The Best Part of My Kyrgyzstan Trip – Don’t Skip Son Kul Lake

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Having never been to Kyrgyzstan or even Central Asia before this year, I did something I don’t normally do, which is book onto a guided small group tour. I am usually confident with planning solo self-guided trips, but this time I was overwhelmed by the logistics of reaching multiple remote places, some of which are not accessible on public transportation. Since I can’t speak Kyrgyz or Russian, I also wondered if I would miss out on learning directly from local people about the way they live.

I had been following one of the tour leaders on social media for many years and was always blown away by her beautiful photos of Kyrgyzstan, so I had a level of trust in the company she partners with and figured I couldn’t go wrong if I followed in their footsteps (they did not ask me to write about them nor pay me to go on the trip).

Most of my trips are centered on hiking and adventure travel, but this time I wanted to prioritize learning about a culture that’s unfamiliar to me. Instead of one of their trekking adventures, I chose an itinerary that would expose me to many different angles of the country. We began and ended in the capital city of Bishkek, but also experienced small villages, day hiking from our tent basecamp in the mountains near Karakol, cultural demonstrations with an eagle hunter and a family of traditional musicians, horseback riding, and staying in yurt camps in multiple environments, including along the sunny beach of Issyk Kul Lake and the moody, sweeping steppe that enfolds Son Kul Lake.

I loved a lot of the activities on this tour, especially the cultural demonstrations, but I think my absolute favorite part of our 10-day Kyrgyzstan itinerary was staying at the Son Kul Lake yurt camps. It says a lot that I am picking this experience over the hiking portion of the trip! If you are in the planning stages of your own Kyrgyzstan adventure, here’s why I wouldn’t skip Son Kul.

*Note that my itinerary only explored the northeastern region of the country. We did not visit Osh or hike in the Alay mountain range, which are popular things to do in southwestern Kyrgyzstan. 

Although I used to work for a tour operator in the States, the only previous time I joined a group tour abroad was in Jordan with Intrepid, which I learned a ton from and would recommend. Their Kyrgyzstan trips were too expensive for me in comparison to the Journal of Nomads/Kyrgyz Nomad Travel trip. KNT is a local operator; payments go directly to guides and are not funneled through a large corporation (although “large” isn’t always bad; Intrepid contracts out to local operators and is very focused on sustainability and giving back to communities). If you are thinking of booking with KNT, it was overall a good choice, with some idiosyncrasies. Feel free to DM me with any questions about pros and cons. This article will include information about visiting Son Kul Lake self-guided, too, in case you prefer not to go on a tour.

Why Visit Son Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan?

If you’ve never been to Kyrgyzstan before, the names of the different lakes, towns, and mountain ranges might mean little to you at first. Travelers posting to online forums often ask whether to prioritize Issyk Kul Lake vs. Son Kul Lake. A quick Google will tell you that Issyk Kul Lake is the largest lake in Kyrgyzstan, one of the largest “high mountain lakes” in the world, and the eighth-deepest lake in the world. It’s also historically significant for perhaps spawning the birth of the Black Plague, which would have traveled from here to other countries via the Silk Road trading routes. The coolest thing about Issyk Kul, for me personally, is the immense amount of archaeological finds that have been made here. Tons of the items on display at the State History Museum in Bishkek are from Issyk Kul. For all these reasons, many tourists expect that it’s a “must-visit” and will prioritize Issyk Kul Lake on their Kyrgyzstan itineraries.

There are certainly cool things to do at Issyk Kul Lake, including swimming, staying at a beachside yurt camp, finding petroglyphs, or hiking at Fairytale Canyon (“Skazka” Canyon). It seems that most eagle hunting demonstrations also take place here; this is where we had ours. However, Issyk Kul gave me major beach holiday vibes. Temperatures are much hotter here at 5,272 feet (1,607 meters) than at the higher elevation Son Kul Lake at 9,895 feet (3,016 meters). People mainly come to Issyk Kul’s shores to sunbathe, which is a common thing to see at other destinations all around the world. You don’t necessarily need to come all the way to Kyrgyzstan to do that. I also found the yurt camps to be especially touristy around Issyk Kul and not representative of the true nature of nomadic yurt living.

