Song Kol Horse Trek Adventure

DAY 1: KOCHKOR VILLAGE – KASHKA-SUU – TOLOK PASS – KILEMCHE SUMMER CAMP 

Distance: 40-min driving/4-5-hrs horse riding     Meals: L, D               Accommodation: yurt camp

We depart from Kochkor at 09:00 and drive to Kashka-Suu village, a journey of approximately 1.5 hours. Here we meet our horse trekking team and begin our five-day horseback adventure towards the high-altitude Song-Kol Lake.
Today’s route takes us across Tolok Pass (3,227 m) and towards the beautiful Kilemche Jailoo. Song-Kol lies at an altitude of 3,016 metres and during the summer months its surrounding pastures are used by shepherd families from different regions of Kyrgyzstan. The name Kilemche means “like a carpet”, perfectly describing the wide green pastures covering the surrounding mountain slopes.
By evening, we arrive at our camp, where dinner will be waiting for us.

DAY 2: KILEMCHE – AK-TASH PASS – JAMAN-ECHKI – SONG-KOL – BATAI-ARAL

Riding distance: 6-hours      Meals: B,L, D                Accommodation: yurt camp

After breakfast at Kilemche, we begin our climb towards Ak-Tash Pass (3,450 m) across the Song-Kol mountain range. The ascent offers beautiful views over Kilemche Jailoo, while from the higher slopes the vast Song-Kol basin gradually comes into view.
As we descend towards the lake, Song-Kol appears larger and larger against the surrounding mountain ranges. We continue to Jaman-Echki, where we stop for lunch with local shepherds. Afterwards, our horseback journey continues across Zhalgyz-Karagai Pass (3,400 m) before descending towards the lake and riding to the Batai-Aral area.
In the evening, we settle into our yurt camp near Song-Kol.

DAY 3: BATAI-ARAL – KUMDU-SUU

Riding distance: 5-hours      Meals: B, L, D                Accommodation: yurt camp

After breakfast, we continue our horseback journey from Batai-Aral towards Kumdu-Suu. Today’s route follows the open high-altitude pastures around Song-Kol, with wide views across the lake and the surrounding mountain ranges.
Along the way, we will see shepherd families, grazing horses and livestock that spend the summer months on the rich jailoo pastures around the lake. We will stop for lunch in a local shepherd’s yurt before continuing our ride across the open landscape towards Kumdu-Suu. By late afternoon, we arrive at our yurt camp, where we can relax and enjoy another peaceful evening in the mountains.

DAY 4: KUMDU-SUU – KOK-SHALTAI GORGE – KARAGAI TAM

Riding distance: 5-hours      Meals: B, L,D                Accommodation: Yurt camp

After breakfast, we continue our horseback journey through the beautiful high-altitude landscapes of Song-Kol towards Kok-Shaltai Gorge. Along the way, we ride through wide summer pastures surrounded by mountain ranges and enjoy panoramic views of Song-Kol Lake. We will stop for a picnic lunch and a short rest in a scenic spot along the route. In the afternoon, we continue riding through remote mountain valleys and gorges, gradually leaving the lakeshore behind. By evening, we arrive in the Karagai-Tam area, where we settle into our camp, enjoy dinner and relax after another rewarding day on horseback.

DAY 5: KARAGAI-TAM – KICHI-SHATY PASS – TEGEREK-SAZ – KOCHKOR

Distance: 5-hrs riding/2-hrs driving    Meals: B, L

After breakfast, we begin the final day of our horseback adventure. From Karagai-Tam, we ride through a picturesque mountain gorge towards Kichi-Shaty Pass, enjoying beautiful views of green alpine meadows, mountain slopes and spruce forests along the way.
We will stop for a short rest and a light lunch before continuing towards Tegerek-Saz. Here, our five-day horseback journey comes to an end and a vehicle will be waiting to meet us. After saying goodbye to our horses and horse trekking team, we drive back to Kochkor, marking the end of our Song-Kol horseback adventure. Arrival in Kochkor at 17:00. 

Price for the Song-Kul Horse Trek Adventure

*Our group tours run with a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 travelers.
If the group size is smaller, we’ll contact you to offer alternative options — such as joining another group or confirming the tour at a different rate.
Private tours are available upon request at a different cost.

Included: 
– 4-nights in a yurt
– Transport from Kochkor to the trek starting point and back
– English Speaking Guide
– Horseman + Horses
– Full meals except dinner on the last day
– Gas for tea

Not included: 
– Hotel and meals in Bishkek and Kochkor
– Transport from/to Bishkek-Kochkor (120$)
– Bottled water
– Insurance
– Tips
– Sleeping bags
– Horse riding gear, such as helmets

Summer 2027 Group Tours are now open for booking!

Tour price: 850 USD per person
100% guaranteed departure with just 5 travelers.
Lock in your trip with a $200 deposit now. Terms and conditions

If you have any questions or booking issues,  please contact us.  

What to Expect:

Yurts Sleeping in a traditional Kyrgyz yurt is a highlight for many travelers. One yurt usually sleeps 5-6 people and you will sleep on mats on the ground with blankets piled on top. Toilets are outside, so be sure to have a headlamp with you to navigate there at night.

Food Most of the meals on this tour are home-cooked and provided by a yurt camp, homestay, or guesthouse. These traditional Kyrgyz meals usually include some sort of meat (often beef) served with potatoes, rice, or homemade noodles. Fresh bread rounds are also a must at every meal and you’ll often find homemade jams and traditional sour cream to go with this.

Vegetarian food Yurt stays is able to cook vegetarian food. You should inform the company and guide in advance. In general, let us know if you have any specific preferences about food.

Drinking Water There are clean mountain springs along the trail where we can refill water bottles. You can take cleaning powders as well to clean river/spring waters. Yurt stays will provide boiled water if needed. Drink as much water as possible to avoid dehydration

Difficulty The trail terrain has ups and downs, not a flat. You will cross four passes during the trek. At a few places, the trail has scree and steep slopes. There you should get off the horse and walk those parts. Your guide will remind you. Some skilled riders can go over these difficult parts without getting off. 

Guide You always have a guide and horsemen on this trek. Guides will provide you with all the necessary information and be with you to make sure everything is OK and safe. All the guides speak a good English and a little bit of Russian. They have at least three year’s guiding experience.

Weather and season The best season for this trek is from June to mid-September. It gets + 10 to 20 at night during the best season. We also run this trek even in mid-May and late September with some snow on the high passes. The weather changes frequently on the high passes and gets windy so make sure to keep your bellies and stomach warm while crossing the high passes not get cold to your stomach. If you do get a cold, then you will have digestion issues.

Luggage We ask all to leave all the unnecessary luggage in Kochkor village at your guesthouse and take the items needed for the trek. You can take two bags: a small day backpack carried by you where you put your bottled water, wallet, and other personal items, and a bigger backpack carried by luggage horses where you can put your clothes, pants, sleeping bag, and other items. The bigger backpacks carried by horse should weigh 10 to 15 kilos. Horses have special bags designed for the trek. Each horse carries about 60 to 70 kilos.

High Altitude Sickness Some of the clients come from low-altitude countries. Sleeping at 3000 meters high might cause some headache issues. You should judge your health. Otherwise, the first night is at 2500 meters. High altitude sickness usually happens above 3000 meters in elevations. The second night is at 3000 meters, so your nights at 2500 meters on day 1  will get you used to this elevation. 

Sleeping bag Yurt stays have blankets to cover up at night. However, having your own sleeping bag is handy. You can rent from us if you don’t have one.