Kyrgyzstan: Кыргыз Республикасы

Hey everyone,

I’m planning a 3-week trip to Kyrgyzstan in July with my wife, but I’m having a hard time finding detailed info online. I’d love to get some insights from people who have been there!

1. Car rental vs. public transport – Is it better to rent a car, or is public transport reliable enough for getting around?

2. Nature-focused trip – I want to make this a nature-heavy trip: lots of hiking, horseback treks, and exploring the mountains. How do I find reliable guides/tours for this, and what’s a rough cost estimate?

3. Best region for nature & adventure – Which areas are best for amazing landscapes, mountains, and good hiking/horse trekking opportunities?

4. Language barrier – I don’t speak any Russian or Kyrgyz. Will this be a major problem?

5. Remote areas & accommodations – I’ve heard that the further north or south you go, the fewer facilities there are. I’m fine with simple conditions, but I do need a private room. Is this true?

6. Which side of kyrgyzstan is a must to do? Since i have 3 weeks, is it enough to see the highlights?

7. General tips? – I’m feeling a bit nervous since I’m doing this with my wife. Any advice to make the trip smoother?

Would really appreciate any insights! Thanks in advance.

Hello everyone,

I'm preparing to marry my long-time partner, who is Kyrgyz but has lived her entire life in Russia. We met almost two years ago, and now we're planning our wedding. Her family would like to have a traditional Kyrgyz wedding, and as I'm not familiar with the customs, I’m hoping to get some insights.

I’ve heard about something called kalyn (though I'm not sure about the correct spelling), which seems to be a key part of the wedding traditions. Could anyone explain what the kalyn is, how much it usually costs, and what else I would be expected to provide for the wedding? Also, what should I expect from her side in terms of the traditional customs?

We’re both doctors, and we're navigating how to balance both our careers and cultural traditions in the planning process. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hello everyone!

I'm planning a road trip from Bishkek to Almaty and afterwards back into Kyrgyzstan. We'll be driving three 4x4 cars and are looking for the most scenic offroad paths. Is the Seminski pereval / Semapass accessible? Is it possible to drive over Big Almaty lake to Kyrgyzstan?

Thanks in advance!

I'm looking for guesthouses which are preferably in the mountains or at their bases. I know that there are quite a few guesthouses in Ala Archa National park, but I don't quite have the wallet for those. I tried searching on the internet for any other guesthouses in Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range besides the ones in Ala Archa and I couldn't find any. Could somebody please help me out? If you know of any guesthouses please let me know, and if you know that there for sure aren't any besides the ones in Ala Archa, please let me know as well so I don't waste my time searching.

Hi, I will go to Bishkek and Tashkent for a few days, and would like to explore more of the two countries.

Is there any way I can rent a car in Bishkek where I land and leave it in Tashkent from where I fly back home?

Hey all!

Came across kyrgystan when looking for my next destination and I'm looking at the possibility of a driver to accompany us (2 people) along the main routes of the journey.

We're mainly interested in mixing in with the locals, going on beautiful mountain treks and horse riding.

We wouldn't like to spend 14 days going from one place to another we prefer to expierence the area properly.

Any suggestions? And any drivers here we can connect with?

Thank you

##r/kyrgyztili: The official subreddit for the Kyrgyz language!

This subreddit is dedicated to everything related to the Kyrgyz language, whether it's learning or general discussion. We encourage questions, memes, and discussions on various topics related to the language, such as its significance in society and culture, its origins and history, and much more!

In the sub's menu, you'll find all the learning resources submitted so far, as well as a link to our Discord server, which offers additional support and a more in-depth learning experience.

We invite both learners and native speakers to join and help spark more engagement on the sub, benefiting everyone involved. Thank you!

Hi! I was hoping to get help with my itinerary! My friend and I want to go from mid July to mid August (we have about one month). We are mostly interested in the trekking and have a general idea of what we want to see but not sure how we should organize to minimize drive times or backtracking. We aren’t good drivers so we don’t feel safe renting a car lol.

Day 1 - Fly into Bishkek. See city.

