We leave Sonun after breakfast and visit Fairy Tale Valley. The sandstone cliffs of this miniature canyon have been weather-sculptured into an ensemble of fairy-castles, pillars and human forms and faces, ranging in color from deep red to bright orange and yellow. We continue to Karakol, the largest town in this part of the country where we arrive in the late afternoon. Stay in hotel. |
| Day 11 | Day trip to Jeti Ogus. If this is Sunday first an early morning visit the famous animal market. Farmers from all the surrounding villages come here to buy and sell their horses, sheep, cows etc. Next to Jeti Ogus one of the most beautiful gorges in Kyrgyzstan located at the altitude of 2200 meters above the sea level. You will see famous red rocks the “Seven Bulls” and the “Broken Heart”. Many legends are known about those rock formation. In the small village there is an old Russian Spa, if you want to take a bath or have a massage, this is possible to arrange. In the afternoon return to Karakol. Stay in guesthouse. |
| Day 12 | Along the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul to Cholpon-Ata, a nice bathing resort with a sandy beach. In Oruktu we wil stop to take a bath in an open-air-hot spa, bathing suit required. Stay in hotel in Cholpon-Ata. |
| Day 13 | From Cholpon-Ata back to Bishkek. We will stop to visit the Burana Tower, a remnant of an old Silk Road Town. The tower is part of the minaret of the town of Balasagun, capital of the Karahanids in the 11th century. In 1974 the tower was partly restored and now we can climb up inside the tower and enjoy the beautiful view of the surrounding mountains. Around the tower we find Balbals (gravestones) from between the 6th and 10th centuries. The newly built small museum contains more artifacts collected in this area. Stay in Bishkek at the Umai hotel or equivalent. |
| Day 14 | Day in Bishkek without set program. We can do some shopping, ga to the Osh bazaar, stroll through the green parks or visit one of the museums. Lunch not included. Stay in hotel Umai or equivalent. |
| Day 15 | Transfer to Manas Airport and departure. |
Due to unforeseen circumstances, it might be necessary to make small changes in the program.
We ask for your understanding.
Tour specifics
Our tours can be organized for individual travelers or groups of up to 10 people (and sometimes more) and for families with (young) children. For the majority of our tours you can specify the start date and length of the tour.
| Date | |
| On request | On request |
| Group: one adult + two children | |
| Price for Adult | € 1.825 p.p. |
| Price for Child | € 1.460 p.p. |
| Group: two adults + child | |
| Price for Adult | € 1.720 p.p. |
| Price for Child | € 1.380 p.p. |
| Group: two adults + two children | |
| Price for Adult | € 1.535 p.p. |
| Price for Child | € 1.230 p.p. |
| Group: two adults + three children | |
| Price for Adult | € 1.415 p.p. |
| Price for Child | € 1.130 p.p. |
Terms of payment
Your booking will be confirmed upon receipt of a deposit of euros 250 per person. The outstanding balance must be paid either 8 weeks before departure or in cash upon arrival. We do not accept debit or credit cards.
• Transportation by minibus
• Transfer from and to the airport
• All meals, breakfast, lunch and supper
• Stay in hotel, B&B, guesthouse, yurt and homestay
• Programme as described
• English/German (as required) speaking guide/interpreter
• Flight
• Insurances
• Personal expenses
• Entrance charges if applicable
• Tips
• Alcoholic and other bottled beverages
• Activities not mentioned in the programme
If you have to cancel a tour you already booked, we have to charge you cancellation fee.
If Ecotour cancels the tour, of course you will get back the full amount you paid.
If you cancel your trip, depending on the time your message reaches us, you owe Ecotour the following amount:
| till 42 days before departure | one pays the deposit |
| day 42- till day 28 | 35 % |
| day 28- till day 21 | 40 % |
| day 21- till day 14 | 50 % |
| day 14- till day 5 | 75 % |
| day 5 – till day 2 | 90 % |
| on the last day before and the day of departure | 100% |
A trip with Ecotour means an unusual and unforgettable vacation.
Our trips are suitable for those who do not insist on luxury, love the mountains,
appreciate the silence and do not want to travel in large groups.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU
Kyrgyzstan is a land full of beautiful experiences and wonders unique…
click the link below
Mountain passes, bad tracks, off-road, and firm climbs over 3000 m characterize this route.
Not all slopes are steep, but some are very long and on dirt roads.
But it is worth the effort.