BEST TIME TO VISIT KYRGYZSTAN
Summer is Kyrgyzstan’s golden season: the landscape is colourful; the sun is hot on your back; and cool, shimmering lakes are a delight to dip in.![]()
Where other Central Asian countries are about history and architecture, Kyrgyzstan is all about natural splendour: rough and rugged mountain scenery and wildflower meadows that roll endlessly, all underpinned by a fascinating, semi-nomadic shepherd culture. The best time to visit Kyrgyzstan is in summer, when hiking trails and roads are accessible and you can ride horses under a hot sun, stopping at glistening lakes, so the horses can drink and you can cool off with a swim. Winter is bitingly cold and best avoided, but late spring and autumn are temperate, revealing a lush landscape of gold, green and bronze.
Kyrgyzstan Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
-9
2
26
FEB
-8
3
28
MAR
-1
10
48
APR
6
18
63
MAY
11
23
60
JUN
15
28
35
JUL
17
31
17
AUG
15
30
10
SEP
10
25
14
OCT
4
17
39
NOV
-1
10
41
DEC
-6
5
32
Our Kyrgyzstan Vacations
Kyrgyzstan Tian Shan Mountains hiking tour
Hiking in the Wild Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan
From
US $2399
10 days
ex flights
Tajikistan & Kyrgyzstan vacation, The Pamir Highway
Travel on one of the world's most breathtaking routes
From
£3599
18 days
ex flights
Silk Road cultural vacation, Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan
See spectacular mountain scenery on this Silk Road journey
From
US $4269
16 days
ex flights
The Silk Road small group tour
Discover the Silk Road in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China
From
US $3949
14 days
ex flights
Turkmenistan to Kyrgyzstan overland tour
Follow ancient trading routes through the 'Stan's'
From
£1795
20 days
ex flights
Silk Road & Caucasus tour
Explore the secrets of Central Asia and the Caucasus
From
£5352
4 weeks
ex flights
THINGS TO DO IN KYRGYZSTAN
Things to do in Kyrgyzstan...
Things not to do in Kyrgyzstan…
Our top Kyrgyzstan Vacation
Silk Road cultural vacation, Kyrgyzstan & Uzbekistan
See spectacular mountain scenery on this Silk Road journey
From
US $4269
16 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2024: 15 Jun, 29 Jun, 13 Jul, 27 Jul, 31 Aug, 14 Sep
2024: 15 Jun, 29 Jun, 13 Jul, 27 Jul, 31 Aug, 14 Sep
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Kyrgyzstan or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
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KYRGYZSTAN TRAVEL ADVICE
Things to do
Things to do
Daniel Waters, from our supplier, Wild Frontiers, shares his Kyrgyzstan travel advice:
“Kyrgyzstan offers so much to those that travel there from hiking in the strikingly beautiful Mountains of Heaven, watching frantic games of buzkashi played by impossibly agile horseman, drinking glasses of kumis in toasty yurts overlooking crystal clear lakes, beguiling walks in dense walnut forests, marvelling at the history of the ancient but perfectly preserved caravanserai you’re standing in. You can create an amazing trip in Kyrgyzstan based around whatever your interest is: hiking, riding, family trips, the Silk Road. The warmth of the people and diversity of scenery will humble and awe in equal measure.”
“Kyrgyzstan offers so much to those that travel there from hiking in the strikingly beautiful Mountains of Heaven, watching frantic games of buzkashi played by impossibly agile horseman, drinking glasses of kumis in toasty yurts overlooking crystal clear lakes, beguiling walks in dense walnut forests, marvelling at the history of the ancient but perfectly preserved caravanserai you’re standing in. You can create an amazing trip in Kyrgyzstan based around whatever your interest is: hiking, riding, family trips, the Silk Road. The warmth of the people and diversity of scenery will humble and awe in equal measure.”