Son Kul Lake, on the other hand, felt singular. You’d think the region’s sweeping grassy hills are worlds away from the desert-like canyons of Issyk Kul. As we drove up into the mountains, villages fell away into the distance until they disappeared completely. We wound higher and higher until the route became flat, then traversed miles of valleys filled with grazing horses and the occasional crop of yurts. Finally we came upon Son Kul Lake and continued parallel to its shore until we reached our specific yurt camp tucked away in a private alcove between prominences.

The atmosphere here is moody and romantic and reminded me more of Scotland or the Faroe Islands than of other parts of Kyrgyzstan, which usually looks like Colorado, Wyoming, or the Alps when you’re near Karakol, or like Utah or Nevada when you’re near Issyk Kul. A storm brewing overhead created a mystical fog, except where light burst through the clouds to shine on distant mountains. Nomads rode by on horses as I walked to Son Kul’s shore to dip my feet. After the rain began and I made my way back towards the yurts, a lone rider with an extra horse stopped and asked if I wanted a ride, which of course I accepted. When dismounting back at the yurts, a puppy ran out to greet me.

Could it have been any more idyllic?

Son Kul Lake has been called the “jewel of the jailoos.” A jailoo is a high altitude summertime pasture where Kyrgyz nomads take their herds to graze.

Things to Do at Son Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan

Try Kyrgyz Food at the Yurt Camps

If you book an overnight stay at a yurt camp, one of the yurts will serve as the mealtime location. Inside, you’ll sit on cushions around a beautifully decorated table to partake in tea, coffee (in the mornings), soups, porridge or milk-based broths, breads, rice- or meat-based dishes, and borsok/boortsog, a pastry-like fried dough snack.

If they serve it, you have to try kumis (kumys/kymyz), which is a fermented mare’s milk. This is an important traditional drink in Kyrgyzstan, so much so that the oddly-shaped leather container it’s stored in, the kookor, has in itself become a national symbol. I saw this shape everywhere during my trip, including on their currency, and kept wondering, “what’s so significant about this ‘Thor’s hammer’?”

If you don’t get a chance to try kumis at a yurt camp, swing my the Navat restaurant in Bishkek, where they give out complimentary shot glasses of it before your meal. I actually really liked kumis although it doesn’t sound appealing when you describe it as having a sour, salty, yogurt-y taste.

Horseback Ride Between Camps

Horseback riding is an obligatory thing to do at Son Kul Lake, considering horses are integral to thousands of years of nomadic tradition in Kyrgyzstan. Our tour group drove to Son Kul, slept overnight in a yurt camp, did a gorgeous 4-hour horse ride from our camp to another camp on Son Kul, slept overnight at the new camp, and then drove back out. However, it’s possible to book a horseback riding tour to reach Son Kul in the first place instead of driving all the way in; read ways to book below.

Our ride started on the shore of the lake and followed a dirt road into the hills until we began to ascend them, leaving any semblance of a trail behind. At the top, panoramic views of the lake were unveiled before us, prompting many “wows” to escape our lips. This was our backdrop as we swept down the other side and over to our second yurt camp.

The saddles and bridles were very different from the ones I’m used to in the States! The reins were short and I could hold them without any extra slack falling over my hands. Kyrgyz riders tend to shorten the stirrups so that your knees are at a more severe angle than I was taught to wear them when I was a competition rider growing up. This made it hard to keep my heels down and my knees started to ache; during a break in the ride I asked for them to be lengthened, which took some creativity since it was already at the lowest punched hole.

The horses were easy to handle and even people in my group who had not ridden much before seemed to have no trouble. Before we set off, we were given an overview of how to lead the horses (which is quite universal) and what commands they’ll respond to. If anyone’s horse was feeling lazy and they started to fall behind, guides rode up next to them on their own horses as a way to put some pressure on, as if to herd us along.

Be prepared for any weather conditions during your ride. When we began, it was cold enough for me to wear multiple layers, though I warmed up in the afternoon and put my warm jacket and hat in my backpack. Everyone also carried a rain jacket and rain pants just in case.

Swim in Son Kul Lake

You can swim at Son Kul Lake, but it’s a much different experience than swimming at the warmer Issyk Kul Lake. With such a stunning backdrop, though, it’s hard to pass up the opportunity for an adventurous plunge! 

From most yurt camps, the walk to the shore is only between 2-10 minutes and you would simply shiver your way into the water at whatever entrance point suits you best. The shore may be rocky, pebbley, or slippery; try not to fall in before you’re ready to rip the band-aid off! I brought water shoes along since I was doing a hike later that required river crossings, and it helped to wear these in the lake. Towels are not provided at the camps, so come prepared with your own.

