Horse trekking in Kyrgyzstan: Song-Kul, Jyrgalan and costs

01

What is a multi-day horse trek in Kyrgyzstan actually like?

It is a slow ride from one summer pasture (jailoo) to the next, with a local horseman or guide leading and a yurt or tent at the end of each day. Operators' programmes put riding at 4 to 7 hours a day, and on steep sections you get off and walk.

On the classic Song-Kul route, CBT Kochkor's 3-day programme lists 4–5 hours on horseback a day, three passes above 3,000 m and two nights in shepherds' yurts. Song Kul Guide, an operator based in Kyzart, plans about 5 hours in the saddle each day. Your main luggage stays in town.

The reward is reaching the lake over the passes instead of by jeep, and sleeping with herding families on the way. Be prepared for hours on a horse on consecutive days, cold nights and no phone signal: Caravanistan notes that Song-Kul has no mobile reception. If three days in the saddle do not appeal, drive to a lake camp and ride for an hour or two there.

02

Where can you go on a horse trek?

Song-Kul from Kyzart is the classic multi-day ride. Jyrgalan, 60 km east of Karakol, is the place for day rides and a short overnight ride. From Karakol you can ride to Altyn-Arashan in two days or go further. The table lists what each operator publishes for its own programme.

The Karakol rows overlap with our Altyn-Arashan guide, which covers the valley stay in detail. The CBT network, with groups in Naryn, Kazarman, Chon-Kemin and elsewhere, says it organises horseback tours too; those regions are not covered here.

03

How does the 3-day Song-Kul ride from Kyzart work?

You drive from Kochkor to Kyzart, meet the horses and guide there, ride two days to the lake over the passes, and ride back to Kyzart on the third. Song-Kul lies at 3,016 m by the figures of both CBT Kochkor and the Kyrgyz TV channel 7-kanal. The steps follow CBT Kochkor's published version.

1. 1

   Day 1: Kyzart to Kilemche

   Drive from Kochkor to the Kyzart pass, where the guide team waits with the horses. Ride across the flat Kyzyl-Kiya pasture and over the Chaar-Archa pass (3,061 m), ford the river and continue to Kilemche jailoo. Dinner and night in a yurt. Time on horseback 4–5 hours.

2. 2

   Day 2: Kilemche to Song-Kul

   Climb in the morning to the rocky Jalgyz-Karagai pass (3,400 m) and ride down into the lake basin. Lunch on the shore, then along the lake to a shepherd family's yurt for the night.

3. 3

   Day 3: Song-Kul to Kyzart

   Leave the lake over a pass and ride down to Kyzart for a hot lunch in a village home. CBT Kochkor gives 4–5 hours on horseback, then about 2 hours by road to Kochkor.

• Operators use different passes for the way back: CBT Kochkor names Tuz-Ashuu, Nomads Life names Kara-Kiya (3,400 m) and starts after lunch with 3–4 hours of riding on day 1.
• Song Kul Guide's 4-day version adds a gentler day along the shore between two camps. Guides may change the route for weather, trail conditions and the group's level.
• CBT Kochkor's kit list for this route includes a sleeping bag and mat. Ask whether the yurts provide bedding on your dates.

04

Jyrgalan and Karakol: shorter rides and a first night out

If you have never ridden, start with a day ride here before committing to three days. Destination Jyrgalan's horse tours include a local guide (Russian, some English), the horse, a western saddle, a helmet and a picnic lunch. Many of its multi-day foot treks can also be done on horseback, with rented camping gear; prices are on request only.

From Karakol, CBT Karakol's 2-day ride to Altyn-Arashan is rated "Soft": a transfer to Ak-Suu, 16 km on horseback to a yurt camp, the hot springs in the evening and the ride back next day. On EcoTrek's 3-day ride, sold through Destination Karakol, you leave the horses below the pass above Ala-Kul and walk up to see the lake, a steep climb at altitude. EcoTrek also runs a 6-day tent route from Turgen-Aksu over the Ailanysh pass (3,671 m) to Altyn-Arashan, from the end of June to October.

Use the Karakol guide for the town nights. On the south shore of Issyk-Kul, CBT Bokonbaevo runs four yurt camps and lists horse riding, with no published multi-day itinerary; see the Issyk-Kul guide.

