Song Kul vs Ala Kul (Altyn Arashan) - which horse riding trip should I do?
- Jordan Sinclair
- May 9
- 9 min read
When visiting Kyrgyzstan, a multi-day horse riding trek is a must - immerse yourself in nomadic culture, stay in traditional yurts and experience mountains and landscapes unreachable by road.
We did two horse riding trips, both lasting three days each and loved both (definitely the best thing we did in Kyrgyzstan). But what if you’re limited by time and can only choose one? Here, we compare the two trips so you can decide which is the best for you (or be persuaded to do both, like us!) we booked both of these through local tour operator Kyrgyz Wow Travel and highly recommend them - booking details below (use promo code #spendlesstravelmore).
We also have a FREE Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan guide with a full 2-3 week itinerary, tips and how to get around, and more. Details at the bottom of this post.
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Song Kul trip - 3 days, 2 nights
There are variations on this tour with different durations, but we felt that the 3 day/2 night tour was perfect. We booked via a local tour operator, Kyrgyz Wow Travel - these guys were really helpful, and we organised further transport and excursions with them
too. The tour can be found on “Get Your Guide”, but you can contact them directly for more info and quote promo code #Spendlesstravelmore for a discounted price.
No experience necessary
The meeting point for the tour was a 10/15 minute walk from our hotel in Kyzart (it is a similar distance from the main road if you are arriving via marshutkra). We left our main luggage at the hotel - you can only bring small rucksacks on the tour, as they must fit into the saddle bags, but you can also leave your luggage at the base for the trip if
needed. Arrive for lunch, which is provided before departure. You will then be assigned a horse for the trip and given a demonstration on how to ride if you’re a beginner (this was very brief), before setting off. I am an experienced horse rider but Chrisy has never ridden before - he will admit that the first 30 minutes or so were nerve-wracking but after that, all of the newbies settled in and everyone was galloping by the last day!
We rode for about 4 hours each day, with a short break about halfway. Riding hats were
provided. We rode in a group of 6 plus 2 guides, but at each yurt camp, we were joined by another 2 groups for the evening. We arrived at Song-Kul lake on the 2nd day, which was absolutely stunning, and had some free time for a (very cold) dip in the lake and some volleyball. We slept in yurts both nights - bedding was provided, and there was a log burner in the yurt at Song-Kul. All food and bottled water was
provided. Take plenty of layers - while it was very warm at the meeting point, as you climb in elevation, the temperature very quickly drops. We went from departing Kyzart in t-shirts to wearing multiple layers and down jackets at Song-Kul. This trip can be done all year round, but temperatures will be much lower in winter - ensure you’re adequately prepared!
Not to be missed
The views were spectacular, and this incredible place can only be truly
experienced by horseback. You will feel like you are immersed in the nomadic
traditions of the Kyrgyz people. Chrisy rates this as the best trip he’s ever done - and that’s coming from a complete novice horserider!
How to get to the base for the Song Kul trip
We needed to get to Kyzart for the Song-Kul horse riding trip.
There are 2 ways to do this:
Get an early marshutkra from the bus station in Bishkek to Kyzart to arrive in time for lunchtime on the day your tour will start. The bus station is north of the city so allow enough time to get there (at least 30 minutes by Yandex from the city centre) and you should aim for the 7am marshutkra.
Private taxi/transfer from Bishkek to Kyzart - this can be combined with a stop at Burana tower and cost us £76 in total for both of us.
Kyzart Village
This is a very small village with virtually no amenities - no restaurants and there are two tiny shops (ran from the owner’s front room of the house), so if you are staying overnight, you will need to have dinner at your accommodation. There is no ATM or bank in the village so you will need to withdraw enough cash to pay for the horseriding excursion and any other costs during your time here. Our hotel did accept card payments but many do not. Kyzart was very rural and peaceful - we had a wander
through the village, but there isn’t really much else to do other than relax. I would recommend a maximum of 1 night here either before or after the horse riding trip.
Onward travel after the trip
Marshutkras only depart from the main road beside Kyzart in the morning - so if you want to travel with one, you would need to stay overnight in the village after returning from horseriding. Otherwise, you would need a private taxi to either your next destination (we took one to Tamchy as we needed to be there for a particular day, which cost £15 per person when split between 4 people), or to Kochkor and get onward transport from there.
Ala Kul / Altyn Arashan trip - 3 days, 2 nights.
Although there are lots of hiking routes in the area, we opted to take horses instead for
this 3 day / 2 night trip due to the high altitude.
This trip was also organised via Kyrgyz Wow Travel. It included transport to the start of the trail, 2 nights at the yurt camp, lunch on day 1, 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts and a
packed lunch for day 2. We were not provided with riding hats or saddle bags on this trip (so you can definitely only bring a small bag as you will need to wear it while riding) and we had one guide between four of us. The tour can be found on “Get Your Guide”, but you can contact them directly for more info and quote promo code #Spendlesstravelmore for a discounted price.
