Kirgistan 2019 – practical tips

Organisers

This trip we have organised through Barents.pl which specialises in mountain treks outside of common and popular routes. The organisation was very good and mostly smooth. During the 14 days trip we have not experienced issues which would lower the overall rate. The whole trekking was run by Ola and Piotr, the guides who were very friendly, helpful, provided an interesting insight onto Kyrgyzstan tradition and lifestyle, but were also applying the discipline when needed.

Visa

No visa is needed to Kyrgyzstan. A stamp in the passport is sufficient. One needs to make sure though the stamp is there as otherwise there will be problems on the way out.

Border

As we landed in Kazachstan, we had to cross the border with Kyrgyzstan by car. The first border in Karkyra was very small, local and open from 8 till 20. The officers were friendly and asked questions about Robert Lewandowski 🙂

On the way back we crossed it in Kordai and this was quite an experience. Crowds of people pushing you out of a queue, walking through your luggage and pretending to be pregnant or too old to wait. Women are much worse so gentlemen either need time or have to adjust quickly.

The border officers don’t ask questions. They verify your passport, put a stamp (or a few stamps), take a photo and let you go. At the end of the procedure, your full luggage get scanned, before you are let in a country.

Transportation

We took a flight with UIA (Ukrainian Airlines) to Almaty through Kiev. Inconvenient 6 hours waiting but the airport is very modern, offers WiFi, extremely good food and drinks, so we managed. On the way back, we were late with the plane from Almaty so our transfer hour was consumed. Forget about fast track in such cases. You need to push for it yourself.

The inside country transportation was minibus and it was rather comfortable. We experienced flat tire but considering the quality of main roads I am rather surprised it happened only once.

In Karakol we used taxis. Within the city they all cost the same – 70 soms (c.a. 3,5 PLN / 0,8 EUR). Yandex is also common in here, the prices are the same.

Money

The local currency is SOM. 20 Soms are 1 PLN (c.a. 0,25 EUR). The exchange offices are in the main cities and offer a good FX rate. Be aware though that they may want to cheat you. We almost lost 500 soms, a friend of ours 3500 soms. Always double count in front of them. USD is more popular than EUR.

Accommodation

This trip was planned as mountain trekking so the majority of nights we spent in tents. The bases were very well prepared by our porters and equipped with basic the amenities carried by them on their backs. There was always a source of fresh water which was a primary criteria when setting up a base. One night was spent in Karakol Base Camp which also provided a number of amenities, including beer 🙂

In Altyn Araszan, we stayed at Eco Yurt Camp, which allowed to put up a tent or book a bed in yurt. The cost of bed was 450 soms (c.a. 22 PLN / 5 EUR) per person per night. The place provided variety of amenities which we lacked in the mountains, such as shower, shop, kitchen or … stable 🙂

In Karakol we stayed in the local guest house called Jamilya Bed & Breakfast. It can be booked via booking.com and it offers stay including absolutely phenomenal breakfast and dinner. It was very clean, spacious and very well organised surroundings. WiFi available although the quality of connection was rather poor.

Food

Lamb is king in Kirgistan. As much as everybody says it is differently prepared, I still could not make myself to eat it. The cook was hiking with us and he was preparing all the meals. No chance to be hungry during the trekking days. Amazing bread, all sorts of sweets, nuts, and dried fruits were available at the times. The traditional dishes include:

• biszparma: noodles with onion, carrot, potatoes and beef, all in a noodle soup
• lachman: noodles (flour & starch) with lamb and soup, eaten cold
• solyanka: based on sausage, with potatoes, carrot and gherkin.

Being in Bishkek we went to Special Coffee Restaurant which is run in an European style. Food was good, beer was cold and the prices were high.

Trekking

During the 9- days trekking we have explored Tien Shan mountains. I have found only two words to describe them. Absolutely amazing.

The route was: Yeti Oguz (2300 m n.p.m.) – Yeti Oguz Valley (2900 m n.p.m.) – Telety Pass (3760 m n.p.m.) – Karakol Base Camp (2400 m n.p.m.) – Ala-Kul Lake (3500 m n.p.m.) – Ala-Kul Pass (3950 m n.p.m.) – Ałtyn Araszan (2400 m n.p.m.) – Araszan Valley (2800 m n.p.m.) – No Name Glacier surroundings (3300 m n.p.m.) – Karakol (1700 m n.p.m.).

The daily treks did not take longer than 8 hours which was manageable by the whole group. The biggest elevation we did was 1100 meters but that day we reached the Ala-Kul glacier lake located on 3500 m above sea level and the view it offered was worth each step and the whole effort.

The trek was prepared in such a way that everybody was able to make it, regardless to age, physical condition or personal endurance. The highest point we reached was 3950 m at the Ala-Kul Pass and luckily no one had any health issues at the top or on the way.

Insurance

The organiser provided us with insurance but on top of it, we had our own (PZU Bezpieczny Powrót). It is important to have one as accidents happen, even in safe base camps. The quality of medical service and access to it, is extremely poor. There was a cardiologist in our team as one of the hikers and during the trekking she was called to help with stitches, fainting, orthopaedic injuries and consequences of being run over by a drunk driver of UAZ.

Internet

Very poor. Available mainly in the cities’ guest houses but it’s connection is often disrupted. There are two main providers: Beeline (Russian) and O! (Kyrgyz). No telephone or internet range in the mountains at all. Being cut off from the external world for nine days was quite a joyful experience 🙂

Cost

The cost of trek organised by Barents.pl was 6990 PLN per person and it included the flight, the local transportation, the porters, the food during trekking, the accommodation, guides and insurance. On top of it, we spent 500 USD for:

• Remaining food and drinks
• Alcohol: Cognac rules among foreign tourists. Osz, Biszkek, Kirgistan – all good and available for 400 soms (c.a. 20 PLN / 4,5 EUR) in the shop or up to 600 soms in the guest houses in the mountains. Beer is also common and one bottle of no matter what brand is c.a 100 soms (c.a. 5 PLN / 1.2 EUR). Vodka obviously is popular among the local people and as we were heavily integrating with them, mixing types of alcohol led to difficult mornings the following day 😉
• Tips for porters: there is a tradition to reward the porters at the end of the trip with money. We gave them 12 USD each and 20 EUR to the chief. Considering the minimum salary in Kirgistan is less than 40 USD, they seemed to be satisfied with an amount. The other materialistic tip was the trekking equipment. They lack technical clothes or good shoes, so anything really can be very useful.
• Souvenirs: very individual and depends on the size of family 🙂 The sample prices are as follows: T-shirts – 250 soms, magnets – 70 soms, postcards – 300 soms for 12-pcs package.

Again, we have fallen in love with destination. This time though not only because of nature, mountains and their indisputable beauty but also because of people, who are poor when it comes to money but rich in hearts!

Może Cię zainteresować także:

Mrożąca krew w żyłach Przełęcz Ala-Kul (3950 m n.p.m.) Nocleg z widokiem marzeń – Jezioro Ala-Kul Pożegnanie z kirgiskim Tien Shanem i porterami Biszkek by night