Kyzyl-Oi, an authentic kyrgyz village surrounded by mountains
Kyzyl Oi is an old village which has kept its distinctive Central Asian character with its scattered reddish clay houses. It is located in Suusamyr valley in a narrow gorge of the powerful Kokomeren river. The village is located at 1800m where the valley forms a bowl surrounded by high red colored mountains, which give the place its name, Kyzyl Oi meaning “Red Bowl” in Kyrgyz. It’s an ideal place to hike or ride on horseback in the mountains, or simply to rest, enjoying the beautiful red and green colored landscapes. There are a lot of hikes, from small ones around Kyzyl-Oi to 4000 m above sea level summits in the Sary-Kamysh range. The powerful Kokomeren river is famous for rafting in late summer. The river offers many good places for fishing, which is a very common activity for the inhabitants of the valley. You can discover the way of life, culture, tradition, taste traditional food…
Chong Suu valley is located northwest of Kyzyl-Oi, and spreads on about 20 km. It crosses many jailoo (high mountain pasture), including “eagle nest”, the meadow surrounded by high stones, before reaching Kum-Bel pass, 3300m above sea level. “Balyk Kol” (means in Kyrgyz “Fish lake”), is situated after this pass. From there, it is possible to enjoy a panoramic view on the Suusamyr Valley.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Leave Bishkek in the morning. Drive 2,5 hours to the tour starting point. Cross Too-Ashuu pass. Arrival in Suusamyr valley. Short picnic lunch. Start horseback riding towards Kum-Bel Pass for around 5 hours. Stop before the pass. Overnight is in a tent.
Day 2: Cross the Kum-Bel Pass and arrival in Chong-Suu valley. Meet your host family of local shepherds. Dinner. Overnight is in a yurt or tent.
Day 3: Breakfast. This day is easy. Ride towards Kyzyl-Oi village, 3-4 hours. Arrival in Kyzyl-Oi, end of horseback tour. Welcome to your home stay. Have a lunch. Transfer back to Bishkek, 5 hours.
Experience and enjoy Kyrgyzstan with us!