Altyn Arashan
Altyn Arashan is a small village in the mountains made up of a cluster of yurt camps and some small hotels, surrounded by beautiful scenery and hot springs. It’s only accessible by hiking, horse or soviet-era truck. It was very cold at night so we actually went over to Hotel Arashan to buy drinks and play cards in the communal area (and use the western toilets!) In the evenings. There’s also a little shop and a fast food stand (I very much enjoyed my wrap from here when I couldn’t face more soup and bread). There's no ATM or card machines so bring enough cash to pay for the excursion and for any snacks or drinks you may buy.
Hot springs
There are hot springs in Altyn Arashan - you can bathe in the “wild” hot springs or use the huts next to the river between Nomad Life yurt camp and Hotel Arashan. As we were staying at Nomad Life, they had reserved a slot for us in one of the hot springs, which was much appreciated after a long day of riding. If you’re feeling brave, you can go for a dip in the cold river beside them too!
What to expect
Unlike the loop that we did for Song-kul, this was a “there and back” route. On the first day, we rode for around 4 hours (with a stop halfway) up to Altyn Arashan. On day 2, we rode to Ala Kul and then took the same route back to Altyn Arashan. We stayed at the the same yurt camp both nights (and so left our bags here), before descending the same way down to Ak Su where we began the trip.
Ala Kul Lake
The 2nd day of riding was the longest - we rode for 3 hours before hiking the last part to Ala Kul, then rode 3 hours back to Altyn Arashan. The terrain was a mix of forest and
mountains. Although you can reach Altyn Arashan year—round, Ala Kul lake is only accessible by any means (hiking or horse riding) from mid June to September due to heavy snowfall higher in the mountains.
Ala Kul is an alpine lake, sitting at 3500m, but you need to climb to a ridge sitting around 4000m to view it from the side we approached. Hikers taking the horseshoe route would still have to traverse the ridge, but come up the opposite side and then down the way we came. We rode the horses as far as the base of this ridge and had to climb the last 300m on foot. This was the hardest thing I have ever done, literally taking about 10 steps before having to stop for breath due to the altitude. I was just grateful I hadn’t already done hours of hiking with a huge rucksack prior to this, as many of the hikers we came across had done. Having practically crawled up the steep ridge, I was so glad we had opted to take horses rather than hike the whole thing. The view of Ala Kul and the surrounding mountains and glaciers was stunning from the top - I was able to appreciate that when I eventually got some breath back!
Beware of the sun at altitude
Regularly apply suncream and wear a hat to protect your face from the sun. UV exposure is greater the higher the altitude, so you will be more sensitive to it’s effects. I’m quite diligent with suncream and still got lasting marks on my cheeks from this ride (admittedly I had forgotten a cap as I thought we would be provided with riding hats). Cover up and re-apply suncream regularly.
On the final day of the excursion, we retraced our steps down to the start point at Ak
Su, along the river Arashan.
Getting there
This trip is easily accessible from Karakol. The cost of the trip included a taxi to and from our guesthouse there. Karakol is a large town/city with lots of amenities (banks, restaurants, shops, markets etc), and can be accessed by Marshutkra or bus from Bishkek or other towns along the shores of Issyk Kul.
Summary
Song Kul
Better for beginners - more open terrain, not as steep, opportunity to learn to gallop.
Can be done all year round (although expect snow and much lower temperatures in winter!)
Riding hats provided
Incredible views from the summit of the mountain pass
Take a cold plunge in Song Kul lake
More remote - the yurt camps we stayed at are not accessible to vehicles
Cheaper
Closer to Bishkek if you’re only in Kyrgyzstan for a short trip
Log burner in yurts at Song Kul
Ala Kul
Completely different terrain - mountainous but also plenty of forest and river views.
You can only reach Ala Kul from mid June to September (weather dependant), but the same goes for hiking.
Busier as there are hikers and can be accessed by soviet era trucks (NOT normal cars)
Better option than hiking if you struggle with altitude
More expensive (but everything in Altyn Arashan is)
Arguably more accessible, as long as you’re in Karakol - we were picked up and dropped off at our guesthouse.
Riding hats were not provided but could have been if we’d asked - make sure you do!
You don’t actually reach the lake shore so no opportunity for a cold dip there but you can take a dip in the river instead.
Hot springs!
Our conclusion:
We both loved both trips and they offered different experiences. BUT if we had to choose…
Chrisy’s pick is Song Kul - as a complete novice rider, he found the terrain easier for riding (he felt he had to concentrate more on the Ala Kul ride), and enjoyed the silence of being so remote, as well the lower cost!
Jordan’s pick was Ala Kul due to the stunning scenery and her gratitude for being able to ride instead of hike (as an altitude sickness sufferer, hiking would have been miserable). As an experienced rider, the slightly more challenging terrain was not an issue, but the hot springs were greatly appreciated for achey legs too!
How to book
We booked both of these trips through a local tour operator, Kyrgyz Wow Travel. If you wish to book, you can contact Azema directly through instagram or Whatsapp - use promo code #Spendlesstravelmore for a discounted price.
For your FREE Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan guide with a full 2-3 week itinerary, tips and how to get around, and more:
All of our resources are FREE, but if you found them helpful, you can buy us a coffee here, so we can get a much-appreciated caffeine hit and keep providing you with travel hacks and budgeting tips.
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