Day 2 - Transfer from Bishkek to Burana Tower (Silk Road). Then continue on to Karakol. (Are there tours that do this? Should we hire a driver?)

Day 3 - Karakol to Jyrgalan to start the trek.

Days 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 -12 - Nine day Ak-Suu Traverse from Jyrgalan to Jeti-Oguz Resort

Day 13 - from here, we would like to see the Fairytale Canyon. I’m not sure if we should spend the day here then rest on another spot on the south shore?

Day 14 - Continue onto Kochkor and Song Kol Lake

Days 15 - 16 Song Kol Lake

Day 17 - from here, is there a way to get from Song Kol Lake to Osh? Or should we head back to Bishkek and fly to Osh?

Day 18 - Somehow get to Osh

Days 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 Eight day trek in the Pamir-Alay mountains, starting and ending in Osh.

Is it also worth it to try and go see Arslansbob and Sary Chelek from Osh? We will be using a guide in for the hiking segments but I worry about getting from place to place. Would you recommend hiring a driver?

I really appreciate any help. Thank you so much in advance. 🙇🏻‍♀️

I tried to have my friend get paysend so I could send her money, but it says it doesn't work in Kyrgyzstan. Any advice?

Hi, I would like to ask for recommendations for dentists in case of an emergency. Someplace preferably not too expensive.

Thank you 🙏

We are organizing a 3-day trip around Issyk-Kul Lake on February 11 and have 2 extra spots available. If you're already in Kyrgyzstan and looking for an adventure, join us!

Hello,

I want to travel to Kyrgyzstan in July with 4 people for 10 days. I've a rough Itinerary but I'm not sure how to get there. Please see below for questions.

What I want to see:

1. Ala Artscha Park
2. Issyk Kul Sea
3. Song Kul Lake
4. Fairytale canyon Skazka
5. Altyn Arasshan
6. Jeti Oguz (Seven Bulls Rock)

Rough itinerary:

• Day 1: Bischkek (Mosques and Osh Bazar)

• Day 2: Daytrip to Ala Artscha Park

• Day 3: Drive to Issyk Kul (not sure which city or which shore?) (2 nights)

• Day 4: Daytrip to Skazka

• Day 5: Drive from any city to Karakol (3 nights)

• Day 6: Daytrip Jeti Oguz

• Day 7: Daytrip to Altyn Arasshan

• Day 8: Drive from Karakol to Song Kul Lake (1 night)

• Day 9: Drive back to Bischkek

• Day 10: Flight back

My questions:

1. We want to go horse riding in some of these areas. We've never done that before. Is it still possible as a beginner and can I just book a guide in the city like Karakol or any town? Or how do I do it?

2. I'm not sure in which site we should stay of the Issyk Kul Sea. South makes more sense because of the Skazka. But which city? How about Karakol as a base for Issyk Kul? Or does the north side has more to offer?

3. How to get to places like Altyn Arasshan or Ala Artscha Park? Can you book a guide in Bischkek/Karakol and they will guide you or can you go there on your own? Would you rather recommend to book a guide for all these places?

4. Can we just use apps like yandex taxi to drive us to these places?

5. How warm is it in mid July in the regions like Altyn Arashan for example. Can we just go with a Shirt or should we bring some hoodies?

Thank you very much for any help and recommendations

Hi I’m 30F and have a fairly curly hair (2c-3a), I was wondering if anyone knows where I can buy/recommend local products that are good for curly hair like hair diffuser, shampoo/conditioner

I’m from SEA and curly hair friendly products are fairly common there. I use to be able to go out and air dry my hair and it would be fine but I didn’t realize that I can’t do that here unless I want to get sick. I also brought a few of my products but since there’s a chance that I might stay longer I kinda don’t wanna go without curly friendly products.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Recently started to get interested in e-commerce, would be cool to find a person who's interested in this as well🫡

From where can I buy affordable heeled sandals in bishkek?) for a one time event so looking for cheaper options

Hi, Im looking for a good place to buy a black ushanka and a black fur coat in Bishkek. I will be in Kyrgyzstan for two months and Ive already seen several people (especially old ladies) with an ushanka and a fur coat and I want them too. Ive seen a black fur coat in a small mall and it was 87500 som, which is a bit too expensive for me. Is this a normal price or is it possible to find cheaper ones in Bishkek?

