Kyrgyzstan

Nomadic Culture, Alive and Breathing

Kyrgyz nomadic culture is not a museum exhibit; it is a living practice. In summer, families move their yurts to jailoos, the high alpine meadows that have served as seasonal pastures for centuries. Visitors can stay in a traditional yurt, share fermented mare's milk called kymyz, and watch the thundering spectacle of kok-boru, the ancient equestrian game that is part polo, part wrestling, and entirely unforgettable. The national epic, Manas, is longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey combined, and skilled manaschi storytellers still recite it from memory.

Bishkek and the Silk Road South

The capital Bishkek is a lively, tree-lined city with a surprisingly good cafe scene, vibrant bazaars, and the magnificent Ala-Too Square anchored by a view of snowy peaks. Heading south, the ancient city of Osh sits at a Silk Road crossroads and has traded continuously for over three thousand years. The Jayma Bazaar stretching along the Ak-Buura River is one of Central Asia's most atmospheric markets, piled with spices, felt carpets, and mountains of dried fruit. Nearby, the sacred Sulayman Mountain rises abruptly from the city and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Issyk-Kul and the Wild Interior

Lake Issyk-Kul is the second largest alpine lake in the world and never freezes, even in the depths of a Central Asian winter. Its southern shore is ringed by the jagged Terskey Ala-Too range, while its northern coast is dotted with resorts and petroglyphs carved by peoples who passed through long before any modern state existed. Further into the interior, the Karakol region offers trekking routes through some of the most dramatic landscapes in Asia, with gorges, flower meadows, and peaks over five thousand metres all within a day's walk of each other.