4x4 self-driving program

Bishkek (city tour. Arrival to Bishkek, meeting at the “Manas” airport. Transfer to the hotel. This day we will have a city tour with visiting philharmonic hall with the Manas complex, main Ala-Too square with historical museum and White House, old square with oak park, government building and Lenin statue. We will also visit the victory square and eat dinner in the city center. Or just have a rest in a hotel.

Bishkek – Cholpon-Ata / ~ 270 km of drive (4-5 hours of drive). In the morning after breakfast we will drive by the Mountainous road to Tokmok town. On the way we will visit the historical-architectural complex of Burana Tower. After that we will drive further to Cholpon-Ata – the town which is located on the shores of one of the most beautiful lakes in Kyrgyzstan – Issyk-Kul lake.

Issyk-Kul Lake is the second biggest mountain lake after Titicaca in South America; it is one of 25 biggest and 7 deepest lakes in the world. Local people call this lake the “Pearl of Kyrgyzstan”. As a small bead put on the chain of mountain ridges it definitely justifies this name. The “Pearl” is located on the height of 1609 m above the sea level and enclosed from two sides by the ranges with the poetic names Terskey-Ala-Too (turned from the sun) and Kungey-Ala-Too (turned to the sun).

At sunset, you will have a boat trip with a buffet on the ship.


Overnight will be at the hotel on the shore of the lake.

Cholpon-Ata. Today we have a day full of adventure. In the morning we will move to a horse farm for a 2-hour horse ride along the lake and to the ancient petroglyphs. Next, we will have lunch at a local national cafe, and in the afternoon we will watch Kyrgyz national horse games and archery show.


The demonstration of games includes: the famous game of Kok-boru (with the carcass of a goat), kyz-kumai (game of the wedding ceremony), as well as tyyin-enmei (raising a coin from the ground at a gallop) and Er-enish (rider wrestling).
After the performance, you will be able to mount a horse yourself, try your hand at the game of kok-boru, hold the carcass of a goat, and also shoot from a real nomad bow and take colorful photos. 


Dinner. Rest.

Cholpon-Ata – Karakol / ~ 200 km of drive (5-6 hours with stopping for lunch and walking in the mountains). Today we can make a loop through two beautiful Semyonov and Grigoriev gorges visiting on the road picturesque mountainous lake.
Our next stop will be at the Reina-Kench farm for lunch.

After lunch we will drive to the city of Karakol where we may visit the ancient Dungan Mosque, and a Holy Trinity wooden Church which was first built without a single nail. We may also visit Prjevalsky museum 15 km from the town. 


Overnight at the hotel.

Karakol – Naryn / ~ 300 km. This day you will enjoy the most difficult driving through the mountains. Over 100 km by the bumpy mountainous road will check your driving skills. However, the surroundings are so picturesque, green and virgin that you will appreciate this trip anyway.

The road abruptly goes up and down, and the swirling river remains somewhere far below the canyon. Sometimes the road almost grinds to the rocks. Even though we are going much higher than the level of the river, the mountains still rise very high. Fir trees in the canyon looks just like taiga. As we move downstream of Small Naryn, the trees are much rare. On the way there are separate houses of livestock breeders. The road is deserted. In Soviet times, livestock farms were located along Small Naryn. Now the majority of them are only ruins.

In the evening we finally get to Naryn and have dinner at the hotel.

Kel-Suu Lake / ~ 350 km. After breakfast we will head to the valley of Ak-Say river, ascend Kyzyl-Bel pass, then go down to At-Bashi valley. From the pass we will go down to the Valley of Ak-Say River which is one of the biggest alpine valleys in Kyrgyzstan. The bottom height of the valley varies from 3000 up to 3900 m above the sea level. It is a steep area covered by short-grassy meadow, which is an ideal habitat for a popular Marco Polo sheep.

Coming to the yurt camp we will walk to the lake.

Kel-Suu Lake is situated at a height of 3500 m above the sea level and is surrounded by the high cliffs. The lake appeared from the landslip, which has blocked the river. Afterwards it turned into a basin with the length of 12 km.

After lunch we will drive along the circular road along the border with China.

Coming back to Naryn in the evening.

Son-Kul lake / ~ 200 km. This morning we will drive to Son-Kul Lake and see all its beauty. The lake is situated at the altitude of 3016m in the center of a small plateau, surrounded by a ring of mountains. The lake is one of the most beautiful spots in Kyrgyzstan. The shores are dotted with yurts (nomadic tents), inhabited by Kyrgyz families, spending summer and grazing their animals (sheep, yaks and horses) up here.

Arriving at the yurt camp (comfort +).

Son-Kul - Suusamyr valley - Bishkek/ ~ 350 km (6-7 hours of drive). We will leave Son-Kul and drive to Suusamyr valley. The first layover will take place at Djumgal valley. The valley is of the same size as Suusamyr valley, but it is drier. We will stay in Kyzyl-Oi village for lunch and will enjoy the folk show.

The view of one of the most beautiful rivers in Kyrgyzstan – Kekemeren River is fascinating.

We will continue driving to Suusamyr through the mountains and valleys. Later we will drive over Too-Ashu pass and get to Bishkek. Accommodation in the hotel.

Departure. This morning the car will take you to the airport for your flight home.