More added as each season wraps.
The best hotel we can book, at the start and end of every trip: hot water and a proper landing.
The best family yurt camps on each route: felt-walled boz üy, shared meals, a wood stove, and a host who knows the pass better than any app.
The best guesthouse in Karakol between driving days: hot showers, real beds, family-run.
The best rooms at lodges like Altyn Arashan: real beds, a wood stove, geothermal pools by the door. No tents, ever.
Highlighted months are when Yurt & Peak runs in Kyrgyzstan; the high passes are snowed in outside this window. Click a route above to see its own window, or message us about a custom date.
Most EU passports, Dutch included, can enter Kyrgyzstan visa-free, but the rule changed at the start of 2026: it's now 30 days within any 60-day window, down from the old 60-in-120 allowance. Every trip here fits comfortably inside that, but check your own passport's current allowance before booking, since it depends on nationality and how much you've already traveled in the region.
The Kyrgyz som (KGS). Cards and ATMs work fine in Bishkek and Karakol, but yurt camps, homestays and mountain villages are cash-only. We'll tell you roughly how much som to carry once your route and dates are set.
PayPal, bank transfer, or cash, whichever's easiest for you. A 30% deposit secures your spot and is due regardless of how you pay. The remaining balance is due two months before departure, the same date booking for your trip closes, except if you're paying cash, which can wait until the start of your trip. We'll send the details once your dates and group are confirmed, and you'll get your booking confirmation on WhatsApp or email, whichever you'd rather use.
Bank transfer PayPal CashCancel more than 3 months before departure and you get a full refund, deposit included. Cancel within 3 months of departure and the 30% deposit is non-refundable, but anything you've paid beyond that deposit is still refunded to you.
Everything that's part of the itinerary, yes: every drive in our own 4x4s, every transfer and horse between stops is included, along with the pickup from Manas airport into Bishkek at the start of your trip. What isn't: getting yourself around Bishkek on your own time, or a taxi to a cafe with the group on a free evening. That part's on you, same as it would be at home.
Breakfast, yes: every night you're in a guesthouse or hotel, Bishkek included, whatever that house has cooked that morning. We don't run fixed catering contracts, so it's never quite the same twice. Lunch and dinner aren't included, but the day is never without a stop for them: sometimes a restaurant, sometimes an invitation into someone's home as a guest. We keep that part loose on purpose; it's what makes the trip feel like yours, not a script. Want lunch and dinner included instead? Just tell us before you book and we'll arrange it.
Mildly, on some days. None of our trips involve serious trekking, but Song-Kol (3,016 m) and Kel-Suu (~3,500 m) are both high enough that a headache or heavy legs on arrival is common, even reached by car or horse. Days are paced with a lower night beforehand where possible, and your guide keeps an eye on everyone. Travel insurance that covers high-altitude issues is worth having regardless.
In Bishkek, Karakol and around Issyk-Kul, yes. Once you're at Song-Kol, Altyn Arashan, or out toward Kel-Suu, expect little to no signal for a day or more at a time. Worth telling people at home before you go.
A few things every trip needs, whatever the route: your passport, som in cash for rural stops, layers for warm days and cool mountain nights, comfortable shoes for easy walks, sunscreen and a hat, swimwear for Issyk-Kul and the hot springs, a reusable water bottle, and a type C/F plug adapter if you're not already on that standard; most of Europe is, the UK and US aren't. Anything trip-specific goes through you after you book: it depends on the route, the month, and what you already own, and booking closes two months before departure, so there's plenty of time to sort it.
Low. Every trip here is built around driving, horseback and a few easy, optional walks. There's no multi-day trekking on any of them, and no tent camping either. The Hidden Fjord has the longest days in a 4x4, which asks more of your patience than your legs. If you can handle a full day of travel and a short stroll at the end of it, you're set.
English, Turkish, Dutch, Russian and Kyrgyz: between the guides and the team behind the trips, we've got all five covered, so book and travel in whichever you're most comfortable in.
Different dates, a different group size, or a mix of pieces from The Jailoo Circuit and The Hidden Fjord; message directly and we'll build it together.
Type your message below. It lands straight in our inbox, or send it via WhatsApp instead if you'd rather.
Message on Instagram or TikTok to hold a place or ask about custom dates.
Message to bookThis is the plan we aim for, not a fixed contract; passes and permits can shift the route slightly. The full, detailed itinerary goes out after you book.
USD is an estimate at today's rate; your bank's rate on the day may differ slightly.
No trek, no tents: every night is a real bed, with two free days built in. Altyn Arashan's hot springs are reached in comfort, by 4x4. This departure also runs at a special discounted rate for the smaller, women-only group.
Out of the city to Kyrgyzstan's "second sea," with a beach afternoon at Cholpon-Ata.
A swim in water warm enough by August, and a walk through the Bronze-Age petroglyph field on the hillside above town.
Into Karakol, the region's old garrison town, for an afternoon on foot through its old quarter.
See the timber houses, the Dungan mosque built without a single nail, and the wooden Orthodox cathedral, then the bazaar for dried fruit and felt goods.
A 4x4 climb up the Arashan gorge to a high valley ringed by snow peaks, no hiking required.
First soak in the outdoor hot springs by evening. Overnight at the best guesthouse in the valley: real beds and a wood stove, not a tent.
A free day: hot springs, an easy walk, or the long ride to Ala-Kul for those who want it.
More hot springs, a slow breakfast, or just a chair by the water for the easy option. Ala-Kul is about 2.5 hours on horseback each way (5 hours round trip) plus a 30-minute hike at the top, easily the toughest, longest stretch on any of our trips, but the lake makes it worth it.
