2-Days in Song Kul Lake as Nomad - horseback riding & Yurt stay

An Unforgettable Song-Kul Experience with an Outstanding Guide

We booked the tour through Viator two days in advance (we were a group of three — a couple and a friend). Afterwards, we were contacted via WhatsApp and received helpful information about the weather, what to bring, and other details. On the day of the tour, we were picked up directly from our hotel in a comfortable vehicle for a small additional fee. Since it was just the three of us, the experience felt very much like a private tour. As planned, our first stop was the Burana Tower. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of kattama and kaymak at a roadside restaurant. We then visited the Orto-Tokoy Reservoir and later had lunch in Kochkor. As we got closer to Song-Kul Lake, the roads gradually turned into rough off-road tracks. After crossing Kalmak-Ashuu Pass, we finally arrived at the yurt camp overlooking the breathtaking lake. The camp was very clean, and contrary to our concerns, the toilets were exceptionally clean as well. The staff were wonderful, and both dinner and breakfast were plentiful and delicious. Horse riding around the lake was an unforgettable experience. After breakfast at 8:00 a.m. on the second day, we started our return journey around 9:00 a.m. However, due to poor weather conditions and concerns about road safety, we decided not to visit the waterfalls and instead followed the same route back. This allowed us to arrive in Bishkek at a very convenient time in the afternoon. Our guide, Bek (Nurbek), was absolutely outstanding. He was kind, knowledgeable, and spoke both Turkish and English exceptionally well. He helped us at every stage of the trip and always made sure we were comfortable and informed. Traveling with him was truly a pleasure, and he played a huge role in making this experience so enjoyable. For all these reasons, we highly recommend this tour to everyone!

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Wonderful 2-day Song Kul Lake tour with Bek

I had a wonderful 2-day trip to Song Kul Lake. My tour guide, Bek, was very kind and helpful throughout the tour. Even though I was the only participant, he always explained things carefully, introduced me to many delicious local foods, and taught me how to enjoy the experience at Song Kul, including how to ride a horse safely and comfortably. Thanks to Bek, I was able to have a really fun and memorable time even as a solo traveler. He was also very flexible with my requests, which I truly appreciated. Overall, it was a great experience, and I’m very happy I joined this tour. Highly recommended!

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Kyrgyzstan in a nutshell!

Spent 2 unforgettable days with my mom and a few other travellers. It was a mini open trip consisting of 7 people. We visited so many cool places with a lot of history and cultural experience along the way. We unfortunately had a very short time so I only did this tour during my whole visit to Kyrgyzstan and it was such a great decision. Talgat even assisted us in acquiring our e-Visas. The driver and the 2 guides were so friendly and so joyous. Definitely go for this tour for good vibes with insane views!

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Amazing tour of Song Kul

It was great, very well ran by our tour guide Azamat (Aza), he was very warm and welcoming. Aza was always making sure we enjoyed our time and a safe driver. The camp is a set up well, with a delicious spread of food. Options of horse ride are good with amazing scenery. Communication leading upto the tour was great roo

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Fantastic scenery, however should better cater to tourists

Some really special things about this tour, some things to watch out for. - Our first point of contact Talgat was excellent. Very responsive, detailed, responded to all our questions with regards to going to a completely new region and how to experience horse riding and the different options. - We were a bit let down when we arrived as we had asked to get gas canisters from Bishkek on our way to Kyzart. We were told it could be found in local supermarkets which wasn't the case, so there was a bit of a goose chase for 2 hours which delayed our start time. We had also shared details of our flight in advance --which had got delayed-- but the taxi driver wasn't informed and ended up at the airport 2 hours early, so there could have been some better coordination at the start --and we had to really persuade the agency to still let us do the trip that day which was stressful! - There were 2 options: a horse trip around the lake, and a more adventurous horse trip from Kyzart to the Lake. We chose the more adventurous option which was definitely the better option on the way up, but be conscious is much more painful --and a lot more scary-- on the rear end on the way down. I would say the way down was "very" challenging and required a lot of upper body strength to stop yourself from falling off the horse + a good level of pain tolerance to deal with the pressure on your bottom and between the straps and your calves which rubs after a while. - Our tour guide was impressive for a youngster (he was early twenties) but gave us very little attention on the trip. Kyrgyz standards are very different so we cannot fairly judge, but at least by standards he was irresponsible when it came to the more dangerous parts of the hike, and was willing to ride far ahead and leave us alone on a cliff at times which was terrifying which very little guidance! We also didn't get anything in the way of narrative, history, stories, knowledge about the local culture which could have added a lot (and I can see many others did get). He wasn't "bad" but was clearly not trained to be a guide for tourists, more just "a guy who can ride a horse well". - The hike itself and the scenery is stunning, the lake is beautiful, the stars are breathtaking and the yurt came so welcoming. 5 stars on that. Prepare for the cold though. - After the horse trek, we went back to a hostel where they served lunch -- the people were really hospital and wonderful, 5 star attitude for that as well. All in all we had a good experience, but substantial improvements could be made to cater better for tourists wanting to go out their comfort zones on this adventure.

Response from the operator: Dear Oren Yefet, It is Talgat, founder of Datka Travel. First of all, I would like to sincerely thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed and thoughtful review. I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the stunning nature, the peaceful lake, and the warm hospitality of the local people — these are indeed some of the most special things about Song-Kul and Kyrgyzstan. Allow me to address your comments step by step: 1. Type of Tour Chosen You booked the 2-day adventurous horse trekking tour from Kyzart to Song-Kul Lake, which involves about 4–5 hours of horse riding per day through mountain passes. I noticed your review was left under a different product — the 2-day trip by car, which includes only 1–2 hours of horse riding. Before your trip, I did mention that the horseback version is more physically challenging and requires endurance, but I completely understand that such an adventure can be intense at times. I truly appreciate that you still embraced the challenge and completed the trek. 2. Airport Pick-Up Our driver was at the airport at 5:00 AM as originally scheduled, but your flight was delayed, and you exited around 7:00 AM. That was absolutely fine — waiting for guests is part of our job, and there was no issue from our side. 3. Gas Canisters Regarding the gas canisters, we indeed suggested supermarkets such as Globus and Asia, and both our driver and I stayed in touch with you online to assist. I understand the search took longer than expected and delayed the start of your trek. The delay caused the guide to be concerned about reaching the yurt camp before sunset, which may explain why he moved ahead at certain points on the trail. We truly appreciate your feedback here — we have already started preparing essential items like gas canisters in advance for future guests to avoid similar delays. 4. Guiding and Safety I completely understand your point about the guide’s experience. Many of our horse guides are young locals (often between 20–30 years old) who grew up in the mountains and are very skilled with horses but still learning how to share cultural stories and communicate with guests. Your comments are very valuable to us — we are continuing to train our guides to provide more cultural insights and better attention to guests, especially during challenging parts of the trail. Once again, thank you very much for your honest and constructive feedback. Every review helps us improve our services and make the next traveler’s experience even better. Despite the challenges, I’m truly glad you enjoyed the beauty of Song-Kul, the kindness of the people, and the overall experience. Wishing you many more great adventures ahead! Warm regards, Talgat Founder of Datka Travel

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