$3950 US / Single Supplement $N/A
‘Only a horse and an agreeable conversation can shorten a long journey.’
Kyrgyzstan Proverb
Swap bicycle for horse - and we agree…
We headed to this land of mystery and intrigue in August 2025 and it did not disappoint. In fact, it went straight into the top 3 of places we have cycled. Amazing, epic aren’t enough… even these words come short.
Otherworldly might just about be as close as we can get.
Kyrgyzstan’s history spans a variety of empires and cultures, standing at the crossroads of great civilisations of the past, from the Turks, to the Mongols, to the Soviets.
On the 31st of August, 1991, the nation finally gained its independence. Kyrgyz is derived from the Turkic phrase, meaning "We are Forty", and refers to the legend of Manas, a warrior who united forty regional clans.
The 40-ray sun on the national flag is a reference to those same forty tribes and the element in the sun's centre depicts the wooden crown, or tunduk, of a yurt.
But enough of the history lesson, let’s get to the cycling…
We meet at the hotel in the capital, Bishkek, where we have our Welcome Dinner, then the next day we drive one hour south east to the start point for Stage 1, Kochkor Village. One of the highlights of this ride is Karakol Pass, a meandering gravel track up through a grassy valley.
Over the next eight days we ourselves will meander on our knobbly tires all over the central region of the country, riding along the rims of ancient lakes, camping out under the stars, and dozing off with bellies full in warm, comforting, traditional yurts.
This tour is guaranteed to be absolutely spectacular, with a variety of lodgings, hearty food, cobalt blue lakes and wild horses, all set amongst the incredibly beautiful landscape, captured in the images down below.
Come, join us, for what is definitely one of our signature KOJO tours.
Note: For this tour an MTB or gravel bike is essential, with 42mm plus knobbly tires (40mm may be a little too narrow). Two spare tires and inner tubes are recommended also.
Please note that on all of our tours, we make sure that no one gets left behind, and always have one guide at the front and one at the back. We are all about inclusivity, not exclusivity - this is a Collective, after all!
KYRGYZSTAN
August 11th - 22nd
Dates
Days
12
Cost
$3950
Stages
Distance
684km
Daily Average
76km
Elevation
8730m
Intermediate / Challenging
Rating
Surface
90% Gravel
Single Supplement
Group Leaders
1 per 8 guests
N/A as only D1 and D10 avail. as SS
Support
Fully Supported
9
THE LOWDOWN
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DAY 1 / 11.8
ARRIVAL / BISHKEK
Hotel
After arriving at Manas International Airport some 20km from the city, you will be met by a driver to be whisked to the hotel in the capital. After a shower and building up the bike, you are free to relax at the hotel or get out and explore the city, which is worth doing. The mix of the old Soviet style architecture and the modern is very interesting. Also, at the supermarkets you can pick up energy and protein bars.
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DAY 2 / 12.8
BISHKEK - KOCHKOR - ARAL / Transfer & Ride
Stage 1 / 82km 1650m / Camping
A three-hour drive takes us out of the capital and out to the east, where we start to get a taste of the rugged beauty of this land. We arrive at around 10am, have a quick stretch then get on the bikes and begin our adventure! We head out of town on paved roads for around 25km, then turn onto the gravel.
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DAY 3 / 13.8
ARAL - KYZYL OI
Stage 2 - 105km 270m / Guest House
Only 270m of elevation today but over 1,000m of descending, thankfully nothing too steep nor overly technical. A beautiful route this, quite gentle, with soft hills and icy-blue rivers that come off the glaciers, which you can get a peek of, far in the distance. Kyzyl Oi is a sweet, quiet little hamlet, very calm and relaxing.
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DAY 4 / 14.8
KYZYL OI - CHAYEK
Stage 3 / 49km 880m / Guest House
A later start is factored in here after the two longer stages that started the tour, and to allow us to acclimatise as we rise higher and higher, before speeding down to Isyk Kul Lake on the final day. The scenery here also is quite gentle, being a plateau from which smaller hills rise up.
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DAY 5 / 14.8
CHAYEK - KYZART (Song Kul Lake)
Stage 4 / 82km 1880m / Yurts
We leave Chayek and ride through an almost lunar landscape, til we turn off and back on to the good stuff. Then there is a challenging false flat - long and straight - to deal with before we head over Karakeche pass, which feels very much like being out on the Mongolian steppe. Then we have a series of rollers that bring us down to the serene lakeshore, where can ride straight to our yurts.
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DAY 6 / 15.8
KYZART (Song Kul Lake) - JANY TALAP
Stage 5 / 51km 570m / Guest House
Amazing day is this, with the highlight being the Moldo Ashoo Pass that comes soon after we leave the yurt camp. Known as locally as the ‘Stelvio of Kyrgyzstan’, we think it’s even better - there is very little traffic, it’s 100% gravel, and… well, it’s in Kyrgyzstan! The view from the top is stellar, and riding down it is even better.
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DAY 7 / 16.8
JANY TALAP - NARYN
Stage 6 / 113km 1350m / Hotel
We set off on gravel here then turn on to pavement roads, for the run-in to Naryn, the largest town in this province. There’s a good 65km of road to cover, and whilst not ideal, it is relatively quiet traffic-wise, and there is simply no other way to reach Naryn. With favourable winds we will be able to travel at a decent speed and arrive early, so we can stock up on goodies for the next days of camping!
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DAY 8 / 17.8
NARYN - TASH BASHAT
Stage 7 / 65km 990m / Camping
Back into the woods again here with a rather glorious day that sees us climb up along a trail cut into a valley wall with a roaring rover below. One particular natural viewpoint makes for stunning images, perfect for making friends back home envious! We then keep climbing to emerge in a massive valley, were we will camp out for the night.
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DAY 9 / 18.8
TASH BASHAT - TEMIRKANAT
Stage 8 / 67km / 880m / Camping
In August 2025 we awoke to around a hundred horses being herded through the valley no more than than 50 meters from our tents, as the sun rose and the snow glistened on the nearby glaciers. It’s rather magical up here, at around 3200m, and once sorted, we jump on the bikes again for another solid day of riding in what might just be gravel heaven.
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DAY 10 / 19.8
TEMIRKANAT - ISSYK KUL LAKE
STAGE 9 / 82km 1880m
The last big climb faces us, the Tossoor Pass, which sits just under 4k, at 3901m elevation. Huge herds of goats and more horses watch on as we climb, and the final couple of kilometers of the peak are definitely challenging. Sitting at the top for a break and taking in the view is immensely rewarding. The descent on the way to the lake is also rather awesome!
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DAY 11 / 20.8
VAN TRANSFER
Transfer back to the city, around 3 hrs of driving. We will arrive around midday. In the evening there is the option to meet for a coffee or a beer and some snacks.
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DAY 12 / 21.8
DEPARTURE DAY
We will arrange your pick up from the hotel in plenty of time to get to the airport.
