Most underrated country I’ve visited…

If you’re looking for somewhere raw, untouched and where you can have the mountains all to yourself… Kyrgyzstan needs to be on your list. Here’s exactly how I spent 8 days exploring lakes, canyons and remote valleys 🐎

We flew into Almaty via AirAsia, then arranged a transfer to Bishkek where we met our private guide who specialises in remote places and unique adventures. This made the whole trip because we got to access areas that are not easy to reach on your own

✈️ Day 1: Almaty → Bishkek → Issyk-Kul (south shore)

Crossed the border from Almaty into Bishkek and stopped for lunch

Headed to Balykchy to meet our guide properly before continuing the journey

First stop at Aksay Canyon where we took a small hike up to see the panoramic view of the labyrinth of canyons next to the lake, just in time for sunset

Ended the day in a yurt by Issyk-Kul lake which already felt surreal

Had home made dinner prepared by the yurt owners which was simple but comforting

🏜️ Day 2: South shore adventures

Woke up to the view of mountains

Met a traditional eagle hunter who demonstrated how the eagle and Kyrgyz hunting dogs hunt for foxes in the wild

Horse riding at Shatyly panorama with unreal views

Visited Mars Canyon which looks like another planet

Stayed in a cozy guesthouse just next to the lake, which was right next to an indoor hot spring

🏔️ Day 3: South shore → Karakol

Fairytale Canyon was one of my favourites, super unique rock formations that looked like the Great Wall of China

Jety Oguz valley for those iconic red cliffs

Arrived in Karakol and explored the town, before an amazing dinner at a local restaurant

🚙 Day 4: Into the remote wilderness

Drove up a 3822m mountain pass which looked like a winter wonderland

Stopped at Enilchek, an old Soviet town that feels frozen in time

Visited a wild hot spring in the middle of nowhere, with views of the mountain to die for

Stayed overnight in a shepherd’s house where we interacted with the shepherd’s horses, goats, dogs and cat

🐎 Day 5: Life in the last valley

Horse riding through huge open landscapes without anyone else around

Evening sauna in the mountains which felt unreal

Another night in the shepherd’s house

⛰️ Day 6: Sary Jaz valley

Drove through one of the most scenic valleys with peaks around 5000m

Completely off-grid, no one but us and nature

🚗 Day 7: Back to Karakol

Long drive back to civilisation

Celebrated with a proper local dinner

🏞️ Day 8: Karakol → Almaty

Road trip back to Almaty with a stop at Charyn Canyon which is the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. Personally preferred Aksay Canyon

Back to city life after days in the wild

✨ This trip was a mix of adventure, culture and proper disconnect from everything

✨ Expect basic stays in remote areas but the experience and views make up for everything

Comment “guide” if you want details of the private guide we used 👀