Building a new mosque Check the next photo to understand why they have a TV in the park Karaoke in the park Dima buying a Kyrgyz hat Trying our Kyrgyz and Tajik hats Local girls wanted to take photos with me. Random museum built in the rocks If u slide here, you will be in perfect health On the way to Bishkek Try to pronounce that. One more " ы " please ;) Asila & dont remember the other girl´s name The kids in the orphanage waiting for the new task My favorite little oneIt was so comfortable One more STOP sign I really dont know how the cyclists made it on these roads The truck driver who took me to the border Last village before the border Walking the 6 km between the 2 borders Having breakfast with my new Tajik friends The cheapest flights in Europe A detailed budget report about how much it costs to backpack in Kyrgyzstan. Includes a city-by-city breakdown, average costs for common expenses, and recommendations for budget accommodations.

Financial planning is boring and annoying. To save the world of a few unnecessary headaches, we tracked our expenses over 26 days, so you can see exactly how much it costs to backpack in Kyrgyzstan. Exchange rate used for this trip: €1 = 76wenger swissgear ibex laptop backpack 17 Here’s how much it costs to backpack in Kyrgyzstancornell elves backpack Total cost of backpacking for 26 daysbackpack ftb infinity For two people: 77,241 som / €1,016 / $1,128samsonite - guardit laptop backpack 15 -16 Per person: 38,620.50 som / €508 / $564north face backpack von maur

Average cost per person Total per day: 1,486 som / €19.55 / $21.70 Food and drinks per day: 400 – 600 som / €5.25 – 7.90 / $5.85 – 8.75 Accommodation per day: 500- 700 som / €5.25 – 9.20 / $7.30 – 10.20aflac backpack Note: travelers are most likely to stay in hostels or yurts. Prices mentioned are for one dorm bed, or one mat in a yurt. Long distance marshrutka: 200 – 500 som / €2.60 – 6.60 / $2.90 – 7.30 Long shared taxi: 800 – 1,200 som / €10.50 – 15.80 / $11.70 – 17.50 Taxi around town: 100 – 400 / €1.30 – 5.25 / $1.45 – 5.85 Three day horse trek with accommodation: 6,000 – 10,000 / €79 – 132 / $88 – 146 Note: Make sure to be 100% clear on the price of any tour you book, and make sure you know what is and is not included. It’s common for less reputable tour agencies to try to squeeze more money out of you at the end of a tour!

Traveling to Kyrgyzstan or other countries in the region? Pick up a Lonely Planet to make the most of your trip! Average amount spent per day in each city, for one person. Includes transport to the city. Bishkek: 1,259 som / €19.15 / $21.25 We recommend Apple Hostel Min-Kush: 848 som/ €11.15 / $12.40 We slept with a local family Kyzart/Song Kul: 2,220 som / €29.20 / $32.40 We took a night bus back to Almaty Karakol: 1,663 som / €21.90 / $24.30 We recommend Hostel Nice Cholpon Ata: 1,674 som / €22 / $24.45 We recommend Apple Hostel Transit Bishkek to Arslanbob: 1,793 som / €23.60 / $26.20 We stayed in a really crap hotel at the beginning of Bazar Korgon Arslanbob: 826 som / €10.90 / $12.10 We highly recommend CBT Homestay 11 (Zinaida Homestay) Osh: 1,091 som / €14.35 / $15.95 We stayed at Biy Ordo Check out this list of the top 10 places to visit in Kyrgyzstan for more itinerary inspiration!

A couple of things to consider: We only included costs we think are relevant to the average traveler. We doubt you care about the clothes we bought. We tend to plan treks and tours ourselves. Expect to pay more if you book through tour operators such as CBT and Shepherd’s Way. We were stationary for a while to sort out visas in Bishkek, and to visit the World Nomad Games in Cholpon Ata. Traveling more usually means spending more. We’re your typical wanderin’ backpacker duo: Always walk or take public transport… unless there is none. Usually eat cheap meals and fast food for at least 2 meals a day. Sleep in the cheapest accommodation we can find that isn’t crawling with bedbugs or covered with old vomit. Usually opt for a private double rather than dorms. We don’t like museums. Not detailed enough for you? To help you out, here’s a breakdown of our expenses over 26 days of backpacking in the Kyrgyzstan.Why not head to Kazakhstan for a bit, too?