Play Games

The second yurt camp we stayed at had a volleyball net set up, plus a volleyball and a soccer ball laying around. We instigated fierce battle rounds of both sports, enlisting Spanish tourists (the only other tourists at the camp) and a young Kyrgyz boy, perhaps the owner of the ball, to join us. He kicked all our butts.

The boy spoke some English so we were able to ask him questions about his life. He said he lives at the camp in the summers and goes to school in the village in the winters. He has been learning English in school, but also by interacting with tourists like us.

Snuggle with Puppies!

At both yurt camps I played with puppies and dogs, which was clearly the best part of the whole trip for me, as always 😭 (remember the sled dog puppy I met in Greenland?). The puppies will grow up to help protect and shepherd the livestock. One morning I watched the dogs help a man round up his horses for milking.

Ramble in the Hills

There are vast hills to roam if you feel like enjoying your solitude and going for a hike, although if you prefer not to stray too far from the camps, it will be more of an aimless ramble. I’m not aware of many official trails (here’s one) apart from those that lead to and from the villages, but you are free to choose your own adventure. Some of the group members on my tour picked a random hill in the distance and made it a goal to summit it.

How to Visit Son Kul Lake in Kyrgyzstan

Driving to Son Kul Lake

OunTravela wrote an awesome guide about how to access Son Kul Lake by road. I defer to them because it was not necessary for me to learn the driving route myself; our tour group was shuttled there in a van by our guide. 

I was really glad to have a driver because some of the serpentine cliffside curves were very sharp and narrow, and they continued on for awhile. I even got a bit car sick on the return journey. If you’re prone to car sickness, you may want to come prepared with an anti-nausea prescription. The route did not feel as precarious as some roads I’ve driven in Colorado, so renting a 4×4 vehicle and doing the drive yourself is not out of the question. Other travelers do this (3 different linked examples there), but I personally would have felt nervous and uncomfortable with it.

Horseback Riding to Son Kul Lake

Horseback riding to reach Son Kul Lake is a fun alternative. Most of these guided tours will be multi-day trips, at least 2 days or longer (Journal of Nomads does say that it’s possible to book a one-day horse trip, but I haven’t been able to find one online. They also explain how to rent a horse for just a few hours once you’ve already arrived at a Son Kul yurt camp via driving or hiking). You can begin a multi-day horseback ride from Kochkor or Kyzart.

You should be able to book a horseback riding trip to Son Kul Lake in-person once you reach those villages, but some tour operators offer advanced booking online:

3 days horse back riding to Song-Kul lake – Kyrgyz Nature Travel Company
2 days Horseback riding to Song Kol lake from Kyzart village – Kyzart Travel

These tours involve being driven to Son Kul, then horseback riding during your stay:
From Bishkek: 2-Day Son Kul Lake Tour with Horse Riding – Atlas Kg
The magnificent and mystic Son Kol lake in 2 days – Ventura Tours Kyrgyzstan
2-Days in Song Kul Lake as Nomad – horseback riding & Yurt stay – Datka Travel

Kyrgyz Riders Travel Company has great reviews and several Son Kul Lake horseback adventures to choose from.

Hiking to Son Kul Lake

You can even hike all the way to Son Kul from the village of Kyzart; most routes will take at least 2 days. Download GPX tracks from AllTrails and upload them to an offline navigation application prior to your trek.

A note about maps: I usually use GAIA for offline navigation, but in Kyrgyzstan it wouldn’t provide much topographical detail. This is the first time I found GAIA lacking. Other members of my group were using alternatives like Mapy.cz and had an easier time. When exploring cities, I usually use Apple Maps or Google Maps, but I also found these to be extremely lacking in Bishkek. Maps.me is the superior choice. While we’re on the subject of apps – download Yandex Taxi in advance if you will need a taxi to/from Manas Airport in Bishkek. It’s basically Uber and very affordable, whereas taxi drivers who try to pick you up onsite will rip you off.

Yurt Camps and Wildcamping at Son Kul Lake

Travelers looking for insight into the nomadic lifestyle typically opt to book an overnight stay at a yurt camp. I’m sure there are arguments to be made about what constitutes “authenticity,” but I felt the two Son Kul yurt camps I stayed at were about as close as you could possibly get to having a real taste of semi-nomadic life in Kyrgyzstan, bearing in mind that you are still a paying tourist. I was pleasantly surprised by this because I remember being slightly disappointed to find that the Bedouin camps I visited in Jordan were extremely geared towards tourism to the point where it felt like a revolving door, like you are cattle being shuttled through until their next visitors arrive to replace you.

