Kyrgyzstan & Almaty in 11 days?

[neraja]

Hello Forum!

We, that's a friend of mine and I are currently planning to travel to Kyrgyzstan (and maybe Kazakhstan, as I were there already and would like to show her some spots).
We're going to rent a 4x4 car and drive on our own, with no trekking intended.
What about the following route?
Day1: Arrival in Bishkek in the morning, stay in Bishkek
Day2: Songkul Lake
Day3: Tash Rabat
Day4: Kel Suu
Day5: Southern shore of Isykk Jul
Day6: Karakol
Day7: Altyn Arashan for some hot springs
Day8: Kaindy Lake
Day9: via Charyn to Almaty
Day10: Big Almaty lake and then back to Bishkek
Day11: flight back at noon

What do you think?

Cheers
Sara

[bwv812]

That seems wildly optimistic to me. Unless you like to spend almost all day in the car, you're not giving yourself much time to do or see anything in any of the places. Plus, if you're driving yourself, it's unlikely you will even make it to some of the places you want to go.

[neraja]

Thanks for the reality check, I was kind of awaiting that answer. Just wanted to fulfill my travel partners wishes.

Are Kel Suu and Altyn Arashan reachable by self driving?
The other places named should be, or? (Besides Kaindy, Kolsai II, which is off the list).

So strike off Kazakhstan and rather add some additional days on the route? Where would you add 3 additional nights? Suusamyr/Kyzyl Oi? Or around Songkul/Isykk jul?
Highly appreciated your help!

Sara

[bwv812]

I guess it depends on what you want to do. Does no trekking mean you don't even want to do some light hikes to enjoy nature (which seems the main point of Kygyzstan, to me), or does it mean you just want to stay within 100m or whatever of your car? I personally think it's better to not spend so much time driving from place to place and more time enjoying each place.

When planning such a packed itinerary it may be best to actually research and break down each day and how many hours it will take to drive from place to place. The positive is that since you have your own transportation you can be flexible and change plans on the fly pretty easily.

Kel Su may be challenging to reach on your own. Maybe you can find GPS tracks or other information from those who have driven there before. Altyn Arashan should be reachable.

[neraja]

Hey,

Thanks for the additional Info!
We would be at Tash Rabat, before heading to Kel Suu, and hoped to get some routes or similar from the people there, to help us get there?
Or is it way to ambitious?
Also, we would like to go from Kel-Suu to Isykkul, any chance that can be driven in one day, if leaving bright early after breakfast?
Or is that stop at Naryn "necessary"? Just don't want to spend too much time in cities, than landscape.

Sara

[steven]

Altyn Arashan is a couple of hours hike. The whole itinerary is doable in the time you have stated, but it will be driving from morning til evening most days.

Kel Suu to Issyk Kul will be the longest day but it is doable in one day. No need to stop at Naryn, I don't recommend it, it's not a particularly interesting place.

Be aware that most tourists are still not allowed into Kazakhstan. For optimal enjoyment, I recommend not going to Kazakhstan. That leaves you a few more days in Kyrgyzstan. You can take it a bit more easy, experience more of Kyrgyzstan, reduce the cost and have a bit more time for when things go wrong (flat tire, getting stopped by the police, ...) or very well (you really like one particular place and want to stay longer, you fall in love with a Kyrgyz cowboy, ...)