Food tips
Food tips
Linda Maguire from our supplier, Undiscovered Destinations, shares her advice on coping with the food:
“The food is best summed up as simple. There is a lot of grilled lamb, and stew with mixed vegetables is very traditional and is served everywhere. The food isn’t stodgy, but there is very little variety and it’s not the most exciting. We ate a lot of cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs and the ingredients are very fresh, so it does taste delicious, but I wouldn’t say that vegetarians are well catered for as the rice that is available is often cooked in meat stock, so they could struggle after a few days surviving on salad and bread.”
“The food is best summed up as simple. There is a lot of grilled lamb, and stew with mixed vegetables is very traditional and is served everywhere. The food isn’t stodgy, but there is very little variety and it’s not the most exciting. We ate a lot of cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs and the ingredients are very fresh, so it does taste delicious, but I wouldn’t say that vegetarians are well catered for as the rice that is available is often cooked in meat stock, so they could struggle after a few days surviving on salad and bread.”
KYRGYZSTAN TRAVEL ADVICE
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travelers are often... other travelers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Kyrgyzstan travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation - and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful Kyrgyzstan travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation - and the space inside your suitcase.
Enjoy all the wonderful people you come across everywhere. A smile goes such a long way and gives so much in return!![]()
- Gunilla Westerland
“Be prepared for basic conditions in the yurt camps - no washing facilities (and don't
mention the toilets). Take a head torch, plenty of wipes, and gloves for horse riding or trekking in Kyrgyzstan. You need to pack carefully for very cold and very hot conditions.” – Joan Godman
“Some of the home stays were crowded (18 people) and facilities limited (1 loo, only washing facilities the local stream). You will see wonderful scenery, but there’s a lot of traveling.” – Peter Jackson
“It was very hot throughout, so take loose, cool clothing.” – Gillian Urro
“Some of the home stays were crowded (18 people) and facilities limited (1 loo, only washing facilities the local stream). You will see wonderful scenery, but there’s a lot of traveling.” – Peter Jackson
“It was very hot throughout, so take loose, cool clothing.” – Gillian Urro
Be prepared for long days driving, often on very bumpy roads. However, nature's spectacles compensate for the traveling inconveniences. ![]()
- Jane Hanlin
“Travel as light as possible; keep an open mind in case something unforeseen happens; and enjoy all the wonderful people you come across everywhere. A smile goes such a
long way and gives so much in return!” – Gunilla Westerlund
“Hopefully anyone booking this vacation will have some experience in remote locations so will be well prepared. I think everyone needs to be warned to be a bit more cautious about food and water/drink. We were much more cavalier about these things (I ate and drank everything put in front of me!) than I would be when somewhere like India.” – Sue Noble
Be prepared for long days driving, often on very bumpy roads. However, nature's spectacles compensate for the traveling inconveniences. Sleeping in a yurt was a new adventure for me." - Jayne Hanlin
“Hopefully anyone booking this vacation will have some experience in remote locations so will be well prepared. I think everyone needs to be warned to be a bit more cautious about food and water/drink. We were much more cavalier about these things (I ate and drank everything put in front of me!) than I would be when somewhere like India.” – Sue Noble
Be prepared for long days driving, often on very bumpy roads. However, nature's spectacles compensate for the traveling inconveniences. Sleeping in a yurt was a new adventure for me." - Jayne Hanlin
More about Kyrgyzstan
Trek your way through our Kyrgyzstan travel guide and you’ll discover everywhere from Bishek and Ala Archa National Park in the north to Osh and Jety-Oguz Canyon in the south.
A huge and relatively new event, the World Nomad Games is the Olympics of the nomadic world, featuring traditional sports from Central Asia and beyond.
The network of trade routes that made up the Silk Road threaded through the Stans, with Uzbekistan at the center of this commerce and cultural highway.
In Kyrgyzstan semi-nomadic life goes on unchecked across the grasslands. The key to cracking the country is a mode of transport that’s not so far off horseback: cycling.
You’d think that the Tian Shan Mountains or jewel-bright Issy-Kul Lake would be the highlights of walking in Kyrgyzstan. But no, it’s the people you’ll meet along the way.
