You don't have time and/or the desire to prepare your trip? Are you wondering what to do, where to go, where to stay, how to get around?
Are you looking for a reliable English-speaking guide, recommended by other travellers?
You are on the right page.
Azamat in the Kyrgyzstan wilderness
Readers often ask me to recommend a guide. Let me introduce you to my friend Azamat, with whom I share a passion for cycling (he'll tell you about our death descent lol), and also for horse riding and Kyrgyzstan.
Azamat, before our descent from death in July 2019
Who is Azamat?
Azamat is my buddy, but he is above all a Kyrgyz who speaks perfect French and English. He was nominated best guide of the country in 2019, by the Ministry of Tourism.
And best guide in the world in 2021, by Suzanne and her daughter, whom he guided for 3 weeks on horseback in August 2021. It's much less official than in 2019 but it's very nice!
Hi, how are you ? How is it ? Are you enjoying it? Hello ! It's just fantastic! We can't thank you enough, because Azamat is the best guide in the world! We enjoy !
He worked for 9 years as a mountain guide (up to 4000 m) for agencies and since 2016 he works as a freelancer.
What languages does Azamat speak?
He speaks English, French, Russian and Kyrgyz. The majority of his clients are French and Italian, so he regularly practices and speaks English and French very well.
He is a driver interpreter guide and has a 4×4. He will gladly share with you his extensive knowledge of the country's roads and mountains.
Azamat and I in France in January 2020
Finally, he is a horse lover and can easily organise and accompany you on a long horse ride through the country.
In 2019, he spent more than 60 days riding with travellers and in 2021 after a year without tourists, he again welcomed some blog readers!
For summer 2023, he already has a few groups with riders looking for co-travelers, so don't hesitate to contact him.In July 2021, with my friends Basile and Loîc, we tried out a new trek created by Azamat and his friend Nurlan. Have a look at this video :
What kind of tours does he offer?
Here are some examples of tours you can do with Azamat,
He can adapt to your wishes to offer you a hand picked tour.
As you can see, the prices are degressive according to the number of people in your group. To reduce the cost, don't hesitate to look for fellow travellers on the facebook group Travelling to Kyrgyzstan.
If Azamat is not available on your dates, you can go with his cousin Altyk, who is also English-speaker.
Do not hesitate to contact him via the form below or at azamatguide@gmail.com
The trek with Azamat and Nourlan was simply incredible. The varied landscapes and grandiose adventure left their mark on our trip. If you dream of experiencing Kyrgyzstan on horseback, Azamat is the guide who will make your dream come true.
Thanks Marinne, I'm glad the dream came true!
My trip to Kyrgyzstan with Azamat was fantastic. His flawless organization, infectious humor and extraordinary atmosphere made for a memorable trip. Azamat knows how to adapt to all types of travelers, whether you're young, old, sporty or not. Thanks again for everything!
Thanks for your feedback, it makes me super happy
Azamat guided us on an incredible horseback ride. He is super flexible and managed to customize our trek according to our requests. During the preparation he gave us valuable advice and listened to us. Azamat is always positive and in a good mood. This is a real plus at 4000 m.
A big thank you to you !!!
Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed it!
Super trip from beginning to end! We let ourselves be guided in a good mood and with confidence from the beginning to the end. Thank you Azamat
Glad you liked Azamat and the country!
My partner and I have booked a 21 day tour in August 2021 with Azamat. From the beginning Azamat was very responsive in organising this to our wishes. Azamat made us a varied itinerary with lots of different activities (nights in guesthouses, nights in tents, nights in yurts, visits to lakes, canyons, valleys, villages, horse riding, treks, road trip...).
Everything went very well during the trip, Azamat found us a great English and French speaking guide who made us discover her country with enthusiasm. Azamat was also very accommodating on site to make some changes to the route and made himself available to visit us twice.
Kyrgyzstan is an absolutely beautiful country, with breathtaking landscapes and places and very friendly people! We had nothing but beautiful encounters.
