If you want to fill your holiday with hikes in dizzyingly beautiful mountain landscapes, take part in fascinating history of the Silk Road and visit traditional nomads, head to Kyrgyzstan. You are guaranteed not to share your experiences with hordes of other visitors. In return, you get genuine hospitality from a people who love to show off their beautiful country.
See travel to Kyrgyzstan
Population: 5.6 million
Capital: Bishkek
Language: Kyrgyz and Russian
Over 80% of Kyrgyzstan’s area is covered by mountains?
Do you drink tea with most meals?
Geography of Kyrgyzstan
All roads lead to Rome and all mountain ranges seem to lead to Kyrgyzstan. Regardless, the high mountain ranges flow into Kyrgyzstan from neighboring China and Tajikistan. The two largest chains are Tian Shan and Alaj and from these several smaller mountain ranges emerge. Together, the mountains of Kyrgyzstan raise the average altitude to 2,750 meters above sea level, while being beautiful enough for the country to be called Asia’s Switzerland. Snow-capped peaks, glaciers and deserted and vast plateaus are a common sight in Kyrgyzstan. Every now and then, the landscape image is broken by a dark blue mountain lake such as the 6,000 km2 Issyk-Kul lake.
Tourist attractions
If you are a bit of an adventurer, take the opportunity to live like the nomads who still live in the country. In the Kyrgyz Highlands, you can spend the night in a yurt (large round felt tent that the nomads used as their mobile homes for many hundreds of years), drink fermented goat’s milk, look out over the open expanses and get an insight into how different nomads’ lives are towards our own. Many of the nomads live around Son-Kul Lake in the summer. The lake is beautifully situated at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Here is an interesting plant and animal life and those who are lucky can see both the wolf and the rare Indian goose. Nature experiences should be high on the list of possible activities in Kyrgyzstan. There are many to choose from here. Among other things, you can follow up to the huge Issyk-Kul lake and swim in the clear blue water, surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks. You can also throw yourself over the scenic Ala Archa National Park south of Bishkek. Here in the beautiful valley you can walk between glaciers, waterfalls and steep mountain sides lined with pine trees. Visit petwithsupplies for Kyrgyzstan Travel Guide.
If you need to alternate nature experiences with a little city pulse, you will also find it in Kyrgyzstan. The capital Bishkek may not be full of sights, but it has a distinctive Russian feel. Here you can walk around the many parks, shop at bazaars and department stores and visit various museums with exhibitions about, among other things, the country’s history and national arts and crafts. The country’s communist past is reminded of both Lenin and Soviet General Mikhail Frunze, who was the name of the city of Bishkek until 1991. Or why not visit the city of Karakol at the foot of the Tian Shan Mountains. The city looks like a peaceful Russian city of larger size and has a nice atmosphere. Among the city’s sights are a Chinese mosque built of wood, without a single joint, and the beautiful Russian Orthodox Church with the green spiers. Kyrgyzstan’s second largest city, Osj, is also one of the country’s oldest. It’s hard to believe that the city has been around for centuries. There are no old remains here from the heyday of the Silk Road, as you see in so many other Central Asian caravan cities. Instead, you can go hunting in the country’s best bazaar, the Jayma Bazaar, where you will find fresh fruit and unusual souvenirs.
Climate and weather Kyrgyzstan
Below you can read more about Kyrgyzstan’s climate and temperatures for Bishkek.
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | CHRISTMAS | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| Bishkek | ||||||||||||
| Daytime temperature | 3 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 25 | 17 | 10 | 5 |
| Night temperature | -9 | -7 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 5 | -1 | -5 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 26 | 31 | 47 | 76 | 64 | 35 | 19 | 12 | 17 | 43 | 44 | 28 |
Kyrgyzstan has a distinctly continental climate but with large local differences in temperature and precipitation, which are determined by the country’s many mountains. Summer is reminiscent of southern Europe, ie hot during the day and cooler at night. July is the warmest month with daytime temperatures of 25-30 degrees, with slightly colder temperatures in high altitude areas. The weather in the mountains is extremely capricious and can change quickly, and there is always a risk of rain. We recommend that you pack warm, waterproof and waterproof clothing for excursions in the mountains.