05

Do you need riding experience?

No published rule sets a minimum; each operator decides, and most sell their standard routes to beginners. Song Kul Guide calls its trek suitable for beginner and intermediate riders and recommends it for children from 8. Destination Karakol says its horse tours suit any experience.

Destination Jyrgalan is more careful: riders of all levels are welcome, but the pace of its tours assumes moderate skill, so tell them before booking if you are completely new. It uses new western-style saddles, which it prefers to traditional Kyrgyz saddles; other operators do not say, so ask.

The effort builds over several days: 4 to 7 hours a day, several days in a row, with passes, stony descents and river crossings. If you are nervous, ask for a horseman to lead your horse; Nomads Life offers this for an extra charge. Our suggestion for a non-rider is a Jyrgalan day ride or the 2-day Altyn-Arashan ride first, and Song-Kul only if that felt fine.

• Who leads you: on a small trek one local guide doubles as the horse handler (Destination Jyrgalan). Jyrgalan adds an assistant guide from five riders; CBT Kochkor takes groups of 1–12 on its 3-day route.
• Luggage: Terra Montis allows 12 kg per client on its horses. On Jyrgalan's supported foot treks one packhorse carries up to 60 kg for every two trekkers. The rest stays in town.
• Riding alone: you can join as a single rider; operators price one person, and Song Kul Guide's booking form offers to share a trek with other travellers. Every operator on this page includes a guide or horseman, and none advertises renting a horse without one.

06

What does a horse trek cost?

There is no official tariff for horse hire in Kyrgyzstan, so the figures below are what operators and travellers published, each with its date. For three days on the Song-Kul route they run from about 13,000 to 21,400 KGS per person, or $350–530 with a Bishkek operator that quotes in dollars. None of them is an OxusRoad price.

Per-person prices usually fall as the group grows, though Song Kul Guide's rises again at four riders (15,960 KGS each). Song Kul Guide leaves out transport to Kyzart and insurance; Nomads Life charges extra for transport from Bishkek or Kochkor. Transfer prices to Kyzart and Jyrgalan are in the getting-there section below.

07

How do you book: CBT, a local operator or your guesthouse?

Message the operator for your area on WhatsApp or by email, agree the route and price in writing, and pay the deposit or cash they ask for. In July and August you can also arrange a Song-Kul ride once you are in Kochkor or Kyzart. For June and September, Caravanistan advises asking ahead, because the yurt camps go up and come down depending on weather and bookings.

1. 1

   Choose the area and length

   Song-Kul for 3–4 days, Jyrgalan for a day or two, Karakol for Altyn-Arashan or a longer tent route.

2. 2

   Contact the operator

   CBT Kochkor: 22A Pionerskaya St, Kochkor, +996 776 46 75 65, WhatsApp +996 705 467 565. Destination Jyrgalan: destination.jyrgalan@gmail.com, +996 551 916 924, or your Jyrgalan guesthouse. CBT Karakol: 123/20 Abdrakhmanova St, Karakol. Destination Karakol's visitor centre: 150 Alyshpaeva St, Karakol.

3. 3

   Get the details in writing

   Route, nights, riding hours, helmet and saddle, who leads your horse, luggage allowance, meals, bedding, transfers both ways, and the plan for a bad-weather day.

4. 4

   Agree how you pay

   Song Kul Guide confirms availability, then asks for a deposit of one sixth of the total price (5,320 KGS for two riders on a 3-day trek). EcoTrek wants full payment before the trek, keeps 15% on cancellation and adds 7% for bank transfers. Carry som in cash.

5. 5

   Register the route

   The Emergencies Ministry (MChS) asks tourist groups to register a route 10 working days ahead, to confirm the start no earlier than a day before, and to report their return. Its online form has a version for solo travellers. Ask your operator whether they file it.

08

How do you get to Kochkor, Kyzart, Jyrgalan and Karakol?

From Uzbekistan, fly from Tashkent to Bishkek first. Buses to the Naryn and Issyk-Kul regions leave from the new Bishkek bus station at 1/1 Alma-Atinskaya St, according to Bishkek City Hall. That covers Kochkor (Naryn region) and Karakol (Issyk-Kul region).

