itinerary/practical questions August/Sept Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan trip

[Wandering_Magnolia]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a trip to Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan in the last week of August & first two weeks of September, travelling solo. I'm super excited! This forum and website have already been super helpful with practical information & inspiration

My planned itinirary so far is:
Kyrgyzstan
Arrival: Sat 25 August; first days in Bishkek
Mon, Tue, Wed, Lake Song Kul horse riding
Thursday, Fri, Sat - Tash Rabat
Sun, Mon, Tue (and perhaps Wednesday) - World Nomad Games
Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun - Karakol
Mon: flight to Tashkent from Bishkek
Uzbekistan
Monday: Tashkent
Tuesday, Wednesday: Samarkand
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Bukhara (with maybe a daytrip to somewhere)
Sunday, Monday: Khiva
Tuesday 18 Sept: departure from Urgench

My questions are:
1. The first week I'm planning to go to Song Kul and Tash Rabat; how many days would you recommend for each, incl travelling? I normally prefer to both see as much as possible on a trip, but also to spend a bit longer in places to really enjoy them
2. I assume it shouldn't be difficult to go to Song Kul from Kochkor, and on to Naryn?
3. As I'm travelling solo I'd prefer to book a tour to go to Song Kol, any recommendations on doing that beforehand (or perhaps in Bishkek), or simply a day in advance in Kochkor?
4. Obviously it would be nice to join with some other travellers when possible, I was just planning on seeing who I meet when travelling, or would you recommend trying to reach out to people beforehand?
5. Tash Rabat looks beautiful, so I was thinking of spending two nights there. Is there much to do during the day?
6. How long would it take approx. to get from Tash Rabat to Cholpon Ata? If I want to attend the opening ceremony of the WNG, should I already leave on Saturday (and perhaps stop halfway), or would it be fine to leave on Sunday?
7. Does anyone have an idea when tickets for the opening ceremony will be available?
8. How is security on Uzbek trains/metro in Tashkent? In China on a train I once had scissors with me and they weren't happy with that. Can you e.g. bring a multitool or should I just leave that at home?
9. On my way home I'm planning to fly with S7 from Urgench to Moscow (Domodedovo), and then with them to Munich. Do I understand it correctly I won't need a transit visa in that case?

Thanks in advance everyone!

[bwv812]

You will have to book private transportation from Song Kol to Naryn and Tash Rabat (and back to Naryn) unless you want to spend lots of time waiting and possibly/likely not getting a ride. I haven't been to Tash Rabat, but I don't think there's much to do there: it's a caravanserai in an isolated valley. I'm pretty sure most folks do it as a day trip from Naryn (or as part of a larger tour), and you can easily get from Naryn to Cholpon Ata in a day.

You should be able to arrange a tour/trek to Song Kol on a day or so's notice in Kochkor. Maybe you could contact CBT Kochkor or another operation beforehand to make sure you won't have to wait too long.

That's a lot of time in Kochkor. Way too much unless you are doing a multi-day trek near there.