A five-day private circuit of Issyk Kul lake with both coasts: Burana Tower, Chon Kemin, Konorchek canyon, Cholpon Ata, Grigoriev and Semyonov gorges, Karakol, Jeti Oguz, Barskoon, Skazka canyon, Ak Sai and a yurt camp on the wild south shore. All year round.
This is the operator's fullest short private route around Issyk Kul, the second largest alpine lake in the world, with eleven destinations on both coasts. Two days cover the north shore: the Burana Tower, a horseback ride in the Chon Kemin valley, the Konorchek canyon, Cholpon Ata with the Rukh Ordo centre and a ship ride to a depth of 120 m, and the Grigoriev and Semyonov gorges. The route then crosses to Karakol, with hot springs at Ak Suu, the ski base at 3,040 m, the Jeti Oguz valley and its Maiden Braids waterfall, the Barskoon waterfalls and the Skazka canyon. Nights are in hotels and a yurt camp on the wild south beach.
This is a private tour with published per-person rates for the all-inclusive package: 2,300 US dollars for a solo traveller, 1,300 US dollars per person for two people and 990 US dollars per person for groups of three and more. Larger groups are quoted on request.
The 'From' price of 990 US dollars on the official page corresponds to the rate for a group of three or more.
Only your group participates. Start time is 8 AM or coordinated with you. Duration: 5 days and 4 nights. Availability: all year round. Level of difficulty: easy to moderate.
Group departures on the same route are available as a separate programme with an all-year-round schedule, and the operator also offers four-day and three-day versions of the tour.
The ship ride from Cholpon Ata stops about 4 km from the shore at a depth of 120 m. Diving into the water with life jackets is offered in the hot season only, from May to September; in other months the ride continues as a scenic cruise over the lake. Two of the lakeside attractions, the ski base and the hike to the hidden lake in the Grigoriev and Semyonov gorges, may be unavailable in winter.
Pick-up at the hotel in the morning, then a first stop at the Burana Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where about 40 minutes are spent climbing the tower, visiting the archaeology museum and looking at the balbals. The second stop is the Chon Kemin valley for a horseback ride through fields and forest up to a panoramic point over the valley, with lunch in a restaurant with a 360-degree view. On the way to Issyk Kul the group makes a light hike in the Konorchek canyon, then checks in at a hotel in Cholpon Ata on the north coast (Olimp or similar) for dinner and the night.
The morning begins at Rukh Ordo, an open-air spiritual centre devoted to world cultures and Kyrgyz heritage, then continues to the local dock for a ship ride on Issyk Kul. Four kilometres out the ship stops at a depth of 120 m, and in the hot season (May to September) passengers may swim with life jackets; in other seasons the ride is simply a view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. After lunch the route follows the north coast to Karakol, visiting the Grigoriev and Semyonov gorges and their hidden alpine lakes. Hotel check-in in Karakol (78, Green Yard or similar), then an evening swim in the hot spring pools near the forest in Ak Suu village, dinner and the night.
A short morning city excursion covers the Dungan mosque of 1910, the Russian Orthodox church of 1895 and a local handmade souvenir shop if the group is interested. Seven kilometres out of Karakol, at the country's best ski resort, a chair lift rises to 3,040 m for green meadows, coniferous forests, glaciers, snow-capped peaks and the whole lake below. Back in Karakol for lunch, the group then leaves the town for the southern coast and the Jeti Oguz valley, driving deep into the valley of flowers to a jailoo with yurt camps. A horseback ride through forests and up the mountains reaches the Maiden Braids waterfall, with free time on the pastures, dinner, a bonfire and the night in yurts.
After breakfast the route continues along the south coast, with a photo stop at the Jeti Oguz panorama and a hike in the atmospheric Barskoon valley to its three waterfalls. Lunch is followed by an easy walk in the Skazka (Fairy Tale) canyon, and then the group arrives at the Bel Tam yurt camp on the wild beach of Issyk Kul, which has showers, toilets, water sinks, laundry and a bar. The night is spent in a yurt with the sound of the lake's waves, with free time, dinner in a big kitchen yurt and a bonfire.
The last day starts with a relaxed morning at the yurt camp: time on the beach, a sense of the lake's scale and a slow breakfast. The group then takes the main south-coast road to Ak Sai village for an eagle hunting demonstration and archery; only an artificial animal carcass is used as prey. Next comes the hidden Canyon of Forgotten Rivers and its otherworldly views, then a picnic on the wild beach as a farewell to Issyk Kul, with eating, swimming and sunbathing. The final 230 km bring the group back to Bishkek, where everyone is dropped off at their hotel (not included). The tour ends there.
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