What to see, what to do Kyrgyzstan?

Museums and monuments open at 9 or 10 a.m. in season and generally close at 5 or 6 p.m., depending on the season. But as most of Kyrgyzstan's sights are natural sites, you won't really have to deal with scheduling problems. The only information that really matters is: what time does the sun set?

As the high season is short, most travellers make their reservations during the same period. Nevertheless, Kyrgyzstan remains very much off the beaten track, and there are rarely any difficulties in finding a place in a yurt or renting a horse. Reservations are useful, however, if you're looking for more comfortable accommodation, as hotels are still rare, or if you insist on hiring the services of an English-speaking guide. Similarly, it's a good idea to book accommodation at the most popular tourist sites: Tash Rabat, Song Kul, Ala Kul... For the rest, you can largely improvise on the spot.

Kyrgyzstan applies a double entrance fee to major monuments and museums, with tourists paying much more than locals. This is a common practice in Central Asia. In spite of this, tour prices are still very affordable compared with France, but beware: you'll often have to pay a supplement to take photos, another to film, and yet another to benefit from a guided tour or audio guide. Outside Osh and Bishkek, cultural sites are few and far between, and nature is freely accessible, so your budget will be mostly devoted to hiking, travel and supplies.

Kyrgyzstan is not known for its cultural calendar, but there are plenty of events to choose from, with every significant event in daily life giving rise to summer festivities. That said, most of them take place locally, and it is almost impossible to give a precise date or to know whether they will be repeated from one year to the next. It should be noted, however, that for several years now, the Nomadic Games have been held every two years, with the participation of the main Turkic-speaking nations: Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan... The first three editions were held in Kyrgyzstan, but now each participating country hosts an edition in turn. In 2024, it will be Astana's turn in Kazakhstan.

In high season, many Kyrgyz students offer their services to accompany English- or French-speaking tourists in Bishkek or throughout the country. Take your time to gauge the person and get to know them, as not all of them have experience in tourism and are not necessarily tourism enthusiasts. In this respect, the country is still in its infancy. On the other hand, local agencies, particularly in Bishkek, can offer you the services of highly professional guides. In most cases, these will be English-speaking guides. French-speaking guides are indeed rarer, and are usually quickly hired by local agencies to cope with the destination's recent success with the French public.

Legislation is getting tougher on smokers every year, but bars and restaurants still have smoking areas. Smoking is prohibited in all other public places.