It goes in order of preference, 1 being my favorite activity
1. Go to Arslanbob and cook your favorite Kyrgyz meal with your host
Here, we were cooking Varenik. Why Arslanbob? Because this is one of the villages where you won’t find any hostel or hotel. The only way for you to stay there, is to use the network of accomodations that has been set up by a guy from switzerland a few years ago. In exchange of a “fair” (…for you but big for the country) amount of money you’ll share the house of a family who will take care of you and also cook for you.
2. Visit the markets in the different cities, my favorite ones being Bishkek and Osh
3. Walk from Karakol to Ak-suu (Altyn Arachan)
This is the trek going through Ala kol (kol meaning lake). Set a fire during the night at the first stop, as soon as the fire dies, watch the sky (you’ve never seen that many stars) and enjoy the view along the way (nope, you’re not in the alps ^^)
4. After 9 hours of walking the 2nd day of the Ala kol trek, and after the setting up of your tent, take a 15 minutes break in the hot springs of altyn arachan
5. Go to Song kol
6. Sleep in a yurt
…And discover that the flag of Kyrgyzstan is simply the image of the shape of a yurt roof
7. Go on a horse ridding trip, even if you’ve never done that before !
Yes it hurts, but when you galop in the middle of nowhere, between 2 enormous mountains and a yurt camp, trust me it’s worth it
8. Go on a photo trip in the cemetery of Naryn
I know it’s weird but when the light goes down you’ll discover how amazing the kyrgyz cemeteries look like
9. Take a day to go to the broken heart and the 7 bulls
For lunch, look for Parhat, you’ll find a very nice family who will cook for you and set a yurt for your comfort (The full explanation is in the lonely planet)
10. Go to the water reservoir in toktogul and enjoy an afternoon of swimming