A four-day private loop around Issyk Kul lake and Karakol: Burana Tower, a horseback ride in Chon Kemin, Kok Moinok canyon, a ship ride and Rukh Ordo in Cholpon Ata, Grigoriev and Semyonov gorges, hot springs, Skazka canyon and eagle hunting.
A four-day private loop around Issyk Kul and Karakol, first run as a custom request and later published as a standard tour. It covers the Burana Tower, a horseback ride in the Chon Kemin valley, the Kok Moinok canyon and Cholpon Ata, then Rukh Ordo, a ship ride to a depth of 120 m, the Grigoriev and Semyonov gorges and Karakol with its Ak Suu hot springs. The third day climbs to 3,040 m at the ski base, explores the Jeti Oguz gorge and the Skazka canyon and sleeps at the Bel Tam yurt camp. The last day adds eagle hunting in Ak Sai, the Canyon of Forgotten Rivers and a picnic by the lake.
This is a private tour with published per-person rates for the all-inclusive package: 1,905 US dollars for a solo traveller, 1,095 US dollars per person for two people and 840 US dollars per person for groups of three and more. Larger groups are quoted on request.
The 'From' price of 840 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: 4 days and 3 nights. Availability: all year round. Level of difficulty: easy to moderate.
Because the tour runs in winter as well, the operator suggests bringing warm winter clothes, a cap, gloves, sunglasses, swimwear, a towel, hiking shoes, an umbrella and a camera.
The ship ride stops 4 km from the shore at a depth of 120 m; swimming with life jackets is offered from May to September, and outside that season the ride is a scenic cruise. The hike to the hidden green lake in the Grigoriev and Semyonov gorges may be unavailable in winter, and the cable car at the ski base may not operate in some months.
The group heads towards Issyk Kul (230 km) with a first stop at the 11th-century Burana Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for about 30 minutes. The next visit is the Chon Kemin valley, where a horseback ride climbs to a panoramic viewpoint (2 hours both ways) and lunch is served in a panoramic restaurant. After a light one-hour walk in the otherworldly Kok Moinok canyon, the group arrives in Cholpon Ata on the lake's northern coast, checks in at a hotel (Olimp or similar) and has dinner in a restaurant.
Rain or shine, the morning starts at Rukh Ordo, an open-air centre of world cultures and Kyrgyz heritage, followed by a one-hour ship ride on the second largest alpine lake in the world. Four kilometres out the ship stops at a depth of 120 m; in the hot season (May to September) swimming with life jackets is possible. The route then follows the north coast towards Karakol, visiting the Grigoriev and Semyonov gorges and hiking to a hidden green lake (2.5 hours both ways; may be unavailable in winter), with lunch on the way. After a hotel check-in in Karakol (78, Green Yard or similar), the group relaxes in the natural hot water pools at Ak Suu village near the forest and has dinner in a restaurant.
The day explores the area around Karakol and crosses to the south coast of Issyk Kul. In the morning a chair lift at the country's best and biggest ski resort climbs to 3,040 m above sea level (note: it may be unavailable in some months) for views of the whole lake, the glaciers and the snowy mountains. Back in Karakol there is a short city excursion to the Dungan mosque of 1910, the Orthodox church of 1895 and a local handmade souvenir shop, then the picturesque Jeti Oguz gorge with its Seven Bulls rocks, lunch in a restaurant and the Skazka (Fairy Tale) canyon with its easy but stunning hike. The day ends at the Bel Tam yurt camp on the wild beach of the lake, surrounded by mountains, with free time outside, dinner and a night in yurts.
After more time at the yurt camp, the group drives to the nearby Ak Sai village for an eagle hunting demonstration and archery, in which everyone takes part. The route then goes deeper into the charming Canyon of Forgotten Rivers for a light walk to its panoramic viewpoint (1.5 hours both ways). A picnic on the wild beach follows, with eating, swimming and sunbathing, before the 230 km drive back to Bishkek, where everyone is dropped off at their hotel (not included). The tour ends in Bishkek.
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