Kyzart to Song-Köl — the Classic 3-Day Ride

About the Kyzart to Song-Köl — the Classic 3-Day Ride trek

This is the trek that made Kyrgyzstan a horse-riding destination, and it earns the reputation. Day one is a deliberately soft valley ride beside the Chaar-Archa river to the Kilemche pasture, designed so that people who have never sat on a horse can find their seat. Day two climbs over the Jalgyz-Karagai pass at around 3,300 m and drops onto the Song-Köl shore, where the lake opens up in front of you and the yurt camps sit on open grass with nothing else in sight. Day three returns over the Tuz-Ashuu pass. Book it in Kochkor or Kyzart and you will pay 13,000 to 20,000 som; book the identical trip from abroad and you will pay two to four times that, which is the single most useful thing to know about it. Be honest with yourself about the riding. There is very little galloping — a few minutes across the whole three days — and a great deal of walking pace on narrow ground where you need to pay attention. Beginners report real soreness in the knees and back by day three. There is no phone reception for most of the route, no electricity at most camps, and no ATM in Kyzart, so draw cash in Kochkor. Nights drop close to freezing even in July, and a summer storm on the pass can bring the temperature to zero.