3 Days at Song-Kul & Issyk-Kul with Yurt Stay & Horse Riding
Fully private adventure through Kyrgyzstan’s top landscapes and traditions with horse riding, eagle hunting, canyon hikes, and a traditional yurt stay by Issyk-Kul Lake.
Price from:
275 USD
/ per person
Category:
Cultural/Multi-Day
Season:
All year around
Duration:
/1 night
2 Days
Three days. Two lakes.
A lifetime of memories.
A lifetime of memories.
Song-Kul Lake sits at 3,016 metres above sea level — one of the highest alpine lakes in the world. It is surrounded by vast green meadows called jailoos, where nomadic families bring their horses, sheep, and yurts every summer, just as their ancestors did for thousands of years. The lake has almost zero light pollution, which means on a clear night you can see the Milky Way with your own eyes.
This tour takes you deep into that world. On the way, you cross some of the most breathtaking mountain passes in Central Asia — the kind of roads where you stop the car just to stare. You visit a 1,000-year-old Silk Road tower, ride horses across wide open pastures, and take a short hike to a beautiful mountain waterfall hidden from everyone's eyes.
This is a fully private tour — your guide is focused entirely on you and your group, and is happy to adjust the pace, the stops, and the activities to suit what you enjoy most.
This tour takes you deep into that world. On the way, you cross some of the most breathtaking mountain passes in Central Asia — the kind of roads where you stop the car just to stare. You visit a 1,000-year-old Silk Road tower, ride horses across wide open pastures, and take a short hike to a beautiful mountain waterfall hidden from everyone's eyes.
This is a fully private tour — your guide is focused entirely on you and your group, and is happy to adjust the pace, the stops, and the activities to suit what you enjoy most.
Highlights
Ride horses across the wide summer meadows of Song-Kul Lake, 3,000 metres above sea level.
Sleep two nights in traditional yurts — one on the shore of Song-Kul, one beside Issyk-Kul Lake.
Climb the 1,000-year-old Burana Tower and discover the ancient balbals of the Silk Road.
Hike to two waterfalls — one hidden below Song-Kul Lake, one deep inside Barskoon Gorge.
Watch a live eagle hunting show, take incredible photos up close, and prepare to be truly amazed.
Itinerary
Approx. 380 km — 7 to 8 hours of driving
Day 1
Bishkek — Burana Tower — Boom Gorge — Kochkor — Song-Kul Lake
Your guide picks you up from your hotel in Bishkek in the morning and you head east toward the mountains. The first stop is the Burana Tower — a 1,000-year-old minaret that once stood at the heart of a Silk Road city called Balasagun. Walk among the balbals — ancient stone figures carved to mark the graves of warriors — that stand scattered across the surrounding grounds. Then climb the narrow interior staircase to the top, where the green valley and the distant Tien-Shan mountains stretch out on every side. Your guide shares the history of this place and explains why it once mattered so much to travellers on the Silk Road.
From Burana, you drive into the Boom Gorge, a dramatic canyon carved by the Chu River. Your guide stops at a small roadside spot where you try kattama — warm, crispy layered bread — served with hot tea brewed in a traditional Russian samovar. It is a quiet and unhurried moment by the river, and one of those simple experiences that travellers always remember.
After a lunch stop in Kochkor village, the road begins to climb. The ascent through the Kalmak-Ashuu Pass is one of the most beautiful drives in all of Kyrgyzstan. Rocky slopes give way to wide green pastures, yaks appear in the distance, and the air grows cool and thin. Your guide stops at the top so you can step out and take in the view — it is breathtaking in every direction.
You arrive at the yurt camp on the shore of Song-Kul Lake in the late afternoon. Settle in, enjoy a warm home-cooked dinner, then step outside. At 3,000 metres with almost no light pollution, the Milky Way is clearly visible above the lake.
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Song-Kul Yurt Camp
From Burana, you drive into the Boom Gorge, a dramatic canyon carved by the Chu River. Your guide stops at a small roadside spot where you try kattama — warm, crispy layered bread — served with hot tea brewed in a traditional Russian samovar. It is a quiet and unhurried moment by the river, and one of those simple experiences that travellers always remember.
After a lunch stop in Kochkor village, the road begins to climb. The ascent through the Kalmak-Ashuu Pass is one of the most beautiful drives in all of Kyrgyzstan. Rocky slopes give way to wide green pastures, yaks appear in the distance, and the air grows cool and thin. Your guide stops at the top so you can step out and take in the view — it is breathtaking in every direction.
