Kyrgyzstan

This gallery follows a 2015 journey across Kyrgyzstan. From the southern city of Osh, the route led through the mountain village of Arslanbob and Kazarman to high-altitude Lake Song-Köl, then north to Lake Issyk-Kul and Grigorievka Valley. Before reaching the capital, Bishkek, we also visited Ala Archa National Park—all in 12 days.

Take care when buying flights, especially between October and March, when prices can look miraculously low. Kyrgyzstan is overwhelmingly mountainous and snow covers almost the entire country in winter, greatly limiting how far you can travel overland.

Kyrgyzstan’s greatest attraction is its natural landscape: mountains, lakes, the Tian Shan range, rivers and valleys. Encounters with people away from the tourist towns are an equally memorable part of the journey.