Five reasons to visit Kyrgyzstan

Nature: mountains, lakes and four seasons

Nature is the first thing anyone names when asked what Kyrgyzstan has to offer, and the country holds up to it: mountains, greenery, lakes, canyons, gorges, plains, forests and glaciers follow one another within a single day of driving. The climate is continental, which means four distinct seasons — and the country looks different in each of them.

Summer brings rich green scenery and open lakes, autumn turns the valleys golden, winter covers the slopes in snow and spring brings them into bloom. Kyrgyzstan is also home to Issyk Kul, the second largest alpine lake in the world. A traveller who has seen both its northern and its southern shore has, in a sense, seen most of the country.

Culture rooted in a nomadic past

The nomadic past still shapes what a visitor can do here. In the capital you step into the busy life of contemporary Bishkek; in the regions the Kyrgyz heritage is closer to the surface, and you can take part in traditions that have been preserved for generations.

Among them are horse riding, falcon hunting, yurt camping and yurt assembly, and felt carpet weaving. Crafts and everyday skills that once belonged to the movement between pastures now form the core of cultural travel in the country.

Horse games: kok boru and falconry

The national games are one of the most captivating parts of Kyrgyz culture, and almost all of them involve horses. The most popular is kok boru, 'grey wolf': two teams of riders compete much as football or basketball teams do, with a goal at each end of a large field. The aim is to throw a sheep or goat carcass into the goal as many times as possible — one goal, one point. The game is fast and rough, riders are often injured in the struggle and sometimes fall from their horses. It can be seen in many parts of the country during national tournaments and ethnic festivals.

Falcon hunting is an ancient form of the hunt that Kyrgyz people have practised for centuries. The classic scene has a rider on horseback with a hooded bird on his outstretched arm and a hound running ahead after the prey — usually a fox or a hare. Once the hood comes off, the bird launches at the running animal. Demonstrations arranged for visitors today normally use an artificial lure rather than live prey.

The places travellers ask about first

The short list of the country's most popular places runs like this: Bishkek; Ala Archa National Park; Burana Tower; Issyk Kul lake with the town of Cholpon Ata; Karakol on the northern shore; Jeti Oguz valley; Skazka, the Fairy Tale canyon; Barskoon waterfalls; Son Kol lake; Kel Suu lake; the Tash Rabat fortress; Osh city; Sary Chelek lake; Arslanbob, the largest walnut forest in the world; Toktogul reservoir; and the Suusamyr valley.

When to come

Because the country has all four seasons, the choice of dates matters more than anything else in the planning. Summer suits lakes, green valleys and long days on the pastures; autumn is the season of golden slopes; winter brings snowy views; spring shows the country waking up. The same route looks like a different trip depending on the month.