Based in Bishkek, Bakyt has managed requests from Caravanistan since 2013. Part of a Kyrgyz – Swiss company focused on original outdoor tours, he puts huge effort into making sure People & Planet come first, and can tailor a tour to your liking.
The company has been creating unique tours in Kyrgyzstan since 2003, always pioneering new trails and new ways of getting involved with the lives of locals.
From Bakyt: Trekking, horse riding, mountain biking and ski touring in Kyrgyzstan’s beautiful landscapes is what we love most. We would like to share this with you. Please come to visit!
We are happy to work with all types of tour request and types of clients to provide the level of service that the guest requests. Our guides and partners are highly qualified and trained to show the country’s unique attributes, wild nature, and historical and cultural heritage. Additional services that we offer is visa support, border zone permits, climbing permits, hotel bookings, transportation services and business consultations.
Our goals are:
- To create authentic tours in Central Asia which are client-focused.
- To offer small group tours to while respecting the budgets of our guest.
- To conserve the fragile biodiversity in Central Asia.
- To include local communities in our tours rather than a few individuals.
- To work fairly with local guides, guesthouse, and drivers.
- To be environmentally sustainable and reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources.
- To respect the traditional culture and social structures where we guide our guests.
- To work directly with the existing ecotourism partners and utilize their infrastructures.
- To train and develop local guides skills in increase the level of service to our guest.
I had been to Kyrgyzstan before, but only to the cities and to Issyk Kul. However, I really wanted to get out of the cities and visit more of the countryside and do some trekking through Naryn Oblast especially. The tour with Bakyt was excellent for this purpose as there were treks around Issyk Kul, Song Kul, as well as in the mountains near the Chinese border around the caravanserai at Tash Rabat, the last 3 of which we got to stay in yurts and witness nomadic life — especially near
Song Kul. The tour began in Bishkek and the guide was very knowledgeable about the city and the country. Afterwards the hikes were at various altitudes to acclimatize us, finally finishing with a horseback ride and hike at over 4000 meters. This last one was rough for me (I am 54 years old), but with the previous hikes, I managed to make it. Actually, the horseback riding wore me out more than
the hiking, but it was fun and the guides around the country were all helpful and great. There were also cultural things we did as well, like visit a yurt maker and have traditional Kyrgyz meals in people`s homes. All in all, a very worthwhile and enjoyable trip that gives a great overall picture of Kyrgyzstan.
After researching several tour companies we decided to book with Bakyt and we couldn’t be happier with our choice. Bakyt’s diligent communication and skill in putting together the perfect tour really showed through as it incorporated a bit of everything we were hoping to experience—adventure, trekking, and cultural immersion. It was clear that he is well known and highly respected based on the generosity of our hosts everywhere we went. Our guide, Makpalbek, went above and beyond to ensure that every minute of our trip was exceptional and that we were able to have the fullest experience possible. The accommodations were clean,
comfortable, and very nice and the food was delicious—the warm welcome we received in this beautiful country went well beyond our highest expectations.
Huge thank you to Bakyt and Makpalbek!!
Wonderful custom driving tour!
After contacting several competitors, we decided on Bakyt. He worked with us to design a trip perfect for the needs of our young kids, seeing all the sights we wanted in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. English speaking guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Drivers were skilled. Highly recommend traveling with his team!
A group of friends and I booked a trip with Bakyt. It was absolutely terrific. Alex was a great guide. He was flexible and knowledgeable. I highly recommend Bakyt. The trip was designed to suit our interests and we were very satisfied with the results. Thanks for an excellent adventure.
In my first trip to Kyrgyzstan I couldn’t have hoped for more in less time. This company and specially his guide, Mikel, provided more than everything we needed to make this not just a holiday or a trip but a wonderful overall experience. Mikel was superb friendly, knowledgeable, emphatic, with superior problem-solving skills (there were a few unexpected bits as you would expect in this kind of
trips but thanks to him they were even enjoyable!), top professional and with everything you could
expect from a mountain guide. In fact he will exceed your expectations.
Samuel organized a horseback riding trip to accompany Kyrgyz shepherds transhumance to the grasslands.
It was a wonderful experience to live with the shepherds and their families and lead the flocks of sheep, goats, cows and horses to their summer camp. It was a great way to get to know these local families a little better, and it was made possible thanks to the long-term relationship and trust built between Samuel and these shepherds for more usual tours taking travelers the the mountains. Our guide Fabien knows the region by heart and it was fascinating to see how he can place on his very little scale map all the landscapes and mountains range and summits we could see, as well as the grasslands that we were crossing, even when there was almost no road or track ! Fluent in French, English and Russian, his Kyrgyz language abilities are also growing day by day, making him our interpret every day and making the discussions with the families so much richer and interesting. Katja, another guide who accompanied the more experienced riders, astonished me with her knowledge of Kyrgyz language and about the horses culture in Kyrgyzstan.
I totally recommend Samuel and I would love to come back. All trips are special and their memories dear to me, but for sure this trip was extremely beautiful and special, as well as very well organized.
Alex was great with communicating and organising our custom trip before hand. The trip itself was fantastic. He knew the area really well and we had great fun, ski touring in the Suusamyr area. He speaks the local language and knows families to stay with, which gave us a glimpse into the Kyrgyzstan hospitality and their traditions. I want to go back and see more of the fascinating and beautiful country.
