Things to Know Before Going to Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyzstan 101

Since Kyrgyzstan is not a preferred country, we have limited information about it. Because What you need to know before going to Kyrgyzstan I thought it would be helpful to make a summary about it.

Short Brief About Kyrgyzstan

• capital of kyrgyzstan Bishkek.
• population of Kyrgyzstan More than 6 million.
• The majority of Kyrgyzstan's population is Muslim, although there are also Orthodox Christians (15%).
• currency of kyrgyzstan Solid. 2022 Usd ~ 1 Soms in July 83. It is useful to check the current exchange rates before going to the country.
• Kyrgyzstan is divided into 8 regions called oblasts in Russian; Bishkek, Batken, Talas, Chuy, Narin, Jalal-Abad, Issyk-Gol, Osh, Batken.
• World-renowned author of the country Chingiz AitmatovIt is highly valued. You can see many of his statues in the country. You may want to read a few of his books before you come. Aitmatov's best-known work in Turkey; Red Scarf book, screenplay of the movie Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım, starring Türkan Şoray and Kadir İnanır.
• Epic of Manas It's like the most important book in the country. You can see the statues of Manas and the heroes of the epic almost everywhere.
• Issyk Kul Lake; It is the largest mountain lake in the country and the second largest in the world after Titicaca, located between Peru and Bolivia. The most fertile plains of the country are located around Issyk Kul.
• God Mountains The average altitude of the country is quite high as it covers 65% of the country. They even call it the Switzerland of Central Asia. The Tian Shan is also rich in minerals and gold is widely mined.
• Kyrgyzstan is a country mostly preferred by nature-loving travelers. It is preferred by tourists for hiking routes in summer and skiing in winter.
• Kyrgyzstan is 3 hours ahead of Turkey in time zone.

History of Kyrgyzstan

It is said that the ethnic group that best preserves its Turkish identity is the Kyrgyz. Nomadic Kyrgyz were forced to settle down when they came under Soviet rule. Today, almost all the cities in Kyrgyzstan were founded by the Russians. Architecturally, wide streets, large parks, sculptures adorning the streets are mostly Russian influence.

Kyrgyzstan is one of the Turkic Republics that declared its independence from the USSR in 1991. Since then it has been governed by a republic, the official name of the country is the Kyrgyz Republic.

There are 40 different tribes in the country and on the flag of Kyrgyzstan, these 40 tribes are depicted as the lights of the sun. In the middle, there is the tunduk that represents the nomadic culture and sustains the traditional tents of the yurts.

Where is Kyrgyzstan?

Kyrgyzstan is a country in Central Asia, bordered by the Tian Shan Mountains. It is known for being the country farthest from the sea in the world. the country's neighbors; Kazakhstan in the north; Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the southeast.

How to get from Turkey to Kyrgyzstan?

There are regular flights from Turkey to Kyrgyzstan. There are direct flights from Istanbul Airport to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, by Turkish Airlines (we chose this), from Sabiha Gökçen Airport to Osh, and to the capital Bishkek by Pegasus Airlines. It takes about 5 hours to go from Istanbul to Bishkek and 6 hours to return.

Does Kyrgyzstan Require a Visa for Turkish Citizens?

Kyrgyzstan does not require a visa from Turkish citizens who come to their country for touristic purposes. You can only go to Kyrgyzstan with your passport. If you do not have a passport How to get a passport? Be sure to check out my post. Visa applications for Turkish Citizens You may also be interested in my article.

Is Turkish Spoken in Kyrgyzstan?

The Kyrgyz are known as the least corrupted/changed Turkish community. The official language of the country, Kyrgyz, has a lot in common with the Turkish we speak. The second language is Russian. The number of Turkish-speaking people in the country is quite high, it is easy to get along. Even if Turkish is not known, it is very easy to choose words when you listen carefully, since there are many common words and the structure of our language is largely the same.

