Day 1 Moscow – Bishkek – Issyk-Kul
10:40 pm – departure from Moscow (flight SU179).
5:10 am – arrival in Bishkek.
Meeting at the airport. Transfer to the hotel.
Accommodation in the “Asia Mountains” guesthouse.
After breakfast, sightseeing tour with a visit to the Central Bishkek Square (Ala-Too), the Art Gallery, Historical Museum, Opera and Ballet Theater, the Philharmonic Hall, the studio of kurak (patchwork) production, pottery gallery, Osh bazaar, Oak Park and souvenir shops.
Lunch at the restaurant in Bishkek.
After lunch, transfer to Lake Issyk-Kul along the north coast.
Accommodation at the five-star hotel “Caprice”.
Dinner.
Day 2 Issyk-Kul – Cholpon-Ata – Semenov gorge – Karakol
Breakfast.
Sightseeing tour of Cholpon-Ata with a visit to the open air museum of rock carvings (petroglyphs) and the Local History Museum.
A boat trip on the Issyk-Kul lake (for 1 hour; for surcharge).
Excursion to Semenov Gorge (Ak-Suu) – one of the most beautiful gorges of Kyrgyzstan.
The hospitable owners of the local yurt camp will offer you to ride horses, look at the semi-wild yaks and demonstrate traditional crafts.
Picnic (lunch-boxes) in the open air with a beautiful view of the mountains.
Transfer to Karakol along the northern shore of the Issyk-Kul lake. A visit to the Przewalski Museum on the way.
Arrival and accommodation in a guesthouse
Dinner.
Day 3 Karakol- Jeti-Oguz – Karakol
Breakfast
A trip to the Jeti-Oguz gorge to 35 km southwest of Karakol. Jeti-Oguz is famous for the valley with seven rocks of red clay occluding the entrance to the gorge (hence the name given to the valley is “Seven Bulls”). One of the rocks at the entrance of the canyon is divided into two parts and therefore called “broken heart”.
One of the most beautiful peaks of the Tian Shan – Oghuz-Bashi (“Bull’s Head”) is located in the upper valley. The Armstrong Peak spectacularly rises as if the icy obelisk above the firry slopes of the mountain. These cliffs have become the symbols of the Issyk-Kul region and the favorite images for photographers and artists.
A walking tour to the gorge.
Show with a golden eagle (falcon hunting rabbits; for surcharge).
Return to Karakol.
Lunch at the Dungan family.
Sightseeing tour of Karakol with visits to the Pagoda-styled Dungan mosque, the Russian Orthodox Church built of wood without a single nail, colonial-style homes and bazaar.
Dinner and overnight in a guesthouse.
Day 4 Karakol – Bishkek
Early breakfast.
Transfer to Bishkek along the southern shore the Issyk-Kul lake.
On the way: a visit to the historical monument of XI century – the Burana Tower built a bit before its famous twin-tower in Pisa, Italy.
Lunch at the national Kyrgyz family.
The demonstration of the shirdak’s manufacture in the village of Don-Aryk (for surcharge).
Accommodation in the “Asia Mountains” guesthouse upon arrival in Bishkek.
Dinner at a local restaurant.
Folk concert (for surcharge).
Day 5 Bishkek – Moscow
Transfer to the airport of Bishkek.
06:30 am – departure to Moscow (flight SU 1883).
08:10 am – arrival in Moscow.
The cost of the program is AZN 960 excluding the airfare.
