One of the most unique adventures one can embark on in Kyrgyzstan is the unforgettable horse trek to Song Kul Lake. This is what we all come to Kyrgyzstan for, right? Galloping on horses through the mountains, soaking in all of Kyrgyzstan’s stunning scenery, catching a surreal sunset over the lake, feasting on homemade Central Asian food, and then snuggling up in our cozy yurts at the end of the day — does it get much better? While it is easy to romanticize such an adventure, I am here to tell you the non-sugarcoated truth about the Song Kul Lake horseback trek.

It was spectacular in many ways, and in others, it could have been better. Perhaps my expectations were far too high, especially based on 15-second clips of viral Tik Toks that only showcase the highest of highs. I will definitely look back on this adventure fondly, but actually experiencing it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Don’t let this deter you, but I want to paint the whole picture beyond what a social media highlight reel will show you. Here is everything you need to know before heading on a horseback adventure to Song Kul Lake, from the good, to the bad, to the nauseatingly stinky.

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Table of Contents

• Booking a Song Kul Lake Horse Tour
• When is the Best Time of Year to Visit Song Kul?
• How To Get To Kyzart Village
• What To Pack for the Song Kul Horse Trek
• What To Expect on the Song Kul Horse Trek
  • Day One
  • Day Two 
  • Day Three
• Is The Song Kul Horse Trek Worth It?
• More on Central Asia

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Booking a Tour for Song Kul Lake

Despite being one of the most popular things to do in Kyrgyzstan, actually doing the Song Kul horse trek is not as straightforward as I expected. I imagined that I would be able to go to some town, meet some people at a hostel, maybe book a tour directly or hire our own guide independently. While this is sort of possible, I wouldn’t recommend it. The town of Kyzart is the main starting point of the trek and it is way smaller and sleepier than I envisioned. The presence of hostels and official travel agencies are nigh nonexistent.

It is possible to book tours online through some more legitimate travel agencies but the markup on the tours is massive. Initially, I was negotiating with Song Kul Travel and they were charging $260 for the three-day tour. In the end, I paid $150 for a-n dentical experience. Always try to book directly with local guides. Chat with other travelers and get the guides’ contacts from them. This also works with hostels and guesthouses, as many of them have a network of local guides, and their pricing caters more towards a backpacker’s budget.

I booked my tour simply by WhatsApping Tunduk Hostel in Bishkek and asking them to help me find a group to join. I was able to tag along with a German couple, bringing the price down to around $150 each. Finding a group to split the costs with is essential. The price would have been about $220 had I done it solo. Here is the WhatsApp number for Tunduk Hostel if you would like to book the horse trek through them: +996 700 577 001. You don’t need to stay there or even pay them anything in order to reserve a spot.

As far as I know, most tours don’t include transport to the meeting point. I paid about $7 for a marshrutka from Bishkek to the village of Kyzart, arriving in time for lunch with the group before setting off. Another friend of mine said that he just went to Kyzart on his own without booking anything and was able to book the trip for cheaper.

I don’t know if I would recommend this, as if you aren’t able to make it work right away, Kyzart is far from somewhere that you’d want to wait around in. It’s an idyllic and scenic village but there is genuinely nothing to do besides the horse trek. There are no restaurants, markets, or anything beyond the part-time guesthouses. Oh yeah, there are no ATMs either, so be sure to withdraw enough cash beforehand. Bring enough money to pay for the excursion and a taxi to your next destination, unless you plan on hitchhiking.

Best Time Of Year To Do the Song Kul Horse Trek

The summer months are the best time to do the Song Kul Horse Trek. The months of June to September are the main months for tourism in Kyrgyzstan, and your best bet at good weather and guaranteed group departures. I went in mid-August and didn’t find it too crowded at all. Tourism in Kyrgyzstan is rapidly growing, so I’m sure it might change in the coming years, but Song Kul is huge. It’s the second-largest lake in Kyrgyzstan and there are no shortage of yurt camps spread out all over the area. Even if hundreds of people visit Song Kul each day, it is easy to feel like you’ve got the whole place mostly to yourself.

My guides did tell me that they run trips even in the winter months. I can imagine it is even more surreal to be up there during the winter, with snow atop the mountains and the horses covered in blankets. They have to bring their own grass, though, since the horses won’t be able to graze in the winters. I’m assuming the added effort makes it more expensive to visit Song Kul in the winter but I do think it would be a unique way to experience Song Kul. Since they run trips in winter, I’m sure Song Kul is possible to do year-round. Regardless, I have no regrets about doing it in the summer. It was already chilly enough in the evenings.

