Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: wild and wonderful!
Paul Kirkwood provides five reasons to visit the little-known neighbouring Central Asian states of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
"Why?" was the most common reaction from friends when I told them my son Bertie and I were going on holiday to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (K&K).
"Novelty," I'd reply concisely, then citing the appeal of countries that most people can't spell, name the capitals of, nor accurately place on a map. (Go past Afghanistan and stop before you reach Mongolia, I'd explain).
We'd ventured to Georgia with Wild Frontiers the previous year but this was one step beyond - and what a fantastic trip it was. Probably the best holiday I've ever been on. Every day contained an adventure, experience or surprise.
So, now based on experience, why exactly should you go to K&K?
1. Scenery and hiking
K&K are sometimes described as the Switzerland of Central Asia. The landscape is so lush with the mountains clad in pine trees, perfectly clear, churning rivers and the freshest mountain air. What makes K&K different from the Alps, though, is their quietness and freakish red canyons and rock formations which make for perfect half-day exploration stop-offs on the road trip. Some of them are easier to negotiate than others. I was very grateful to our wise and highly experienced guide Raseikh for leading me, often quite literally by the hand. It would have been easy for him just to have taken us around the main routes but he strayed off the beaten track which I loved. You would really struggle with orientation and feel vulnerable if you were exploring these places on foot on your own.
2. Culture
Yurts and horses are central to K&K culture. You see them wherever you go. Horses are used almost like motorbikes. I particularly enjoyed the visit to a family business where yurt felt is manufactured. The owners prepared a demonstration just for us of the stages involved in simple sheds around the back of their house. Most felts in Kyrgyzstan are made by small, family businesses. There is a strong Chinese influence in K&K too. In Karakol, Kyrgyzstan, we visited a mosque founded by the Dungan people, Chinese Muslims who settled in the region after fleeing war and religious persecution by the Qing Dynasty. We also had dinner in the home of a Dungan family. Completing the cultural picture is the Soviet influence, felt most strongly in Almaty and Bishkek. The austere but fascinating Soviet architecture is to a degree offset by the nearby parks. You pass cemeteries and monuments for the Great Patriotic War in almost every town and village.
3. Variety
I love hiking and sight-seeing but wanted a mix of the two which is what the Wild Frontier's itinerary provided. The demonstrations further added variety. As well as felt-making we went to an eagle hunting demonstration. Again it was arranged just for us and we rendezvoused with the father and son hunters on an empty plain which made the experience feel all the more authentic. Tourism throughout K&K is low-key. We came across pockets of other tourists (mainly from Russia, China and India) at some attractions but when just wandering around the streets barely saw another Westerner. At the beauty spots once you've walked about 20 minutes from the car park you invariably have the place to yourself.
4. Accommodation
Think accommodation is somewhere so far out would be basic? Think again. Without exception the places where we stayed were outstanding and novel in different respects:
- KARKARA MOUNTAIN CAMP YURTS.
Forget the sort of thing you find in a farm field in the UK. Yurts in K&K are the real deal and nowhere more so than here in a valley on the border between the two nations. Our yurt was glamping gone mad. The camp is the type of place celebrities stay on TV travel shows. The tent even had underfloor heating, a hairdryer and traditional, curly-toed felt slippers. My only complaint is that we hadn't had worse weather. For cosiness, our yurt would take some beating!
- ART HOTEL AL HAYAT, KHADJY SAI
Originally built by a Kazakhstani film-maker as somewhere for actors and crew to stay while on location. As a result, there's all manner of props-like ephemera - from televisions to dolls, irons and a diving suit - arranged around the leafy courtyard. Fascinating and so quirky.
- ASHU GUESTHOUSE, CHON KEMIN VALLEY
Peacefully situated, the hotel is a converted farmstead spread over several buildings across a large area. The restaurant includes a wooden balcony that almost feels like part of a safari lodge. Amazingly, facilities include a large indoor swimming pool. We were glad we opted for an extra night here rather than in Bishkek.
- HOTEL KOLSAY GRAND, KOLSAI
The rooms and a patio at the front boast magnificent views of the mountains. I read my book in the evening as shepherds led goats down from the hills.
- GREEN YARD, KARAKOL
Located just outside the town, the hotel is immaculate both inside and out with a serene shady garden for a rest at the end of the day.
5. Surprises
The best of the lot was the beach at Izzyk Kul, the second-largest mountain lake in the world, and just a five-minute walk from the Art Hotel. A jetty extends over the sands, backed by the mountains. Families had fun as the sun went down while a yurt was being constructed at the far end of the beach. My return trip from the second Kolsai Lake was also a tremendous novelty. I'm a slow walker so we didn't arrive until fairly late. Raseikh decided that walking back would take too long so he hired a horse for me. (Some groups visit the lake by horse and one was spare). An expert rider like most Kazakhs, he led the horse back along the steep, narrow, winding wooded valley path and then jumped on behind me and took the reins to take us across rivers. An unforgettable travel experience.
Need to knows
1. Drives. Don't worry about the distances between overnights. We seldom drove for more than a couple of hours without stopping at something to see. It's always interesting looking out the window at the changing landscape and you can always snooze. Having a guide and driver means you get the best of both worlds: all the sense of exploration but without any of the logistical hassles. You would not want to drive yourself in K&K. Our trip was totally stress-free.
2. Timing. Ideally, visit in June. That's when we went. The wildflowers including poppies and vast fields of lavender were spectacular and will disappear by the first week of July. The temperatures were benign too: around 20C in the rural areas, perfect for the hikes. The cities were considerably hotter with temperatures closer to 30C but the heat was tolerable and there's plenty of shade and places to rest in parks. All our walks and wanders were well-paced to suit us.
3. Practicalities. In our experience, K&K are secure, welcoming, calm and friendly countries. Crossing from one to the other is straightforward. It features poker-faced soldiers, barbed wire and sniffing Alsatians but that's all part of the adventure - and was another of those experiences! The majority of places even outside cities take cards. We used cash only as a backup and for tips. You don't need a visa if you're British.
4. Getting there. Living in Yorkshire, it was handy that we could fly from Manchester. Yes: the flights (most via Istanbul or Frankfurt) are long and the cost adds to what's already a big ticket holiday but, ultimately, it's all well worth it.
Paul and his son travelled on a tailor-made trip to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, but we also have group tour options.
