Kyrgyzstan small group trips

June to September. Days are warm and mostly dry, the mountain lakes are at their best, and Issyk-Kul is swimmable in July and August. The lakeside yurt camps and the mountain walks only work in summer, so the trip does not run from October to May.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

Moderately. Most days have two or three hours of walking: about 6 km at Charyn, a steep short path at Kaindy and 5 to 7 km in the Jeti-Oguz valley at about 2,000 m. Every walk has a shorter version, and you can sit any of them out.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

A room of your own costs CAD 970 more on the small-group trip, shown up front before you book. On the yurt night you have a yurt to yourself. You join the same meals and activities as everyone else; the supplement only covers the room.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, fewer than the 16 or 18 that some Central Asia group tours take, so everyone hears the guide in the canyon and fits around one table at a family dinner.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, taxes included: from CAD 4,850 on the small-group trip.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

Canadian citizens can currently visit Kazakhstan for up to 30 days and Kyrgyzstan for up to 60 days without a visa. Rules differ by passport and change from time to time, so we check yours when you book and tell you what to carry at the border.

Answer for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: Almaty, Charyn Canyon and Issyk-Kul

July to September. The high passes are clear, the homestays are open and days are warm in the valleys, though nights at Murghab and Karakul can drop to near freezing. In June and October snow can close the passes, so we run the small group only in the summer months.

Answer for Tajikistan: the Pamir Highway, Khorog and the Wakhan Valley

The highest point is the Ak-Baital pass at 4,655 m, and the highest night is Karakul at about 3,900 m. We climb in steps, with two nights in Khorog at about 2,100 m first. Most people feel breathless and some get headaches. Your guide checks everyone daily, and we require oxygen in the vehicles, confirmed at booking. Ask your doctor before booking.

Answer for Tajikistan: the Pamir Highway, Khorog and the Wakhan Valley

A room of your own in every hotel is from CAD 1,150 more, and where the Song-Kol camp has space you get a yurt to yourself as well. The supplement is shown before you book, with no surprise at checkout, and solo travellers join every meal, visit and table as part of the group.

Answer for Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan: Song-Kol, the Fergana Valley and Samarkand

Most visitors apply online for a Tajik e-visa and must add the GBAO permit to visit the Pamirs. We help with both and confirm the rule for your passport when you book; allow about a month. Canadians can currently enter Kyrgyzstan without a visa for up to 60 days.

Answer for Tajikistan: the Pamir Highway, Khorog and the Wakhan Valley