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© SAIGA Tours
Start
Aug 30, 2026
Bishkek
Bishkek
2026-08-30
End
Sep 5, 2026
Bishkek
Bishkek
2026-09-05
Duration
7 days
Price
US$1695.00
TOUR OVERVIEW
Dead goat polo, belt wrestling and eagle hunting – the Nomad Games are exactly what they sound like. Beginning in 2014 with only ten sports, this is the sixth time the event will have been held - the first three times being on the shores of Lake Issyk Kol in Kyrgyzstan, followed by 2022 seeing Turkey have a turn, before its return to Central Asia with Kazakhstan holding the 2024 edition in Astana, and finally back to its original Kyrgyz roots in 2026.
This time there will be over 40 sports, with 3,000 athletes from 100 countries taking part. There are all the countries you'd expect to be involved like Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, but you might be surprised to see teams from the USA, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, France and Switzerland, competing in horseback archery, tug of war, falconry, dead goat polo, ordo, and taigan hunting, just to name a few.
Not only can you see some of the most obscure sports you'll ever have come across, but a highlight for most people will be exploring the ethno-village built in the mountains behind Cholpon Ata. With yurts dotted all over the valley, a hive of activity of people in national clothes from not only Kyrgyzstan, but also many other nations, horses, eagles and dogs being part of small competitions and displays, and totally epic events, it feels more like something out of a fantasy novel than an international sporting event.
We have centered our tour around the Opening Ceremony, which is being held in Bishkek. From there we'll head to Cholpon Ata for the games themselves, but on the way and while we're there, we'll take the opportunity to show you some other nearby places too, such as some petroglyphs, Burana Tower, Karakol and a Soviet sanatorium.
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.
Interested in exploring more of Kyrgyzstan while you're here? Check out our Nomad Games Mega Tour which ventures further into rural Kyrgyzstan as well.
This tour can also be joined up with our 5 Stans Autumn Tour , which leads into Turkmenistan Independence Day , for those who'd like to explore other parts of Central Asia as well.
INCLUSIONS:
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Accommodation as per itinerary (where yurt camps or guesthouses are mentioned, single supplement may not be available) |
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Transport as per itinerary, beginning and ending in Bishkek |
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Entrance fees to events as per itinerary |
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Tour guiding during the tour |
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $420
What is the single supplement? This is paid to guarantee a single room. If you are travelling alone and would like to be roomed with another single traveller, you do not need to pay this.
EXCLUSIONS:
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Visa fees if necessary |
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Visa support if necessary |
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Meals other than breakfast at hotels |
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Activities outside of those mentioned in the itinerary |
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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
See the Opening Ceremony of the Sixth World Nomad Games
Take in the nomadic culture in the ethno-village, set in the picturesque mountains
Be part of one of the most unique and other-worldly international sporting events
Spectate sports you've never even heard of before!
Itinerary
Day 1Sun Aug 30
Bishkek
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We'll spend today exploring Bishkek, starting with a walking tour of the centre of the city. There is going to be a great buzz in the city, with the Nomad Games just about to start, and all sorts of spectators, competitors, officials, and volunteers from around Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia, and indeed, the world.
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A quintessential Soviet city with an amazing mix of Stalinist and Brezhnev era architecture, Bishkek is full of wide boulevards and Brutalist apartment blocks, in stark contrast to the snow-capped mountain backdrop.
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We’ll visit the Frunze Museum, dedicated to Mikhail Frunze, whom the city of Bishkek used to be named after (and why the airport code was still FRU until mid 2025).
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Making our way past Victory Square, the circus and Tsum, we'll visit the Lenin Statue and Ala Too Square, home to the National Museum of Kyrgyzstan and a large Kyrgyz flag. Although this flag isn't quite as famous as their world-record holding neighbours, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan , it is still impressive and every hour, on the hour, there's a changing of the guards.
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If there's time we'll continue on to Osh Bazaar, passing the White House on the way, and we’ll finish off the day learning about some of the weird and wonderful produce and delicacies you’ll find in the market.
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There will no doubt be a great vibe in Bishkek, which we'll make sure to soak in in the evening.
- Overnight in Bishkek.
Day 2Mon Aug 31
Opening Ceremony of World Nomad Games
- Today marks the first day of the World Nomad Games, which is exactly what it sounds like - a colourful, vibrant and incredibly unique event, showcasing some of the coolest, weirdest and most amazing sports you'll ever come across.
- First held in Kyrgyzstan in 2014, it was then held twice more in Kyrgyzstan before being handed over to Turkey for the 2022 games ( much to the outrage of most Kyrgyz and Kazakh ). Much to all of our relief, Kazakhstan hosted the 2024 edition, and now we're super excited to have it back in its original homeland of Kyrgyzstan!
- We will be attending the Opening Ceremony, which will be a concert and show-case of local and international musicians, sportspeople and entertainers.
- Overnight in Bishkek.
Day 3Tue Sep 1
Bishkek, Tokmok, Burana Tower, Cholpon Ata
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This morning we'll start our journey towards Issik Kol, and the venue for the World Nomad Games.
