2 Weeks in Kyrgyzstan in June - any help highly appreciated

[Ruben]

Dear Caravanistan,

my name is Ruben and I am originally from Germany. I will spend two weeks travelling Kyrgyzstan, flying in to Bishkek on 03.06. and flying out of Bishkek on 19.06.2017. Apart from a trip to Iran in 2013, this is my first time travelling this region of the world. I am an avid hiker and would like to go on shorter trekks (4 days), enjoy the beautiful nature and see as much of Kyrgyzstan as possible.

The itinirary, which I have drawn up for now (very open to any suggestions on which other places to squeeze in), looks as follows:

Day 1( 03.06.): arrival and sightseeing in Bishkek

Day 2 (04.06.): transfer to and night in Cholpon-Ata

Day 3 (05.06.): transfer to Karakol

Day 4-7 (06.-09.06.): 4 day trek from Karakol gorge to Altyn-Arashan with local CBT

Day 8 (10.06.): transfer from Karakol to Kochkor and night in Kochkor

Day 9-11 (11.-13.06.): organized tour (trek and/ or horseback riding) to Lake Song-Kol with local CBT or similar

Day 12 (13.06.): transfer to and night in Dschalalabat

Day 13 - 15 (14.06.- 16.06.): transfer to and 2 nights in Arslanbob, trekking in the walnut tree

Day 16 - (17.06.): transfer back to Bishkek

So my first and foremost question towards travellers, who know the region and have done a similar trip, do you think that this itinirary is realistic given the time I have? Do you may be have alternative but similar routes that you would recommend?

I would like to do most of the above transfers using public transport (busses/ mashrutkas or shared taxis). How is the transport situation between these places? If better, I would also be willing to hire local drivers to make parts of the journey. Based on your experience, which forms of transport would you recommend for these transfers?

At the given places (Karakol, Lake Song-Kol, Arslanbob), I would like to go on guided tours using opportunities of community based tourism. Are there any that you would recommend me to do - especially seeing the time of the year that I am travelling and some might be possible due to the fact that its quite early into the summer? Will I be able to find other fellow travellers to do these tours with?

Last but not least, I would of course be more than happy to join others, who will be in the region during that time as well

Any recommendations or help would be really appreciated! Looking forward to your replies.

Thanks a lot and all the best,
Ruben

[bwv812]

I don't think a stop in Cholpon-Ata makes much sense, unless you have a compelling reason to be there. There are plenty of marshrutkas that go straight from Bishkek to Karakol.

If you want to stick to a schedule, I would try to make arrangements with CBT before you arrive. Sure, you can simply show up and organize things, but expect it to take a day or so for things to come together. Of course this means it will be harder to find other tourists to join you.

You should not count on public transport or even share taxis being a realistic option between Song Kul and Jalalabad. You will likely have to charter a car for this section.

[Ruben]

Thank you both for your helpful advice.

One question on the transfer between Song-Kul lake and Jalal-abad. How long would the ride be approximaely? What about road safety and scenery? How much does it cost for a private driver on that route?

Any tipps on how to change my itinirary to avoid hiring a private driver and doing the long transfer would also be appreciated.

Best,
Ruben

[bwv812]

If you don't want to hire a private car to Jalalabad via Kazarman, you basically have to go back up to Bishkek and then down towards Osh (but get off at the Arslanbob turnoff/Bazar Korgon or in Jalalabad if it's late).

You can probably search the forums for information on what others have paid for the trip to Jalalabad and/or reach out to Azamat.