Kyrgyz should be suffixed like Turkish. For example, Fisherman and Fisherman are exactly the same. We have many common words. To give a simple example, Teke=Teke, Goat=Eçki, Capricorn=Messenger. Words that start with Y start with C in Kyrgyz. Green = Blue, Sagittarius = Tea...

Best Time to Visit Kyrgyzstan

Contrary to popular belief, Kyrgyzstan is a green country, its nature is magnificent. Many of those who come here come for nature walks. If you are going to Kyrgyzstan for a nature and culture trip, the best time is July and August.

There are several ski resorts in Kyrgyzstan. The most popular one is Karakol Ski Center located at 3040 meters in Karakol city. If you want to come for skiing, you can choose January and February.

Is Kyrgyzstan Safe to Travel?

Kyrgyzstan; It is an extremely safe country to travel as a couple, with a group or alone. During our stay in Kyrgyzstan; We went to different places such as crowded market places, city centers, deserted valleys, and we did not encounter any security threats/problems in any place we went. I went to Kyrgyzstan with my wife, who was traveling alone in Kyrgyzstan at the same time as me. eyma There was a young girl named Turkey, she traveled to Kyrgyzstan alone for more than a month and had no problems. You can reach him on his instagram page, which I have attached the link to.

Places to Visit in Kyrgyzstan

I will prepare a detailed article on this topic. If you are planning a trip to Kyrgyzstan, here is a list of the main places to visit in Kyrgyzstan to give you an idea.

• Bishkek, the capital city, is the gateway to the country.
• Ala Archa National Park, which is very close to Bishkek
• Ata Beyit Monument, where you can get information about Kyrgyz history. There is also the mausoleum of Chingiz Aitmatov here.
• Chingiz Aitmatov's house that you can visit as a museum,
• Burana Archeology and History Complex (Burana Tower and Balasagun Ancient City)
• Chon Kemin National Park
• Petroglyph Open Air Museum in Cholpon Ata
• Ruh Ordo Cultural Center in Cholpon Ata 
• You can swim in Issyk Kul on one of the beaches in Cholpon Ata.
• Dungan Mosque located in Karakol city
• Holy Orthodox Church in the city of Karakol
• Karakol Ski Center
• Golden Arashan Valley
• Ala Kul Lake (a bit difficult to reach)
• Jeti Ögüz Cliffs
• Kök Cayik Plateau
• Barskoon Valley
• Skazka Canyon, also called fairy tale canyon
• Eagle hunting in Bökönbaev
• Last Köl, the second largest lake in the country, at an altitude of 3000 meters
• Stone Rabat Castle
• Uzgen History Complex
• Arslanbob Valley

Apart from this list, there are many places to see in Kyrgyzstan. I have determined these places as the priority list.

Transportation in Kyrgyzstan

Intercity transportation in Kyrgyzstan is quite easy. There is transportation from city to city by bus and minibuses called masrutka. However, you need a private vehicle for most of the places in the above list, such as valleys and national parks.

For your private vehicle needs, you can negotiate with taxis that you can easily find anywhere, if you don't want to bargain, you can call a taxi through the Yandex Taxi application or you can make an agreement with a tourism agency and ask them to take you to the places you want.

Is it possible to travel without a tour in Kyrgyzstan without a car?

Our Kyrgyzstan plan was at the last minute. Our trip is only for a week, my dear brother, who has been here before, when there are many places to see. @aydan.yarcilar I asked an opinion. He also told me that he lived in Turkey, where I can communicate in Turkish. @yurttours gave the information of Ulukman from his company.

I did a quick research and roughly determined our route. I stated that we wanted to stay in the dormitory for a few days for the places we wanted to see, the activities we wanted to do (eagle hunting and horse riding were our must-haves) and accommodation. Uluman finalized the plan for me and prepared a budget for all our stays outside of Bishkek, including our vehicle, driver/guide.

Our total budget for two people was 1100 Usd. This figure does not include lunch and dinner, accommodation in Bishkek, museum/site entrances, eagle hunting (approximately 55 USD) and horseback riding (15 USD). Adding them together, our total budget became approximately 1300 Usd. In other words, our 8-day Kyrgyzstan travel budget per person is 650 Usd. Figures are as of July 2022.