Kochkor and Kyzart: CBT Kochkor puts Kochkor about 3 hours by road from Bishkek. Caravanistan reported a shared taxi from Kochkor to Kyzart at 200 som a seat (September 2025), and CBT Kochkor runs its own transfers. CBT Kochkor starts its ride after breakfast in Kochkor, so we would sleep there the night before.

Karakol and Jyrgalan: see the Karakol guide for the Bishkek–Karakol leg. Destination Jyrgalan says minibus 331 leaves Karakol's Ak-Tilek market for Jyrgalan three times a day (summer 08:30, 14:00 and 17:30), takes under two hours and costs 150–200 som. A private transfer arranged by a guesthouse costs 4,000–5,000 som per car and takes 1.5–2 hours because of road works.

Our 8-day Kyrgyzstan itinerary already includes an Altyn-Arashan night, and Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in 12 days shows how Kyrgyz days follow an Uzbekistan trip.

09

When is the riding season?

Plan on mid-June to mid-September for Song-Kul and June to September for Jyrgalan; lower Karakol routes run into October. Outside July and August, check that the yurt camps on your route are open.

Nomads Life sells its Song-Kul ride from May to December; we follow CBT Kochkor and Caravanistan's advice on camp dates. Expect cold in any month: Song Kul Guide warns of nights near 0 °C, and 7-kanal says summer daytime air at Song-Kul stays below +15 °C.

10

Safety, gear and insurance

Wear a helmet, take out insurance that explicitly covers horse riding at the altitudes on your route, and pack for cold rain at 3,000 m and above: the passes on these routes reach 3,400–3,860 m. The UK Foreign Office warns of snow at altitude even in summer, sunstroke and altitude sickness, and says the volunteer mountain rescue service has limited equipment.

• Helmet: Destination Jyrgalan and Song Kul Guide include one. A 2025 field report from Song-Kul found helmets optional locally, so confirm yours in writing.
• Insurance: EcoTrek strongly recommends cover for helicopter evacuation, and Terra Montis makes travel insurance a condition. Check that your policy explicitly covers horse riding at the altitudes on your route.
• Weather and signal: Song Kul Guide warns of rain, snow and sun on the same day, and Destination Karakol's horse-trek pages list "no signal". The UK Foreign Office advises not trekking alone; leave your route and return date with someone in town.
• Emergency numbers: 112 for rescue; mountain rescue +996 312 651 404 (24 hours); Issyk-Kul tourist police +996 705 00 91 02, English and Russian, also on WhatsApp (UK Foreign Office).
• Border zones: the permit zones listed by a Bishkek permit agency do not include Song-Kul, Kochkor, Jyrgalan or Altyn-Arashan. If a longer route heads toward a border, ask the operator about a permit.
• What to pack: operators' lists agree on waterproof boots, a warm jacket, waterproof trousers, gloves, wool socks, sunglasses and strong sunscreen. Wear soft trousers, not stiff jeans.

11

What goes wrong, and how to check the horses

The main challenges are saddle soreness, changing weather, language barriers and prices that are hard to compare. Plan for these before booking.

• Saddle soreness. Several hours a day for three days hurts if you do not ride. Caravanistan suggests a few hours along the shore may be enough for an untrained rider.
• Weather days. Guides change or shorten a stage for rain, snow or high rivers, and a wet day ends in a cold yurt at 3,000 m.
• Language. Guides and horsemen speak Kyrgyz and Russian; Destination Jyrgalan says many of its guides have only basic English. Settle the plan before you leave town.
• Prices are hard to compare. For two riders, the published 3-day Song-Kul prices on this page differ more than twofold per person, and several operators publish none.
• Operators' figures conflict. CBT Kochkor heads one programme "5 days" but lists six; Destination Karakol's overview shows as 3 days a ride its own detail page gives as 6. Confirm the day count in writing.
• Horse quality varies. We found no official standard or inspection for trekking horses. Use the checklist below.

12

How OxusRoad can help with a horse trek

We arrange the Kyrgyzstan part together with your Uzbekistan trip, including a Song-Kul, Jyrgalan or Altyn-Arashan ride and the days around it. Send your dates, group size, each rider's experience and any dietary needs through the trip inquiry page; we confirm the route, operator and price with you before anything is booked. The Kyrgyzstan overview shows how other Kyrgyz days fit around a ride. Before you go, read the entry and registration rules and safety advice.

Common questions