The top 5 reasons to visit Kyrgyzstan

We, at Ventura Tours Kyrgyzstan, being locals, have decided to supply you with a sort of the guidelines on why travel to Kyrgyzstan, and have created our own list of The top 5 reasons to visit Kyrgyzstan, which are: Nature, Culture, Safety, Prices, Easy-to-get-to country. In this topic we’ve summarized the most enticing aspects that are going to satisfy a myriad of your questions or doubts and inspire you to embark on your dream journey to Kyrgyzstan! Let’s get it started!

Nature 

Well…when one is asking what is the main advantage that Kyrgyzstan can boast of, we all scream in unison – NATURRRRREEE! And indeed, the nature here is breathtaking, stunning, astounding, magnificent, majestic and so on and so forth. Seems like the god or universe (what have you) have benevolently bestowed on Kyrgyzstan all those surreal landscapes, mountains, greenery, lakes, canyons, gorges, plains, forests, glaciers and much more! The climate in Kyrgyzstan is what is called continental which means that we have all 4 seasons here and that whenever you visit our country you won’t be left disappointed regarding the splendour of nature. Planning to visit in summer? – Perfect! Enjoy the rich green sceneries, lakes and all the possible experiences! Decided to come in autumn? – Great! Dive into the golden wonderland! In winter you’ll be enchanted by some dazzling snowy views, whereas in spring you will love to watch nature turn in bloom after a long sleep. 

After all that being said, Kyrgyzstan is also home to the second largest alpine lake in the world – His Highness Issyk Kul. If you’ve explored the beauties of both the northern and southern shores of this lake, you can readily say you’ve seen most of Kyrgyzstan! So, make sure you add our magnificent country to your lifetime-travel-list and come to explore it ASAP!

Below is the short list of the most popular places to visit in Kyrgyzstan:

  • Bishkek city, obviously
  • Ala Archa National Park
  • Burana Tower
  • Issyk Kul lake (Cholpon Ata town)
  • Karakol town (northern shore of Issyk Kul, from now onwards – IK)
  • Jeti Oguz valley (northern shore of IK)
  • Skazka or Fairy Tale canyon (northern shore of IK)
  • Barskoon waterfalls (northern shore of IK)
  • Son Kol lake
  • Kel suu lake
  • Tash Rabat fortress
  • Osh city
  • Sary Chelek lake
  • Arslanbob (the largest walnut forest in the world)
  • Toktogul reservoir
  • Suusamyr valley

Culture

   Thanks to our nomadic past, today Kyrgyzstan has so much to offer to those zealous travelers! The authentic experiences and indigenous traditions that will be of interest to everybody. In the capital city you will jump into a buzzing lifestyle of contemporary Bishkek, whereas in the regions you’ll be able to get an idea of the kyrgyz heritage, participating in the long-preserved traditions. Among those are: horse riding, falcon hunting, yurt camping, yurt assembling, felt carpet weaving and much more. 

   One of the most captivating parts of our culture is the national games. It will readily be conceived that those have everything to do with horses and equestrian sport. The most popular and most-played game is Kok Boru (from kyrg. Grey Wolf). This competitive game is played between two teams of men and the principles are quite similar to those of football or basketball. On each side of the vast ground pitch stands a well (goal). The aim of either team is to throw a sheep or goat carcass (ball) into the well as many times as possible. One goal – one point. This is an extremely rapid and rough game, since the players often get injured in a struggle for a sheep and sometimes even fall over their horse getting trampled. This powerful game can be witnessed in many parts of Kyrgyzstan during some national tournaments or ethnic festivals, and can also be arranged upon request in places like Chon Kemin valley or Bokonbaevo village (the average price is $130).

 

   Falcon hunting – is the ancient type of a hunt that Kyrgyz people have been practicing since many centuries ago till nowadays. Unique in its style and breathtaking in its performance, this experience will engross everyone. The process involves 5 participants who are: a hunter on a horse, a hound, a falcon and the prey of the hunt itself (usually fox or hare – real or artificial). So, the whole scene looks like this: the hunter is riding astride a horse with one arm stretched aside on which the falcon is sitting with its eyes covered. The hound is running ahead of them pursuing the prey. Next moment the rider takes off a cover from the falcon’s head whereas the second is dashing immediately towards the running animal leaving it no chance for escape. Cruel? – Well, yes. However, that’s how nature works in real life. Therefore we, at Ventura Tours Kyrgyzstan, insistently recommend you to choose an artificial animal carcass for this show. It is just a show! An average price for this sort of demonstration is $50. 

