Breathtaking Kyrgyzstan! (page 10 of 16)

Kyrgyzstan has something in common with Norway: the near-total absence of blackout curtains in most accommodations.

Like almost every morning, we’re woken up by daylight.

I pull back the thin curtain, and Lenin stands before me in his blue setting.

If someone had told me one day Lenin would dazzle me...

We quickly finish breakfast and set off to meet him via the trail leading to Tulpar-Kul Lake.

One, then two bridges make it easy to cross two raging rivers, and the track now heads straight toward the mountains.



The first few kilometers are monotonous as we cross the plain.

A few determined hikers use the track as a trail.

They’ve got 25 kilometers of mostly boring walking ahead—should’ve saved their energy for a more interesting hike.

Herds graze peacefully on the sparse grass of the valley, barely disturbed by our distant passage.

The snow-capped peaks draw closer, and the track starts to climb.

Let the show begin!

Around a bend, the lake appears.



It looks like it was placed here by a painter or a photographer specializing in reflections...



A few yurt camps await visitors, and some vans, trucks, and converted 4x4s have set up camp here.



Could be worse, right?

We park the RAV4 almost at the end of the track—we're switching to pedestrian mode!

The lake sits at 3,500 meters above sea level, so we’re avoiding hikes with too much elevation gain.

What if we head to this viewpoint on Lenin Peak?

8 kilometers round trip, reaching 3,700 meters!

Easy, right?

I forgot to calculate the cumulative elevation gain.

770 meters if you add both directions of this dead-end hike...

It just keeps going up and down!

Needless to say, we’ll take our time...

Time to snap some marmots, time to trample a few cows’ meals, time to check out Lenin Peak base camp, time to get lightheaded from the strong scent of wild onions—but most of all, time to be mesmerized by everything around us!

















Weirdly, there’s almost no one on the trail.

Is it the remoteness of this region compared to the usual tourist circuits, perhaps?

Yet the road isn’t complicated, nor is the track.

But it does eat up several days, and most people only spend one or two weeks in this country.

Shall we head back to the hotel?









We’ll fall asleep blissfully tonight, replaying the highlights of this amazing day.

Stunning and beautiful!

I don’t know what to think after your PM...😏

It's so beautiful! What an understatement! Thanks again for this amazing share!

I don’t know what to think after your PM...😏

If you want, I can repost it here and the others can tell us what they think 😏

I think this is really a trip that’s not (at all) your kind of thing. 😉

(No cities... Hardly any human vibes... Just hiking... The only box it ticks is the budget. )

I’ll list my favorite spots at the end of my travel journal! 🙂

I’ll also share what the itinerary should’ve been and what could’ve been cut.

I think this trip just isn't your kind of thing. 😉

(Not a city... Hardly any human vibes... Just hiking. Only the budget ticks a box. )

But man, I’d be so bored! 🏴‍☠️ Still, I love discovering these far-flung landscapes and photos...

( Not a city... Hardly any human vibes... Just hiking... The only box it ticks is the budget. 😄 )

Everything I love... and yet, in your last photo, there are houses... so obviously people 😠 So I’d never go with Kate... what a shame 😏... for her 😄

I had added (not at all), I think I know you a little. 😄

Population of 5,215 in 2021. I think the whole district was counted because I’d have said barely 1,000...

5,216 if you manage to convince Kate to move there (5,217 with Richard).

I don’t know what to think after your PM...😏

If you want, I’ll repost it here and the others can tell us what they think 😏

Yes, yes, I wanna know!!! 🤪 😄

5,215 people in 2021. I think the whole district was counted because I would’ve said barely 1,000...

5,216 if you manage to convince Kate to move there (5,217 with Richard).

I wouldn’t say no to visiting for a look—it’s so beautiful and serene—but moving there? Nah, not really. Richard’s different though—you drop him there with a backpack and a water bottle, and he’ll come back six months later!

Wondering if Perju will manage to drag Kate to Kyrgyzstan?

I already have the answer: no way! 😏

Maybe by dangling a Romanée Conti tasting in front of her, but even then, I think he’d strike out.

Richard, it’s not the same—you drop him there with a backpack and a water bottle, and he comes back 6 months later! 😄

Kate’s gonna kill us if he does that! 😮

You wanna know if Perju can convince Kate to come to Kyrgyzstan?

I already have the answer: no way! 😏

Maybe by dangling a Romanée Conti tasting in front of her, but even then, I think he’d strike out.

Message to Perju: count me in for Romanée Conti!

Richard, it’s not the same—you drop him there with a backpack and a water bottle, and he comes back six months later!! 😄

He’s contemplative, but only when he goes alone and I’m not next to him talking to him 😏 But it’s not just that... he also contemplates (a lot) cellars, bars, wine merchants, estates, pubs, warehouses, wine cellars, bistros...

In vino veritas! Did I mention what was in the flask? 😏