Son-Kul (also written Song-Kul or Song-Köl) is a high-altitude lake at about 3,000 m in the Naryn region, surrounded by wide grassy plateaus and gentle mountain ridges. In summer herding families from the surrounding valleys bring their horses, sheep and cattle here and live in yurts on the shore – for many travellers this is the most authentic image of nomadic Kyrgyzstan.
There are no permanent villages or hotels at the lake. Visitors stay in seasonal yurt camps with simple shared facilities, eat home-cooked meals with the families and spend the days walking, riding or simply watching the light change over the water. Nights are cold even in July, and the sky is full of stars.
Son-Kul is usually accessible from mid-June to mid-September. It can be reached by 4x4 via Kochkor, or – more memorably – on horseback over a pass from the village of Kyzart. We offer short horse-riding trips as well as longer tours that combine Son-Kul with Issyk-Kul.
Issyk-Kul, Karakol, Kochkor and Son-Kul
Eight days around Issyk-Kul and up to the high-altitude lake Song-Kul – with nights in yurts, an eagle hunter show and genuine nomadic hospitality.
Ala-Archa National Park and the Karakol valleys (Ala-Kul, Altyn-Arashan)
A compact but demanding mountain trip: acclimatisation in Ala-Archa, then the classic trek over the Ala-Kul pass to the Altyn-Arashan hot springs.
Ala-Archa National Park, Chuy region (about 40 km from Bishkek)
A guided day in the mountains just an hour from Bishkek: spruce forests, a glacier river and the Ak-Sai waterfall trail, with lunch in the park.
Chuy valley: Burana Tower near Tokmok and the Konorchek canyons near the Boom Gorge
Silk Road history and red-rock scenery in one day: the 11th-century Burana Tower with its balbal stones, then a hike through the Konorchek canyons.
Kochkor district and Son-Kul lake, Naryn region
Ride from the village of Kyzart over a high pass to Son-Kul lake, sleep in yurts with herding families and return to Bishkek on day three.
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Kyrgyzstan
