A slow way of solo exploring Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek

● Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, seamlessly blends Soviet-era charm with modern vibrancy. Nestled against the Ala-Too Range, the city features leafy parks, a bustling Osh Bazaar, and a diverse dining scene. If you come from parts of Europe that belonged to the Soviet Union, the city will evoke a sense of nostalgia. For those who have only seen this era in movies, Bishkek offers a unique and pleasant cultural experience.

Osh Bazaar

@Kokustravel

Okay, so the name is a bit confusing because there is a city called Osh in Kyrgyzstan that is around 12 hours away from Bishkek. So, if your map is directing you to travel half across the country, you probably have the wrong market :). The bazaar is actually a vast area where you can find anything you want to buy. For me, visiting the local market is always the most exciting thing to do in a city, and this place did not leave me disappointed.

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State History Museum

@Kokustravel

As my knowledge of Kyrgyzstan's history was limited, I decided to visit the History Museum. In the museum, I found information about the nomadic country's lifestyle, which, for me, is such an unbelievable and fascinating way to live.

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Ala Too Square

@Kokustravel

This square is right by the History Museum. In the square, you can really see the post-Soviet Union architecture left there.

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Vladimir Lenin Statue

@Kokustravel

As someone coming from a post-Soviet country, it was really interesting to see the still remaining Lenin statues.

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Victory Square

@Kokustravel

It is an interesting monument to see if you are strolling around the city.

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🥘 Where to eat?

SIERRA Coffee Manas Ave

@Kokustravel

For the few days that I had in Bishkek, this was always my place for breakfast and they had vegetarian options.

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Faiza

@Kokustravel

At this place, you can find practically all local dishes, and believe me, anything you eat here will make your tummy happy afterward.

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Arzu Restaurant

@Kokustravel

A fancier place for food, but still, everything is affordable and tasty.

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Bukhara

@Kokustravel

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🛏️ Where to stay?

Hotel "Koisha"

@Kokustravel

Lovely hotel with dorms. I stayed in a female dorm, and everything was wonderful. The location was convenient, the hotel backyard was a really nice place to relax, and the price was cheap. What more can you ask for.

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Apple Hostel Bishkek

@Kokustravel

A big hostel that is really convenient if you are changing buses overnight because it is right by the bus station. Also, as it is so big, it is really easy to meet people from so many different places.

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Day Trips From Bishke

Burana Tower

@Kokustravel

This is a popular day trip from Bishkek. To reach the tower you need to take a marshrutka (local minibus)

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Karakol 

● The cheapest way to reach Karakol is by a marshutka (local minibus) that leaves Bishkek from the Western Bus Station. Karakol is the place to be if you want to embark on numerous hikes on foot through beautiful mountains and lush forests. I would say hiking in this area was my favorite landscape that I saw.

Holy Trinity Cathedral

@Kokustravel

A nice place to visit before preparing for your upcoming hikes.

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Dungan Mosque

@Kokustravel

Another interesting religious location to visit in the city.

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Ala-Kul

@Kokustravel

This hike was the main reason why I came to Karakol. The hike took 3 days, and it was such an unbelievable experience. I believe if you are an advanced hiker and have been to many similar places, it might not be that extraordinary for you, but for me, it was a really special experience. During the hike, I barely met any people, and eventually, when I met people in the first yurt camp, they were the only people I encountered throughout the hike. The hike is definitely challenging if you are not in the best physical shape, but it's also not so hard that it wouldn't be possible for an average person. If you are a nature person you will definitely love this place.

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Altyn-Arashan

@Kokustravel

So this is a village that you stay in on your last night of the hike. The village is in a beautiful valley, and it also has natural hot pools that you will be so thankful for after the hike (just know you need to make a reservation for them, so when you come to the village, do that straight away with your guest house). Alternatively, if you are not doing the hike, you can come here to still get the feeling of the amazing Kyrgyzstan nature. You just need to ask about it in your guest house at Karakol, and they will organize it for you.

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Telety pass

@Kokustravel

This is another popular hike to do in the area, but it is even less touristy and a bit more demanding. I met people who did the hike, and they said that for the whole hike, they didn't meet any people. In a way, I think that's amazing, but as a solo female traveler, I wasn't in the mood to be completely alone in the mountains. Also, you need your own equipment like tents, sleeping bags, and all other camping gear that I didn't have. But maybe for my next trip, I can do it :).

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Extreme shop Gold

@Kokustravel

This is a place where you can get all the things you need for a hike. The owner has everything from climbing equipment to warm clothes, so don't worry if you forgot something, you can get everything here.

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🥘 Where to eat?

