We’ll meet at the Bishkek airport (see the details in the "Place and time of the meeting" section) and drive to the hotel to have some rest after the flight. In the evening we’ll take a walk along the green streets of Bishkek. We’ll visit all the iconic places of the city: the central square of Ala-Too, a 100-year-old Oak Park, the Opera and Ballet Theater named after Abdylas Maldybaev, a Kyrgyz composer and singer. We’ll finish the walk with dinner at a traditional restaurant.

Note: If you arrive after 16:00, you’ll take a walking tour around the city on the last day of the program.

In the morning we’ll go along the Chüy Valley to the Konorchek Canyon, whose landscapes  resemble the famous Grand Canyon. We’ll take a short walk around the canyon and take many memorable photos.

We’ll stop for lunch at a local cafe, and then visit the Orto-Tokoi Reservoir, built to irrigate agricultural land. The reservoir is impressive in its size — it reaches a length of 18 km. The mountain ranges framing the water surface give a special charm to this place.

In the evening we’ll reach the village of Kochkor, where we’ll stay for the night. Here we’ll attend a creative cooking master class: we’ll try to cook local dishes.

After breakfast we’ll head to the large alpine lake Song-Köl, nestled between two mountain ranges. The road passes through the picturesque Kalmak-Ashuu Pass, overlooking the majestic peaks of the Tian Shan.

In the afternoon we’ll take a horse ride along the shore (optional, for an extra charge) to enjoy the crystal clear air and bright landscapes of alpine meadows surrounding the lake. Depending on the weather, the water of Song-Köl changes color from turquoise to dark purple. Instead of the ride we can go up to the observation point with a majestic view of the lake at sunset.

We’ll spend the night in a colorful yurt camp to feel like real nomads.

Today we have a tight schedule. We’ll dedicate the morning to the famous Issyk-Kul, one of the deepest and largest lakes in the world. We’ll spend time on the shore, enjoy the views of snow-white peaks encircling the lake and fresh aroma of coniferous forests and mountain herbs.

Further, we’ll continue our way to the Fairytale Canyon, which is famous for its red rocks turned by the wind into magical castles. The color in the valley changes depending on the lighting, so at different times of the day it can look completely different.

We’ll spend the night in a cozy guest house in the village of Tamga.

Let’s start the day with a visit to the Barskoon waterfall, one of the most famous in Kyrgyzstan. We’ll get to the spot by minibus, and then take a short walk. On the way to the waterfalls, we’ll stop by the Issyk Kul Lake to sunbathe and swim in cool water.

Then we’ll go to Jeti Oguz — a picturesque gorge with red rocks and lush vegetation. This name, which means “seven bulls”, was given to the gorge for the seven majestic rocks standing here side by side. We’ll take a walk along the fabulous Dragon Gorge and listen to beautiful legends about this place.

In the evening we’ll arrive in Karakol, where we’ll check into a hotel.

After breakfast we’ll have an exciting kayak trip along the Przhevalsky Bay of Issyk-Kul. The bay, as well as the village on its shore — Pristan-Przhevalsk — are named after the famous traveler and geographer Nikolay Przhevalsky, who was buried in this village. We will visit a memorial museum established here in his honor.

In the afternoon we’ll walk around the city of Karakol, visit one of the first Orthodox churches built in Kyrgyzstan — the Church of the Holy Trinity, and see the Dungan mosque resembling a Tibetan pagoda.

In the evening we’ll immerse ourselves even deeper in the culture of the Dungan people and have traditional Dungan dinner. The Dungans are people who moved to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan from China at the end of the 19th century, preserving their traditions and customs. Their cuisine is quite an original mix of Chinese and Central Asian dishes.

In the morning we’ll say goodbye to Karakol and head to the city of Cholpon-Ata, situated on the northern coast of Issyk-Kul. It is famous not only for its resort opportunities, but also for its huge open-air archeological complex. On its territory, ancient ruins, burials, and about a thousand stones with petroglyphs have been preserved. The oldest drawings are over 2,000 years old!

The next stop is the Burana settlement. This is the place where the medieval city of Balasagun, the main capital of the Karakhanid state, was located. Burana Tower, rising above the ruins, is in UNESCO World Heritage List and shrouded in many legends.

In the evening we’ll check into a hotel in Bishkek and have a farewell dinner in a restaurant.

You can spend the morning walking around the city, buying souvenirs, or just resting at the hotel. The participants who arrived after 16:00 on the first day of the program will go on a sightseeing tour around Bishkek. In the afternoon the group will be transferred to Bishkek airport.