I say “semi-nomadic” because most families who live at the summer yurt camps will pack up and stay in nearby villages in the winter. You can still visit Son Kul Lake in the winter, but it will be a totally different experience. Snowy photos I’ve seen make it look harsh, but stunning and even more isolated and quiet than usual.

Community-Based Tourism (CBT) Kyrgyzstan is one place to start if you want to book a yurt stay directly with local families, but according to this review, it may not necessarily be any more or less ethical to go through CBT. Anyone you book through is ultimately just going to connect you to those same camps.

I would obviously highly recommend a yurt camp stay since I enjoyed my trip so much. However, if you want to save money you are allowed to wildcamp in your own tent at Son Kul Lake.

I think if you are going to wildcamp, it would be respectful to keep it far away from where people are living and conducting business. We saw some tents that were way too close to a yurt camp and their animals, in my opinion. I know that it’s not like you’re pitching a tent on someone’s private property considering the nomadic people seasonally put up and take down their yurts in much the same fashion, but the yurt camps are part of their livelihood now, plus the animals they own are grazing and roaming these lands. It does indeed feel like “their” land, which tourists are guests on. I can’t speak for how the Kyrgyz people feel about it though; maybe they don’t care where you pitch.

Whatever you choose, note that you will not have access to showers, wifi, or power outlets for charging your phone. At the yurt camps, there are outhouse buildings with pit toilets and usually there is some kind of “sink” setup with cached water. The outhouses at the camps I visited had toilets you can actually sit on, but elsewhere in Kyrgyzstan, it’s a squat situation with a hole in the ground. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find this at some camps at Son Kul. If you are wildcamping, I would assume the best way to handle your business is to Leave No Trace – dig a cathole, bury waste, and pack out any toilet paper or wet wipes. It can get pretty cold at Son Kul even in the summer and especially at night, so bring layers!

Learn About Son Kul Lake at the State History Museum

When I visited the State History Museum in Bishkek after my guided trip was over, I was pleased to find that many artifacts on display here are from the Son Kul Lake region! My photo gallery shows 3rd-5th century amulets and an 8th century saddle recovered from Son Kul and Kochkor Valley.

This museum is massive, with four floors of artifacts. It’s organized to take you through Kyrgyzstan’s history chronologically, with Stone Age artifacts on the bottom floor and 20th century information on the top floor. It’s a treasure trove of archaeological interest and has thorough interpretive signs in English that explain each phase of the country’s development, from the Saka tribes, to the Great Migration and Kenkol culture, Turkic Khaganate, battles with the Mogul Khanate, Djungarian Khanate, and Kokand Khanate, and diplomatic relations with the Qing Empire and Russian Empire.

🏨 I used Hostelworld to find budget hostels in Kyrgyzstan. I stayed at Bodo Hostel in Bishkek and would recommend them; they let me store luggage while away on my guided trip, and I did in-house laundry there upon return.
📱 I used an Airalo eSIM for affordable international cell data in Kyrgyzstan, which worked very well in towns and cities but not in remote places like Son Kul. I doubt anyone can get cell signal there.
✈️ I am nomadic and fly a lot, and the worst flight cancellation/delay experience I’ve ever had in my life was with Turkish Airlines when trying to reach Bishkek. Other group members who flew with Pegasus also had a nightmarish time. Don’t forget to protect your investment with travel insurance.

Regardless of how you choose to experience Son Kul Lake, I expect you’ll feel a real sense of peace in this spellbinding landscape and enjoy interacting with anyone you happen to meet. The families at the Son Kul yurt camps were laid back and welcoming. 

This was not always true in other parts of the country, to be honest; a waitress once “shushed” me, and a camp host at Ala Kul immediately shooed away a couple of tourists before they could even verbalize their question (I think there can be a funny cultural difference when it comes to what Westerners expect from “customer service”). 

But at Son Kul, there is a slower pace of life. Perhaps everyone who comes to the steppe finds themselves at ease. It’s hard not to spend time contemplating the majesty and stark simplicity of this environment, and a thoughtful state of mind trickles out through your nervous system, encouraging you to relax and be grateful.

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