My 29 Photos Of Kyrgyzstan, The Hidden Gem Of Central Asia

Nature in Kyrgyzstan is really untouched and lots of locals live like nomads. The countryside roads are rather bad. I was actually surprised that most are marked as roads on Google Maps because a normal rental car would never be able to drive there. You need at least a high 4x4. But with some effort (driving ‘bad’ roads and hiking steep paths) you’ll be able to see some of the most beautiful untouched nature you’ve ever seen. Endless valleys with huge mountains around you, crystal clear turquoise lakes, wild eagles, canyons, you name it. This country has it all. I was surprised by its variety of landscapes in a rather small area. Just a few hours driving would bring me from snowcapped mountains to landscapes that looked like the moon with red canyons and unearthly textures. Americans will know this as ‘Utah’. Because of the remote areas, there is literally zero light pollution here. During the night looking up you will see the brightest milky way in the sky you’ve ever seen.

I’ve been to Kyrgyzstan 4 times now and each time explored a new area of the country. I already have new ideas for the next time. My first visit was the most memorable simply because everything was so very new and I didn’t really know what to expect. The beauty everywhere was simply overwhelming. But all other visits afterward also had an impact, because I was visiting different parts of the country.

When you’re exploring the valleys you’ll see the locals from time to time. They live in Yurts. Yurts are small ‘houses’ that look like a big tent. These people are mostly shepherds taking care of cattle in the summer. You’ll see hundreds of sheep or horses with glaciers in the background. It’s a really impressive sight. These shepherds live without any luxury like electricity or a toilet. All of the locals I met in the mountains were friendly. They didn’t speak English much but I think they enjoyed some variety of company as they’re in the mountains for months without much conversation. It’s life at its simplest. It got me thinking if these people actually need more. They’re just living day by day, with their cattle, not worrying about anything in the world. Literally disconnected from the world and living in their own small world. 

Kyrgyzstan has lots of beautiful places. Simply fly to its capital Bishkek and start exploring from there. You can see the giant peaks from the city already and it takes a 45 min drive to go to the Ala Archa national park nearby, which is already super beautiful and has nice relatively easy hikes. If you want to relax, you can stay near the Issyk Kul lake, which is huge and almost looks like a sea. Also make sure to Visit Karakol. From there you can visit lots of beautiful valleys with insane mountains. And make sure to experience real Kyrgyz culture. The people are really friendly and have nice traditions and food.

During my travel, I visited Bishkek, Chaek, Song-Kul, Around Isskyl-Kul lake and Karakol. There are still lots of more places to explore for me so I hope to return soon.

I’d like to mention that despite lots of people think the ‘stans’ are ‘dangerous’ to travel to I’ve never really felt unsafe. Especially in the mountains where no one really cares that you’re walking around with expensive gear. I slept a lot in tents, vulnerable to the robbery but nothing ever happened to me. I was often accompanied with locals though, either my girlfriend (and family) or people from Visit Karakol, a travel agency from Karakol that helped me a lot in getting to places that I normally wouldn’t be able to go to by myself.

Kyrgyzstan is an amazingly beautiful country with lots of really untouched nature and I would definitely recommend visiting it.

I tried my best to capture a general overview of the beauty of the country. As I am a landscape photographer I focus on the beauty of the country mainly regarding nature. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

The people from Kyrgyzstan are very inviting and friendly. Make sure to try out their local food: plov, manti, laghman and kuurdak. Most of these involve lots of meat. And be sure to try the fermented horse milk.

Urban areas in Kyrgyzstan are definitely interesting. The Kyrgyz capital is Bishkek and the city center actually looks very modern (that some might not expect). But when you go outside, you will quickly see the ‘real’ Kyrgyzstan which can be considered underdeveloped. It’s great to walk around in these little villages, though, and see how the people live and do their daily activities. Especially the villages in and around the mountains are great to experience. I guess you can’t really call them ‘urban’ as most are very small. Sometimes you feel like you've gone back in time. People ride horses and donkeys (they do have cars, but most are old in the villages), keep cattle, and you’ll often find yourself in a traffic jam because a farmer is bringing back his hundreds of sheep, simply on the road.

It's definitely as easy to get there as it was a few years ago. Most countries around there do not need a visa. You can just fly there and access. Depending on where you’re flying from, you’ll have to transfer in Russia or Turkey.