Your Central Asian adventure unfortunately comes to an end here in Kyrgyzstan's capital.
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© SAIGA Tours
Start
Aug 27, 2027
Osh
Osh
2027-08-27
End
Sep 1, 2027
Bishkek
Bishkek
2027-09-01
Duration
6 days
Price
US$1395.00
TOUR OVERVIEW
Osh to Bishkek, this is a road trip from Kyrgyzstan's southern capital to its actual capital. We'll pack a lot into these days, with a night in a yurt, a lake that boasts perfect reflections, beautiful drive after beautiful drive, and a lot more.
Along the way there are epic drives, waterfalls, lakes, mountains, yurts, horses, small villages, plains covered in flowers, and roadside stalls selling fruit and honey. Needless to say, the scenery is unreal.
We kick things off with Sulaiman Too, Osh's sacred mountain, complete with pilgrims, petroglyphs and one of those famously crazy Soviet buildings that turns up on every list of weird Soviet structures. Then it's off to one of Central Asia's biggest bazaars, before we hit the road along the Naryn River, stopping at the 11th-century Uzgen Minaret and, if we're lucky, picking up a watermelon for a lakeside picnic at Toktogul Reservoir like the locals do.
Then come a few of our little SAIGA specials. We'll visit the tiny village of Manas, where there's a statue of Manas, and the even tinier village of Kojomkul, where, you guessed it, there's a monument to Kojomkul. It's stranger than it sounds, and by the end you'll know exactly who both of them are. After that we head high into the mountains to Song Kol, where we spend the night in a yurt camp with a warm stove, a home-cooked dinner and about a million stars.
Then it's back to civilisation via Kochkor and the Burana Tower, a very old, very tall (well, it used to be) minaret, and the mounted MiG jets of Tokmok, before arriving in Bishkek.
And the timing of this tour is no accident. Bishkek on 31 August means Independence Day, with a parade, concerts, crowds in Ala-Too Square and a reading of the Manas Epic. It's the best day of the year to be in the capital, and honestly, an absolute no-brainer.
If you like the look of this tour but the dates don't work for you, or you'd like to do part of the tour, please get in touch and let us know. All our tours are able to be split into smaller sections, we're always scheduling new tours and your dates might work for one of them, or we can always organise an independent tour.
INCLUSIONS:
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Accommodation in twin share at roughly 3 star hotels/guesthouses, breakfast included |
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Where itinerary mentions yurt or homestay accomodation, single supplement and twin share may be affected |
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Transport as per itinerary |
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Entrance fees to most sites (as per itinerary) |
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Western and local guides |
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $250
EXCLUSIONS:
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Visa fees if necessary |
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Visa support if necessary |
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Some activities, eg. treatments at sanatorium (as per itinerary) |
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Meals other than breakfast |
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Transport to and from the start and end of tour |
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Personal expenses such as souvenirs or any optional activities |
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Explore rural Kyrgyzstan - all the mountains, rivers and lakes you could dream of!
Spend a night sleeping in a yurt under the stars at Song Kol
Celebrate Kyrgyzstan's Independence Day like a local in Bishkek
Itinerary
Day 1Fri Aug 27
Osh
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Today we'll explore our last stop in Kyrgyzstan, Osh.
- We’ll visit the sacred Sulaiman Too Mountain, the main attraction in Osh.
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We’ll walk to the top of the rocky outcrop, no doubt meeting lots of local pilgrims happy to have a chat on the way.
- Not only is the scraggy hill a site in itself, with amazing views out over the whole city, and also peppered with ancient petroglyphs, but it’s also home to Sulaiman Too Museum, one of those famous crazy Soviet buildings that appear on all the lists of weird Soviet structures.
- We’ll also go to the Osh bazaar, one of Central Asia’s largest open-air markets. This is a great opportunity to find some cool souvenirs – hats, coats, rugs, fabrics, ornaments, loads of the cool stuff you’ve been admiring on locals and in their houses since being in Central Asia.
- During the day we'll take a walk through the city centre, soaking in the vibe and hearing the stories of how the city has changed over the years, especially in recent times. One noteable change is the lack of the Lenin statue which stood proud in the city centre until June 2025.
- Overnight in Osh.
Day 2Sat Aug 28
Osh, Toktogul
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Leaving Osh today we'll start our road trip through rural Kyrgyzstan. The next few days, until arriving in Bishkek, will be full of naturally beautiful waterfalls, lakes, mountains, yurts, horses, small villages, plains covered in flowers, and roadside fruit and honey stalls.
- Our first stop will be at the Uzgen Minaret, an 11th Century, 27.5m tall tower, alongside three mausoleums.
- We'll be driving along the extremely picturesque Naryn River for most of the day, as we wind our way through western Kyrgyzstan.
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We might stop and buy a watermelon or a box of strawberries, so we can kick it local style and have a lake-side picnic at Toktogul Reservoir.
