Should I visit Kyrgyzstan?

In a nutshell - yes! This very quickly became one of our favourite countries. Read more for FAQ's:

Is it safe?

We found it an incredibly safe and hospitable country - even with limited language, the locals were generally very friendly and helpful. We even hitchhiked a couple of times - not something I would recommend in many countries, but here there is a big hitchhiking culture. Take normal precautions as you would in any city at night but honestly, we felt very safe.

When to visit?

To follow our itinerary, you should visit in summer (July and August are best). Many hiking/horse riding trails will be impassable from mid-September onwards.

We visited in August - it was very hot in Bishkek (30’C+) and mid 20s (celsius) in Almaty, but the temperature varied massively depending on the altitude - Song-Kul and Altyn Arashan were very cold at night.

However, if you want to ski - there are resorts in Karakol and just outside of Almaty. The Song-Kul horseriding trip can be done year round with some operators, but it will be very cold!

Getting there from the UK

We actually broke one of our money-saving rules for this trip - flexibility!

Because this was our honeymoon (don’t be put off - there’s no all-inclusive luxury experiences resorts on this trip), we had pretty fixed dates that we needed to travel, which meant we were limited for flight options. But you can definitely find cheaper options than we did.

There are no direct flights from the UK to Bishkek. The most common route is to fly from the UK via Istanbul to Bishkek. There are low cost options with Pegasus - we’ve never flown with them but the vibe I was getting was Turkish Ryanair - the base flight price may be low, but by the time you add luggage etc, it might not be the bargain you thought. We flew with Turkish Airlines for this leg, and were very impressed - full meal service was included on each 4 hour flight.

We returned from Almaty - we flew with Qatar via Doha, but there are other airlines flying via Istanbul or other routes. Air Astana does also have direct flights to London 2-3 times a week.

We always start our search with Skyscanner, to find available flights, then book on the airline website.

Cash or card?

Public transport and many small restaurants will only accept cash. In the cities, debit/credit card is widely accepted. We also found many that many accommodation sites would only accept cash, so check in advance if you need to withdraw/change money before travelling to the more rural areas. There are many banks and ATMs in Bishkek, Karakol and Almaty.

What is there to do?

Kyrgyzstan is one of the most mountainous countries in the world, and so the best things to do are horseriding through the mountains, hiking and taking in the wonderful nature. There are many local festivals and traditions which we would recommend attending if you get the chance. Read more on our experiences and how to take part later.