In the meantime, can you make your own plan and travel by renting a car? Of course it's possible. However, having a guide who meets all your needs at many points, does not put your hand in hot water or cold water, makes plans for us without worrying about where to stay and where to eat, and the smooth operation of our plan has provided us incredible convenience.

Good level of English, starting with us, beginner level Turkish, with whom we get along very well, Azis @azis.0208 and I would like to thank Ulukman again, who planned everything to go as we wanted. 

Instead of working with a local agency from Kyrgyzstan, you can also come to Kyrgyzstan with a tour company from Turkey. My dear friends Mehmet Altay ve Sea Sword It organizes tours from Turkey to Kyrgyzstan. You can contact them for details.

Accommodation in Kyrgyzstan: Hotels, Guest Houses and Yurt Camps

Kyrgyzstan offers many options in terms of accommodation experiences. While there are many alternatives from chain hotels to hostels in Bishkek, there are more guest houses in national parks and small cities. There are many yurt camps for those who want to experience a traditional Kyrgyz experience. You can see the places we stayed below;

• Bishkek – Terrasse Hotel & Bar and Alpinist Hotel
• Chon Kemin – Guest house Jekshen
• Karakol – Guest house Jamilya B&B
• Almaluu Yurt Camp near Bokonbaev
• Last Slave – Jyrgalbek's Yurt Camp

Internet Usage & GSM Line in Kyrgyzstan

It is possible to find wifi in city centers, hotels, restaurants and cafes in Kyrgyzstan. However, it is difficult to find wifi in small places. For this reason, we chose to buy a GSM line for our 8-day trip to Kyrgyzstan. We bought the Beeline brand line from the airport for 20 Usd with 5 GB internet. Except for the Last Kul, GSM was receiving almost everywhere we went, so it was very useful for us.

Currency Exchange in Kyrgyzstan

To exchange currency in Kyrgyzstan, you can choose the exchange offices located in the city center of Bishkek. They usually give the best dry. However, the exchange rate there, where we exchanged currency at the airport for a taxi, was also very good. We exchanged it at the bank's office in the photo above. We took Usd with us, there were also exchange offices that exchanged TL.

Food and Drink in Kyrgyzstan

Eating and drinking culture in Kyrgyzstan is mainly based on meat and pastry. In a classical Kyrgyz table, salad/meze style dishes are served to the table before the main course. Tea is served with every meal, green or black tea according to your preference. Again, snack crackers, cookies, candies and jams are always on the table.

Kyrgyz food is not far from us. Dumplings (made large like ravioli), rice, shashlik (skewers) and borsok (fried dough similar to Turkish bagels) are the dishes you can find almost everywhere. The famous Kyrgyz dish, Beşparmak (its name because it is eaten by hand) is served with tiny pieces of meat mixed with onions placed on boiled noodles. We preferred the one made with horse meat, it was very tasty.

Horse meat and kumiss were the most frequently asked questions to me in Kyrgyzstan. I tried both. If they hadn't said that horse meat is horse, I wouldn't be able to distinguish it from beef. Kumis, on the other hand, is like sour milk, which does not appeal to my taste. The Kyrgyz eat only the meat of the male horse, and the female horses are kept for their foals and milk.

The surroundings of Issyk Kul Lake are very fertile, all kinds of fruits and vegetables are grown. The boiled corn stalls and fruit stalls on the roadside are not like Turkey.

For those who are interested, Kyrgyz vodka is quite good and the price is very affordable compared to Turkey. You might consider taking it back.

Is Kyrgyzstan Cheap?

Kyrgyzstan is a country that struggles with high inflation like us. You might think that while it was cheap for Turkish citizens a few years ago, the prices are now at Istanbul levels. Budget hotels are in the band of 30-40 Usd, meals are around 7-10 Usd.

If you want to enjoy nature, see our ancestral homeland, live the old Turkish traditions in place, Kyrgyzstan is a great alternative!