You arrive at the yurt camp on the shore of Song-Kul Lake in the late afternoon. Settle in, enjoy a warm home-cooked dinner, then step outside. At 3,000 metres with almost no light pollution, the Milky Way is clearly visible above the lake.
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Song-Kul Yurt Camp
Song-Kul Lake — 33 Parrots Pass — Waterfall — Bokonbaevo
Day 2
Approx. 200 km — 4 to 5 hours of driving
Wake up to fresh air and the wide silence of Song-Kul. After breakfast, the morning is yours. Your guide can arrange a horse ride across the meadows above the lake — a gentle ride with views that stretch endlessly across the plateau, suitable for all levels including beginners. If you prefer, take a quiet walk along the shore or simply sit and watch the nomads tend their animals as they have done for centuries in this place.
Around mid-morning, you leave Song-Kul and begin the descent through the 33 Parrots Pass — a winding mountain road with sweeping views at every turn. Your guide stops regularly so you can photograph the landscape and take in the scale of what surrounds you.
At the base of the pass, you set off on a short and easy hike — less than one hour — to a waterfall hidden in the gorge below Song-Kul. The trail follows a cool, shaded valley, and the waterfall at the end is peaceful and refreshing. It is exactly the kind of quiet moment this trip is built around.
In the afternoon, your guide drives you along the south shore of Issyk-Kul toward the Bokonbaevo area. The lake first comes into view from the hills above — enormous, blue, and calm, with the snow-capped Tien-Shan reflected on its surface. You arrive at the yurt camp by the lake in the evening. Dinner is served, and later you gather around a bonfire under the stars.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Accommodation: Issyk-Kul Yurt Camp
Around mid-morning, you leave Song-Kul and begin the descent through the 33 Parrots Pass — a winding mountain road with sweeping views at every turn. Your guide stops regularly so you can photograph the landscape and take in the scale of what surrounds you.
At the base of the pass, you set off on a short and easy hike — less than one hour — to a waterfall hidden in the gorge below Song-Kul. The trail follows a cool, shaded valley, and the waterfall at the end is peaceful and refreshing. It is exactly the kind of quiet moment this trip is built around.
In the afternoon, your guide drives you along the south shore of Issyk-Kul toward the Bokonbaevo area. The lake first comes into view from the hills above — enormous, blue, and calm, with the snow-capped Tien-Shan reflected on its surface. You arrive at the yurt camp by the lake in the evening. Dinner is served, and later you gather around a bonfire under the stars.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Accommodation: Issyk-Kul Yurt Camp
After breakfast, your guide takes you to Skazka Canyon — known in English as Fairy Tale Canyon — one of the most striking natural landscapes in Kyrgyzstan. Spend around one hour walking through a maze of red, orange, and ochre rock formations shaped by thousands of years of wind and erosion. The towers and ridges look like the walls of a ruined city, and every bend in the path reveals a new shape to discover. The light here in the morning is exceptional for photography, and your guide knows exactly where to stop.
From Skazka, you drive to Barskoon Gorge, a green and forested valley famous for its series of waterfalls. You can walk to the main falls, cool down in the fresh air by the river, and relax before the journey home. Your guide arranges a picnic-style lunch in the gorge — a calm and beautiful way to spend the last hours of the trip before the long drive back.
In the afternoon, you begin the return to Bishkek along the north shore of Issyk-Kul. The lake is vast — 180 kilometres long — and the views across the water toward the Tien-Shan mountains stay beautiful for most of the drive. You arrive in Bishkek in the early evening. Your guide drops you at your hotel and the journey ends — two lakes, two yurt nights, mountain passes, canyons, waterfalls, and open skies.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Not included
From Skazka, you drive to Barskoon Gorge, a green and forested valley famous for its series of waterfalls. You can walk to the main falls, cool down in the fresh air by the river, and relax before the journey home. Your guide arranges a picnic-style lunch in the gorge — a calm and beautiful way to spend the last hours of the trip before the long drive back.