A very popular place for locals to set up for an entire day, with makeshift tents, camp seats and trestle tables everywhere, we'll stop here for a refreshing swim and just to relax and hang out for a while.
- We'll arrive at our destination for the day in the late afternoon. The town of Toktogul, 1000 metres above sea level, was originally named after Toktogul Satylganov, a well-known Kyrygz poet and musician. His contributions and talent were so extensive that he is featured on the 100 Som note.
- You can go for a wander around the town if you want to, before we have dinner at our homestay for the night.
Day 3Sun Aug 29
Toktogul, Manas, Kojomkul, Song Kol
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Leaving Toktogul, we’ll drive through the Suusamyr Valley towards Song Kol. On the way though we'll take a slight detour to follow the It Agar River and make a stop at Ozero Sazka - Reflection Lake. Named for good reason!
- After a short walk past a yurt camp, a bunch of horses, and across a small stream, we'll come out at the edge of the picturesque lake.
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Continuing on our way we'll stop in the very small village of Manas, where there's a wonderful, you guessed it - statue of Manas.
- Our next small detour will be to the even smaller village of Kojomkul, where you'll never guess what there is - a monument to Kojomkul! Kyrgyzstan's most famous strong man, who you'll a lot about during our trip.
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After the epic drive, we’ll arrive at Song Kol. Set high in the mountains, the lake itself is in the middle of a fertile plateau, dotted with horses, sheep and yurts.
- Even though it’s summer and we’ll have been hot up until now, we’ll now be very glad to have stoves on in each yurt for warmth, and you might even pull out a jumper in the evening.
- Depending on how early we arrive, you'll have the opportunity to go horse riding, or just take a walk around the area or if you’re really brave, a dip in the lake. Either way it’ll be a relaxing and peaceful evening under the stars.
- Dinner will be in the main yurt at our camp, cooked by the family we’re staying with.
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Day 4Mon Aug 30
Song Kol, Kochkor, Bishkek
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Leaving Song Kol this morning, we'll gradually head back to civilisation today.
- Other than some spectacular photo ops, our first stop on the four-hour drive to Bishkek, will be in the town of Kochkor.
- Although most of the time this would be considered a small, rural town, compared to where we've just spent the last few days, this will feel like the big smoke!
- We'll stop at the Soviet WWII memorial and the Lenin statue, both in the centre of town. We'll also take you to our favourite souvenir shop in Kyrgyzstan - run by local women, it's a great spot to find most things you might be looking for, from handicrafts, to antiques, and everything in between.
- We'll take a short walk through the market, and have lunch.
- This afternoon we'll visit Burana Tower, one of Kyrgyzstan's most famous sites. A 25 metre brick tower, this was once a 45 metre tall minaret, which was once the minaret of a mosque in Balassagyn city. Now you can climb to the top of it for some great views over the nearby landscape.
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With a couple more quick stops, such as the mounted MiG aircrafts in the nearby town of Tokmok, we'll arrive in Bishkek in the evening.
- And now we're really back to civilisation!
- Now in Bishkek, we might want to take the opportunity to eat something other than Central Asian food - there's an excellent Japanese restaurant that we love, we could get burgers or pizzas, Chinese or Korean, or of course there are plenty of options if we want to stick with Kyrgyz food.
- Then afterwards we can go out and experience some of Bishkek's rapidly gentrifying nightlife, maybe at Save the Ales or some of the many other cool ever-emerging options.
Day 5Tue Aug 31
Bishkek, Independence Day
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Happy Independence Day!
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Today there will be a buzz of excitement around the city, with lots of people making their way to the capital to celebrate Independence Day. We'll join the hub of the activity in Ala-Too Square, where we'll see whatever this year's show includes. There's usually a military parade, with an impressive array of tanks, armoured vehicles, machinery and weapons, current units and veterans, and fingers crossed, an air show.
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There will also be concerts of both traditional and modern songs and dances, and of course a reading of the Manas Epic.
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We will work around the timing of the celebrations and will play it by ear exactly how today works, but most likely in the afternoon we will have a chance to do some sight-seeing in Bishkek.
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Bishkek is a quintessential Soviet city with an amazing mix of Stalinist and Brezhnev era architecture. The wide boulevards and Brutalist apartment blocks, in stark contrast to the snow-capped mountain backdrop, and the whole centre of the city is basically a living museum, so we'll mainly walk around nearby areas.
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In the evening we'll be returning to Ala-Too Square for the evening concert for Independence Day.
Extensions
Pamir Highway Tour: Dushanbe to Osh
One of the most spectacular roadtrips in the world, the Pamir Highway will leave anyone in awe.
Pamir Highway & Kyrgyzstan Independence Day Tour: Dushanbe to Bishkek
Central Asia's most iconic drive, days filled with spectacular views and picturesque stops, plus a couple of Soviet specialities, and the biggest Independence Day in the region.
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