Best Places to get Outside in Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan is an excellent destination to get outdoors. There are numerous ways and places for outdoor adventures including hiking, trekking, mountain climbing, horseback riding, swimming, whitewater rafting, skiing, cycling, and more. Think of a country filled with craggy mountains, green pastures, alpine meadows, and hundreds of lakes. Then …
Introducing: Semi-Nomadic Life in Kyrgyzstan Time to milk the mares. Up on the jailoo (pasture) in rural Kyrgyzstan, female horses are milked up to six times per day. Their milk is made into kumis – a lightly fermented drink that is popular among Kyrgyz people as well as travelers who stop by roadside stalls, (or a …
Introducing: Jyrgalan – Boz-Uchuk Lakes Trek in Kyrgyzstan A growing trekking destination, the Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan’s rugged mountains and verdant valleys are becoming increasingly popular among independent travelers looking to experience pristine nature and local culture. While traditionally independent international trekkers have stuck to a set few routes around the cities of Bishkek and …
Introducing: Jyrgalan – Boz-Uchuk Lakes Trek in Kyrgyzstan Read More »
What It’s Like: Winter Travel in Kyrgyzstan For most of the growing number of tourists that are traveling in Kyrgyzstan, the small Central Asian republic is a country of summer mountains and sandy beaches. The majority of visitors come in the warmer months, for the June-September high season when horse riding and mountain climbing and of the …
Gettin’ It On Like Genghis Khan: World Nomad Games 2016 What do Steven Seagal, Genghis Khan, and a bunch of kok boru goats have in common? They all seem to shine with the waxy sheen of death, and they were all focal points of the World Nomad Games 2016 in Kyrgyzstan. Successor to the first-ever …
Photo of the Week: World Nomad Games 2014 A celebration of culture and sports, international cooperation, press passes and sheeps’ asses. Nope, it’s not the Olympics, but the World Nomad Games: a biennial festival of all things nomadic culture on the shores of Issyk-Kol lake in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Contributor Stephen Lioy covered the …
Ask GoMad Nomad: Solo Travel on the Silk Road? This month’s Ask GoMad Nomad column comes from longtime reader Heidi, whose question concerns a region near and dear to several of the writers behind GoMad Nomad: Central Asia and the Silk Road. I recently decided that I want to travel the Silk Road from China …
Introducing: Ashlan-Fuu We’ve told you before about 8 Reasons to Visit Kyrgyzstan and 11 Things to Do in Bishkek but in all honesty most travelers don’t list ‘amazing food’ as one of their highlights from a trip through the ‘Stans. Drinking alcoholic horse milk and eating sheeps’ brain are good fun (and great stories!), to be sure, but …
Like all good Central Asia stories, it both starts and ends with a cold beer and a couple sticks of sheep shashlyk. One moment a late night chat over ways to make inroads in Kyrgyzstan, and seemingly the next talking my way past security and picking up a Press Pass for the World Nomad Games. Which, really, is what …
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Photo of the Week: Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day Oh, the holidays. When you’re at home they mean family time and lots of preparation and perhaps more than a fair share of stress. Hit a holiday or two on the road, though, and its all photogenic backdrops and friendly folks happy to share in the celebratory spirit. In …
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