- On the way though, we'll make a couple of stops. We'll start with the town of Tokmok, a stereotypical Soviet town and home of the former air force training base. To honour the town’s past, there’s a MiG-23 mounted as a memorial, which we'll have a quick photo stop at.
- Continuing on, our next stop will be at 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.
- We'll arrive in Cholpon Ata in the afternoon and check into our hotel for the next few days.
- Overnight in Cholpon Ata.
Day 4Wed Sep 2
World Nomad Games
- Today we'll start exploring the various venues and exciting events, from the massive hippodrome, to the purpose-built arenas and stadiums, and most notably, the vast yurt village, dotted all over the valley behind Cholpon Ata. We will be seeing as much as we can of all the variety of sports.
- Salbuurun is a sport based on the nomadic hunting routines. They would go on several day long group hunts, for which the best eagles, horses, riders, hunters and dogs would be selected. While returning home, the most nimble horseman would put the body of a wolf that they'd caught across the saddle and would gallop ahead of the group. The others would try to catch up with him and grab the wolf, attempting to display their own strength and agility. In the end the best rider would return home to the village and to show everyone his victory, would throw the wolf’s carcass at the elder’s yurt. And thus, Kok Boru was born.
- The most famous and possibly most novel sport is Kok Boru, known in Afghanistan and Tajikistan as Buzkashi, and sometimes referred to in English as “Dead Goat Polo”. “Kok Boru” literally means “Grey Wolf” and originates from when Kyrgyz nomads would hunt wolves and play games with them. Nowadays the game involves two teams of men on horseback, each trying to get the decapitated goat or sheep which is the centre of the game, into the other team's goal, which is actually a large pit at the end of the pitch. It's absurdly fast-paced, very rough, and extremely exciting, but the decapitation of the animal at the beginning of the game is definitely not a site for the squeamish. (Don't worry, if you don't want to see the animal actually losing its head and limbs, you can easily not watch this part!)
- There will be eagle hunting, equestrian displays, and demonstrations of arts and crafts and other ancient domestic traditions, just to name a few.
- Of course there are many more sports and events you'll be able to witness, these are just a few of our favourites.
- Overnight in Cholpon Ata.
Day 5Thu Sep 3
Cholpon Ata, Petroglyphs, Karakol, Cholpon Ata
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Today we're going to step away from the Games themselves and show you some of the interesting things in the surrounding area.
- We'll visit the famous 4,000 year old petroglyphs. It’s a very strange and unique view, huge boulders dotted over the side of the otherwise baron and sparse hillside, and the lake visible in the distance.
- On the way back to the main road, we’ll drive down the old runway which was part of the Cholpon Ata airport that no longer exists. Back in the heyday, all sorts of dignitaries and celebrities flew into the resort town (including Yuri Gagarin who was a regular here), but it went out of use in 2003.
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Continuing around the lake, today we’ll visit Karakol, at the very eastern point of Issyk Kol, stopping on the way into town at the museum of N.M.Prjevalskii, a renowned Russian explorer of the 1800s.
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A small town with a big reputation, Karakol has a couple of pretty cool things to see, including the Dungan Mosque, unexpectedly shaped like a Chinese pagoda, and the Russian Orthodox Church.
- We’ll stop for lunch and have traditional Dungan food before and then if we've got time, we'll continue a bit further to one of our SAIGA favourite – the Jeti Ögüz Health Spa, a Soviet sanitorium which is very tired and dated (as you’d expect a Soviet health spa to be!) but still functioning. You’ll have a chance to explore the grounds and buildings, get a massage, see all the weird treatments available and generally take a step back in time. Depending on who we find, we might be able to get radon baths, electric shock therapy, pulsating circulation treatment as well as mud baths, acupuncture and who knows what else! For anyone who loves the weird and wonderful, this creepy stop will be right up your alley!
- We'll return to Cholpon Ata, ready to get back to the Nomad Games events tomorrow!
- Overnight in Cholpon Ata.
Day 6Fri Sep 4
World Nomad Games
- Today we'll be exploring the ethno-village and seeing more cool events.
- Ordo, which means “Khan's headquarters” or “Khan's Palace” is a game played by kicking knuckle bones out of a circle drawn on the ground. It represents a military map, and originally the game was used as a training scheme to teach soldiers various strategies to use to defeat their enemies.
- Another sport most likely based on military training, though the origins of this one aren't as clear, Er Enish is the wrestling of horsemen. The rules permit a lot of violence, and it's thought that it was used to train horsemen in cruel methods of melee combat to take down their enemies. For example, grabbing your opponent's ribs or the muscles in their hands, or turning out their joints, are perfectly acceptable tactics to use.
- Cholpon Ata will be absolutely buzzing with contestants, spectators, volunteers, staff, media and officials, and we'll also be making sure to take in as much of the atmosphere as possible.
- Overnight in Cholpon Ata.
Day 7Sat Sep 5
Cholpon Ata, Bishkek
- Today we'll leave the excitement of the Nomad Games behind us and will return to Bishkek where our tour will come to an end.
- There's of course much more to see though in Kyrgyzstan, so if you'd like to explore some more remote parts of this picturesque country, have a look at our Nomad Games Mega Tour .
Other Tours
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