Safety

For this paragraph we will just copy the article from our “About Kyrgyzstan” page, since that one brings a great portion of assurance.

 “Kyrgyzstan can be readily called as one of the safest countries in the world! It actually has been placed in Level 1 group by international organizations along with the other central asian countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, which means they are among the safest places to travel to. Unfortunately, because of its ending – stan, the country is often associated with the other less popular and dangerous destinations. People in Kyrgyzstan are very friendly, warm and welcoming. Need a hand of help? – You’ll definitely get it! Very often we hear tourists say that they feel much safer in Kyrgyzstan than in some of the European countries. Of course, however, there’s always room for the force majeure circumstances, just like anywhere else, but Ventura Tours Kyrgyzstan team is always responsible for their travelers and surely there to take care of your stay in our friendly country!”

Kyrgyzstan has a colorful mixed population due to its renowned historical background. In the USSR more than 80 nationalities were friendly living in one huge country. So today, you will find in Kyrgyzstan an absolute diversity of people with different religions, confessions and beliefs that call this country home… 

 

Prices

This one is another seductive-to-visit Kyrgyzstan reason. Good news for you! The prices in Kyrgyzstan are so reasonably low that you’ll feel delighted when paying $10 at a restaurant for an enormous, dead-delicious dinner for two! And yet it’s not only about food. The fairly low prices are applicable to many aspects of life in Kyrgyzstan. 

   Thus, renting a decent 2 bedroom (not counting the living room) flat in the very city center will cost you between $300-500 a month. However, sometimes the prices for a hotel room per night might be similar to those in other countries. 

   Most of the meal products in Kyrgyzstan are produced and grown domestically, so you will not only love their costs but also the natural eco quality of our vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy products and other delicacies. 

   Wanna get around the city and use the taxi service? – that’s where another surprise awaits! The taxi ride within Bishkek will cost you $1-3 at most. But make sure the taxi has a meter, well most of them do. A ride from/to the airport costs 500 soms which is something around $6-8…it’s hard to keep up with those dollar bounces. 

   Ok, with all that being said we’ve made up a list of the average prices for some services and products that every traveler uses constantly: 

1 Taxi ride from the airport – 500 soms or $6-8. A ride within Bishkek – $1-3

2 Public minibus from the airport – 40 soms or $0,5

3 SIM card with an unlimited mobile internet and calls for one week – $2

4 Dinner at a restaurant – $6 (single), $10 (couple)

5 Bottle of beer of the local production (necessary) – $1

6 Cup of coffee – $1,5 

7 Ice cream – $0,3

8 Grocery shopping at a supermarket or at the Osh bazaar – $13 (couple of full bags)

9 Public transport within Bishkek (bus, trolley-bus) – 8 soms or $0,1 one way

10 Horse riding outside of Bishkek – $7 an hour

11 Pack of souvenirs (average, 3-4 items) $6-7

Well, the “prices” article has perfectly demonstrated that Kyrgyzstan can be the right place for an unforgettable, awesome but thrifty vacation! However, it doesn’t mean you can’t spend a good bunch of money here…

 

Easy-to-get-to country

Kyrgyzstan is simply the perfect destination for those last-minute travelers. Planning to go somewhere that is unexplored, unique, authentic and stunning? – just grab your passport, credit card and head to Kyrgyzstan, since with the visa-free regime for 69 countries, most of you will be able to do that! But even if you ever need a visa to our country, Ventura Tours Kyrgyzstan is always here to assist you with this matter…

Well, we hope that this concise but a pretty informative article has been of use to you. So, don’t hesitate to contact us any time regarding your dream journey in Kyrgyzstan… https://venturatours-kg.com/trip-type/multi-day-tours/