Bakai Yurt Camp

About Bakai Yurt Camp

Bakai is a small family camp of six yurts on Song-Köl, and what guests remember is the cooking — shashlyk off the grill and tea poured from a samovar, described as very good by everyone who has written about it. Horse riding is arranged. It rates 5.0 out of 5 and ranks first in its district, though on only two reviews, so treat the score as encouraging rather than established. This is a thin entry and we would rather say so than dress it up: nothing is published about toilets, showers, wi-fi, electricity or the season window, and while reviewers confirm the yurts are heated, the arrangement is not described. The quoted price band runs from US$29 to US$123 a night, a spread of more than four times, which is a platform averaging artefact rather than useful information — you will need to ask directly what a night actually costs. Come with the standard Song-Köl assumptions: pit toilets, cold nights at 3,000 m even in July, no signal, and cash. If you want a small camp with good food and are willing to make contact before committing, this is a reasonable bet; if you need to know what you are getting before you leave home, pick one of the camps on this list that publishes a tariff.

Highlights

• Six yurts — small and family-run
• Shashlyk and samovar tea
• Horse riding arranged
• Top-ranked in its district, on a small review base

Getting there

Song-Köl, Kochkorka district. Issyk-Köl airport (BSZ) about 45 km away; Manas International about 135 km.