We looked out from the door of our yurt to see the second largest lake in Kyrgyzstan. On the far side of Song Kul we could see the snow-capped mountains of the Song Kul Too Range. Behind us, horses and cows were grazing in the green hills. Staying in a yurt in a high alpine meadow that is next to a mountain lake is the quintessential Kyrgyzstan experience.
Note: Kul is the word for lake in many of the Central Asian languages so you will hear this word a few times in upcoming posts.
Yurts have been used by nomads in Central Asia for over 3,000 years. As in many high alpine meadows across Kyrgyzstan, there are a few other yurt camps in the meadow around Song Kul. The camps belong to Kyrgyz nomads who bring their livestock to graze in the high alpine meadows, called jailoos, each summer. Song Kul is located at 3,018m and the owners of the yurt camp we stayed at have been grazing their animals here each summer for generations.
In addition to being their summer homes, many of the yurt camps at Song Kul offer accommodations and meals for tourists. Its a great way for them to earn more income as well as letting tourists get a closer look at this fascinating lifestyle. We stayed two nights in a private yurt and it was one of our favourite experiences in Kyrgyzstan.
Yurts have a wooden frame (willow or birch) with a lattice style base that is about 4 feet high. Attached to this are curved wooden ribs that are brought together in a round patterned roof. They are traditionally covered in felt and wool. The cross pattern on the roof, called tunduk, is the emblem on Kyrgyzstan’s flag. This shows how much these yurts are a part of their culture. The outside is covered in a thick, waterproof shell with flaps that can open up the centre of the roof to allow in natural light.
Some are decorated inside with bright carpets and fabrics on the walls, but ours was a little more plain.
At this high elevation, it was quite chilly at night, but our yurt was kept toasty inside by a stove. First they used dried cow dung as a fire starter. Once the dung has started to burn, someone returned with coals that would slowly burn throughout the night.
A storm blew in one night, but our yurt kept us warm and dry.
It is such a peaceful area and the lake was a lovely place to go for a quiet walk. From the lakeshore we could hear the gentle waves landing on the pebble beach. At times we were joined by a few horses who came to drink. They weren’t afraid, but they were also a little cautious of getting too close to us.
The green hills behind the yurts enticed us to climb them to get a better view of the landscape. We walked across the grassy plain and started up one of the hills. Wild flowers added even more colour to the green landscape. From the top, 500 meters above, we could see the arid mountains and green valleys on the other side of the lake. To our side we could almost see the pass we had traveled over just the day before.
Late in the afternoon, the sun cast a warm glow across the hills and the white yurts. The views at sunset were even better.
One morning we went horseback riding along the lake and up through the hills. It seemed like we were having the typical Kyrgyz experience; riding horses and staying in a yurt. Our horseman even had the traditional Kyrgyz felt hat.
Staying in a yurt next to the beautiful Song Kul was one of the best things we did in Kyrgyzstan.
Kochkor
The nearest city to Song Kul is Kochkor. There’s not much to do in the town, but there are several guesthouses and a few restaurants. It’s okay for a night, but don’t plan too much time. The liveliest part of town was the market where ladies were selling fermented mares milk called kumis.
You can also reach Song Kul from Naryn, but we heard the roads weren’t as good.
Getting to Kochkor
Located southwest of Issyk Kul, Kochkor can easily be reached by road if you have your own car or by marshrutka from Bishkek (3-4 hours), Karakol (4 hours), or Naryn (2 hours). The Kochkor bus station is in the centre of town.
How to get to Song Kul
Taxi/Tour – The easiest way to get to this remote lake is through the travel company that you book your yurt stay through. We took a private taxi and it turned out to be almost the same price as through a travel agent. We thought it would be easier and cheaper to book our own driver, but in the end it was a bit of a hassle and it was only $10 cheaper. In the end we paid a taxi driver 10,000 KGS. ($112 USD) for a ride to and from Song Kol with two days at the lake.
Hike/Horseback – Two other ways to get to Song Kul are by foot or horseback. There are different options for the amount of days, but most are 2 – 3 days hiking to the lake with an organized ride out. Horseback riding is often longer, 3 – 4 days and often involves travelling both in and out on horseback.
On the drive from Kochkor to Song Kul, the road passes though the village of Keng-Su. It is the last year-round settlement before the lake. The town’s cemetery has a very pretty setting in front of the mountains.
After Keng-Su, the rough road climbs up to Kalmak-Ashu Pass. At 3, 447 m the views from the pass are spectacular. Almost immediately after the pass, we dropped down to Song Kul.
Once at the lake, the road is more of a worn out path in the grass than a road, but our taxi was only a minivan and was able to navigate the route. The road travels 80 km around the entire perimeter of the lake but we were told that the west end is very rough and you need a 4WD.
Where to stay in a Kyrgyz yurt
There are several options for yurt stays across the country. In some small towns there are even yurts in people’s backyards. We chose to have our yurt stay at Song Kul lake because it is a traditional nomadic camp, and we had heard that the scenery is nice.
We really enjoyed everything about our stay on Song Kul. We booked our Yurt through Kyrgyz Riders and stayed at their camp Muras. The yurts were clean and comfortable, equipped with a stove for heat. There were even flush toilets and sinks with running water. Everything was impeccably clean, the meals were delicious and plentiful. You can find Kyrgyz Riders on-line.
To read more of our stories from Kyrgyzstan click here.
For Travel Tips in Kyrgyzstan go to our post on Fergana Valley.
Coming Next – Discover Almaty, Kazakhstan
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
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