We have a two week photo itinerary for southern Kazakhstan to tickle your wanderlust just so.Some links in info post are affiliate links. That means if you book a night or two via the link, we’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you. These kinds of links are how we make up for the maintenance costs of running the blog–and we’ll love you forever if you use them! Never fear, we actually stayed there, and would never recommend a place we wouldn’t stay ourselves. Send this to friendYour emailRecipient emailThe country of Kyrgyzstan seems to hide shyly in the back streets of the backpacking world. It’s not so much a “sleeping giant”, but an “awake baby”. It’s crying to be found, and sometime it will be. While the “self-professed cool crowd” backpack their way through Bangkok, Ulun Danu, Siem Reap and Chiang Mai on wide boulevards full of immigrants, foreigners, backpackers and “ex-patriots”, the self-professed weird ones find their solace in the deserted alleys of unblemished and magnetic Kyrgyzstan, where I’ve decided to stay for the next few months.

And this country is a sparkling gem to lift you out of the mundane. Your smiles will be genuine. Take it from me – if you want to go backpacking in Asia – get a flight to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan booked. It’s too cool for school. Too cool, you forgot where it was on the map. Check your maps and the visa requirements. Lots of nationalities can get a FREE 60 day tourist visa on entry. Which is exactly what I did when arriving at the land border from Korday in neighbouring Kazakhstan. Once you’re here in Kyrgyzstan, find a base, make new friends, get a map and start ticking off the touristic spots. Remember, everywhere in the world is a touristic spot – we are the tourists, everywhere we go 😉 There are just places with more people and places with less people. But it’s all tourism. Kyrgyzstan sparkles in the morning sun for tourists and locals alike. I based myself in Bishkek, the country’s capital city, here at the cosy Apple Hostel Bishkek (also known as Bishkek B and B) and headed out on some cool tours.

First up I made a dash to the tranquil Issyk-kul Lake where I toured the Petroglyphs and the Ruh Ordo Cultural Centre plus a trip to Burana Tower. Then it was time to tour the beautiful Ala Archa National Park, situated just 25 kilometres south of Bishkek. Booking a tour to Ala Archa National Park There are two main tour companies I recommend for booking your tour to Ala Archa National Park – Silk Road Explore and Iron Horse Nomads. Both companies are experts in the field and they are based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I opted for a day tour of Ala Archa that included a hike to the Alpine cemetery and a hike along the gorge to a mountain waterfall. The one day tours cost from $45 US and this includes transport there and back (they do hostel/hotel pick up), entry to the national park, a guide for the day and lunch. Prices vary depending on time of year, group size and any personal requirements etc. They are so easy to work with and flexible that they can tailor the tour to your own needs. I

wanted a local lunch included and a trip to the cemetery. My guide for the day is Azamat, from Iron Horse Nomads. Azamat is local to Bishkek and his English is superb. He is a good tour guide and driver to have and my tour was arranged through Dinara at Silk Road Explore. We leave Bishkek by car and within half an hour we are on the edge of the Ala Archa National Park. Arrival at Ala Archa National Park When we arrive at Ala Archa National Park, there is an entry gate where the fee to enter the national park is paid and taken. Please note that NOT all tours include the entry fee. As of January 2016, the cost to enter the National Park here is 450 Som, around £4 or $6 USD. It is a one off entry fee, whether you are staying over night in the hotel or camping inside the National Park. Please note that there is no public transport inside the park or that go to the gate and park entrance. The nearest you can get to Ala Archa National Park on public transport is by Marshrutka to Kashka-suu (a ski resort). I

