3 weeks in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, preliminary travel questions

Perju’s photos really sell the dream! 😍 Makes you want to go!

Anyway, can’t wait to hear about the trip when you’re back! !

It reminds me of public restrooms in India...

I’ll definitely be sharing a travel journal in a few months, but I already think this destination is gaining popularity. If we want to go without too many crowds, the next few years are the time to do it.

I agree about the enthusiasm for this destination. But I think we still have a few years before we start talking about overtourism in this part of the world 😊

I’d already looked into a trip to neighboring Mongolia, but our travel dates (December/January) aren’t ideal for these destinations. Guess we’ll have to wait for total travel freedom!

Not overtourism like the French Riviera, but too much domestication of nature and a shift in local attitudes.😉

When I see the proliferation of yurt camps between 2019 and 2024 (for example on the shores of Lake Son Kul or at the Tash Rabat site) to accommodate mass tourism, you shouldn’t wait too long if you want to see a country that still holds onto its traditions.

@Attila Oh! Tash Rabat—you’ve got your spot there! !

Yeah, I noticed there are loads of camps around Song Kol.

Some seem to have a ton of yurts and are set up purely for tourist accommodation, not just as a side activity for nomads anymore. There are even permanent chalets and dome tents. Prices then go over 150 €...

I get the feeling these places cater more to group travelers and organized tours rather than independent travelers.

I haven’t booked anything yet.

It’s starting to be the same at Lenin Peak.

We won’t be staying overnight at Tash Rabat.

Same goes for the areas around Peak Lenin and other spots near Naryn.

Tash Rabat, you’ve got your roof! I’ll let you discover it.

In Sary-Tash you’ve got a hostel, ATM, and fuel. It’s a small village. In Sary Mogol there are guesthouses.

There are several places to stay in Sary-Tash. In summer, there’s a flow of 4x4s with drivers for four or five travelers coming from Osh. I skimmed the thread and don’t get why "guesthouse" is used instead of "maison d’hôte." Otherwise, there are some clichés—like French hipsters wanting to see amazing landscapes but ugh, gross, they’re not like us, their food is crap, etc.

Otherwise, there are clichés, like those French hipsters who want to see cool landscapes but ugh, yuck, they’re not like us, their food is gross, etc.

Hey there, hipster Atilla...

Alright, I’m waiting for the backlash...

A little help for Attila: https://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/podcasts/grand-bien-vous-fasse/how-to-recognize-a-minor-injury-7854139 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZzR7-apnKA

I skimmed the thread and don’t get why "guesthouse" is used instead of "maison d'hôte."

If you’d traveled this region and read the signs by the road, you would’ve seen and read "guesthouse." I didn’t see "maison d'hôtes" anywhere.

Surprising such a comment when people here write city names with acronyms in thread titles.

Anyway, a flavorless intervention! !

The word 'guesthouse' is used because that's roughly how you can find them online. With 'maison d’hôtes,' I might be searching for a long time.

Shouldn’t we just say 'gostevoy dom' anyway? 😇 Or better yet, 'konok üyü'?

pouâh beurk they’re not like us, their food is shit, etc.

They’re like us—two legs, two arms, two eyes, two ears, a brain... They’re like us in watching TV, using WhatsApp and Instagram, drinking, etc.

And their cuisine might not seem great, but they’re not the only ones—it’s no reason to avoid the country. Why not be realistic? Some countries are a treat for my taste buds even if the food is different from mine (Morocco, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka...), while others will have me pulling a face (USA, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway...).

I don’t know if I’m a 'bobo,' and I couldn’t care less. But I do know I’m not the type to be starry-eyed about just anything...

I skimmed the thread and don’t get why the word "guesthouse" is used instead of "maison d'hôte".

If you’d traveled this region and read the signs by the road, you’d have seen and read "guesthouse". I didn’t see "maison d'hôtes" anywhere.

They’re certainly not going to put up "maison d'hôtes", just like in Spain "finca" or "venta" don’t say "auberge", "panadería" don’t say "boulangerie", or in Germany "Gasthaus" don’t say "auberge" and "Konditorei" don’t say "pâtisserie salon de thé". Some guesthouses in Central Asia’s tourist hotspots use the English "guesthouse" because they assume foreigners use English. Some don’t display anything at all. You’d know that if you’d traveled this region.

What you'd know if you'd traveled this region.

Yeah, right. For your long winter days: https://lescs.fr/-Asie-83-

What are the real value-added tips you could share in this discussion? I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find any.

Some guest houses don’t display anything.