Voyage sur mesure, équipe flexible et accueillante, guide super sympa et randonnées adaptées à nos capacités et nos envies. Magnifique manière de découvrir le Kirghizistan!
Very reliable and good organization! Have helped us all around to plan our road trip, big plus: very flexible people, adapt their trips to your personal requirements and works with local partners (cool if you want to learn the local culture and inhabitants). Also renting camping/trekking equipment and possible to stay the night/eat in their guesthouse (Bishkek). Highly recommend this for travelers!
FYI: the guide Shamil is amazing and very funny (we did a Song Kol Horse trip with him)
My family and I had a great time in Kyrgyzstan. Our guides Shamil and Azamat were excellent, and the yurt host families were brilliant.
One of the best holiday experiences we have ever had!
A little review of our trip to Kyrgystan.
First of all thank you very much to Bakyt for arranging our trip and answering my numerous questions before the trip (it was our first time there hence a little apprehensive), but they always were very helpful and came back to me with prompt responses. It was great to finally meet Bakyt in Bishkek and also Samuel.
Now onto the trip, it was all very well organised from the time we were picked up at our hotel in Kazakhstan, to the pickup at the other end on the Kyrgyz border. Our guide and driver were already waiting for us and as for our trip through Kyrgyzstan it was fantastic. Both our driver and guide spoke great English and were brilliant people, we got on really well and shared endless jokes and have never laughed so much on a trip. They made it very easy to spend time with on the long road drives, also conversing with our hosts in the guest houses not speaking much (any) Kyrgyz and we also had an amazing stay in the yurt.
The guesthouses were perfectly adequate for such a trip as we got to know and learn how real people live in the country and the food served at all the places (especially the home cooked meals) were an amazing insight into the lives of the people. The yurt was very comfortable and our little girl enjoyed the company of the hosts’ little boy as well as the horse riding. Our guide looked after our little girl when she wasn’t feeling well and cared about her as if her own and especially always made sure there was something appropriate for her to eat. We left with some wonderful memories and lifelong friendships.
Everything went to plan including our last day and drop-off back to Almaty, border crossing took a little longer than anticipated, the driver didn’t speak much English but seemed to have a translation app on his phone which we used when we wanted to talk to him. He also tried to make up some time to get us there before too late, i must admit that drive was a little scary at times with the way drives seem to be in that part of the world :)
I am already thinking about our next time in central asia this time through parts and countries we haven’t already seen, so hopefully will be in touch again.
Excellent organisation, very friendly and helpful guides, great countryside and energetic horses.
We had a fantastic time at Kyrgyzstan. Nomad guys were very hospitable and arrangements were terrific.
Strong professionalism, excellent organization, Samuel designs tailor-made experiences to clients’ dreams! I’ll be back!
This summer, we spent a great week with Samuels company and espacially with our guide Fabien. We could profit from a tailor-made tour to Song-Kul, Bosogo, Keul Suu and Tash Rabat, perfect organisation and a truly outstanding commitment to show us the nature, the culture, the history and the people of Kyrgyzstan. It was one of the highlights of our trip to central asia – thank you for many wonderful memories!
Wow! Just back from 15 days accross Kirghizistan! This happily wild country transforms your trip into an authentic journey! Of critical importance to sustain such an unique experience, one needs a excellent guide.
My boyfriend and I had great pleasure to travel with a careful, flexible, attentive and nonjudgmental guide. He enthusiastically shared his knowledge in economics, history, geology, ecology and culture with us. He facilitated our understanding of local habits and connected us with kirghiz people (I acknowledge his language skills : french, german, english, russian and kirghiz !). Thanks to our guide, we got linked to kyrgyz people even though not having any common language ! What a fundamental experience ! Our journey was definitely fulfilling, therefore, we are looking forward to travel again next year to Kyrgyzstan ☺ This is the reason why we warmly and highly recommend Samuel to any traveler looking for authenticity and discovery across Kyrgyzstan.
Magnifique expérience dans le pays des Monts-Célestes avec Samuel. J’ai particulièrement apprécié la rencontre avec les locaux dans les différentes maisons d’hôtes qui travaillent en coopération avec l’agence. En résumé, balades à cheval, randonnées, ski, natation dans un lac à 3016 m, nuits sous la tente, repas inoubliables, sorties dans la capitale, …, …, que de bons souvenirs que je ne demande qu’à revivre.
I just returned from a trip to Kyrgyzstan in March 2014. Samuel helped me formulate a bespoke tour package which consisted of a car, a driver and an English speaking guide. The itinerary for this trip was bespoke too. I can honestly say I had a fantastic time in Kyrgyzstan. The program was fantastic with a nice balance of nature, culture and people. Samuel took into consideration my needs and expectations. Although it was only a short 4-day trip, there was enough substance in the program that it truly gave me a great flavor of this beautiful country. I can’t thank Samuel enough for all his efforts and would highly recommend his company to anyone.
Nous avons vécu 20 jours inoubliables en Kirghizie avec Samuel. Leurs guides sont sympas et serviables et nous avons aussi été ravis d’avoir pu rencontrer et communiquer avec de nombreux kirghiz grâce à l’éco-tourisme. Je recommande particulièrement la chevauchée du Pic Lénine aux amoureux des chevaux et de la nature.
J’ai eu l’occasion de visiter le Kirghizistan avec Samuel et je ne peux que recomander leurs services. Le tour m’a permi de découvrir un magnifique pays et le guide francophone a partagé avec nous la richesse de la culture kirghize.