In the afternoon, you begin the return to Bishkek along the north shore of Issyk-Kul. The lake is vast — 180 kilometres long — and the views across the water toward the Tien-Shan mountains stay beautiful for most of the drive. You arrive in Bishkek in the early evening. Your guide drops you at your hotel and the journey ends — two lakes, two yurt nights, mountain passes, canyons, waterfalls, and open skies.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Not included
3-4 people
250 USD
2 people
300 USD
1 person
500 USD
Tour Booking
Price per person
Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel in Bishkek
Bottled water during the tour
Osh Bazaar Excursion
Admission to National History Museum
Comfortable vehicle with air-conditioning
Professional English-speaking guide
Inclusions
Lunch(can be covered on the spot)
Personal expenses
Health Insurance
Not Included
Customise your tour
Flexible departures / customisable itineraries
Itinerary
3-4 people
250 USD
2 people
300 USD
1 person
500 USD
Tour Booking
Price per person
Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel in Bishkek
Bottled water during the tour
Osh Bazaar Excursion
Admission to National History Museum
Comfortable vehicle with air-conditioning
Professional English-speaking guide
Inclusions
Lunch(can be covered on the spot)
Personal expenses
Health Insurance
Not Included
Customise your tour
Flexible departures / customisable itineraries
Day 1
Bishkek — Burana Tower — Boom Gorge — Kochkor — Song-Kul Lake
Approx. 170 km — 3 to 4 hours of driving
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
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
Song-Kul Lake — 33 Parrots Pass — Waterfall — Bokonbaevo
Day 2
Approx. 200 km — 4 to 5 hours of driving
Wake up to fresh air and the wide silence of Song-Kul. After breakfast, the morning is yours. Your guide can arrange a horse ride across the meadows above the lake — a gentle ride with views that stretch endlessly across the plateau, suitable for all levels including beginners. If you prefer, take a quiet walk along the shore or simply sit and watch the nomads tend their animals as they have done for centuries in this place.
Around mid-morning, you leave Song-Kul and begin the descent through the 33 Parrots Pass — a winding mountain road with sweeping views at every turn. Your guide stops regularly so you can photograph the landscape and take in the scale of what surrounds you.
At the base of the pass, you set off on a short and easy hike — less than one hour — to a waterfall hidden in the gorge below Song-Kul. The trail follows a cool, shaded valley, and the waterfall at the end is peaceful and refreshing. It is exactly the kind of quiet moment this trip is built around.
In the afternoon, your guide drives you along the south shore of Issyk-Kul toward the Bokonbaevo area. The lake first comes into view from the hills above — enormous, blue, and calm, with the snow-capped Tien-Shan reflected on its surface. You arrive at the yurt camp by the lake in the evening. Dinner is served, and later you gather around a bonfire under the stars.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Accommodation: Issyk-Kul Yurt Camp
Around mid-morning, you leave Song-Kul and begin the descent through the 33 Parrots Pass — a winding mountain road with sweeping views at every turn. Your guide stops regularly so you can photograph the landscape and take in the scale of what surrounds you.
At the base of the pass, you set off on a short and easy hike — less than one hour — to a waterfall hidden in the gorge below Song-Kul. The trail follows a cool, shaded valley, and the waterfall at the end is peaceful and refreshing. It is exactly the kind of quiet moment this trip is built around.
In the afternoon, your guide drives you along the south shore of Issyk-Kul toward the Bokonbaevo area. The lake first comes into view from the hills above — enormous, blue, and calm, with the snow-capped Tien-Shan reflected on its surface. You arrive at the yurt camp by the lake in the evening. Dinner is served, and later you gather around a bonfire under the stars.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Accommodation: Issyk-Kul Yurt Camp
Bokonbaevo — Skazka Canyon — Barskoon Waterfall — Bishkek
Day 3
Approx. 400 km — 7 to 8 hours of driving
After breakfast, your guide takes you to Skazka Canyon — known in English as Fairy Tale Canyon — one of the most striking natural landscapes in Kyrgyzstan. Spend around one hour walking through a maze of red, orange, and ochre rock formations shaped by thousands of years of wind and erosion. The towers and ridges look like the walls of a ruined city, and every bend in the path reveals a new shape to discover. The light here in the morning is exceptional for photography, and your guide knows exactly where to stop.
From Skazka, you drive to Barskoon Gorge, a green and forested valley famous for its series of waterfalls. You can walk to the main falls, cool down in the fresh air by the river, and relax before the journey home. Your guide arranges a picnic-style lunch in the gorge — a calm and beautiful way to spend the last hours of the trip before the long drive back.
In the afternoon, you begin the return to Bishkek along the north shore of Issyk-Kul. The lake is vast — 180 kilometres long — and the views across the water toward the Tien-Shan mountains stay beautiful for most of the drive. You arrive in Bishkek in the early evening. Your guide drops you at your hotel and the journey ends — two lakes, two yurt nights, mountain passes, canyons, waterfalls, and open skies.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Not included
From Skazka, you drive to Barskoon Gorge, a green and forested valley famous for its series of waterfalls. You can walk to the main falls, cool down in the fresh air by the river, and relax before the journey home. Your guide arranges a picnic-style lunch in the gorge — a calm and beautiful way to spend the last hours of the trip before the long drive back.
