Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan in 11 Days: Bishkek to Almaty
Overview
The Kyrgyz loop plus Kazakhstan: Issyk-Kul, Son-Kul and Chon-Kemin, then over the border for three nights in Almaty, the greenest city in Central Asia, with a day at Charyn Canyon. Up to 16 travellers, seventeen departures a summer.
Fly into Bishkek and home from Almaty — both have good connections — and see the two neighbours that could not be more different.
Highlights
Is this trip for you?
- Travellers who want two countries in eleven days with no internal flights
- Anyone who likes a city at the end of a mountain trip
- You want Uzbekistan’s architecture — this is landscape and nomad culture
- You dislike border queues (Korday can take an hour)
Our honest opinion
- Almaty’s restaurants are the best in the region — a reward after yurt camps
- The Charyn day is a genuine highlight, not a filler
- Roads to Son-Kul and the south shore are gravel; allow for a bumpy hour or two
- Showers at yurt camps are basic or absent
Open-jaw flights (into Bishkek, out of Almaty) are usually no more expensive than a return.
The trip in numbers
Your route
Line style shows how you travel each leg: solid = train, dotted = car, dashed = flight.
Day by day
Airport pickup, Ala-Too square, the Osh bazaar and a welcome dinner.
Burana tower, a Dungan family lunch in Iskra, the north shore of Issyk-Kul.
Petroglyphs, two alpine gorges and Karakol’s Dungan mosque.
Red cliffs, waterfalls and a south-shore guesthouse with an orchard.
Fairy Tale canyon, eagle hunters, felt-making in Kochkor.
Over the pass to the lake at 3,000 m and a yurt camp with a shepherd family — horses, kumis and a sky full of stars. (Tash Rabat caravanserai replaces Son-Kul in March, April, October and November.)
Down from the plateau and across to the Chon-Kemin valley.
Korday border; evening in Almaty.
Medeo, Shymbulak, the Green bazaar and Kok-Tobe.
Day trip to the Valley of Castles and the Charyn river.
Airport transfer.
What’s included
What’s not included
Where you’ll stay
Or equivalent, depending on season. Hotels are inside or beside the historic centres wherever the town has one.
Traveller reviews
What guests wrote
“The Kyrgyz loop plus three days in Almaty with Charyn Canyon — great combination. Charyn is a mini Grand Canyon and we nearly had it to ourselves. The Korday border crossing was quick. Almaty is a proper, pleasant city to finish in with good restaurants.”
Good to know
Most nationalities enter Uzbekistan visa-free for 30–90 days. If your passport needs an e-visa, it takes 2–3 working days online — we check your case and guide you at booking.
The local currency is the Uzbek som (UZS). Visa and Mastercard work in city hotels, restaurants and supermarkets; keep some cash for bazaars, taxis and tips. ATMs dispense som and sometimes USD.
April–June and September–November are warm and clear — ideal for walking the old cities. July–August afternoons exceed 35°C; winter departures run at reduced prices.
Uzbekistan uses European plug types C and F, 220V. Travellers from the UK, US and Asia need a standard Euro adapter — one per device is enough, hotels have plenty of sockets.
Everyday dress is relaxed across all four cities. Inside mosques and madrasas, shoulders and knees should be covered; headscarves for women are only needed in a few active mosques — your guide will tell you when.
Your included eSIM is activated on arrival, so you’re online from the airport. Hotel Wi-Fi is reliable in all four cities; your coordinator stays reachable on WhatsApp or Telegram throughout.
Free cancellation up to 30 days before departure. 50% refund up to 15 days before; after that the booking is non-refundable, but you can move to another date once for free.
Medical insurance for the tour days is included. We still recommend personal travel insurance covering cancellation and baggage — we can suggest trusted providers.
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