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Overview | What Kyrgyzstan lacks in gracious buildings and fancy cakes it makes up for with nomadic traditions such as laid-back hospitality, a healthy distrust of authority and a fondness for drinking fermented mare's milk. It is perhaps the most accessible and welcoming of the Central Asian republics. | When To Go | At lower elevations, spring and autumn are probably the best seasons to visit weather-wise - in particular April to early June and September through October. In spring, the desert blooms briefly, while autumn is harvest time when the markets fill with fresh produce.Summer is ferociously hot in the lowlands, but July and August are the best months to visit the mountains. Cold rains begin in November and snow soon closes mountain passes. The ski season at the Upper Ala-Archa Mountain Ski Base lasts from December to April. Winters are bitterly cold. | Visas | Kyrgyz embassies now issue visas without letters of support. All foreigners staying in the country for more than three days are expected to register with the Office of Visas & Regulations OVIR, preferably in Bishkek. A stamp from Bishkek is good for the whole country and normally lasts a month. | Weather | Altitude gives this country particularly dry weather, with harsh winters and punchy summers. A July summer's day typically begins at 30°C 89°F and halves by nightfall. While in the midst of winter the mercury teeters and totters around 0°C 32°F and gets as low as -24°C -75°F, a deft spring soon warms things up. | Getting There | British Mediterranean has three flights a week from London to Bishkek. Bishkek is connected with Istanbul, Moscow, Kiev and Novosibirsk. It's also a possibility to fly into Almaty in Kazakstan and catch a bus for the three hour ride to Bishkek a Kazakstan transit visa is required. Trains run from Bishkek a few times a week to Tashkent Uzbekistan, Almaty and Krasnoyarsk Siberia, and daily to Moscow. There are frequent buses between Bishkek and Tashkent and Almaty, though you often have to change buses at the border; a seasonal bus service links Osh and Kashgar via the Irkeshtam Pass and special jeep tours cross from Bishkek to Kashgar via the Torugart Pass. |
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 |  | Tien Shan Horse Trek | South of the great inland sea of Issyk-Kul, the mountains of the Tien Shan stretch across the border into China. From Bishkek youll travel to Barskoon and be welcomed into a local home. You'll be introduced to your mounts and then travel by horse-back to discover this remarkable and untouched world of Kyrgyz shepherds, their yurt homes, horses and exquisite surroundings. |
| | Please Click Here for more information on Tien Shan Horse Trek | |
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