Your guide picks you up from your hotel in Bishkek in the morning and you head east toward the mountains. The first stop is Burana Tower — a 1,000-year-old minaret that is all that remains of Balasagun, an ancient city that was once one of the most important stops on the Silk Road. Your guide brings the history to life as you climb to the top of the tower for wide views over the valley below. Scattered across the open field around it are dozens of balbals — ancient stone figures carved by nomadic warriors to honour their ancestors. It is a quiet and powerful place, and a perfect introduction to Kyrgyzstan's deep past.

From Burana, you continue into Chon Kemin National Park — a wide, peaceful valley flanked by the Tien-Shan mountains, where the air is clean and the landscape feels completely untouched. Here you meet your horses. Your guide matches each rider with the right horse based on experience and comfort, and whether you prefer a short 1 to 2 hour ride through the meadows or a longer 3 to 4 hour adventure deeper into the valley, you will ride alongside a local horse guide who knows every trail. The afternoon light on the peaks from the saddle is one of those views that stays with you long after the day ends.
In the evening, you settle into a cozy guesthouse with private rooms and bathrooms. Dinner is warm and generous.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Family Guesthouse, Chon Kemin

After breakfast, your guide drives you west toward Issyk-Kul Lake, with mountain views all along the road.

Your first stop is the canyons. You can choose between Kok-Moynok Canyons — a gentle 1-hour walk through pink and red rock formations with open views of the lake — or the Konorchek Canyons, where a 2 to 3 hour hike takes you deeper into dramatic red gorges with steep walls and a wild, remote atmosphere. Both are stunning and both are filled with great photo moments. Your guide helps you decide based on your group's energy and how long you want to walk.

After the hike, you stop in Balykchy for lunch — a quiet town at the western end of the lake where the pace is slow and the setting is calm.

In the afternoon, you arrive in Bokonbaevo village for the eagle hunting show. A master burkut-chu — a traditional Kyrgyz eagle hunter — demonstrates the ancient art of falconry in a private session. The eagle soars into the open sky, then returns to the hunter's thick leather glove with speed and force. Your guide translates as the hunter explains how these birds are trained from a young age and what this bond means to his family and his people. You can hold the eagle yourself and take photos up close. A traditional archery lesson follows — and it is more challenging, and more fun, than it looks.

As the sun drops behind the mountains, you reach the yurt camp on the shore of Issyk-Kul. Dinner is served in the main yurt. Step outside after — on a clear night, the sky above the lake is full of stars.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Accommodation: Yurt Camp, Issyk-Kul

After breakfast in the yurt, your guide takes you east along the south shore of Issyk-Kul. The first stop is Skazka Canyon, just a short drive from the camp. Skazka also known as Fairy Tale Canyons, and the name fits perfectly. The canyon is filled with sculpted rock towers in shades of red, orange, and yellow — shaped by centuries of wind and water into forms that look like castles, animals, and ancient figures. A one hour walk takes you through the heart of it along an easy path with no steep sections. Every corner brings a new view worth photographing, and it is one of the most memorable landscapes on the entire lake.

From Skazka, you continue east into Barskoon Gorge. The road follows a mountain river deep into the canyon, surrounded by green forest and high rocky cliffs. At the waterfall, water crashes down from the rocks above and the sound fills the gorge. Your guide leads a short walk up to the base of the falls, and you stop for a picnic lunch by the river — a relaxed and peaceful way to spend your last hours in the mountains.

After lunch, you begin the long drive back to Bishkek. The road follows the north shore of Issyk-Kul for a stretch, giving you final views of the deep blue lake and the mountains behind it. Your guide drops you at your hotel in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Not included