Cycling Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan is a cyclist’s paradise: roads that take you from high mountains to lakeside beaches, nomads who will welcome you into their yurt for a taste of the local cuisine and a growing tourism industry ready to organise trekking and accommodation in local homes across the country.
With more and more flights going to the capital Bishkek from Europe and visas easy to get (on arrival if you come by plane), this gem of Central Asia has never been so accessible.
The best time to visit is from late spring to early autumn, with peak tourist season in July and August. Temperatures are comfortable from mid-May onwards but some high passes may not be clear from snow until June. By summer the lower areas of Kyrgyzstan including Bishkek and Osh are swelteringly hot.
Remember to pack a high-SPF sunscreen (you can burn quickly at high altitudes, and good sunscreen isn’t easy to find in Kyrgyzstan) and clothing for all kinds of weather. Even in summer you find yourself pelted by driving rain, hail and snow from passing storms. These are usually short lived but you don’t want to be caught unprepared in the mountains.
Read This…
- Budget and Shopping
- Food and Water
- Getting a Kyrgyz Visa
- Homestay profile (guesthouse in Tamga)
- Karakol town notes
- Kochkor town map
- Links to other Kyrgyz pages
- Money Matters
- Onward visas from Bishkek
- Roads and Maps
Cycle This…
- Karakol to Bishkek: Via Kochkor, Song-Kol and Chaek
See Also…
- An excellent outline for cycling in Kyrgyzstan with specific road information, written by Jan de Groot.
- Toko op Fietsvakantie: GPS tracks, elevation profiles and tips for travelling in northern Kyrgyzstan, including Song-Kol and Issyk-Kol.
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Hi!
Karla and I already bought our tickets to Amsterdam where we’ll pick up our bikes and gear and start our journey in March.
Now we’re researching about visas and some info on the Middle East.
Just to let you know that Kyrgyzstan’s Budget and Shopping link after “Read this” is leading to Food and Water page.
Regards,
André.
Two 100% Kyrgyz companies organise bike trips:
Kyrgyz Muras (a new young company) have three trips of varying difficulty basically around lake Issyk-Kul.
http://www.kyrgyzmuras.com
Ecotour (Larger, with 14 years experience) have two tours around the Lake plus a three week Mountain Bike
tour. They also have a Guest House in Bishkek that could be useful for individual travellers.
http://www.ecotour.kg
Both are flexible and will where possible adjust trips to suit your needs.Both will help you arrange your own tour
In both cases they use only local people and products.
In both cases some of the profits go to help local projects.
20 June 2012. Last week the Kyrgyz Parliament passed a
a new law.Soon people from 44 countires including the EU & USA
will be able to enter Kygyzstan without needing a visa.
When this will become effective is not yet known.
Good to know, thanks Bob!
Kyrgyzstan is now Visa Free for all Western and many other countries.