So I’m lost... by Lake Karakul in Tajikistan... is it a guest house or a homestay? 😏

This visit should be really interesting.

https://en.nabu.de/topics/species/snow-leopard/rehabilitation-centre.html

Some guesthouses don’t display anything.

So I’m lost... by Lake Kara-Kul in Tajikistan... is this a guesthouse or a homestay? 😏



The first guesthouse—or gîte, to use the French term—when you arrive at Lake Kara-Kul from the Kyrgyz border is the one called Aigerim. Over time, between washes, it’s had signs saying "guesthouse" and later "homestay." That one:



The yurt, which was recently removed, used to be there before the house. The owner, with his wife and youngest daughter, has interesting stories about this corner of the high plateau and is Kyrgyz himself:



This lakeside spot by the main road is kind of a tourist trap, given the location. Groups in big 4x4s from Osh tend to stop either in Sary-Tash or Murghab at smaller, better-equipped hostels.

You’ll recognize this—the Panj River just outside Khorog, with Afghanistan on the left bank:



Further on, past Kalai Khumb, I stayed here—no sign, just word of mouth, after asking someone at another house:



Sometimes accommodations are marked with мехмонхона/меҳмонхона, which is Tajik for the idea of a hotel, hostel, or gîte.

In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, in places off the tourist trail, you’ll often find bilingual signs. Here’s a "mini-hotel," Shougla, in Almaty, outside the city center—конал ли/гостиница:



The Forester parked out front is my car, and for the most part—not everywhere, but mostly—it handles the main roads just fine. At the Ak-Baital Pass on the way to Murghab:



Old Foresters are rare in Kazakhstan, where big Japanese 4x4s are common, and even more so in Kyrgyzstan. At this stop, it was with a first-generation "colleague":



Norwegian plates because I live in Norway (since 1998), and from my place, the route to Osh is straightforward:



Map projections can be more or less intuitive—a rough spherical representation makes more sense:



The ferry to Stockholm, then straight on—I cross the Russian-Kazakh border between Orenburg and Aktobe. With gas three times cheaper in Russia than in the NATO zone, it’s still a reasonable deal.

To continue on the topic of accommodation signs, here in the old town of Bukhara, a tourist hotspot if there ever was one, they’ve got English here and there, and they’re also clued into Spanish customs, as I point out on their sign (though I didn’t stay there):

Regarding accommodation searches, Ostrovok offers several languages, and depending on the language, the appropriate names for types of accommodations.

Part of the language menu:



In French, choice of "maison d'hôtes":



In English, "guest houses":



In Norwegian, "gjestgiveri":



On the ground, the place might display юназ үй (KZ/KG), мехмонхона (TJ), отель, гостиница, гостевой дом, homestay...

Then there are the restaurants, where "restaurant" is rare. In KG and TJ, you’ll find signs like бистро, like here in Khorog:



But generally, the terms for restaurants are something else entirely—I won’t list them all here.

Khorog, as a must-pass through from the High Pamir to the Panj Valley, sees its share of tourism, and the local covered market welcomes visitors in three languages, including English:



That said, here’s a butcher in the back courtyard with containers at this rynok and bazaar:



Other common businesses without signs are mechanics, like you often find in small neighborhoods and outside city centers across Eurasia, starting with Russia: auto garages.

When I had a hole in my exhaust pipe after Murghab, I was looking for a mechanic in Khorog, asking a police officer in the center. He gave me an address—a house with no sign. The guy was really friendly, a great person, and after a chat, we told him we had to go to a hostel downtown for the night, since the welding on the exhaust would be done the next day. But he insisted on hosting us. The Tajiks of Badakhshan are Ismaili, and their homes are often spacious, designed to accommodate families during domestic worship, somewhat like the Druze. We were in this living room, with carpet-beds arranged along the walls around a small square space under a glass opening in the middle of the roof. It’s a bit like the principle of a yurt but in a permanent, square structure. In this photo, the opening is directly above the central carpet, with the carpet-beds arranged along the three walls—you can see a bit of the one on the right. The columns and interior wooden archway are carved with specific motifs:



Okay, there’s a lot more to mention in terms of everyday practicalities—food, houses, shops, nationalities, social life, cultural quirks—but I’ve got other things to do.