f you are going it alone, from Kashka-suu you will need to pay a driver for a taxi right up into the National Park (and back again of course, so it’s less than ideal). When you pay for your national park entry, you get a small information sheet, it’s written in Russian. Hiking on the Alpine Cemetery Trail (to The Northern Star Lodge) Once you are inside Ala Archa National Park, it’s time to explore and admire. The mountains here are simply stunning and even the drive through the main road in the National Park is something to inspire you. To the left there is a mini village, which is mostly made from Summer huts and dies down in winter time. Azamat and I decide to do the cemetery hike first up so that is what I’m writing about here. I also did a second hike after lunch, which I will write about separately in Part 2. I was here in January 2016, winter time, so make sure you come prepared – it’s common sense really – hats, scarves, coats, thermals to keep you warm and of course water.

Snow has frozen the national park over and it is hard to see where the exact route to this mountain cemetery is. On the map, the cemetery is shown as a triangle and it is on a path which spans a 6 kilometre circuit. Our plan is to complete the 6 kilometre circuit. I take some photos of the map and information boards at the start of the Alpine Cemetery hike and off we go. First up, we have a tricky icy cold river to cross. The bridge has been destroyed sadly so we have to find another way to cross and this river winds its way through the valleys, we end up crossing the river three or four times. On the first attempt, I slide into the river! My feet are frozen, great start to the hike from me! Crossing the river may look easy in the photographs, but it wasn’t – even the rocks were slippy with ice. The land parts can be tricky to walk through as well, with hidden rocks and ice, and deep deep snow. We took a while on the river area trying to work out where the actual real trail is. T

here are no markers to show it and with ice and snow, the route is less than obvious. Eventually we find where the actual real trail is, it was not obvious in the snow and Azamat and I were the only two hikers on this trail that day. When we noticed two trees fallen over, we know that the trail has been affected by the bad weather and this part of the trail we skip, choosing to head up to the top of the hike, which is where we believe the cemetery to be. Arrival at the Alpine Cemetery/Northern Star Lodge After about an hour and a half, we arrive at a flat area part of the way up the mountain. Here is a wood area with a peaceful forest and we are delighted to finally arrive at the Alpine Cemetery. The Cemetery is enclosed with a fence and has a gate at the front. The name of the cemetery is the Northern Star Lodge. We go inside and explore. Each grave is well designed. It’s a peaceful resting place for those at ease with nature, those people who had an affinity with this park during their lives.

The graves are easy on the eye, unusual for a graveyard I know. This isn’t a bit of gory or horrific backpacking, there is a real sense of peace, happiness and tranquility within. We sign the log book which is inside a visitors box. There were some German tourists here before, but the rest of the signatories are in Russian, I couldn’t see any English writing from tourists who had visited. The graves date back to the 1960s when this cemetery began. The most distinctive grave here is that of a helicopter pilot at the rear left. His helicopter propeller blade has been attached to his grave stone as a mark of respect. Rest in peace. We close the gate and finish the last part of the trail. Again, the views on the way back down are totally sensational. We have probably walked around 6 kilometres but not the full hike, due to the fallen trees and confusion over the exact path, we kind of did part of it as our own hike, but it was great fun! The entire trail that we did took about 2 and a half hours. Y

ou can do it faster, you can also do it slower and veer off the main hiking trail. Lunch in Ala Archa National Park For lunch in Ala Archa National Park, you have three options: 1. Bring your own (cheap) 2. Ask for the price of your tour to include a packed lunch (my choice!) 3. Buy lunch in the Ala Archa Hotel (dear) I’m always keen to sample the local ideas in such places so I chose to try the lunch that the tour companies provide. This proved an excellent choice. It was a tasty rice, beef and carrot meal and we drank water. There is a restaurant in the Ala Archa Hotel, which is a short drive further down from the start of the Cemetery trail. The restaurant in there includes a food menu, coffee and tea and also alcohol. You can choose to stay overnight too, but it’s not that cheap. Most people camp out or stay in one of the summer homes near the park entrance. After eating lunch, we headed to the start of the second trail for the day (part 2 is here), a hike up to the waterfall and canyon further and deeper into these fantastic mountains.