Would anyone know a Kyrgyz teacher to do online classes once a week for me to learn Kyrgyz? Classes can be in English, Russian, and German.

I keep seeing it in this subreddit, probably more than 20 times by now, and it is really confusing me. Do they think we do not have winter? Why visit a country known for its nature during a time when 90% of the nature is inaccessible and they choose to only stay in the capital city?

If anybody can explain why I would be really curious to know.

Hey Everyone ! We are planning to visit for 4 days end of Jan. Please tell us where all can we visit. I would love a glamping experience with halal food.

Thanksss

Hello everyone, I kindly want your opinions and forwarding regarding my issue: We want to marry with my girlfriend, but the sector I want to work in demands me to pass some exams, and I don’t have a job or income for now. We’re currently living separate, in different countries because of that issue.

My girlfriend currently working in Bishkek and earn around 400-500 usd. Is there any way for me to find a part-time job that can make me earn couple of hundred dollars in Bishkek? So I can come back to her and work and add some extra income to us and prepare for my exams at the same time. We really don’t want to keep stay away from each other anymore, it already became months. Any advice would be appreciated. My advantages: I’m fluent on English. And I have a license from faculty of law in Turkey and I have a license of working as a lawyer from Turkey (I don’t work as a lawyer in Turkey currently, I decided to build my career in a different path), I'm a really fast learner. Any forwarding and opinion would be appreciated.

Hello All,

I have a friend in Kyrgyzstan and she is working in a beauty salon in Bishkek.She run some administrative stuff and do nails,eyebrows etc.

But she says, she found a company in Instagram and met with them in Person when they came Bishkek.The company finds people from poor regions(mostly young beautiful girls) and provide them job on Abroad.She says she is thinking to go to Maldives and work in Hotel business.Like as receptionist,hostess etc.

And i tried to explain her how this such a bad idea in all circumstances.

Is there anybody among you who thinks or experienced the opposite?

10,000 MEMBERS BABYYYYYYY!!! 🥳🎉

Hi,

I visited Kyrgyzstan last December for 10 days and had an amazing time. Next week, I’m flying there again to surprise my girlfriend.

Her mother is hosting a big birthday party/event soon, and I’d like to bring her a thoughtful gift, even though I haven’t had the chance to meet her yet. Could you recommend a suitable present for the occasion?

Thank you!

Хочу найти начинающие или продвинутые рок группы у нас в Бише чтобы просто приходить слушать их и смотреть как эта сфера развивается в нашей стране. Мне кажется таких много, просто я не в курсе всех дел походу, подскажите пожалуйста все что знаете о них

Hi, I want to know whether there are any hikikomori in Kyrgyzstan. I need it for my school project.

My internet search comes up empty for direct flights Bishkek to Dushanbe. Seems I will have to fly via Tashkent, Almaty, Istanbul, or Dubai.

Am I mistaken? Have I missed a local carrier that is not appearing in flight aggregators?

Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to visit Kyrgyzstan next month on the 16th and stay for 5 days. As a student from India, I’m trying to manage everything on a budget, and the invitation of intent costs more and is a bit out of my reach financially.

I was wondering if it’s possible for me to apply for a transit visa instead, considering my short stay? I would really love to explore the country and visit a friend, but I’m unsure if the transit visa would work in this case.

Has anyone here faced a similar situation or have any advice on the best way to go about this? Any tips would be super helpful!

Thanks in advance! 😊

Hi, something I love the most about Kyrgyzstan is its embroidery. I found this fantastic brand Baira https://www.instagram.com/baira.kg/ and I have a skirt from them and I love their designs, but it's a little too expensive (150-250USD per piece). I can afford it, but I'd love to know if there are any cheaper options because I don't want to use my spending too much. Let me know where to buy clothes with Kyrgyz embroidery/cheaper options.