Kyrgyzstan Travel: Everything You Need To Know

Kyrgyzstan. The land of nomads, yurts, eagles, horses, yaks, mountains and vast steppes. The land of rugged nature and authentic hospitality. A place where nature commands respect with its grandeur. A place made for adventure – you can’t escape it. There is only one certainty about a trip to Kyrgyzstan: you won’t regret it. In this blog I tell you everything you need to know about traveling to Kyrgyzstan, what you need to pack and what you can expect from this breathtaking country.

Traveling to Kyrgyzstan

For years, traveling to Kyrgyzstan has been on my list, but I always made up some excuse not to go. Too unfamiliar. No beaches. Too cold in the mountains. Lack of comfort. Online resources were scarce and outdated. I read a blog by someone who saw one hot shower in six weeks. So I booked a ticket to other destinations, preferably warm ones. Vietnam. Jordan. To name a few. At least there they would have hot showers. Until last summer (June 2023). Finally, after years of doubt, me and my boyfriend booked a ticket to Kyrgyzstan. We rented a 4×4 car with rooftop tent an drove through the rugged mountains and over the sandy shores of clear alpine lakes. It was amazing. Check out our itinerary here. My sky-high expectations were exceeded by far. We liked it so much that we decided to go back as soon as possible. After our trip to Kyrgyzstan we bought our own 4×4 car with which we will drive from the Netherlands to Singapore in 2024.

Self-drive or travel with a group?

Before we left, we had an important choice to make: are we going to drive ourselves or join a group trip? In a country like Kyrgyzstan, remote and desolate, traveling with people is a lot safer. Some areas are completely deserted and if something happens – you are on your own.

We decided to rent our own car and travel solo through the country. And yes, we made mistakes and learned from them. But it was worth it. It really is possible to do this on your own. A little off-road experience is nice though and you should not be afraid of driving. A 4×4 car is a prerequisite, a rooftop tent a very big bonus. We rented a Toyota Sequoia Platinum with roof tent and camping gear from Nick, and recommend him without doubt. You can get in touch with him by sending him a message on WhatsApp or via his Instagram page. Say hi for me! He communicates fast, helped us with our border permits and his car is top notch. By the way, that’s another thing: you need a border permit for the border areas in Kyrgyzstan. When we drove to Engilchek it was actually checked by soldiers as well. So ask your local contact to arrange it for you in advance.

Facilities and roads

Facilities in the country have improved considerably compared to all the stories I found online. Almost everywhere you could find a guesthouse with a hot shower. Note: I went just before high season (in June), so there was plenty of room in the guesthouses. I heard that it is helpful to book ahead in high season, as beds fill up quickly. But of course, with a rooftop tent you always have your own place to sleep, which was very nice!

The main roads are either paved or gravel, and decent enough to drive. As soon as you get out of a village and into the mountains, it gets trickier. No internet, and lots of bumpy roads and hairpin turns. But of course it is up to you which road you want to drive. When we went deep into the mountains we took food and water for a few days, and drove on some really bad roads. We even got stuck in the middle of nowhere at 4500 meters altitude with no reception (more on this below). Not fun at all. But you don’t have to drive there. You can also stay in the civilized world. Although I have to say that nature gets more beautiful with every meter you drive further away from civilization. And of course you go to Kyrgyzstan for a reason. Are you heading into the mountains? Then don’t be too naive, make sure you have good equipment, enough food and water and don’t take any unnecessary risks.

Stuck in a swamp in the middle of nowhere

The biggest mistake we made was not carrying a satellite phone or SOS device. The rental company of our car said that it was not necessary, because there was reception almost everywhere. But that wasn’t the case. Once you’re in the mountains you have no reception whatsoever, only in the villages. Zero. Nada. And that can be life-threatening if anything bad happens.

Such as the night when we were camping in the wild, near the Kum Tor gold mine and the hamlet of Kara Say. During the night a lot of melting water came down from the glaciers around us and the field where we set up camp turned into a swamp. At 4500 meters altitude, with no reception, in the middle of nowhere. The car was completely stuck and the water levels kept rising. Finally, after two days, we found help after walking several kilometers. It was pure luck; we met someone from the tiny hamlet Kara Say (approximately 30 kilometers away) who was going to sell his horse in the nearest town. He took us to Barskoon (back to the ‘civilized world’), which was more than 70 kilometers away. Once there we got help from the locals: a 6WD truck and 4 Kyrgyz men who eventually towed our car out of the swamp. I realize how lucky we were and that is not something that should be taken for granted. Make sure you can reach people if you run into trouble.

What to bring to Kyrgyzstan

I’m assuming that you take your passport and other essentials with you. In addition, you’ll want to bring at least an SOS device or satellite phone (see above). Sun protection is also crucial at such altitudes, so take something like a hat/cap and sunscreen with high factor with you. I wore my windproof jacket more often than I thought I would and, of course, decent (waterproof) hiking shoes were very nice to have. The landscapes are perfect for drone videos, so also don’t hesitate to bring your drone with you if you have one. And last but not least: buy this amazing guide book with off-road routes for Kyrgzystan to drive the best routes the country has to offer.

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If you have any questions about traveling to Kyrgzystan, let me know in the comments and I’ll get back to you asap! Or check out our 2-week itinerary here. Note: Some of the links in this blog post may be affiliate links.