Karakol Lighthouse

@Kokustravel

So this is an excellent place where you can get vegetarian food.

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Аш-лянфу Кафе

@Kokustravel

A nice and lovely place to eat. I got lucky because, at the time, they had pumpkin manti, and I enjoyed a delicious vegetarian meal.

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Bar "The Hut Хижина"

@Kokustravel

While this is not exactly a place for food, it's a good spot to come and celebrate after finishing your hikes :).

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Duet coffee shop

@Kokustravel

I you are staying at the Duet Hostel then this will be just right next door and if you are staying at other places you definetly need to come here not only beciuse of the food, but to get all of your hiking informatio and to book your yurts for the hikes.

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🛏️ Where to stay?

Duet hostel & hotel

@Kokustravel

This is the place to come if you want to get the most information about all the hikes in the area. I met so many people who didn't even stay in this hostel, but they would come to get all the necessary information or do their bookings for yurts in the mountains. I was lucky to book this place, so I didn't need to venture far away to get all the things that I needed.

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Day Trips From Karakol

Fairytale canyon "Skazka"

@Kokustravel

If you decide to go through the south of Issyk-Kul Lake, you can make a stop at Tosor and visit this wonderful place that is not far from the village. A taxi can be easily organized to visit the canyon.

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Kochkor

● Okay, so in the village, there aren't that many things to see. If I'm being honest, I didn't do any sightseeing here, the reason you come to this village is to do hikes in the surrounding areas.

Kochkor

@Kokustravel

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Jailoo Tourism Community

@Kokustravel

This is the place where I booked my stays on the way to Kol-Ukok.

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СВТ-Kochkor

@Kokustravel

The most popular place to book your tours. Sometimes they have good deals, sometimes it's better to ask around at other agencies.

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Song-Kul

@Kokustravel

This lake was the main reason why I came to Kochkor. I did a 3-day horseback riding tour (with no actual horse riding experience), and honestly, it will be one of the most memorable things I have done in my life. You can find the most suitable tour for you if you walk around Kochkor village and ask the tour agencies for prices. I did my tour alone as it was the end of the season, and there weren't any people to join me, but that made it even more special.

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Kol'ukok

@Kokustravel

Not that difficult of a hike that you can do in half a day and stay with the locals in a yurt for the night. This hike was not in my plan, but I was convinced by other travelers to join them, and I really enjoyed my time seeing the beautiful nature.

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Oz.kel' Tor.

@Kokustravel

If you are wondering if you should continue your hike from Kol-Ukok to Ozkel Tor, you should definitely do it. It takes only a few hours, and it gets difficult, maybe in the last 20 minutes to climb the steep part to reach the lake. I really liked this alpine lake because it had a sand beach which I had never seen in a place like that.

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🥘 Where to eat?

● For food, you will have to venture on your own, as all of the places that I visited do not exist on Google Maps anymore, and I don't want to recommend any places that I haven't tried myself. But don't worry, you will definitely find something nice 😉.

🛏️ Where to stay?

GuestHouse MALIKA

@Kokustravel

I really loved the owner of this place, though the only thing to note is that it is a small place with only 4 rooms, so it's better to book in advance to secure a place here. o get in touch with this place, look up the phone number on Google Maps.

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Guesthouse Nur

@Kokustravel

I really liked this place because it was super peaceful and clean. The only drawback is that it's a bit away from the main street, which took me around 15-20 minutes. Overall, I enjoyed the place.

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Naryn

● I loved Naryn a lot. The landscape was different from other cities that I visited before, and I really liked that. Probably if you have a lot of time, it's a nice place to settle down a bit and rest during your trip. 

Naryn

@Kokustravel

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Tash-Rabat

@Kokustravel

Had a lot of doubts if I should really go to this place, but it was amazing, definitely worth it. The building itself is huge, and when being there, it really gives you the feeling of being on the Silk Road. The tour was organized by our guest house; a private taxi took me and my two friends there and waited for us while we explored the valley.

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Mountain pass to Chatyr Kol lake

@Kokustravel

From Tash-Rabat, we also took a horse tour to this pass, and it was again something that will stay in my mind for the rest of my life, I think. While riding to the pass, we passed valleys that looked so crazy; honestly, for me, it looked like dragons had died there and their bodies had turned into stone. I really, really enjoyed this place.

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Köl-Suu

@Kokustravel

A place I deeply regret not visiting. I met people who have traveled through the whole of Kyrgyzstan, and they said this was their favorite place. The reason I didn't visit this lake was because I did not have a special permit to go there, and I was on a bit of a tight schedule, so I didn't have enough time to wait for it. If I ever come back to Kyrgyzstan, I'm definitely coming back here.

