Location: Alamudun
Day 1 - 21 Sep 2021
Manas International Airport
Content: I arrived in Kyrgyzstan in the middle of the night. The first thing I needed to do was to buy a local SIM card and get money out of an ATM before getting a taxi to my hotel.
Location: Bishkek
Day 1 - 21 Sep 2021
Silk road Lodge
Content: My hotel choice in Bishkek was Silk Road Lodge. I hadn't slept at all because of an overnight flight, but luckily, the hotel let me into my room even though it was 6 am in morning. I went straight to bed to get at least a few hours of sleep.
Bishkek
Content: My hotel was located close to this great vegetarian restaurant called Avocado, and I ate here pretty much every day while I was in Bishkek. This is an excellent option for vegans and vegetarians or anyone else wanting to eat a healthy and tasty plant-based meal.
Ala Too Square
Content: I spent an afternoon walking around the city center and visited places like Ala Too Square.
Location: Bishkek
Day 2 - 22 Sep 2021
Western Bus Station
Content: I took a marshrutka (minibus) from Bishkek to Karakol. The trip took 6 hours in total, including one toilet stop. The minibus system here works so that the bus only leaves when it's full. So if you are lucky and get there as the last person, it leaves immediately, but otherwise, you might need to wait for a while.
Location: Karakol
Day 2 - 22 Sep 2021
Karakol
Content: I made it to Karakol just before the sunset. I had booked Hotel Hillside Karakol for my stay here, and it seems to be the best hotel option in town.
Location: Przhevalsk
Day 2 - 22 Sep 2021
Karakol Lighthouse
Content: I had a very satisfying vegan dinner in Karakol Lighthouse. Hummus, vegan bibimbap, and fresh juice. The restaurant also offers plant milk and other great vegan options.
Location: Tosor
Day 3 - 23 Sep 2021
Fairytale canyon "Skazka"
Content: I had asked my hotel to organize a driver for me for a day to visit lots of destinations easily. The first stop was a Fairytale Canyon - a place that lives up to its name.
Location: Barskoon
Day 3 - 23 Sep 2021
Barskoon
Content: The next place was Barskoon Waterfall. It’s a short hike from the parking lot to the waterfall, and the surroundings are gorgeous.
Location:
Day 3 - 23 Sep 2021
Issyk Kul
Content: A short stop along the way to admire the beauty of Issyk Kul Lake - the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan.
Location: Жети Өгүз району
Day 3 - 23 Sep 2021
Seven Bulls rock
Content: The last sight before heading back to Karakol was Jeti Oguz canyon and Seven Bulls rock.
Location: Przhevalsk
Day 3 - 23 Sep 2021
Kafe KAYNAR
Content: I ate dinner at this local restaurant where I could taste the vegan version of the national dish Laghman. The restaurant doesn’t have an English menu, and the staff also doesn’t speak English, but with Google translator, everything worked out fine.
Location: Altynarasan
Day 4 - 24 Sep 2021
Altyn-Arashan
Content: I woke up early in the morning to hike from Altyn-Arashan to Ala Kul Lake and back. It was freezing cold in the morning, but luckily it got warm quite fast when I started walking.
Location: Unknown
Day 4 - 24 Sep 2021
Ala-Kul Lake
Content: The hike felt quite challenging, primarily because my body wasn’t used to the high altitudes, and the trail was going uphill 6 hours straight. The highest altitude I reached was Ala Kul Pass that lies at an altitude of 3,900 meters.
Location: Unknown
Day 4 - 24 Sep 2021
Ala-Kul Lake
Content: The last bit of the hike was the most difficult part. Very steep and lots of slippery, loose rocks.
Location: Unknown
Day 4 - 24 Sep 2021
Ala-Kul Lake
Content: I made it to the viewpoint, and the views from the top were worth the difficult hike and struggle with altitude sickness.
Location: Altynarasan
Day 4 - 24 Sep 2021
Altyn-Arashan
Content: It took around 3 hours to walk back down to Altyn-Arashan and after that I head to the free hot springs that were just a short walk from the village.
Location: Karakol
Day 5 - 25 Sep 2021
Karakol
Content: I took another marshrutka from Karakol to Balykchy and from there I had organized a driver to take me to Song-Kul Lake.
Location:
Day 5 - 25 Sep 2021
Song-Kul
Content: Song Kul is an alpine lake that lies at an altitude of 3016 m. I stayed in a traditional yurt camp, and apparently, this was my last chance because the local people living there are packing up and moving to nearby villages when the winter comes. I spent the first night there enjoying the sunset views and eating dinner with the local family that hosted me. I was the only tourist there at the time, and besides the local family that owned the yurt camp, no other people stayed there.
Song-Kul
Content: It got really cold at night, but luckily they made a fire in the evening, so the yurts were warm inside - at least for a few hours.
Location:
Day 6 - 26 Sep 2021
Song-Kul
Content: I woke up early to see the sunrise and take some pictures. The early morning hours felt magical, and it was the perfect time to fly my drone as well.
Location: Kochkor
Day 6 - 26 Sep 2021
Kochkor
Content: I left Song Kul and got a ride to Kochkor from where I took a marshrutka back to the capital city.
Location: Bishkek
Day 6 - 26 Sep 2021
Bishkek
Content: I made it back to Bishkek in the evening, where I based myself in the same hotel again: Silk Road Lodge.
Location: Bishkek
Day 7 - 27 Sep 2021
Osh Bazaar
Content: I visited the famous Osh Bazaar in the morning to see how the local people live there.
Ala-Archa
Content: I spent the next day exploring Ala Archa National Park. It’s just an hour drive from Bishkek, so this is an excellent destination for a day trip. There are many hiking trails to choose from and during my visit the autumn colors made the landscape look even more beautiful.
Location: Alamudun
Day 8 - 28 Sep 2021
Manas International Airport
Content: I flew from Bishkek to Osh in the morning. My plan was to cross the border to Uzbekistan, which was my reason for traveling to the south. If you have more time to explore Kyrgyzstan, there are amazing hiking opportunities in the south.
Location: Osh
Day 8 - 28 Sep 2021
Guest House "EcoHouse"
Content: In Osh I stayed in Eco House guesthouse.
Sulejmanova planina
Content: A must thing to do in Osh climbing up to Sulaiman-Too Mountain. It offers great views of the city and Sulaiman-Too Mosque.
MONACO - Королевство Вкуса
Content: I had an excellent vegan dinner at Monaco restaurant.