Complete Guide to Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan fits into a simple equation: 94% of the territory above 1,000 metres, and a nomadic culture still thriving each summer in the high-altitude pastures, the jailoo. From Bishkek, our team organises trips that cross four major regions. The North, around Lake Issyk-Kul, the world's second largest mountain lake, offers shingle beaches and quick access to the Jeti-Ögüz gorges. Further east, the Karakol region opens onto the valleys of Altyn-Arashan and Jyrgalan, trekking and horseback terrain between 2,500 and 3,800 metres.

The country's centre is dominated by the Tian Shan massif and the alpine lake Song-Köl, at 3,016 metres, where herding families pitch their yurts from mid-June to early September. It's here you sleep under felt, drink koumis (fermented mare's milk) and witness traditional horse games. In the south, the Fergana valley and the city of Osh, a thousand-year-old waypoint on the Silk Road, mark the entrance to Uzbek and Persian territory, with its bazaar and the sacred mountain Sulayman-Too.

Kyrgyzstan is explored almost exclusively between late May and mid-September, the window when mountain passes are open. Allow a minimum of 12 days for a first trip combining Issyk-Kul, Song-Köl and a southern loop. Beyond that, treks to Lenin Peak or the central Tian Shan demand 18 to 21 days.