The Aigerim guesthouse in Karakul, on the right side of the road coming from the border, with its "Home stay" sign. I was a bit short of breath because we'd driven straight from Osh with only a short stop at the Kyrgyz mausoleum along the way. Crossed the border in half an hour—no one ahead of us. Osh is between 900 and 1,000 meters in altitude, and the Kyzyl-Art border pass is around 4,300 meters, while Karakul is at about 3,900–4,000 meters.

https://youtu.be/loQiTZ-hF-w

I’m not usually too sensitive to rapid altitude gain, but still a little. The effects hit in the hours that follow—in my case, it felt like a bit of lightheadedness. My buddy Vadim, who was traveling with me, was completely wiped out by a migraine that evening and had to lie down. So people who are sensitive really shouldn’t do this route in one go.

I get the feeling something’s really bitten you...😄

No point going there anymore, you’ve already got all the photos! 😄

that said, here’s a butcher in the back-alley container area of this rynok and bazaar:

Mmm, that beautiful meat looks so tempting! Perfect for making some good shashlik from lamb!Food’s no problem, but when it comes to lodging—what a dilemma! We’ve got mini hotels, hostels, guesthouses, B&Bs, guesthouses, yurts, and more... Sometimes it’s written in English, but also in Russian or Tajik... I’m totally lost!

Mostly ended up with photos of places I’m not going to...

Still no idea where I’ll sleep near Baetov/Jangy-Talap.

Jef’s suggestion seems a bit rough with the squat toilets in the garden... Might as well push on to Jangy-Talap, which would shorten the long leg the next day!

Same for the yurt near Song Kol... There’s everything, at every price...

War in the Middle East: should you cancel your trip planned in an area affected by the conflict? https://www.ledauphine.com/economie/2026/03/14/guerre-au-moyen-orient-faut-il-annuler-son-voyage-prevu-dans-une-zone-affectee-par-le-conflit

I can put together an itinerary a thousand times more beautiful than the one planned in Kyrgyzstan... and with restaurant "spots" much closer to your criteria 😏😏

Hi,

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War in the Middle East: Should you cancel your trip planned in an area affected by the conflict? https://www.ledauphine.com/economie/2026/03/14/guerre-au-moyen-orient-faut-il-annuler-son-voyage-prevu-dans-une-zone-affectee-par-le-conflit

I can put together an itinerary a thousand times more beautiful than the one you planned in Kyrgyzstan... and with restaurant "spots" much closer to your criteria 😏😏

That’s exactly what I’m thinking. After seeing my Iranian trip disappear—again—and the discussion that came with it thanks to the chronic excitement of a few people, I’m not exactly thrilled about a ballistic Iranian or Israeli-Iranian detour to get to Kyrgyzstan. Some Alpine peaks will replace Lenin Peak.

Catherine

A little view from my place... not too shabby...😉 and I provide lodging, meals, and outings...😏

I'm here. 😉

yeah...but you leave the truck....😏

I’ll bring dessert and a bottle of Faugeres 😛

There are still 2,140 kilometers between Tehran and Bishkek. In the area, it's more Vladimir who gives me the creeps...

We'll see later if Turkey is affected since that's the route I'm taking.

Missiles will run out.

Not drones and other low-cost weapons, but they don’t go as far...

It’s crazy how dictators always find money to destroy both the world and their own people. If they put that much energy into humanitarian projects, Earth might be a Garden of Eden—minus the religious fanfare and the dreary vibe.

Challenge accepted! 😉

Alright, I'm arriving with a two-wheeler—it's less bulky and practically leaves no trace. What date is the Faugeres tasting?

I’m really not thrilled about a ballistic Iranian or Israeli-Iranian meet-up to get to Kyrgyzstan.

This reminds me of 1988, just before the end of the war, when an American ship was sent to the Strait of Hormuz to secure the oil tankers of the Gulf’s "friends," who, of course, aren’t Islamic theocracies with veiled women. And they shot down an Iranian Airbus A300 heading to Dubai, claiming it was a small Iranian F-14 fighter jet. The Airbus was full of little kids, and the Iranians weren’t happy. So the other day, after the Americans fired a missile at the Shiite leader and another at a school full of little kids during negotiations in Geneva, the memory of 1988 came flooding back to the Persians.

Flights to Bishkek from Western Europe go either through Russia and Kazakhstan or through Turkey, another hub for Central Asia, and then over Russia, the Caspian Sea, and Uzbekistan. Well north of Iran.

Back in the 1240s, John of Plano Carpini left Lyon for southern Germany, met Russians in Poland who took him to Kiev—and he doesn’t mention any Ukraine, since it didn’t exist yet—and from there to the lower Volga, where the western capital of the Mongols and Tatars, Sarai, was located near Volgograd. The Russians came there to pledge allegiance. He then continued north of the Caspian Sea to the Aral Sea, followed the Syr Darya through Kazakhstan, and entered Mongolia via the southern Altai.

