Tatosh is a guide friend, passionate about horses and travel, who runs a small agency on site. She understands that many travelers are keen to enjoy a safe horseback ride in Kyrgyzstan, but are on a tight budget.
I've been recommending her services to blog readers for years, and they always come back delighted.
To discover Song Kul, she has created a program that respects nature, animals, and local people, with experienced and knowledgeable Kyrgyz guides.
This is a ride for everyone,90% of participants are beginners, and both the horses and the route are accessible to all.
Bonus: The direct bus from Bishkek to Kyzart saves you both time and money..
My last visit to the camp on video:
Blog readers share their experience of a horseback trek to Lake Song Kul:
I had the chance to share this adventure with several blog readers, now it's your turn to watch their testimonials!
What is the itinerary for my 3 or 4 day horseback trek to Song Kul Lake?
In addition to the classic 3-day trek, Tatosh now offers a new 4-day program.
Compared to the standard 3-day trek, the 4-day option gives you an extra day at the lake, making it more relaxing. It’s the perfect choice for families with children and beginners.
The 4-day trek is my favorite—it allows for a deeper immersion in nomadic life, more time to enjoy the lake’s shores, and the chance to experience a variety of landscapes.
Your 4-day program:
- Day 1: Transfer by bus from Bishkek to Kyzart. Lunch in Kyzart before horseback riding. 3 hours horse riding to Kilemche. Dinner and overnight with the shepherds in a yurt.
- Day 2: 3-hour horseback ride to Song Kul Lake. Lunch, free afternoon around the lake, dinner and overnight in a yurt camp.
- Day 3: 3-hour horseback ride from lakeside Tuz Ashuu camp to Kyrjol camp, also on Lake Song Kul - Lunch, afternoon free, dinner and overnight in the yurt.
- Day 4: Return to Kyzart after a 3 hour horse ride. Lunch in Kyzart.
Kilemenche in July 2019
Duration: 4 days and 3 nights
Best period: June to September
Accommodation and meals: 3 nights in yurts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners and breakfasts.
Your 3-day program:
- Day 1: Transfer by bus from Bishkek to Kyzart. Lunch in Kyzart before horseback riding. 3 hours horse riding. Dinner and overnight with nomads in a yurt.
- Day 2: 3-hour horseback ride to Song Kul Lake. Lunch, free afternoon around the lake, dinner and overnight in a yurt camp.
- Day 3: Return to Kyzart after a 6-hour ride on horseback. Lunch in Kyzart.
Song Kul in July 2019
Duration: 3 days and 2 nights
Best period: June to September
Accommodation and meals: 2 nights in yurts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners and breakfasts.
Included:
- Horse rental
- Guide with limited English
- 1 guide for up to 3 people
- 2 guides from 4 people
- Meals
- Accommodation
Not included:
- Transport (approx. 800 som one way by bus) / a private transfer from Bishkek to Kyzart costs $65 per car.
Common Questions and Answers:
What transfer options are available to and from Kyzart?
What is the bus number to Kyzart?
You can take bus 514 from Bishkek to Kyzart, leaving at 6 a.m. for 800 soms. To make sure there are enough seats, you need to be at the west bus station before 5.30 am.
How to get to Kochkor after the trek?
The last Marshrutka from Kyzart leaves at 2 pm. If you start at 7 or 8 a.m. on Day 3, you should be able to get there on time. If you need a cab, you can ask Tatosh. It will cost you 3,000 som from Kyzart to Kochkor, but must be booked in advance.
Can I go to Karakol after the trek?
Yes, but you’ll need to travel in steps. Take a marshrutka or taxi from Kyzart to Kochkor. From Kochkor, take a taxi to Balykchy. From Balykchy, take another taxi to Karakol. For a more convenient option, a private transfer from Kyzart to Karakol costs 6,000 som—ask Tatosh for details.
Anything else I should know?
Can I have a vegetarian meal?
Yes, just let Tatosh know in advance.
Are the yurt sheets washed daily?
No, this is an authentic nomadic experience with simple living conditions. If needed, you can bring your own sleeping bag.
What clothes should I bring?
At night it can be 0°, so you must have warm clothes for the evening. Even in summer, you can expect four seasons. So you need warm clothes as well as rain trousers and a rain jacket.
Can I leave luggage in Kyzart?
Yes, you can leave your extra luggage on day 1 in a guesthouse as you will return to the same guesthouse on day 3.
Can I charge my electronic devices?
Yes, if you have an external battery.
Yurt camps have no electricity, or at best, a small solar battery that nomads use to power a light bulb or a satellite phone. You won’t be able to plug in your electronic devices, so plan your battery usage carefully.
What is the price for my group?
Prices are in Soms:
Your 4-day tour costs:
- 1 person = 27,600 KGS
- 2 persons= 41 040 KGS
- 3 people= 54,480 KGS
- 4 people= 82 080 KGS
- 5 people= 95,520 KGS
- 6 people= 108,960 KGS
Your 3-day tour costs:
- 1 person = 20,160 KGS
- 2 persons= 30 240 KGS
- 3 people= 40,320 KGS
- 4 people= 60,470 KGS
- 5 people= 70,560 KGS
- 6 people= 80,640 KGS
These rates apply from June to mid-September. Outside this period, horse hiking is quite possible, but but due to climate and snow conditions,radditional logistics are required. Prices vary in the off-season.
Looking for off-season rates? Tatosh will provide a price based on your travel dates.
The Kyrgyz attach great importance to the health of their horses, but if you are offered a horse with an injury, particularly to the girth. I invite you to refuse this horse and ask for another. It's also our responsibility as travelers to look after the animals' health.
