Two countries by road · Kazakhstan + Kyrgyzstan
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in 15 days
Built on the trip we ran for a group of twelve from Malaysia in May 2026. A week around Almaty and the lakes, across the border by road to Karakol, up into the mountain valleys, a night at Song-Kul, then back to Almaty through Bishkek.
Why it made the cut
We have run this route end to end with a big group, and the only change we made afterwards was a night near Charyn, so no day has more than six hours of driving. There are no flights inside the region. Everything is by road, so the change from Kazakh steppe to Kyrgyz pastures happens outside the window.
The first five days are easy and stay close to Almaty. The harder part, the Ala-Kul day, comes in the middle, after you have got used to the altitude. The last days are slower again: a yurt on Song-Kul, Bishkek and an easy walk in Ala-Archa.
Song-Kul sits at 3,016 metres. There’s no phone signal, and nights are cold even in July.
How the days feel
Day 1
Arrival in Almaty. Airport pick-up and the rest of the day off.
Day 2
Medeu, Shymbulak, Kok-Tobe. The mountain ice rink, the cable car up to Shymbulak, and the city from Kok-Tobe at sunset.
Day 3
Hunny ethno-village and the Arbat. Yurts, horse games and a beshbarmak lunch at the Hunny village outside the city, then an evening on the Arbat. In May the poppy fields on the way are in flower.
Day 4
Issyk and Turgen. Lake Issyk, then a short walk to Bear Waterfall in Turgen gorge. Back to Almaty for the night.
Day 5
Assy plateau and Charyn. Up Turgen gorge by 4×4 to the Assy plateau at about 2,500 metres, where herders graze horses in summer. Down past the Bartogai reservoir to Charyn. Night at the eco-park by the canyon.
Day 6
Charyn, Kaindy, Kolsai. An early walk through the Valley of Castles before the heat. Then on to Kaindy and the first Kolsai lake. Night in Saty.
Day 7
Into Kyrgyzstan. Across the border at Karkara and on to Karakol, about four hours. In the afternoon, the Dungan mosque, built without nails, the wooden Holy Trinity cathedral and the bazaar.
Day 8
Altyn-Arashan. A rough 4×4 track up the valley to the hot springs at about 2,500 metres. Night in a mountain guesthouse.
Day 9
Towards Ala-Kul. The hardest day: on foot or on horseback up to the Ala-Kul lake (3,532 m) and back to the springs. Nine to eleven hours. You can turn around at any point.
Day 10
Jyrgalan. Back down to Karakol and east to the Jyrgalan valley. Short walks in open meadows. Night in Jyrgalan.
Day 11
The south shore of Issyk-Kul. The red cliffs of Jeti-Oguz, the Barskoon waterfall and the eroded clay of Skazka canyon. Night by the lake.
Day 12
Song-Kul. Five to six hours by road through Kochkor and over the pass to the lake. Night in a yurt camp.
Day 13
Down to Bishkek. A morning at the lake, then the drive to Bishkek with a stop at the Burana tower, an 11th-century minaret.
Day 14
Ala-Archa and back to Kazakhstan. A walk in Ala-Archa National Park in the morning. Then the Kordai border and the road to Almaty, about five hours with the crossing.
Day 15
Almaty and home. Panfilov Park, the Zenkov Cathedral, the Green Bazaar and the Rakhat chocolate shop, then the airport.
Stays and what’s included
- Stays
- 3★ hotels in Almaty, Karakol and Bishkek, cottages at Charyn, guesthouses in Saty, Altyn-Arashan and Jyrgalan, yurt camps on Issyk-Kul and Song-Kul
- Included
- Private transport throughout, English-speaking guide, 4×4 on mountain tracks, help at both borders, park fees and entrance tickets, cable cars, breakfasts, full board in yurt camps
- Not included
- International flights, horses for Ala-Kul, lunches and dinners in towns, visas if you need one, tips
- Group
- Private, only your group
Good for you if
- You have two weeks and want two countries without flights.
- You are fine with one long day on foot or in the saddle.
- A yurt night is part of the point.
Maybe not if
- You want a hotel with its own bathroom every night.
- Altitude above 3,000 metres worries you.
- You only have a week. The Perfect Week in Almaty is shorter.