Plano Carpini, one of the first buddies of St. Francis of Assisi, was an ambassador for Innocent IV, who gave him two letters: one for Alexander Nevsky, asking him to submit to the Papacy (which the Russians took very badly, since the Carolingian Catholics had besieged Constantinople in 1204, carved up the Roman Empire, and were exterminating the Prussians while eyeing Pskov and Novgorod). The Germans’ kindness made the Russians prefer to ally with the Mongols. The other letter was for the Great Khan in Karakorum, asking him to convert. You can imagine the Mongols’ reaction in their capital.

In the 1250s, William of Rubruck went south to Constantinople and took a ship to Feodosia in Crimea, where he didn’t mention any Ukrainians since there weren’t any. From there, he followed the Don River with the Russians, crossed the steppe to Sarai, and more or less took the same route as Plano Carpini.

Plano Carpini and Rubruck didn’t cross the Kyrgyz valleys—they skirted the mountains to the north. But what beautiful journeys they were.

It was Marco Polo who went through the Levant, Anatolia, Iran, and then up through the Pamir, leaving Kyrgyzstan to the north of his route. There’s a roadside restaurant in the Pamir with a Marco Polo sign, but he wasn’t there when the Venetian passed by.

Hi Catherine and everyone else,

Turkish Airlines flights to Manas Bishkek follow the same route—Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan—as most European or Turkish airlines heading to Asia. If there’s a risk in taking Turkish Airlines to Bishkek, there’s the same risk in taking Air France to Hong Kong or ANA to Tokyo.

Michel

Yes. Except that the Iranian dictatorship is in a tight spot and is trying to drag all the countries in the region, including Turkey, into the mix to put pressure on Trump.

Erdogan is also feeling the heat a bit—voters are turning away from him and his increasingly dictatorial party.

In short, when everyone’s trying to secure their power and wealth, no one can predict what might happen in the end.

On the other hand, China doesn’t really want the global economy to collapse or its own economy to go down the drain. A impoverished population is one that could revolt...

So, I’m pretty optimistic about this trip going ahead.

Much less so about the fate of Iranians at the hands of the revolution’s bloodthirsty regime.

Hi there, Maybe it’s wiser to head back to Southern Africa 😄

So, I'm pretty optimistic about how this trip will turn out.

So, how's it looking?

So, is Kyrgyzstan still on the itinerary? 😉

Cool! A travel journal to come 😄

If she comes back...😇

If it happens... The main issue is still the flight.

Worth watching. https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/131868-000-A/kirghizistan-la-democratie-confisquee/

y a tellement de choses à voir par la route sud.

Attention, cette route est actuellement en travaux quasi tout du long.

Les chinois ont vu les choses en grand : une quatre voies !

Et pour la faire, ils ont démoli quasi tout le bitume existant sur 180 kilomètres...

Bref, actuellement c'est une piste avec des travaux partout...😏

Cela dit, c'est sympa les paysages !😉

Je confirme que le mot guesthouse figure en bonne place dans les villes et villages kirghizes.

Quant à la nourriture, je retire partiellement ce que j'ai écrit ! Un seul repas mauvais jusqu'à présent. Celui d'une guesthouse. Le riz au gras, c'est franchement pas mon truc !

Le mouton est de l'agneau et en ragoût avec des pommes de terre, délicieux !

Le petit déjeuner en revanche n'est pas terrible...

Et j'ai bien fait d'emmener café moulu, filtre et porte filtre....

C'est pas leur truc comme dans de nombreux pays !

( Quel est l'abruti qui a inventé le nescafé ?😠)

Les travaux ne sont pas encore finis sur la route sud depuis le nombre d'années qu'ils ont commencés. Profite bien de ce pays.

C'est du grand n'importe quoi de bousiller toute la route au lieu de procéder 10 kilomètres par 10 kilomètres...🤪

Et je ne vois pas trop l'utilité d'une 4 voies.😮 Ça circule mais c'est très fluide.

Heureusement que je n'avais pas prévu une étape directe jusqu'à Karakol depuis Chon-Kemin !😄

Et j'ai bien fait d'emmener café moulu, filtre et porte filtre C'est pas leur truc comme dans de nombreux pays ! ( Quel est l'abruti qui a inventé le nescafé ?😠)

Même pas une petite machine Nespresso de temps en temps ?

Un voyage en live, c’est pas mal non plus !!

Bon c'est pas tout ça... Parle nous du temps...chaud avec orage et pluie 😏