Reaching the Starting Point Village of Kyzart

From Bishkek, head to the marshrutka station to the northeast of the city. It’s about a 20-30 minute taxi ride from downtown Bishkek depending on where you are staying. Look for a marshrutka that is headed towards Min Kush or Chaek and tell the driver that you want to get off at Kyzart. After you have booked the tour, make sure to get the coordinates of the meeting point so you know where to get off. Typically, the meeting point is in a smaller village past the actual town of Kyzart, in this general vicinity. Luckily, the driver knew to drop me off there. From the intersection, I walked the last mile into town.

It is a very sleepy village and there was hardly anyone around in the late morning. It wasn’t until some local children saw me that I grew confident this is where I was supposed to be. They escorted me to someone’s house, who then brought me to another house where I met my fellow equestrians and local guides.

Before setting off on an epic horseback adventure through the mountains, make sure you have a plan for staying connected. I use Saily eSIM to keep me online during my travels, ensuring that I have internet from the moment I land to the moment I leave. Navigating directions, coordinating travel plans, booking a ride, and so on – having an eSIM makes life that much easier when you’re on the road. Data packages for Kyrgyzstan start at just $6, and you can use my code “eli5” for an additional 5% off of your first Saily eSIM.

What to Pack on the Three-Day Journey to Song Kul Lake

Since you won’t be carrying any of your actual luggage, packing isn’t as much of an issue. We left our large backpacks at the guesthouse in Kyzart and packed smaller bags with what we’d need for the three days. They load it up on the horses, so anything that you need access to on the ride, like sunscreen or a camera, keep it on your body.

Here are what I’d consider essentials for the Song Kul horse trek:

• Sunscreen and a hat
• Long pants for the ride
• Warm clothing for the cold nights (better to bring layers)
• Swimsuit if you want to swim in the lake
• Power bank as there’s no electricity
• Water filter
• Buff to cover your mouth from the dust

Additionally, you can also bring some extra snacks, but we were pretty well-fed throughout the trek. The guides also provided some water and the yurt camps can boil water for you on request. 

What to Expect on the Song Kul Horse Trek

After lunch, we met our guides and our horses for the next three days. We got a very short demonstration on how to ride the horses before jumping on and fending for ourselves. Choo! for go and Durrrr! for stop, and that was about it. Luckily, it didn’t take too much effort as the horses tend to follow each other. It is important to maintain focus the entire time, though, as you never know when the horse might suddenly break into a trot or veer off for a snack. You don’t want to be caught slippin’.

Day One of the Song Kul Horse Trek

We slowly rode away from the village of Kyzart, leaving behind the houses and farmlands and heading deeper into the valley and rolling hills. The journey started off mostly flat, with only gradual inclines and declines to deal with. This was a nice gentle introduction as we started to grow more comfortable with our horses. My horse was named Bereke, meaning prosperity or abundance

After about two hours, we took a break by a nice stream where our guides jumped in for a swim. Our horses took a well-deserved break and grazed in the open pastures for half an hour. We then hopped back on and descended into Kilemche Valley and to our first yurt camp.

In total, day one was about four hours of riding. I could already feel parts of my body getting sore from the journey. My knees were mostly feeling it from having to keep my feet in the stirrups, which I found quite uncomfortable. It wasn’t easy on the back, as well, and a long stretching session was an excellent way to wrap up the day.

We had dinner at the yurt camp, ran by a cute family and their abundance of pets. They had five dogs and a very small kitten, Murmur. A delicious plate of Yak manti was served for dinner and we chatted the night away before heading to bed.

Day Two of the Song Kul Horse Trek

We had breakfast at around 8 AM and then waved goodbye to the lovely family that welcomed us into their yurt camp. Today would be a long ascent to reach the Tuz-Ashuu Pass, the highest point of the horse trek. The journey was beautiful as we climbed higher and higher up the valley, and taking in the panoramic views from atop our horses. Before long, we reached the 3,400 meter high Tuz-Ashuu Pass and laid eyes on Song Kul Lake for the first time. Saying Song Kul Lake is a bit like saying ATM machine, as Kul means lake in the Central Asian languages, but whatever.

Our horses took a much-needed break at this pass and then we began the descent down to Song Kul. We passed many yurt camps along the way. The lake is lined with dozens and dozens of camps during the summer.

