Be A Nomad Horse Trek
Spend three days on horseback like a Kyrgyz nomad, exploring the heart of the rugged Alay Mountains in the south of Kyrgyzstan. Spend two nights in yurts with Kyrgyz host families who spend their summers tending and protecting their herds of sheep, cattle, and horses. On the third day, summit Kum Bell Pass and enjoy the sweeping expanse of the Alay Mountains unfolded on all sides.
Destination: Alay Mountains, Osh region, Southern Kyrgyzstan
Itinerary: Osh city – Alay Mountains – Osh city
Title: Be A Nomad
Type: Horse Trek
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Distance: 32 km
Max elevation: 3150 m
Min elevation: 1686 m
Total Gain/Loss: 2111m + / 2834m –
Season: May – October
Starting Point: N40° 14.702′ E73° 19.154′
Horse Trek Map
DAY 1: OSH CITY – KARA BULAK VILLAGE – TEPSHI YURT CAMP
Riding distance/time: 12 km / 4 hours, Max Elevation: 2854 m, Min Elevation: 1654 m,
Total Gain/Loss: 1218 m+ / 154 m-
Start your ride up a dirt road after driving to Gulcha from Osh along the Pamir Highway. The road follows the Kara Bulak stream towards the Tepshi camp, passing shepherds’ yurts set up among junipers. Near the top of the climb, you will leave the road for a trail ascending the ridge on the left. Here, you will eat lunch and enjoy the rugged mountains of the Alay across the gorge formed by the Gulcha river. At the end of the ridge, you will descend into the Tepshi camp to meet with your host for the night. Dinner. Overnight in a yurt camp at 2710m.
DAY 2: TO SARY OI CAMP OVER AIRY BELL PASS
Riding distance/time: 14 km / 4 hours, Max Elevation: 2956 m, Min Elevation: 1903 m,
Total Gain/Loss: 613 m + / 1087 m-
Breakfast. Start the day heading up to Airy Bell Pass on a small trail starting from your yurt. A steep, hour-long ride will bring you to the summit and an impressive panorama of the Kum Bell Mountains to the west. Descend to the Cholo Kaiyng Gorge and stop for lunch. In the gorge, a dirt road follows a small river to the Sary Oi camp. Arrive at your yurts and join your hosts in the daily activities of nomads. Dinner. Overnight in a yurt camp at 2270m.
DAY 3: TO CHYYIRCHYK PASS – OSH CITY
Riding distance/time: 15 km / 5 hours, Max Elevation: 3130 m, Min Elevation: 1000 m,
Total Gain/Loss: 996 m + / 795 m-,
Breakfast. Ride 2hr to get to the Kum Bell pass at 3150 m. See shepherds busy with making bread and milking mares. Have lunch at the top of the pass. Enjoy the stunning beauty of great Alay Valley. Ride down to Chyyirchyk pass, 2 hr. Meet your driver and drive to Osh city, 1 hr. Stay in a hotel
Price of the Be A Nomad Horse Trek
Number of people | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Price per person in USD | 550 | 425 | 360 | 320 |
Included:
– Shared accommodation in a yurt camp 2 nights
– All meals as indicated in itinerary*
– Private transport from/to Osh
– Horses + horseman (horseman is for more than 2 people)
– English-speaking guide
Not included:
– Helmet
– Tips
– Bottled water
– Travel and Health Insurance
*Please let us know in advance if you are vegetarian/vegan or if you have food allergies.
Join the following groups for summer 2025
If the following dates do not suit your travel plans, please contact us by email or WhatsApp. We will post a new tour with your dates and try to collect more people to join you to share the costs. Or you can check out our other Kyrgyzstan group tours.
Reviews of our Horse Trek Tours
We had a wonderful guide and two horsemen during our trip. We had very little (essentially zero) horseback riding experience and the terrain was rugged sometimes, with steep drop-offs. I have a fear of heights, but was ok on the horse.
The journey itself is beautiful. More parts of it than I thought had no obvious trail – you are going over grass or stones. There were two about 10-11,000 ft passes that we went over.
The yurts were all great. Typically only one yurt for guests and a resident family that was authentically living the herding lifestyle.
Food was great and appropriate. Bathrooms were surprisingly clean. We didn’t see any other tourists on our trip.
