Kyrgyzstan: A Gem of Central Asia

Food in Central Asia is heavy on meat, bread, and dairy. It is typically bland and very often uses a lot of animal fat saturated oils. It is not by any means a healthy diet, (though the locals will often quote otherwise.) If you have sensitivities or ethical aversions to this, you can still eat well, though we encourage everyone to be flexible and open to new tastes. Still, it is not everybody's cup of tea.

In Kyrgyzstan two of the most popular dishes are kuurdak and lahgman. The former is a fry of meat, (typically sheep,) onions, and potatoes. The latter reflects its Chinese influence, consisting of hand-pulled noodles, spices, and fried paprika, and prepared in a variety of ways.

Throughout all of our itineraries we will have many opportunities to try unique local foods - kurut, white honey, kaymak, kumiss, naan, ashlyam-fu, laghman, shorpo, qurutob, boorsok - to name a few.

During the hiking stages of our itineraries we will eat well. Homemade muesli, granola, teff cereal, for breakfasts. Snack foods, sandwiches, local products for lunches. Home-prepared dehydrated curries, chilis, hummus, beans and rice, etc. for dinner. Nightly desserts are to be expected, as well as various gourmet hot beverages throughout the day. We like to eat well, and we like our clients to, as well. If you have any specific requests, let us know earlier rather than later.

The Kyrgyz people are historically a fully nomadic people native to the vast steppe and forests south of the Altai, though were incorporated into collective farmwork during the Soviet era. Since the dissolution of the USSR many have since returned to a semi-nomadic lifestyle that reflects both ways of life. After decollectivization many families began herding animals into the upper reaches of the Tian-Shan, and can be met out along our trail for 3 to 6 months of the year, but spend their winters in Russian dachas.

Kyrgyz is of the Turkic language family, though in the cities Russian is still more often spoken as a primary language. Kyrgyzstan maintains close socioeconomic ties with many Turkic-speaking countries. Sunni Islam is the main religion, followed by a much smaller minority of Russian Orthodox Christianity and other religions. While Kyrgyz people are the ethnic majority, the country is also home to significant populations of Russians, Uzbeks, East Germans, and Ukranians, as well as to smaller communities of Tartars, Dungans, and Uighurs. The Kyrgyz population stands at 7.1 million, with around 1.7-2 million of that coming from Bishkek and Osh combined.

Many countries are eligible to travel to Kyrgyzstan Visa-free for periods of 30 days and up. Most visitors are permitted to remain in the country for “up to 60 days within a 120-day period” without obtaining a visa. Please refer to your country's state advisory website for country specifics.

If you are from a country not eligible for the Visa-free regime, please reach out to us and we'll do our best to help the process along.

Kyrgyzstan is widely considered a very safe place to travel to. With most of the country adhering to Sunni Islam, tourists are met with a warm and friendly attitude, with this becoming particularly evident in more remote and mountainous regions.

While the above is generally true, like any region, there is also a baseline risk and guests must take care particularly in the busier regions like Bishkek and Osh. While uncommon, pick-pocketing is present in Bishkek and there are rare political demonstrations to be cautious of. Not to worry, with our experienced guides, we will ensure the safety of all of our guests and an enjoyable time spent in Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan has two official languages: Kyrgyz and Russian. Kyrgyz is of the Turkic language family, which is closely related to Kazakh.

In the cities Russian is still more often spoken as a primary language. English is rarely spoken in Kyrgyzstan, making it difficult at times to communicate with locals; however, even just a small amount of Russian can take you a long way!

Kyrgyzstan's currency is the Kyrgyz Som, roughly 80-85 Som equates to $1. It is primarily a cash-based society, which is especially true for remote regions. Cities, in particular Bishkek and Osh do accept card payments but this is not standard practice and is best to have cash readily available. We recommend taking out sufficient cash from ATM's in the cities prior to embarking on any journey into the more rural regions.

Cities and towns all have a variety of ATM options to choose from, most do not charge withdrawal fees and accept both Visa and Mastercard, though Visa is a better option.

The US Dollar is still a powerful currency in Kyrgyzstan, and most people would happily accept the dollar as an alternative payment option since they can easily exchange it for the Kyrgyz Som at a strong rate. So it doesn't hurt to have a few spare dollars kept aside as a backup currency.

Despite its small size Kyrgyzstan's climatic diversity is nearly on par with the entirety of much larger states such as India, the USA, and Russia. As such, it exhibits a brilliant display of biological diversity, from arable piedmont to sunbaked badlands to deep confierous and deciduous forests to vibrant alpine tundra. The contrast between the different landscapes is staggering.

Kyrgyzstan is home to 209 Redbook species, including the mystical snow leopard and the crimson Aigul flower. The literal translation is "Moon Flower." Many mountain ecosystems face anthropogenic pressures - chief amongst these are overgrazing and mining. Livestock are seen as a sort of investment, and therefore it is common to see far more head of cattle, sheep, and horses in a given valley than the local ecosystem can naturally sustain. The government has instituted a policy of rotating designated plots of leased pasture so as to allow individual valleys to recover while others are utilized, however this method cannot fully keep up with the ever-growing numbers of stock. Foreign mining investment and roads into formerly roadless areas is another significant threat to biodiversity.

Throughout the mountains and foothills flowers grow in astounding abundance. Many of these are perennial bulbar monocots, which thrive in the harsh and highly continental mountain climates found throughout the region. Iris, lily, and allium (onion) are exceedingly common in alpine and subalpine ecosystems, painting the landscapes in a variegated patchwork of every color.

Found throughout Central Asia is the endemic Hinalayan Paper Birch, which grows in rocky riparian habitats. Schrenk's Spruce grow densely in the north and in isolated groves throughout select ranges of the south. The ephemeral mountain ash flowers in June, and slender poplar, while non-native grow in rows between cultivated field. Tien-Shan Juniper is nearly ubiquitous, growing at many different elevations.

Kyrgyzstan's Flag bears 40 sun rays which signify the 40 original tribes that are said to have united under one banner to form a nation. Historically, the clans maintained stability through a Kurultai system, wherein representarives of each tribe would cono discuss important matters of state. The name Kyrgyzstan itself means "Land of 40 Tribes." If you ask most Kyrgyz people what their tribal lineage is, they will answer you with confidence.

The Kyrgyz people are historically a fully nomadic people native to the vast steppe and forests south of the Altai, though were incorporated into collective farmwork during the Soviet era. Since the dissolution of the USSR many have since returned to a semi-nomadic lifestyle that reflects both ways of life. After decollectivization many families began herding animals into the upper reaches of the Tian-Shan, and can be met out along our trail for 3 to 6 months of the year, but spend their winters in Russian dachas.

Central Asia is safe to travel to even for solo women. Though Islam is the predominant religion in most of Central Asia, it is not enshrined in everyday life, and there is a broad acceptance for different religions in even the most religious leaning Central Asian countries. It is not uncommon to walk the streets in Bishkek and see a western style dressed young women waiting at a road cressing next to a women wearing religious clothing without either batting an eye at the other.

That being said, the role of women is not yet as advanced as in some of the more westernized societies. This is especially true deep in the countryside where our trekking will take us. There when interacting with local shepherds and farmers, it is more common to be greeted by the male steward of the household, whilst the local women tend to keep to the background. Local men will also sometimes preferentially interact with the men of the group, and be somewhat awkward in interacting with foreign women.

There tend to be more male travelers in Central Asia, and most locals are impressed when encountering a female foreign traveler, and hence treat them with a lot of respect - even in the deep countryside. None of our female staffers (who are writing this) have had issues when in Central Asia either in groups or as female solo travelers.