Song Kul was much more beautiful than I imagined. The stillness of the lake was surreal, with its unmoving waters extending towards the horizon and perfectly reflecting the distant mountains. Only the occasional wild bird would disturb its stillness, and the less graceful herds of cows that would quench their thirst on its shores.

We finished our ride to our yurt camp, arriving in the early afternoon and allowing for plenty of time by the lake. After lunch, we jumped right into the lake’s frigid waters, a shock to the system, but a pleasant one in contrast to the unforgiving high-altitude summer sun.

I wish I took more advantage of our free time along the lake, but after 5 hours on horseback, a heavy lunch, and a long swim, I ended up getting a little too cozy in the yurt and passed out for nearly three hours. I woke up as the sun was setting, mostly due to the shouting coming from an impromptu volleyball match between the locals and the foreigners. I ended up kicking a football around with some local children as the sun set behind the mountains.

Following another cozy yurt dinner and some music and singing, we called it a night in preparation for the return trip to Kyzart. 

Day Three of the Song Kul Horse Trek

Although one would expect the return journey to be the easiest stretch, I found it to be the most stressful. The first part of the day was nice and easy, mostly flat and included some stretches of galloping on the horses. We passed by large herds of cows and sheep before eventually reaching a mountain pass. The combination of tricky terrain and narrow trails made for a daunting duo. There were moments where I wanted to hop off the horse and walk the rest of the way, but the guides insisted that we trust our horses. Sometimes, it seemed like not even the horses trusted their usually sure-footed decision-making.

Thankfully, we all made it down without a scratch and cruised the rest of the way back to Kyzart. It was smooth sailing and I was beyond thrilled to be back in flat meadow with fields of tall yellow grass and the occasional Kyrgyz mausoleum, a unique style of tomb that I never grew tired of.

Final Verdict: Is The Song Kul Horse Trek Worth Doing?

Riding horses in Kyrgyzstan is a quintessential experience but I’ll admit, perhaps I was over-eager by immediately booking a three-day horseback adventure. After all, I had probably ridden horses for a grand total of three hours in my entire life. Now here I was committing to three whole days of something I had very little experience in, and an activity that has never particularly captivated me on my previous equestrian endeavors.

I also had to turn a blind eye to a few things that I didn’t love about how the horses were treated. For the most part, the horses seemed well taken care of. The guides told us that the horses rest for as many days as they work. They seemed healthy and like they had a good relationship with the guides. After each day, our guides would take time to groom and clean the horses.

I understand that the horses need to be tied up so that they don’t run away, but it was still sad to see them in such a wide open space and be hobbled by ropes on their legs.

Personally, I also thought that three days was a bit too long. Two days is also an option, and you would go directly to the lake on the first day. While I loved the first yurt camp, the views on the first day are pretty average compared to what you will see throughout the rest of Kyrgyzstan. Song Kul was my first stop on my Kyrgyzstan trip, so I found the landscapes impressive at the time.

Regarding the value of the trip, I found it to be excellent and well worth what we paid for it. The guides were okay. I think I’ve been spoiled by how attentive some of my other guides in Central Asia have been. For the most part, our guides rode up in front and rarely spoke to us besides a “everything good?” every 30 minutes or so. After reaching camp, we typically we wouldn’t see them again until dinner.

If I were to do it again, I would have booked a two-day trip instead. The few minutes of galloping throughout the trip were enthralling but overall, the other 99% of the time on horseback can be quite monotonous. For hours at a time, you are sitting there inhaling horse farts. It isn’t particularly relaxing, either, since you still use quite a few muscles to maintain your balance. Turning your brain off isn’t an option since the horse can suddenly change speed or direction on a whim, so it also takes constant mental focus. I’m not going to pretend like it is difficult, but it does take more effort than you expect, and for the few minutes of excitement, there are hours of sitting there trying to find a comfortable position.

I would say the Song Kul Horse Trek is absolutely worth it, but not to expect it to be the wild galloping adventure that you likely see on social media. There will be mere minutes of galloping total throughout the three days. The rest of it will be bobbing up and down mountain passes for hours at a time. Temper your expectations a bit and consider looking into a shorter trip. You can always extend if it ends up being something you love. Regardless, it is a one-of-a-kind adventure, and among the most quintessentially Kyrgyz experiences one can have.

More on Central Asia

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• Backpacker’s Travel Guide to Samarkand, Uzbekistan
• Backpacker’s Travel Guide to Tashkent, Uzbekistan
• Guide to Hiking Big Almaty Lake, Kazakhstan