It was a mind blowing experience and one of the best times of my life. Timur as my guide was fantastic and outstanding. He took us through some amazing landscapes with breathtaking views. Thanks to him, I took back some cherished memories for a life time
I will highly recommend this trek and Timur to any one who wants to do something different in their travels.
Trust me, you are missing something if you don’t do this
FAQ: Practical Information about Horse Treks in Kyrgyzstan
Yes, most of our horse treks are beginner-friendly. Our local horse guides will match you with a calm, gentle horse and making sure you feel comfortable with it. Before heading out, you’ll get basic instructions on how to manage, guide and control the horse. We’ll adjust your saddle and stirrups so you feel comfortable and secure.
The pace of our horse treks is generally walk-only or light trot so there is no crazy galloping. In addition, our horse guides will assist you with any challenging assents or descents. That way you can focus on enjoying the scenery and the ride.
You’ll want to dress similarly for a horse trek as to how you would for a hike or trek on foot, with a few considerations for riding comfort. It actually feels a bit colder riding a horse than hiking because you’re not generating as much body heat, so bring warm layers even if the day is mild.
Wear long pants (jeans or durable trekking pants) to protect your legs from friction against the saddle. On your upper body, dress in layers – a t-shirt or light long-sleeve, plus a fleece or light jacket you can put on when it’s cooler. A rain jacket or poncho is important too as weather can change quickly in the mountains. Sturdy shoes or lightweight boots with a small heel are ideal. Hiking boots are good. Just avoid completely flat sandals or open-toed shoes for safety in the stirrups. We provide basic riding gear, but we recommend bringing some light gloves to help prevent blisters from holding the reins.
In summary, the best way to prepare for a horse trek is to dress warm, cover up from sun and chafing, and be ready for mountain weather. Our team will brief you on what to bring specific to your route as well.
Western riders often ask about helmets. In Kyrgyzstan, locals typically don’t use riding helmets, and we do not automatically provide them. If a helmet is important to you, please bring a lightweight equestrian helmet or we can try to source one with advance notice.
Our priority is safety and the well-being of the horses and riders, so fast galloping is generally not part of our horse treks. Many of the areas where we ride are narrow mountain trails, steep slopes, and rocky terrain. It’s simply not safe or feasible to go faster than a walking pace or gentle trot on these mountain terrains. The horses need to navigate carefully to avoid injury.
Toward the end of a day or on certain flat stretches where the terrain is open and safe, our guides may allow an experienced rider to do a short canter or gallop for fun. This is always at the guide’s discretion. Keep in mind these horses are working at high altitude and on tough paths, so we don’t want to exhaust them with a lot of fast riding or galloping. We ask guests to be understanding and gentle with the animals.
Expect a leisurely pace on our horse treks so that you can take in the scenery and experience. The joy of horse trekking here is less about speed and more about reaching beautiful remote places on horseback, like alpine lakes or jailoo (high altitude) pastures, which would be arduous or take a long time to reach on foot.
Yes, we can arrange short horseback riding excursions as well. We understand that everyone might now have time for a multi-day trek or that they just want a taste of horseback riding in Kyrgyzstan for a couple of hours.These are often included as side activities on one of our cultural tours. For example, we could add a horseback riding trip outside of Karakol or at Song-Kul Lake for the day.
For any custom short horseback riding trip, just contact us and we’ll see if we can add it to your itinerary.
We recommend the following packing list for a horse trek.
- Warm clothes and layers as it gets warm during the day, but can go below freezing at night and when it rains
- Good trekking shoes • Day pack to carry camera, water, sunscreen, etc.
- Sun protection as the sun is very strong at altitude: Sunglasses, sunscreen (SPF 30 or above), and a sun hat /cap
- Water and windproof jacket and pants. It gets especially windy on the mountain passes
- Medical kit for treating blisters, traveler’s diarrhea and other minor illnesses.
- Water purification tablets or drops if you want to clean the spring water
- Refillable water bottle • Lip balm: your lips get chapped very easily in the mountains
- Wet wipes and/or anti-bacterial gel to clean hands
- Hat and gloves to wear at night for warmth
- Head lamp to navigate campsite and yurt camps at night
- Warm sleeping bag (we provide you with this if you don’t have one). Yurts and homestays provide blankets.