A journey inspired by the Books of Sergey Dudashvili— 2027

Bishkek — Introduction to the City. Arrival in Bishkek. Upon arrival at Manas International Airport, transfer to Bishkek and check-in at the hotel.

After some rest, we will take our first walk around the city. This will not be a standard sightseeing tour but an introduction to Kyrgyzstan through its streets, squares, leafy boulevards and the rhythm of modern city life.

We will see what Bishkek is like today before travelling to places where the city ends and a completely different Kyrgyzstan begins.

If Sergey Dudashvili is in Bishkek during our journey, we may have an opportunity to meet the author in person. Over tea or dinner, we can talk about his travels, look through his books and photographs, and hear stories about the places featured in the “Unknown Kyrgyzstan” series. The following day, we will set off to discover the places he wrote about and once explored himself.

Overnight: Hotel in Bishkek

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Bishkek — Navekat — Chon-Kemin. Approximately 180–200 km / 3–4 hours plus stops. After breakfast, our journey begins.

Our first stop is Navekat, also known as the Krasnaya Rechka archaeological site, one of the most important medieval monuments in the Chuy Valley.

Caravan routes of the Great Silk Road once passed through this area, bringing together different peoples, cultures and religions. Today, only ruins, earthen ramparts and traces of the past remain from the once-thriving city. Standing here, it is easy to appreciate just how ancient this land is.

After visiting Navekat, we continue east. Fields and settlements gradually give way to the mountains, and Kyrgyzstan begins to change before our eyes.

By evening, we arrive in Chon-Kemin, a broad mountain valley surrounded by high ridges.

Overnight: Hotel

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Chon-Kemin — Northern Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul — Karkara. Approximately 270–300 km / 5–6 hours plus stops. Today’s route crosses mountain passes before reaching the northern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. The lake appears gradually—first between the slopes and then in its full scale, vast and almost motionless. Water stretches out on one side and mountains rise on the other.

On the way, we will stop in Ornok, one of the places Sergey Dudashvili wrote about in his books. Here, we will walk to ancient petroglyphs carved into the rocks centuries ago and see what once captured the author’s attention.

We then continue along the northern shore, gradually leaving the familiar resort areas behind. This is a wonderful section of the journey for simply watching the landscape through the window: small gorges, mountain slopes, villages and the seemingly endless shoreline.

The road then turns east towards the Karkara Valley—the “Valley of Cranes”, as Sergey Dudashvili described it in his book.

By evening, we will find ourselves in a vast open landscape at the foot of the Tien Shan Mountains.

Overnight: Yurt camp in Karkara

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Karkara — A Day in the Mountains. Approximately 30–60 km around the area / 2–4 hours of driving. Karkara is not a place to rush through.

Today, we remain in the valley and explore its surroundings. The day is dedicated to walks, short drives, photography and observing life on the high-altitude pastures.

Here, we may see herds of horses, experience the immense scale of the mountains and understand why some places do not need a long list of attractions. Sometimes, it is enough simply to stop and take in the surroundings.

Overnight: Yurt camp in Karkara

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Karkara — Karakol — Southern Shore of Lake Issyk-Kul — Oimo-Tash. Approximately 250–280 km / 5–6 hours plus stops. We leave Karkara and travel to Karakol.

The city welcomes us with a completely different atmosphere: historic streets, wooden houses, traces of different cultures and the story of a place that has stood at the crossroads of important routes for centuries.

After Karakol, we continue along the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. Here, the lake reveals a very different character. The northern shore was open and spacious, facing the mountain ranges. The southern shore has a more rugged landscape, with mountains rising close to the water and gorges stretching deep into the Tien Shan.

By evening, we arrive at Oimo-Tash, a remarkable location on the shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.

Overnight: Yurt camp in Oimo-Tash

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Oimo-Tash — Naryn. Approximately 230–260 km / 5–7 hours plus stops. Today, we leave Lake Issyk-Kul behind. The road climbs gradually into the mountains, and the landscape becomes increasingly austere: fewer trees, more rock, open skies and vast spaces.

This is the inner Tien Shan, a place where distances feel different.

By evening, we arrive in Naryn. The town stretches along the river, enclosed by mountains. Here, it becomes particularly clear how much the landscapes of Kyrgyzstan can change over just a few days of travel.

Overnight: Hotel in Naryn

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Naryn and Its Surroundings — The “Fiery City”. Approximately 50–100 km / 2–4 hours of driving plus walks. Today, we will once again go in search of the very essence that inspired the creation of "Unknown Kyrgyzstan." We are heading to the area around Naryn, where, amidst the mountains, striking red sandstone formations emerge—cliffs and rock pillars resembling the walls of an ancient city, towers, and figures frozen in stone. Here, one can clearly see how wind, water, and time gradually reshape the mountain landscape, creating forms that no human imagination could intentionally devise.

We will wander among these "red city walls," examining the details of the terrain and seeking out our own unique perspectives—just as Dudashvili did, pausing in places that most travelers simply drive past.

Naryn — Moldo-Ashuu Pass — Lake Son-Kul. Approximately 180–220 km / 5–7 hours plus stops. Today, the road itself becomes an adventure. We leave Naryn and climb higher into the mountains, travelling along scenic roads and across the Moldo-Ashuu Pass. Beyond the pass lies a world of high-altitude pastures. Familiar landmarks almost disappear, leaving only mountains, sky, wind, grass and the occasional yurt. Then Lake Son-Kul comes into view. The lake lies at an altitude of approximately 3116 metres. During summer, life around it follows a distinctive rhythm: nomadic families set up their yurts, herds of horses graze across the pastures, and in the evenings, complete silence settles over the water.

After dinner, an optional short horse ride will be available.

Overnight: Yurt camp at Lake Son-Kul

Meals: Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner

Lake Son-Kul — Ancient Rock Carvings. Approximately 30–60 km around the area / 2–4 hours of driving. oday, we remain at Lake Son-Kul.

The morning begins at an unhurried pace. The high-altitude lake changes almost every hour: the colour of the water shifts with the clouds, sunlight and wind, while the surrounding mountains appear close at one moment and almost invisible the next.

We will explore the surrounding area in search of ancient rock carvings. Thousands of years ago, people travelled through this land, hunted, grazed their animals and carved images of the world around them into the stones.

It soon becomes clear that Son-Kul is more than a beautiful mountain lake. It is a place where nature and human history exist side by side.

In the evening, there will be time to relax by the lake and watch our final sunset in the highlands.

Overnight: Yurt camp at Lake Son-Kul

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Lake Son-Kul — Bishkek. Approximately 300–330 km / 5.5–7 hours plus stops. This is the final full day of our journey.

We descend from Lake Son-Kul, leaving the high-altitude pastures and yurts behind. The road gradually returns us to the Chuy Valley. The altitude, temperature and vegetation change, and roads and settlements begin to reappear.

But we now see Kyrgyzstan differently. We have visited ancient cities once crossed by Silk Road caravans. We have seen stones bearing images carved thousands of years ago. We have travelled along mountain roads, explored both shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, experienced nomadic life and climbed to the high-altitude Lake Son-Kul.

Throughout the journey, one question has remained with us: what else have we not yet noticed?

In the evening, we return to Bishkek and enjoy dinner at a restaurant.

Overnight: Hotel in Bishkek

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Bishkek — Airport. Our final morning in Kyrgyzstan. Transfer to Manas International Airport for your departure flight.

Until we meet again on the roads of “Unknown Kyrgyzstan”!

Meals: Breakfast lunch box