THREE LAKES TOUR
Discover the Heart of Kygyzstan: An adventure through Mountains, Lakes and Nomadic life. A combination of hiking and horse riding. Discover the Heart of Kygyzstan: An adventure through Mountains, Lakes and Nomadic life. A combination of hiking and horse riding.
12-day tour with choice: 2 medium difficult treks in the high mountains and 3 days horse riding, or 3 medium/difficult treks
The first few days you will get acquainted with the life of the nomads, hiking to Lake Issyk Kul and later to Son-Kul Lake at 3100m where you will spend the nights in yurts. The tour then goes to Kochkor where you start the 3 days horse-riding trek or hike to Kol-Ukok
About tour
This programme includes hiking to the 2 largest lakes of Kyrgyzstan, lake Issyk-Kul and Son-Kul and to the hidden gem, lake Kol Ukok. You spend the night in yurts in Son-Kul and Kol Ukok. The trekking is not extremely difficult but some days are rather long, 6-7 hours hiking should be possible. For the horse riding part you do not need to be an experienced horse rider, but you should have a basic knowledge of how to ride. You will spend 1 night in small tents, the other nights in a guesthouse, B&B, yurt or in a nice hotel in Bishkek. Transportation is by Mercedes mini van.
Luggage is transported by horse, you have to carry your own daypack. You must be in good physical condition, do not require luxury and have experience with hiking in the mountains..
This trip can be booked as a group trip or as an individual trip. A group consists of 4-8 people, a guide, and possibly an English-speaking interpreter.
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 we will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Bishkek. After lunch, sightseeing around Bishkek with a guide/interpreter. Bishkek is a fairly new city, largely built in the Soviet style with wide boulevards, many parks and numerous terraces. Stay at hotel Umai. |
| Day 3 | Leave Bishkek, first stop is the Burana Tower, – an architectural complex of the 10th century which survived from the times of the Great Silk Road. Climb the 24-metre high minaret, see the mausoleum, petroglyphs and Balbals, grave stones from the middle ages. Continue to the peaceful valley of Chon-Kemin, where you will relax in the very nice Kok Archa Guesthouse -your gateway to adventure. |
| Day 4 | Guided Hike to Kalmak Ashuu Pass & Mountain Camping. Start of a 2 day trek, today a thrilling full-day hike with an experienced guide to the scenic Kalmakashuu Pass. Surrounded by alpine scenery, at 2880m you will spend the night under the stars in small tents. Luggage will be transported on horse back. |
| Day 5 | Today descend to Issyk-Kul and journey to Kyzart. Cross the Kalmakashuu Pass (3350 m) and hike down towards the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, know as the “Pearl of Central Asia.” Here the car will be waiting for you. Enjoy the lake’s beauty, and drive onward to the mountain village of Kyzyart, in the Jumgal valley. Here you will stay in a charming local guesthouse. |
| Day 6 | Trek to the Nomadic Paradise of Son-Kul. Today a long hike. A 6-7 hour hike up over the Chaar-Archa Pass (3,300 m) to Song-Kul Lake. First 900-1000m up and then 200m down to the lake (alt 3100m.). Son-Kul is located on a wide plateau surrounded by mountains that are around 4,000m high. There are many shepherd families on the plateau and they spend their whole summer here with their horses, cattle, sheep and yaks. It will be cold here at night so bring warm clothes. Stay in a traditional yurt. |
| Day 7 | Descend over the Kalmak Ashuu Pass, (3340m). Start on foot and after a couple hours you reach the village Tolok. From here by car to Kochkor, a village well known for making shirdaks (felt carpets) and other felt products. Witness the ancient craft of felt making and stay in a comfortable guesthouse. |
| Day 8 | On horseback to Kol Ukok. Saddle up for a spectacular horseback ride of 4-6 hours with a local guide to the alpine lake Kol Ukok, alt 3030m, surrounded by sweeping meadows and dramatic peaks. Spend the night in an authentic yurt at the lakeside. If you do not want to ride up, you can hike this itinerary. On foot it is 14.5 km., up 1.100m to the lake where you will stay in a yurt again. |
| Day 9 | Explore Kol Ukok on horseback or on foot. There are different possibilities, you can hike around the lake and from time to time climb up to an overlook or hike to the smaller Kol-Tor lake, this takes 5-6 hours hiking. Choose your adventure: hike along crystal-clear streams or ride further into the mountains. Enjoy a second peaceful night in your lakeside yurt. |
| Day 10 | Return to Kochkor. Descend on horseback or on foot back to Kochkor, where the trekking part of the tour comes to a close with a final guesthouse stay. |
| Day 11 | After breakfast you return to Bishkek. First along the Tokoy Water reserve and over the Kubaky pass (alt 2160m.) into the Boom gorge. Here you stop for a hike in the Konorchok Canyons. The weather beaten rocks are shaped and carved by time, wind and water, with the use of some imagination they may turn into people, animals or castles of bizarre shapes and forms. These canyons are often compared to the Grand Canyon in the USA. From here, the main road back to Bishkek where you will arrive in the afternoon. Some time for last minute shopping. Stay in hotel Umai or equivalent. |
| Day 12 | 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 | |
| The end of May | Until the end August |
| Group | |
| 4 and more persons | |
| For 4-5 persons (horse riding to Kol-Ukok) | |
| Price with guide-interpreter | € 1.665 p.p. |
| Price without guide-interpreter | € 1.335 p.p. |
| For 4-5 persons (hiking to Kol-Ukok) | |
| Price with guide (whole tour) | € 1.495 p.p. |
| Price with trek guide only | € 1.180 p.p. |
| For 6 and more persons (horse riding to Kol-Ukok) | |
| Price with guide (whole tour) | € 1.375 p.p. |
| Price with trek guide only | € 1.140 p.p. |
| For 6 and more persons (hiking to Kol-Ukok) | |
| Price with guide (whole tour) | € 1.245 p.p. |
| Price with trek guide only | € 1.015 p.p. |
For bookings of 6, or more, persons we offer a 5% discount. In case there are less participants than required, if you pay an additional fee, the trip will go on as planned.8
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.
• Transport by minibus, jeep
• Transfer to and from the airport
• All meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Accommodation in hotel, B&B, guesthouse, yurt and homestay
• Programme as described, including guide and camping equipment
• English/German (as required) speaking guide/interpreter
• Flight
• Insurances
• Personal expenses
• Entrance charges if applicable
• Gratuities
• 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 holiday.
Our trips are suitable for those who do not crave 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…
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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.