To sum up a magical trip that would not have been possible without the good advice of Georges Michel, the availability and organization of Azamat, and our guide Bermet. Thank you again!
Thanks to you for this comment, it's always nice to read the feedback of travellers like you who come back super happy. I'm very happy that you and Franck had a good stay and that you liked the country, Azamat, Bermet and the blog so much. Welcome back and hope to see you again!
Two week stay in Kyrgyzstan with a guide booked by Azamat as the latter was not available. Altimynbek was an excellent guide and driver, he showed us places that were not necessarily planned in the schedule and he speaks excellent French. He goes out of his way to satisfy his clients and give us an unforgettable experience. We did the Great Lakes tour, it was really beautiful, especially the three days at the Son Kul lake. I hope to be able to go back there very soon.
Thank you Christophe, your message is a pleasure to read. I had the chance to share a day, in 2019, in Sary Chelek with Altyk, it is true that his French is amazing. I hope to see you in Kyrgyzstan or elsewhere!
My 11 year old daughter and I went in August 2021. We wanted to go on a horseback riding trip. We had 3 weeks. Thanks to Georges-Michel's extraordinary wealth of information, we got in touch with Azamat. He organised a 19-day trip for us, 15 of which were on horseback.
The trip, even in our dreams, could not have been as successful. Azamat, who is perfectly bi-lingual, was for us a guide and, as the trip progressed, a friend. Thanks to his perfect organisation, we were able to enjoy every moment, without worrying about anything. He made us discover his country with passion. We slept in tents in the middle of the mountains, in extraordinary places, slept in local people's houses and met Kyrgyz people with a big heart. My daughter galloped with children from yurt camps, unforgettable moments.
The landscapes were different every day and all breathtakingly beautiful. From the countryside to the snowy peaks, passing by large plains with herds of horses...
So thank you again from the bottom of our hearts, to Azamat who will always be in our hearts. We warmly recommend it to you!!!!
Hi Suzanne, it's always a treat to read this kind of feedback. Thanks for your comment and very happy for you and your daughter. I look forward to seeing you on horseback. Kisses
It's been 3 weeks since I came back from Kyrgyzstan and what can I say? Just wooow! ✨
I had the chance to go with Camille, a friend from college, and Aude, a friend I met on fb, we went for 2 weeks with Azamat, a great guide advised by Georges-Michel and how can I say... Thanks
Kyrgyzstan is a wonderful country with its landscapes, the generosity of its inhabitants and all the kindness that reigns there!
Travelling in this country allows you to come back to the essential, far from the daily train
We went through Bishkek - Tokmok - Tamchi - Konorchek Canyon - Issyk-Kul - Karakol - Pereval Arabel - Jeti Oguz - Barskoon Valley - Bokonbaeva - Tash Rabat - Son Kul - Kyzyl Oy - Skazka Canyon etc.
The trek "In the footsteps of Ella Maillart" takes up a portion of the journey that the explorer mapped out in the 1930s. I recommend reading her account "From the Celestial Mountains to the Red Sands", it calms the urge to complain about sunburn or blisters compared to the conditions of the time.
My memories of these 9 days on horseback seem to be polarized between two extremes: the warm corner, with the stove in the shepherds' yurts, the evening stew smoking in the half-light, the thermal springs we met on the way, and the cold corner with the glacial blue water of the streams, the Juuku pass under the snow, Azamat's stories of ghosts and wolves that give you the shivers despite the campfire.
Of course we passed through unforgettable mountain landscapes, highlighted by Azamat's explanations, who answered our questions without fail:
- Why are the ewes in thongs? - It's to prevent the lambs from suckling.
- Why do nomads drink mare's milk and not sheep's? - Only expensive animals like horses and cows are vaccinated against all diseases.
- Why do we see beheaded sheep on the side of the road? You will know if you go there, I will not give away all the secrets of Kyrgyzstan either.