Breathtaking Kyrgyzstan! (page 14 of 16)

2 days before. But apart from Fez and Tangier, we won’t really be sleeping in the city...

(Rabat, Meknes, Fez for you?)

Thanks Agnès for this "nature" travel journal that makes me want to go ... at times 😉 The downside for me is the food. I don’t travel for gastronomy, but Kyrgyzstan seems to have everything I don’t like 😕 (cucumbers, mutton (or lamb), tea). And on top of that, no (good) coffee!

I’m also wondering about the temperatures: in photos, you forget that you were often at high altitudes (around 3,000m) and since the sky looked often cloudy ...

Thanks for this wonderful discovery. I really enjoyed reading your post. Françoise

2 days before. But apart from Fez and Tangier, we won’t really be sleeping in the city...

(Rabat, Meknes, Fez for you?)

Tangier, Rabat, Fez, Meknes (and Volubilis).

For food and restaurants, it's better than in the Nordic countries or the USA. You don’t need to spend crazy amounts to get anything other than junk food!

The travel journal was written from my perspective, so since I mostly ordered lamb, it’s all about lamb.

If my partner had written it, there wouldn’t have been a single mention of that meat since they don’t like it.

Instead, you’d have read about how much they loved lagman! (Spicy noodles with vegetables and beef)

For coffee, I brought what I needed (a filter holder, filters, and ground coffee). We made some from time to time, and no one would’ve batted an eye if we did it at the breakfast table.

The temperature isn’t an issue like it can be in the Faroe Islands, Norway, or Iceland. (Or even in Gran Canaria at altitude...)

We brought way too many warm clothes—they only got used two evenings. A fleece and a windbreaker would’ve been enough.

This isn’t a country where I suffered from the cold, even at 3,000 meters.

For example, we were in short sleeves around noon in the Arabel Valley at over 3,500 meters.

The rain didn’t ruin the trip. There were three or four really not-great days out of three full weeks, but I’d say the overall impression is pretty favorable.

I wish we’d had this weather in Iceland or Gran Canaria!

Thanks Françoise for the encouragement!

2 Moroccan travel journals in the works for this fall! 😛

And another meet-up with VoyageForum folks after Muriel’s and mine in Gran Canaria!

I’m not planning another meet-up with you two for my next summer vacation... The Lofoten Islands... Too wild for one, weather too awful for the other! 😄

Too much nature for one, crappy weather for the other! 😄

That’s not quite it 😛 If "one" is me, I’ll point out that I *do* love nature—after all, it was southern Morocco I loved most. But I can’t imagine a trip without diving into the country’s culture, wandering the streets of towns (or villages) where the energy just hits you. For me, it’s that mix of discovering places *and* people that makes travel so rich.

If "the other" is you, I’d say that’s the *first* thing I check before heading off! We’ve got that in common 😉 I *need* warmth! Bad weather can ruin everything for me. Rain turns me into a total grump.

The other one was Muriel, who also seems to prefer pleasant climates.

When it comes to nature, I often talk about almost untouched spaces—no cities and as few villages as possible. And I’m hinting at hiking...

Okay, fine, the Lofoten Islands aren’t exactly untouched, and there’ll be crowds. 🤪 But the main activity there is still hiking... 😏

I don’t think you’d thrive in Norway—not just because of the weather, either.

I do prefer sunshine, but in a relationship, you’ve gotta make compromises... 😄

Plus, 2026 was the rainiest and worst year in the Lofoten Islands in 30 years. With any luck, 2027 will be the sunniest? 🤪

True, I’m usually pretty sensitive to the cold (though with this year’s heat, I’ve had my fill 🤪), so I prefer sunny landscapes 😉. That said, three years ago (I think), I’d considered Norway in July—especially the Lofoten Islands 😎... Well, it didn’t happen in the end, but it looks gorgeous (in the sun 😏).

Thanks Agnès for this beautiful travel journal—gorgeous landscapes and hardly any crowds, it's awesome! 👍 Small downside: the altitude... I don’t think I’d risk it 😅

Uh...??? What’s the risk at 3,000 m? 😏

About the food, you didn’t mention what we ate a good ten days ago. Lots of plov, shashliks, laghman—but more in its korma version, stir-fried, not as a soup—and especially besh barmak (the "five fingers") with noodles and horse meat. It’s Kyrgyzstan’s iconic dish, but we only got to try it in Bishkek. More common in Kazakhstan!

It's not like the Altiplano.

We never slept at 4,000 meters, and most of the trip was spent below 3,000.

My partner, who had trouble in Chile, didn’t feel anything here.

Yeah, I mentioned plov. A good one and a bad one...

It’s not my cup of tea. Usually too greasy!

Kebabs sometimes made it onto my restaurant choices. It’s the kind of thing I expected to get at a guesthouse. Easy to make! No luck, though...

The "five fingers" dish was on a menu somewhere—I don’t remember where. Didn’t order it.

We also didn’t try manty. I’m not a fan of those kinds of things, and they were always served in huge portions.

Uh...??? What's the risk at 3,000 m? 😏

At 3,000 m, I start getting headaches and nosebleeds... at 3,500 m, it's the beginning of the end 😨

It's not like the Altiplano.

We never slept at 4,000 meters, and most of the trip stays below 3,000.

My partner, who had trouble in Chile, felt nothing here.

Great for him 👍 he must be less sensitive than me—doesn’t hold you back too much, right? 😄

Another really lovely trip, this time to a region that’s not too touristy (for now!) and pretty off the beaten path. Thanks for the story and the great tips. Hope to follow in your footsteps in the not-too-distant future!

Oh wow! In that case, it rules out quite a few countries.😲

Don’t hesitate to take the plunge into Kyrgyzstan, Xavier! :)