In the afternoon, you begin the return to Bishkek along the north shore of Issyk-Kul. The lake is vast — 180 kilometres long — and the views across the water toward the Tien-Shan mountains stay beautiful for most of the drive. You arrive in Bishkek in the early evening. Your guide drops you at your hotel and the journey ends — two lakes, two yurt nights, mountain passes, canyons, waterfalls, and open skies.
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Not included
MONEY&COSTS
The national currency is the Kyrgyz Som (KGS). In Bishkek and major towns, ATMs are widely available in shopping centers and on main streets, and you can pay by card in most restaurants and shops. Visa is the most widely accepted card, while MasterCard is less common and accepted only by specific banks. However, when traveling to the mountains or small villages, you must carry enough cash as ATMs are non-existent. We strongly recommend bringing new USD banknotes, as old or marked bills are often refused by exchange offices.
SAFETY
Kyrgyzstan is widely considered the safest and most open country in Central Asia, known for its stable political situation and hospitable locals. While the country is very safe, we recommend taking standard travel precautions just like anywhere else in the world: keep an eye on your belongings, avoid unlit streets at night, and always use official taxi services. Your safety is our top priority, and we work closely with trusted local partners to ensure a smooth and worry-free journey.
BEST TIME TO GO
Kyrgyzstan features a dry continental climate with a striking contrast between the valleys and the mountains. In major cities like Bishkek and the Ferghana Valley, summers can be intense, with daytime temperatures soaring between 30°C and 40°C (86°–104°F). However, since most of the country sits above 1,500 meters, the mountain air is much fresher and more comfortable, typically hovering around a pleasant 20°C–25°C (68°–77°F) during the day.
For outdoor enthusiasts, summer is the ideal season for trekking and jeep tours, granting full access to high-altitude pastures and breathtaking passes. Winter, on the other hand, transforms the landscape into a premier destination for skiing and snowboarding. Regardless of the season, mountain weather is unpredictable—at elevations over 3,000 meters, temperatures can drop below freezing even in July, so packing warm layers is essential for a comfortable journey.
For outdoor enthusiasts, summer is the ideal season for trekking and jeep tours, granting full access to high-altitude pastures and breathtaking passes. Winter, on the other hand, transforms the landscape into a premier destination for skiing and snowboarding. Regardless of the season, mountain weather is unpredictable—at elevations over 3,000 meters, temperatures can drop below freezing even in July, so packing warm layers is essential for a comfortable journey.
HEALTH
To ensure a healthy trip, avoid drinking tap water or using it for brushing teeth; rely on bottled or filtered water instead. When it comes to food, it is safer to stick to freshly cooked, hot meals and fruits that you can peel yourself. These simple habits are your best defense against common stomach issues and will help you stay energized.
Before you travel, we recommend checking that your routine vaccinations—specifically Diphtheria, Hepatitis A, and Tetanus—are up to date. Since medical infrastructure in remote mountain areas can be limited, having comprehensive travel insurance that covers emergency evacuation is essential for your safety and peace of mind.
Before you travel, we recommend checking that your routine vaccinations—specifically Diphtheria, Hepatitis A, and Tetanus—are up to date. Since medical infrastructure in remote mountain areas can be limited, having comprehensive travel insurance that covers emergency evacuation is essential for your safety and peace of mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
The tour starts at 7:40 AM from the meeting place and lasts around 9-11 hours.
The best way to pay is cash (USD or local currency) directly to the guide on the day of the tour. We also accept card payments and can provide a payment link if needed.
The tour operates in all weather conditions. If it rains, we recommend bringing an umbrella or raincoat. If the weather is extreme, the boat ride may not be possible, but the rest of the activities will continue as planned.
Yes! You’ll have time to explore, take photos, and enjoy the scenery at Issyk Kul Lake, Burana Tower, and cultural sites.
- Professional English-speaking guide
- Comfortable sedan/minibus during the day
- Small-group tour (min 3 and max 15 passengers)
- Admission tickets to Burana Tower, Boat Tour, and Petroglyphs
- Small bottled water
- Comfortable shoes for walking and exploring
- Weather-appropriate clothing (hat/sunscreen in summer, warm layers in winter)
- Packed lunch (optional) if you’d like to have a meal during the boat ride
- Towel and swimsuit for the hot springs
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