You can join a groupto take advantage of lower rates. (take advantage of the Kyrgyzstan travel group to look for travel companions).
Book with Tatosh:
To contact her, fill out the form below or reach out via email: tatoshguide@gmail.com :
See the other hikes Tatosh can organize for you:
24 Réponses à 3 or 4 days horseback riding on Song Kul Lake
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It was amazing! The guides were so cool, the horses were so beautiful, the scenery was crazy, and the yurts were a total blast!
I'm so happy!
Thanks to Berksultan, our guide for this 4-day trek. His kindness made this adventure an extraordinary experience. The horses were in excellent condition. Nights in yurts added an even more authentic dimension to our trip. It was a total immersion in Kyrgyz culture, and I returned home with exceptional memories.
Thanks for your comment, I'm glad it was such a great experience.
Just back from Song Kul, it's like paradise. Thanks Tatosh for your amazing guide
Wow, thanks
We chose the 3-day Song Kul trek from August 5 to 7, booking through Tatosh. We set off from Bishkek and took the local bus to Kyzart (400 som per person for a 3.5-hour journey). We then met up with our guide in the village and after lunch in a yurt we set off on our 3-day horseback ride. It was a unique and wonderful experience! Everything went very smoothly, and we slept in yurts every night. Magical moments with the locals. The scenery is incredible! We even dared a dip in the lake, but it was really cold (11°c!).
Thanks to Tatosh for organizing this trek and to Georges Michel for your great blog, which enabled us to find all this information!
Hi Justine, what can I say except thank you for this comment! I'm glad you liked it, your story makes me really want to go. I look forward to seeing you again!
Thank you so much for contacting Tatosh! We've just come back from 10 fabulous days in KG, she was an excellent guide and above all organized some incredible and very authentic activities for us. This country was a big surprise, and my friends and I were all blown away. The variety of landscapes (100 km from the Swiss Alps to Death Valley), the Soviet heritage, the hospitality and authenticity of the people make it a very beautiful destination.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed Tatosh. It's good to see that travelers are coming back. See you soon on the road or on the Internet
We were 2 and booked a 3-day horseback tour to Song-Kul Lake.
Tatosh organized everything for us.
I'd never been horseback riding before. The guide gave us the right instructions and advice to make sure everything went smoothly. The horses were also well chosen and docile.
The organization was impeccable throughout the 3 days. We rode through magnificent landscapes. We shared yurt meals with the locals and learned more about this nomadic people. A real immersion!
I recommend this tour 100%!
I did this hike with a friend in July. 3 days/2 nights. We paid 90e each. Everything went very well. I had never been on a horse before, no worries, the guide handles everything. Our guide was fantastic. Despite not speaking a word of French and hardly any English, he was just great with us. The families in the yurts who hosted us were great and so were the meals. I should mention that I am a vegetarian, I indicated this and they made me special meals.
A wonderful memory of my trip! On the other hand, it is necessary to assume the 3 days with horse because in the end that hurts quickly.
Ahahah thank you for the buttocks it's better to have riding trousers for the next time. See you soon
We did this hike in mid-September and enjoyed 3 unforgettable days. Our guide Ascar was adorable and attentive. Despite his limited English (as expected when we booked), he was always talking to us. As well as being a very good rider, he's also a very nice person who taught us a lot about the nomadic life of the Kirghiz. During our 2 nights in yurts, we were the only 2, which made our encounters with our hosts even more intense, and what a pleasure it was to be away from the packed CBT yurts (some tourists we met told us they'd found themselves in packed CBT yurts...).
Of course, we can't recommend going through Tatosh for this trek, so don't hesitate! What's more, it's super easy to book via the blog.
Thank you for your feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed the experience so much.
Many thanks to GTLA for your blog and your invaluable advice.
We've just returned from 18 extraordinary days in Kyrgyzstan. Among the many trips we've made, this country is surely one of our favorites.
Your friend Tatosh was our point of entry and we organized our treks on horseback and on foot with her, exactly as we wanted.
She is available, adorable and very efficient. She listened carefully to my requests and often came up with ingenious ideas.
I can only recommend her wholeheartedly to all readers of your blog.
We only have one wish: to continue discovering Central Asia.
Thanks again, and we hope our travel paths will cross one day.
Hi Anne, thank you very much for your feedback, it's very nice and pleasant to read comments like yours. I'm glad you liked the country, my blog and Tatosh. Looking forward to seeing you on the road
Hi Anne
Thanks for your comment, I'm really glad you enjoyed Kyrgyzstan so much and I'm just as happy that my friends there helped you make your trip a great one. Thanks, I look forward to seeing you on the road.
We did this hike over 4 days with our 3 children (16, 7 and 3 years old). One of our best memories of our trip. The children loved it. The smallest was on a horse with a guide and the 2nd was alone on his horse but it was held by another guide. Our guides were amazing and looked after our children as if they were their own! Very good welcome in the yurt camps...around beautiful landscapes...No worries, I recommend this trek! And I really want to do another one...and the kids too!
Thanks, so when is the next hike?
3 day hike with 2 friends and the guide,
really superb and magnificent. Splendid landscapes all along and warm welcomes in the evenings in the yurts by the Kirghiz families! Certainly one of the most beautiful memories of this trip!
It's nice to hear, thanks for the feedback
I did this 3-day hike with my partner in June 2019. We have really great memories of it. Our guide spoke little English (no surprise as it was indicated at the time of booking!) but what a rider! We felt very confident with him during these three days. Each of our hosts warmly offered us room and board.
I highly recommend this hike, which I will not forget!
Thank you Céline, always a pleasure to read feedback like yours