The round felt dwelling of the nomads is still part of life in Kyrgyzstan: it shelters shepherds on the summer pastures, appears in city courtyards for holidays and welcomes travellers at yurt camps. Here is how a Kyrgyz yurt is built, what its parts are called, and the numbers behind it.
Mountains and lakes in four seasons, nomadic traditions you can join, horse games and falconry, the places travellers ask about first, and the question of when to come: what actually draws people to Kyrgyzstan.
Ala Archa on foot, horse riding in Chunkurchak or Chon Kemin, a cultural walk through the capital, paragliding above the city and rafting on the Chu river: five ways to fill a day, or a day trip, from Bishkek.
A photo album of Kyrgyzstan's best-known lake, following a route around it: Cholpon Ata and the northern shore, Grigoriev gorge, Karakol, Jeti Oguz and Kok Jayik, Skazka canyon and the southern shore, and the Chon Kemin valley on the way back.
Why markets, workshops and ordinary streets matter as much as the famous tiled facades.
A practical orientation to heat, altitude and the short high-mountain summer.
What to expect from a yurt stay and how to arrive with respect for the people hosting you.