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Kazarman

@Kokustravel

This is a place where you could end up if you are planning to go to Osh and you are really brave or have a lot of money. This town is almost halfway to Osh, and to come here, you need to take a taxi, hitchhike, or walk (I met people who did that). I had my number written at the CBT-Naryn office, looking for someone to share a taxi to go to Osh, but no one replied to my hopes, so I had to miss this journey. Not a lot of people go this way, so I definitely think this could have been an interesting experience.

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🥘 Where to eat?

Kafe Gurman

@Kokustravel

I had a nice dinner date at this place with a travel friend. The food was delicious, cheap, and the waiters were really friendly.

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Nomad Coffee

@Kokustravel

I had really good an cheap vegitarian laghman here.

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🛏️ Where to stay?

Naryn Guest House

@Kokustravel

I think what made staying in Naryn so special was living at this guest house. The owners were so friendly and inviting to all of their family events. I don't think I have ever felt such hospitality in any place I have ever stayed. Also, they organized all of our tours, which was amazing and so convenient.

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Osh

● When I came to Osh, it felt like I was in a completely different country. Being close to Uzbekistan, you really sense the influence of a different culture compared to the rest of the country. The architecture is different, people dress more conservatively, and the culture feels more influenced by Islam. I actually really enjoyed this change because it was hard to believe that in such a small country, I could experience such a drastic shift.

Viewpoint of Osh

@Kokustravel

This is the best spot to see Osh from above.

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Sulaiman Mountain Museum

@Kokustravel

I didn't get a chance to visit the museum because it was closed, but it looked pretty cool from the outside.

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Алишер Навои паркы

@Kokustravel

One thing I usually find really strange about post-Soviet Union countries is the amusement parks they have in the cities. Usually, they always look really abandoned, but this one was fully working and actually looked like a lot of fun. If you are brave enough, you can try one of the rides :).

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Jayma Bazaar

@Kokustravel

The bazaar is huge and is divided into many different sections. I enjoyed my time a lot here and even got myself some nice and cheap rings.

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🥘 Where to eat?

Zolotoy Most

@Kokustravel

An interesting place to eat. It's right by the river and has plastic animals as decorations, which creates a strange atmosphere and was also the reason why I chose to come to this place.

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🛏️ Where to stay?

Lovely home for you

@Kokustravel

It's a simple but really nice place. I liked the location of this guest house as it was really easy to reach everything, and most of all, I loved the owner. She was so knowledgeable and could arrange anything you needed. She even organized a shared taxi for me from Bishkek to Osh (if you need it, just contact her and she will help you out).

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Day Trips From Osh

● From Osh, you can go to a few different places, one of which is to see Lenin Peak, considered to be one of the easiest 7000m peaks to climb in the world. If you are not planning to hike the mountain, you can come to the Base Camp of Lenin Peak and explore the surrounding valleys for amazing views, which is what I did. Though to be more clear this trip takes a few days to come from Osh and do all hikes.

Sary Mogul

@Kokustravel

This was such a nice, small village that it felt like being on the edge of the world. There are no big shops or actually any paved roads in the town itself. The main reason to come here is if you are planning to visit Tulpar Lake or Lenin Peak.

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Tulpar Lake

@Kokustravel

It's a beautiful location that leads to many hikes, ranging from only a few hours to a few days if you decide to go to the mountains. To reach this lake, you can walk from Sary Mogul, which takes around 3 hours – that was my first plan. However, I found some people at my homestay who gave me a lift all the way to Base Camp for Peak Lenin, which, in my opinion, was amazing because then I had more time to walk around the valley. You can also get a taxi to the lake; just ask your guesthouse host.

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Base Camp for Peak Lenin

@Kokustravel

This is the camp where most hikers start their trip to hike Lenin Peak. By law, you should get a permit to reach this place, but as I was coming at the end of the season, no one was there to check if I have any documents (which I didn't), and I heard a lot of similar stories. So when you are coming here, try asking around other traveling people about their experiences.

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● Also, you can go to Jalal-Abad to visit Arslanbob that also takes few days.

Jalal-Abad

@Kokustravel

f you are in a taxi from Bishkek to Osh, you can easily get off at Jalal-Abad, which is also a popular place for hikes.

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Arslanbob

@Kokustravel

So when you are staying in Jalal-Abad, you can catch a marshutka to Arslanbob, which is the biggest walnut forest in the world. My friend went there, and she said it was quite an easy hike, and she enjoyed it because she was looking for something easy to do.

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Gostevoy Dom "Etno Dom"

@Kokustravel

My friend stayed at this place, and she really liked it. The cozy atmosphere and friendly staff made her stay enjoyable.

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