Day 1: Kochkor → Kyzart, horseback 4-5 hours to Kilemche jailoo, yurt overnight. Day 2: horseback 5-6 hours over Jalgyz-Karagai pass to Song-Kul, yurt on the shore. Day 3: horseback back to the vehicle, transfer to Kochkor.
Highlights
Full route
Day-by-day itinerary
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Day 1: Kochkor – Kyzart – Kilemche Jailoo
Morning departure from Kochkor to Kyzart Pass (1.5 hours). Start the 2-day trek towards Song-Kul ("The Final Lake") — a mountain lake in the Tian-Shan at 3016 m, used by shepherds from Kochkor, Jumgal, Naryn and At-Bashy as a summer jailoo. The first stage follows the Kilemche Jailoo, whose name means "like a carpet" — a swathe of grass covering whole ranges with shadings as subtle as any shyrdak (Kyrgyz felt carpet). Lunch en route. Dine and sleep in a yurt on the jailoo.
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Day 2: Kilemche – Jalgyz-Karagai Pass – Song-Kul Lake (Batai-Aral)
After breakfast at Kilemche, climb to the Jalgyz-Karagai Pass (3400 m) over the Song-Kul Mountains and drop into the lake's basin. The morning ascent opens wonderful views of the Kilemche jailoo; the pass itself is rocky and exciting. From the pass, Song-Kul is still distant, but as the trail descends the lake grows larger and the southern mountains tower above it. Lunch at Jaman-Echki, then a short transfer along the lakeshore east to the yurt camp at Batai-Aral. Meet the host shepherd family — dinner and overnight in a shepherd's yurt.
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Day 3: Song-Kul – Kochkor
A rest day at the lakeshore. Watch or take part in everyday life on the jailoo: milking mares, making kymyz (fermented mare's milk) and airan (sour thick milk), tending cattle. Lunch is served at the yurt; afterwards there is time to stroll along the lakeshore and hope the legendary Song-Kul weather stays kind. In the afternoon, transfer by vehicle back to Kochkor Village (about 2.5 hours). End of the tour.
Route and transfers
| Day | From → to | km | Time | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kochkor → Kyzart Pass | 60 | 1.2 h | by car |
| 1 | Kyzart Pass → Tuzashuu Yurt Camp (Son-Kul) | 0 | — | on foot / horseback |
| 2 | Tuzashuu Yurt Camp (Son-Kul) → Batay-Aral | 0 | — | on foot / horseback |
| 3 | Batay-Aral → Kochkor | 110 | 2.2 h | by car |
About 170 km in total. Distances and drive times come from our road map of Kyrgyzstan.