The circuit that gives Central Asia its full depth: five days in Uzbekistan for the Registan and the Bukhara and the Kyzylkum Desert yurt (full detail in 7 Days in Uzbekistan), and nine days in Kyrgyzstan for the specific mountain country that the travel world has not yet discovered in the way that it deserves — the Lake Issyk-Kul (the second largest alpine lake in the world, the lake that does not freeze despite being at 1,607 metres because the salt and the geothermal activity give the specific thermal balance), the Song-Kul plateau (the alpine grassland at 3,016 metres where the nomadic Kyrgyz families move their herds to the summer pasture in June-September), and the Ala Archa National Park (the canyon above Bishkek giving the peak of 4,895 metres visible from the trail within 2 hours of the capital’s restaurants).
Reading time: 11 minutes | Last updated: 2026
Central Asia is the travel region that 2026 has most comprehensively underserved relative to its depth. Uzbekistan (full detail in 7 Days in Uzbekistan) has the UNESCO Silk Road cities. Kyrgyzstan has the mountains — the Tien Shan range (the “Celestial Mountains”) at 4,000-5,000 metres, the alpine lake at 1,607 metres, and the nomadic culture that the Soviet collective farm system attempted to eliminate and that survived in the summer pasture migration that the Kyrgyz families still conduct on horseback.
Before You Leave
Visas: Uzbekistan (UK visa-free, verify current status) or e-Visa at USD 20 / £15.75. Kyrgyzstan: UK citizens visa-free for 30 days — no application required, the stamp given on arrival at Manas International Airport (Bishkek) or at the land border.
The routing: Fly London-Tashkent (Uzbekistan Airlines direct, or via Istanbul/Dubai) → Uzbekistan circuit → fly Tashkent-Bishkek (Uzbekistan Airlines or Air Kyrgyzstan, 1 hour, USD 80-150 / £62.99-118.11) → Kyrgyzstan circuit → fly Bishkek-London (via Istanbul, Dubai, or Moscow).
The 4WD: Essential for the Song-Kul and the Ala Archa access. Hire in Bishkek: USD 50-100 / £39.37-78.74 per day. The marshrutka (the shared minibus — the correct local transport for the Bishkek-Issyk-Kul connection at USD 5-8 / £3.94-6.30 per person) covers the main routes.
DAYS 1-5 — Uzbekistan
Full detail: 7 Days in Uzbekistan. The Tashkent (1 night), the Samarkand (2 nights), the Bukhara (2 nights). The 5-day abbreviated circuit ending with the Bukhara-Tashkent train (1.5 hours, UZS 90,000-160,000 / £5.73-10.19) and the Tashkent-Bishkek flight.
DAYS 6-14 — Kyrgyzstan
Day 6: Bishkek
The Osh Bazaar:
The Osh Bazaar (the Bishkek covered market — the spice vendors at the eastern entrance (the Kyrgyz spices: the chili, the coriander, the cumin, the dried apricot), the meat market (the horse meat visible at the stalls — the horse (at in Kyrgyz) is the specific Kyrgyz protein, the horse sausage (chuchuk) the most specifically Kyrgyz purchase), and the fabric section (the shyrdak felt rugs, the ala-kiyiz felt carpets — the Kyrgyz traditional crafts visible at the market price)):
The Bishkek morning before the Issyk-Kul departure: the café on Erkindik Boulevard, the Kyrgyz coffee culture (the Bishkek specialty café scene has developed significantly since 2020 — the Plov Centre adjacent to the market gives the Kyrgyz national dish at the market price: KGS 100-200 / £0.89-1.78 per bowl of plov (the Central Asian pilaf, the lamb rice)):
Days 7-9: Lake Issyk-Kul
The Issyk-Kul (the “Warm Lake” — the alpine lake at 1,607 metres, 182km long and 60km wide, the second largest alpine lake in the world by volume (behind Lake Titicaca), the lake that does not freeze at altitude because the salt concentration and the geothermal springs maintain the year-round temperature at 5-25°C depending on the season):
The south shore (the less visited side):
The south Issyk-Kul shore (the road from Barskoon through the gorge to the seasonal shepherd settlements above the lake — the road giving the lake below and the Tien Shan above simultaneously): the Barskoon Waterfall (the series of waterfalls visible from the gorge road, the specific Kyrgyz mountain scenery that the north shore resort hotels face away from).
The Karakol base:
The Karakol (the town at the eastern end of the lake — the base for the Ala-Kul Lake trek):
The Ala-Kul Lake trek (2 days):
The Ala-Kul (the glacial lake at 3,532 metres — the 2-day trek from the Karakol town through the Karakol Gorge, the camping at the Altyn Arashan hot springs (the natural hot spring visible in the forest at 2,500 metres, the soaking in the spring after the first day’s ascent), and the Ala-Kul Lake on Day 2 (the turquoise glacial lake visible from the moraine at the lake edge, the Terskey Ala-Too peaks above)):
The trek without a guide: KGS 500-1,000 / £4.45-8.90 for the Karakol Gorge entry. With a guide: USD 40-70 / £31.50-55.12 per day.
Days 10-12: Song-Kul
The Song-Kul (the alpine plateau lake at 3,016 metres — the 270 square kilometre lake visible from the plateau edge as the approach road crests the final ridge, the Kyrgyz nomadic family yurt camps visible on the lakeside grassland from May to September):
The yurt stay:
The nomadic family yurt camp (the 3-night stay on the Song-Kul — the yurt interior (the felt walls, the wooden lattice frame, the tunduk (the circular skylight at the apex), the central fire burning the dried dung that the plateau’s absence of wood requires)):
The nomadic family daily life visible: the mare milking at 6am and 6pm (the kumiss — the fermented mare’s milk, the Kyrgyz fermented drink, the drink that tastes like a combination of yoghurt, beer, and yeast that no other description approaches), the sheep and cattle driving from the night enclosure at 7am, the felt carpet making in the afternoon (the shyrdak rug assembled from the cut felt pieces, the geometric pattern specific to each family’s region):
Yurt camp rate: USD 20-35 / £15.75-27.56 per person per night including meals.
Days 13-14: Bishkek and Ala Archa
The Ala Archa National Park:
The Ala Archa (the national park 40km south of Bishkek — the canyon ascending from 1,500 metres to the Ak-Sai glacier at 3,800 metres, the 4,895-metre peak of Pic Semyonova-Tian-Shanskogo visible from the glacial viewpoint, the 2-hour trek from the car park to the Ak-Sai glacier edge):
Entry: USD 3 / £2.36. The day hike (the Ak-Sai glacier — the 4-hour return trip from the car park, the altitude gain 1,400 metres, the glacier visible at the trail’s end): free beyond the entry fee.
What It Costs
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range |
|---|---|---|
| Return flights (UK-Tashkent, Bishkek-UK) | £450-800 | £650-1,100 |
| Internal flight (Tashkent-Bishkek) | £63-118 | £90-160 |
| 14 nights accommodation | £140-420 | £420-840 |
| 4WD hire (Kyrgyzstan, 8 days) | £315-630 | £480-840 |
| Food (14 days) | £50-130 | £130-280 |
| Activities and entries | £50-120 | £100-200 |
| Total | £1,068-2,218 | £1,870-3,420 |
