Sports and leisure activities Kyrgyzstan

Budget & Tips

Budget-wise, it all depends on the parameters of your trip. Following a well-established trek in a well-served area frequented by many visitors every year won't cost you much. But going off the beaten track in a 4x4 and hiring the services of a competent guide to set foot around a deserted high-altitude lake can be very expensive... That's the advantage of Kyrgyzstan: you can opt for local transport and set off on a self-guided walk in the wilderness without paying a kopek, or you can treat yourself to the experience of a lifetime by paying €6,000 to climb Peak Lenin! The choice is yours..

What's very local

Horses are an essential part of leisure activities in Kyrgyzstan. As soon as you go to the jailoo, horses will be everywhere, but beware: some hire out horses in the European style, others in the Kyrgyz style, with far less comfortable equipment. In any case, to return from Kyrgyzstan without having crossed a few landscapes on horseback would certainly be an error in taste. For the rest, tourism brings with it its share of activities: skiing, rafting, mountaineering, mountain biking, hiking... The range of sports practicable in Kyrgyzstan is wide, but be sure to be covered by good insurance if you embark on extreme challenges.

Also very local on the leisure front: saunas and thermal springs, which are plentiful throughout the country and ideal for relaxing after a good workout.

To be booked

Overall you will be able to improvise almost all your activities without having to book too far in advance. However, while the possibilities for leisure activities are endless, the same cannot be said of the equipment. Whether you want to be dropped off by helicopter on the Inylchek glacier, go horseback riding between Tokmok and Issy Ata or sleep under a yurt in Song Kul, it is a good idea to book in advance through an agency, on the one hand to benefit from negotiated rates, and on the other hand to be sure to have room.

Main events

Many festivals are held locally, but it is not possible to give a precise date or to know whether they will be repeated from one year to the next. Most of them, be they dance, craft or eagle hunting festivals, are run by the CBT (Community Based Tourism, see "Organizing your stay"). You can keep up to date by visiting their website. Kyrgyzstan's current festive scene is dominated by a single major event: the Nomadic Games, held every two years, which bring together most of the Turkic nations on the European and Asian sides to compete in equestrian and wrestling events. The games are held in summer in one of the participating countries.

Apart from that, you'll have plenty of opportunities to celebrate with the Kyrgyz, who don't hesitate to engage in large-scale improvised equestrian games at weddings, elections, birthdays... and don't hesitate to invite and involve Westerners passing through.

Tourist traps

Some unscrupulous tourist organizations offer to organize traditional ceremonies (such as maiden kidnapping on horseback or oulak-tartych) to order. Don't fall into the trap of getting a few drunken riders to ride around a poor goat... You'll have the chance to attend these great horseback competitions authentically and spontaneously during your trip, or not, but don't try to provoke or pay for it, you'll be wasting your time and money while murdering the local culture.