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Be My Travel Muse

Solo Female Travel

Kyrgyzstan is the Patagonia of Central Asia

07/17/2017 by Kristin 18 Comments

I couldn’t help but feel like I had been there before.

Did it remind me of the Alps? Covered in snow, greenery, and a blanket of wild flowers in every color I could imagine?

Did it remind me of Patagonia? Cold, rugged, coated in glaciers, and perfectly blue alpine lakes?

Yet it was something distinctly different. It was something all its own.

kyrgyzstan mountains trekking
This is Ala-Kul Lake, Incredible!

Kyrgyzstan, once a key transit city between China and Europe on the Great Silk Road, thanks to its favorable geographical location, is a mountainous country that is dominated by the Tian Shan mountain range –  in fact, 94% of the country is 1000 meters or more above sea level.

kyrgyzstan mountains trekking
I believe it

Kyrgyzstan has been an independent country for the past 26 years. It was absorbed into the Russian Empire in 1876, during which many Kyrgyz nomads were forced out into China. Soviet Power was established and Kyrgyzstan became part of the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (ASSR) in 1918, until its independence in 1991. I expected it to be mostly homogenous, but I was surprised by how diverse Kyrgyzstan appeared to be.

Kyrgyzstan’s culture started with 40 nomadic tribes who roamed the plains and mountains of Central Asia and western China. The tribes fought the Chinese and Mongol armies and defended their land. The 40-ray sun on Kyrgyzstan flag represents these tribes and today, many Kyrgyz can still tell you the descendant of their tribe family. The nomadic heritage sees its people living in yurts, hunting with eagles and playing kok boru, where men on horseback compete to throw a goat carcass on either end of the field. These may sound like elements of a Game of Thrones episode except that they are the true representatives of the Kyrgyz nomadic culture that one can experience when visiting Kyrgyzstan today, particularly at the biennial nomad games (it’s on in 2018!).

kyrgyzstan mountains trekking

While it is off the popular travel destination radar, Kyrgyzstan’s painting-like sceneries, huge variety of landscapes, nomadic heritage, and the lack of tourism impact offer any visitor a dreamy journey of a lifetime.

My guides and I drank the water right from the rivers. We spent an entire day hiking for miles and miles without seeing anyone else. We crossed fast-flowing snowmelt streams and climbed some of the steepest (but not the very steepest) trails I’ve experienced.

kyrgyzstan mountains trekking
Like honestly, this is perfection

We hiked over six passes and through eight different valleys, the landscape morphing with each passing kilometer.

Each time I was greeted by a new fantastic rock formation, another little collection of yurts along the river, and maybe even a gorgeous lake (or two).

kyrgyzstan mountains trekking
In this case, two

This is a mountain-lover’s paradise. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of possible trekking routes one could put together to create an adventure through these mountains.

There’s also a lot on offer in Kyrgyzstan apart from the trek I did. One could ski and snowboard in Karakol, swim in Lake Issyk-Kul, explore Ala-Archa Canyon, and have cultural experiences in yurts. The food is delicious too, focused on meat and heavy with the dill, which I love.

kyrgyzstan mountains trekking
Yurt life!

Bonus? A visa is not required for many nationalities, including Americans.

kyrgyzstan mountains trekking
See these stars

Though this mountainous paradise may not stay off the beaten path much longer – it is ranked at #1 on the list of the top 10 countries ripe for a tourism boom – with 90% of its territory covered in mountains, you are very unlikely to run into too many other travelers. In many cases you’ll just share the peaks and lakes with just local shepherds and their animals. During days 1-3 of my 8-day trek, I hardly saw another soul.

*This trip was made possible by Visit Kyrgyzstan and the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are my sole responsibility and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

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I'm Kristin, and my vision of a better world is one where more women are empowered and living out their dreams. Solo traveling is the best method I've found to become the best, bravest version of me. This site is all about how YOU can have the adventure of a lifetime in an easy, fun, approachable way, so that you can feel empowered, too. Want to learn more about me?

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Comments

  1. Danielle says

    07/18/2017 at 2:59 am

    Kyrgyzstan looks incredible. Just everything about it makes me speechless!

    Reply
  2. Albert Bond says

    07/18/2017 at 6:41 am

    Love this post! I can’t wait to go. Kyrgyzstan is on my list!

    Reply
  3. Courtney Minor says

    07/18/2017 at 2:31 pm

    It looks absolutely stunning. Another overlooked destination!

    Reply
  4. Ijana Loss says

    07/19/2017 at 10:13 am

    So beautiful! I’m totally down to visit Kyrgyzstan, hiking is one of the best things ever and I love the idea of going to central Asia. In fact I’m down to visit basically every place you visit, you have awesome taste 😀

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      07/20/2017 at 5:14 am

      Haha, that’s true you comment on every post that you want to go! I agree hiking is one of the best things ever.

      Reply
  5. Allison Wolf says

    07/21/2017 at 8:49 am

    I’ve definitely been hearing a lot about Kyrgyzstan lately. I’d love to see it before it becomes overrun with tourists.

    Was it an affordable place to travel?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      07/21/2017 at 12:57 pm

      It’s pretty affordable. Not Southeast Asia prices but not bad. More here: https://www.bemytravelmuse.com/how-much-does-it-cost-travel-the-world/

      Reply
  6. Pilot Mark says

    07/21/2017 at 1:58 pm

    Wow, what an incredible adventure. Your photo of the stars is amazing; its often so difficult to capture such beauty! The lake really reminds me of the Laguna de Quilotoa in Ecuador – a crystal blue-green lake surrounded by breathtaking mountains. Truly inspirational!

    Reply
  7. Rachel says

    08/08/2017 at 9:43 am

    Lovely country and informative post! Thank you for sharing.

    I’m intrigued about the support you received for the trip from USAID- do you have a section in which you discuss this a bit further? Were you involved in any humanitarian projects while there? As an HIV researcher interested in various USAID projects, I’m curious.

    -R.

    P.S.- I also LOVE dill! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      08/08/2017 at 10:06 am

      Hi Rachel, they are trying to increase tourism as a way to help the country increase their GDP so that’s why I was there 🙂

      Reply
  8. Steve Garner says

    08/11/2017 at 10:20 am

    Kyrgyzstan looks awesone. Thanks for the great information.

    Reply
  9. Trish says

    05/06/2019 at 9:33 am

    Hi Kristin! I’m heading here very soon and I’m so excited! Was altitude an issue for you at all in this area?

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      05/07/2019 at 6:27 am

      I definitely felt it but didn’t experience any kind of altitude sickness. Everyone is totally different with this, though, so the more time you can take to acclimate the better!

      Reply
  10. Erin says

    09/24/2019 at 4:33 am

    I would love to go! Do you have any tour guides you would recommend? I’m not even sure where to start.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      09/24/2019 at 9:46 am

      You could reach out to the tourism board and see who they suggest.

      Reply
  11. Chee Song says

    10/08/2019 at 8:56 am

    How many days was the hike in total?

    After reading this post, now i want to visit this place.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      10/08/2019 at 1:58 pm

      I did 8 days but you can shorten it and do it in 4 if you get a ride to the hot springs and start there.

      Reply
  12. The Wanderlust Rose says

    12/27/2020 at 11:16 pm

    Absolutely stunning!! I am dying to visit, thanks for the inspo 🙂

    Reply

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