Felt workshop
4-day tour teaching the basics of felt making, since 2008
Every Kyrgyz pattern has a meaning and these will all be explained
Design and make your own small shyrdak (felt carpet), a memento to take away with you
Experience a night in yurt and meet a man who hunts with golden eagles
About tour
For people who only have a limited amount of time we have developed compact tours that will allow you to experience a flavour of the nomadic life and culture. The short programs can be done for this price between June 1 and September 1 – if places available.
Accommodation will be in one or more of our yurt camps up in the mountains from where you will be able to hike or ride a horse further into the mountains, and to swim in lake Issyk Kul. On some of our tours you will hear local children playing traditional Kyrgyz instruments, or see how our national drink, kymyz, is made from horse’s milk. Visiting shepherds living, with their families, in the high summer pastures is also very popular.
Below are a few examples of such tours. Depending on the length of your stay and your personal interests it is possible to include other activities. Unless otherwise stated transportation is by minibus.
If required an English speaking guide can be provided for the duration of the trip, but please note this is not included in the prices quoted.
Day By Day Programme
Here you can find a detailed description of the tour with routes and locations
| Day 1 | Depart from Bishkek after breakfast. Visit Burana Tower, a remnant of a town from the old Silk Road, and the museum. Then onto Kara Suu village. Here starts the first workshop making felt traditional way. We stay in the house of a shyrdak-making family. |
| Day 2 | We will continue with the workshops (shyrdak), learning about the meaning of Kyrgyz patterns and making chi, the reed mat that is used as insulation between the frame and the felt of the yurt. In the afternoon we will visit Kochkor. Stay in the house in Kara-Suu. |
| Day 3 | Leave Kara-Suu and drive along the south shore of Lake Issyk-Kul to Kyzyl-Tuu, a village known for making of yurt frames and yurt decorations. We have lunch here with a local family that specialise in carving and bending yurt frames. After lunch to the yurt camp Sonun close to the edge of the lake. Stay in a yurt. |
| Day 4 | In the morning we visit Bokonbaevo and meet a man who hunts with eagles and other birds of prey, before returning to Bishkek. End of the tour. |
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 | |
| 4 and more persons | |
| For four and more persons | |
| Price | € 340 p.p. |
For bookings of 4, 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.
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.