Alina worked as a French-speaking guide in Kyrgyzstan, her home country, for several years. In 2011, she decided to create her own agency, Beikoom, based in Bishkek. She benefited from a very strong network of hosts and guides throughout the country, and was herself an expert when it came to planning treks, horse treks or cultural programs. However, a good product is never enough, and Alina needed help to sell the tour ideas she came up with.
That’s when Sylvain came into the picture. Sylvain, whom Alina found on Facebook, was living in Asia since 2004, and founded a tour agency in Mongolia in 2006: Horseback Adventure. His agency quickly became the first French-speaking tour operator in Mongolia, thanks to his programs based on authentic family stays. After getting to know Alina online, Sylvain came to Kyrgyzstan for the first time in 2014. He was breath-taken by the beauty of the country and its people, and surprised at the similarities he found with Mongolia. He discovered high, snow-capped mountains and alpine torrents, very welcoming inhabitants, proud of their culture, and the very cute Kyrgyz horses. At the time, he was surprised by several lacks in the tourism industry, mainly the poor quality of equipment and the security gaps. This is why he decided to work with Alina to create Kyrgyz’What?
Why « Kyrgyz’What »?
Kyrgyzstan has many assest to become a top adventure and tourism destination. It has exceptional landscape, with the beautiful Tian Shan mountain range which covers most of the country and makes it THE place to go to for short and long treks. The Peak Lenin, which towers above 7000m, is one of the most accessible high mountains in the world. Kyrgyzstan has an incredible, authentic nomadic culture that still survives today in our modern world, with its shepherds who move to the high mountain pastures in the summer with their herds and yurts. It’s a land of important cultural and historical heritage, having been at the heart of the Silk Road for centuries. Its inhabitants are incredibly welcoming and generous, which will add a human note to your vacation. And it has an important horse culture, at the same level as in Mongolia, which makes it one of the world’s top 5 destinations for horse treks… And yet.
And yet, little people know about Kyrgyzstan. When we talk to our family, our friends about our country, we hear: Kyrgyz what? Is that a country? Where is it? Why would you go there ?
These recurring questions inspired us for our name, « Kyrgyz’What ?”. And for our mission as well : to help the world discover the secrets of this little, well-preserved and off the beaten tracks destination in Central Asia. We’ll help you discover its warm people, its very rich culture and its splendid landscapes. If you like to travel differently and are looking for an authentic and wild destination, Kyrgyzstan is the place to go to. If you like meeting people during while traveling abroad and want to be immersed in this unique nomadic culture, Kyrgyz’What will know how to make your dreams reality, whether its in a private or group tour.