Explore Central Asia: Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

After meeting at the airport and transfer to the hotel, we will take a few hours of rest before using out first day to visit this lively city of southern Kazakhstan. You will feel its unique and vibrant. With 1.8 million inhabitants, Almaty is the biggest city the economic capital of Kazakhstan. With our local city guide we will visit of Almaty Museum of Art, ascend the Kok Tobe hills and have a stunning view of the city. Night at the Hotel and welcome dinner in a traditional restaurant.

After breakfast at 9am. We will transfer to Charyn Canyon (4 hours), a stunning rock formation in the southeast of the country. Here we will go on a hike, take beautiful pictures of the red rock formations and have lunch at a guest house.  In the afternoon, we will move to the small mountain border crossing with Kyrgyzstan. Not far from the border, in a beautiful natural valley, we will enjoy a night in a yurt camp.

We depart our camp and stop to visit the San-Tash stones on our way to Karakol city on the southeast shore of Lake Issyk-Kul. After lunch, we take a walk and visit the local cultural sights of Karakol city. We will visit the Orthodox Church and the majestic work of the Chinese craftsman Zhou-Si, a wooden mosque, built without a single nail for the Dungans (Chinese converts to Islam). The architectural construction of the mosque represents a Buddhist pagoda and is made in the traditional colors of the region (green, yellow and red). We will then you visit the museum of N. Przewalski, a Russian traveler known for his stories about Central Asia. Overnight in guest house

After breakfast n Karakol city, we will drive to the amazing Djeti Oguz (Seven Bulls) rock formations. we continue along the shores of Issyk-Kul Lake, stopping at the Fairytale Skazka Canyons to enjoy the eroded land-forms there. From here, we continue to Kochkor, arriving in the middle of the afternoon at the guest house. For those who wish, we can organize a very interesting yurt construction masterclass. Dinner and overnight at the guesthouse.

The final destination this day will be one of the most beautiful lakes in Central Asia, the legendary Son-Kol ("latest lake" in Kyrgyz), Here, far from civilization, in a timeless setting, you will find the real specificity of our country: wilderness, silence and calm. Upon arrival, we will settle in a new yurt camp on the shore of the lake.In this season you will find, grazing quietly in the surrounding meadows, large herds of wild animals. On site, once again we will offer you to discover the pleasures of nomadic life through different activities: horseback riding, sheep shearing, milking cows and preparation of cream or traditional national drink, kumys, a milk mare, poured into the leather bag "saba" with leaven and mixed according to the wanderings of the rider.

Today we have the chance to explore the lake on horseback. On the way, we can discover the petroglyphs of Saymaly Tash, spectacular engraved stones recalling the not-so-distant presence of the Silk Road. Picnic lunch. At the end of the day, we return to camp to gather around the fire and listen to national songs and Kyrgyz tales. We go to bed in the yurts under the boundless sky of the great steppes.

From Son-Kol we have a 4 hour transfer over some of the most beautiful landscapes of the region. On the way, we visit Kojomkul village and museum. The village takes its name of a famous man born with fabulous strength. In the museum, you will learn about his life and discover how people lived during the time of the USSR. We will then arrive in the beautiful high-altitude valley of Suusamyr. Dinner with shepherds and overnight in a private yurt.

Today we drive from Suusamyr to Talas over high mountain passes. The afternoon will be devoted discovering the history of Kyrgyzstan. First stop is the museum of complex "Manas-Ordo", considered by the Kyrgyz people as the spiritual center of the country. Here you will discover the legendary collection of the greatest oral epic in the world, listed in the list of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage since 2013. The permanent exhibition of this complex is an illustration of the whole life and achievements of the epic hero Manas, who unified the Kyrgyz tribes to make them one people. After lunch at Baibol restaurant, we continue our cultural discovery of the region with the visit ruins of the historical sites of Ak-Dobo and Koulan-Korouk, situated in the heart of beautiful nature. In the evening, we will enjoy folk concert accompanying our delicious traditional meal of Tash-kordo. We spend the night at the Baibol guesthouse in Ozgorush village.

After breakfast, we pass the river Talas and cross the forest to go to the foot of Echkili mountain. The morning will be dedicated to the discovery of the nomadic life, with demonstrations of eagle hunting, greyhound racing, archery and various national equestrian games. After lunch at Baibol restaurant, you can stroll in the central market of Talas and discover the beating heart of the cities of Central Asia. A little later, we enjoy a short guided tour around the Talas city, before a unique evening in the public bath. You can also follow a master class of woodcarving at the guest house.

Wake up at 8am and departure for the national reserve "Besh-Tash". On the way, we will have lunch in the country house of the first president of the country. In the afternoon, we will have a nice walk through the pastures to a waterfall. At the end of the day, we settle in the yurt camp and meet the families of the shepherds who welcome us. Dinner and overnight under the yurt.

Hike to Besh-Tash Lake at the end of the valley. The road stops there, cut in two by the water. We will visit the glacial lakes at the top of the ridges. We have lunch on the way, and then return to the yurt camp to spend the night. These evenings at the camp are particularly interesting because it gives us the opportunity to understand and participate in the daily life of the shepherds, listening to their stories and helping them bring the livestock back to their pens in the evening.

We leave around 9:00 am for the Kirovka Dam, a great testimony of the gigantism of the Soviet Union. On the road we visit the museum of Gertsen, a painter of German origin who settled in Kyrgyzstan and made the illustrations for the Manas epic. We have lunch near the dam and enjoy a beautiful view of the valley leading to neighboring Kazakhstan. Overnight in Taraz

In the morning, we leave for Bishkek. Once arrived in the capital and after lunch in our restaurant "Baibol", we offer a short tour of Bishkek. We take a walk to Ala-Too square and observe the traditional changing of the guard. We can also visit the historical museum, the old place and the house of the government according to your desires. We finish at the TSUM shopping center and where it is possible to buy souvenirs. At 8pm, the entire Baibol team welcomes you for a farewell dinner in our restaurant with a traditional folk concert. Transfer to the airport and departure home the following morning.