Back down the gorge by 4x4 into Karakol by early afternoon.
Free time in town for the bazaar and a proper coffee before an early dinner.
West to Jeti-Oguz, the "Seven Bulls," for a short valley walk, then on to Barskoon.
Jeti-Oguz is known for its red sandstone ridgelines and the split rock called the Broken Heart.
An easy morning at the three waterfalls in Barskoon gorge, then a free afternoon.
Past the memorial to Yuri Gagarin, who recovered here after his flight. Options include village walks, a banya, or just resting up before the last push north.
A short hop to Skazka (Fairytale Canyon), then the long transfer into Chong-Kemin valley.
Skazka is a maze of red, pink and ochre rock carved by wind and water. Arrive by evening at a valley lodge.
A free morning for horseback riding or a walk to Zhashyl-Kol, the valley's "Emerald Lake."
Then the short drive back into Bishkek.
The gentler of the two: mostly driving and horseback, no trek. Song-Kol and Suusamyr run on rough tracks, so times there are approximate.
East into the forested Chong-Kemin valley, between two national parks.
Afternoon options: horseback riding along the river, a walk to Zhashyl-Kol (Emerald Lake), or an eagle-hunting demonstration with a local falconer. Overnight at a valley lodge.
Down through the gorge to Issyk-Kul's north shore, ending at Cholpon-Ata for a beach afternoon.
The route runs via Balykchy at the lake's western tip, then east along the north shore.
Inland and up over Kyzart Pass to the Song-Kol plateau at 3,016 m.
A rough 4x4 track via Kochkor climbs to the plateau; arrive at the best family-run yurt camp on the lakeshore by late afternoon.
A day for altitude and quiet: horseback riding across the jailoo, felt-making with the host family.
The sky here has no ambient light for a hundred kilometers in any direction.
A long transfer south-west over the mountains into Suusamyr, a high grazing basin ringed by 4,500 m peaks.
The route runs via the village of Kyzyl-Oi; the basin sits at 2,200–2,600 m. Evening kymyz (fermented mare's milk) with a herding family.
Back over the Too-Ashuu pass and down into the Chuy valley to Bishkek.
The most remote route. Kel-Suu sits in a border zone: a permit (~€20–30pp) is arranged 7–14 days ahead and checked at a military post, so book this one early. The roughest ground in the country, in our best-equipped 4x4s.
East into the Chong-Kemin valley for an afternoon of horseback riding or walking, overnight at a valley lodge.
Same first day as the Song-Kol loop: options are Emerald Lake or an eagle-hunting demonstration with a local falconer.
To the north shore for a beach afternoon at Cholpon-Ata.
Route runs via Balykchy, before heading inland again.
To the Song-Kol plateau at 3,016 m, yurt camp on the lakeshore.
Route runs via Kochkor and Kyzart Pass.
Horseback riding and felt-making, then an early night before tomorrow's long drive.
South into Naryn town, the last outpost before the border ranges.
Time to collect the border-zone permit arranged in advance, required for tomorrow, no exceptions.
Deep into the border zone to Kel-Suu, a fjord-like lake at roughly 3,500 m held between canyon walls, one of the most dramatic lakes in the country.
A slow climb by our high-clearance 4x4s: river fords, mud, scree. Overnight at the best yurt camp on the shore, real beds, not a tent.
Back out of the border zone to Naryn for a hot meal and a real bed.
The long drive back over the mountains to Bishkek, closing the loop.
No trek, no tents: every night is a real bed, with two free days built in. Altyn Arashan's hot springs are reached in comfort, by 4x4.
Out of the city to Kyrgyzstan's "second sea," with a beach afternoon at Cholpon-Ata.
A swim in water warm enough by August, and a walk through the Bronze-Age petroglyph field on the hillside above town.
Into Karakol, the region's old garrison town, for an afternoon on foot through its old quarter.
See the timber houses, the Dungan mosque built without a single nail, and the wooden Orthodox cathedral, then the bazaar for dried fruit and felt goods.
A 4x4 climb up the Arashan gorge to a high valley ringed by snow peaks, no hiking required.
First soak in the outdoor hot springs by evening. Overnight at the best guesthouse in the valley: real beds and a wood stove, not a tent.
A free day: hot springs, an easy walk, or the long ride to Ala-Kul for those who want it.
More hot springs, a slow breakfast, or just a chair by the water for the easy option. Ala-Kul is about 2.5 hours on horseback each way (5 hours round trip) plus a 30-minute hike at the top, easily the toughest, longest stretch on any of our trips, but the lake makes it worth it.
Back down the gorge by 4x4 into Karakol by early afternoon.
Free time in town for the bazaar and a proper coffee before an early dinner.
West to Jeti-Oguz, the "Seven Bulls," for a short valley walk, then on to Barskoon.
Jeti-Oguz is known for its red sandstone ridgelines and the split rock called the Broken Heart.
An easy morning at the three waterfalls in Barskoon gorge, then a free afternoon.
Past the memorial to Yuri Gagarin, who recovered here after his flight. Options include village walks, a banya, or just resting up before the last push north.
A short hop to Skazka (Fairytale Canyon), then the long transfer into Chong-Kemin valley.
Skazka is a maze of red, pink and ochre rock carved by wind and water. Arrive by evening at a valley lodge.
A free morning for horseback riding or a walk to Zhashyl-Kol, the valley's "Emerald Lake."
Then the short drive back into Bishkek.