Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan probably ranks very highly on most people’s lists of countries that they have 1) never heard of, 2) can’t pronounce, 3) can’t spell and 4) can’t place on a map. Tourism there is understandably relatively uncommon. In my opinion this is a huge mistake but one that works out extremely nicely for those of us who do choose to visit. None of the incredible scenery is ever spoiled by huge crowds, trash or any of the other side effects that come along with mass tourism.

So why should you want to go there? Well 94% of the country is over 1000m high and everything is mountains. Truly incredible mountains offering, in my opinion, the best hiking opportunities in the entire world. Its impossible to overstate just how beautiful these hikes are and how pristine the nature all around you is. Even if this wasn’t more than enough of a reason, the people are incredibly friendly, the food is great (as long as you aren’t vegetarian) and the alcohol is excellent (as long as you like vodka).

My Trip

I visited Kyrgyzstan in August 2018 and used Osh as a base for a road trip along the Pamir highway in Tajikistan that had been planned month’s before with a friend. After we returned to Osh we travelled to Bishkek and then to Cholpan-ata where we stayed for a week to watch the World Nomad Games. This event is absolutely one of a kind and if you ever get the chance to go you should absolutely take it. Meeting the locals attending the event, the other backpackers, eating the food, drinking insane amounts of vodka and learning about the unique sporting and cultural events all made this one of the best and most memorable weeks of any of my travelling. A large group of us travelled on to Skazka canyon then I did a 3 day hike around Ala-kul lake. This ended up being one of the most dangerous and scariest experiences I’ve ever had (I will definitely be writing up this story at some point).