KYRGYZSTAN PHOTOgraphy TOUR
8 PARTICIPANTS MAX
30th June - 10th July 2024
(Fully booked)
22nd June - 2nd July 2025
(6 spaces remaining)
COST: £2950 / per person
(based on double occupancy (hotels & tents), single room supplement: £300)
“Join me and our amazing tour team (Visit Karakol) for this epic adventure in Kyrgyzstan. This tour has it all: amazing mountains in every direction, breathtaking lakes, canyons, valleys and sleeping in yurts - the real nomadic experience!
Kyrgyzstan is an incredible country that I have visited multiple times over the last few years and it really is a photographers dream – often referred to as the Patagonia of Central Asia. With a country that is 90% mountainous and the most incredible & hospitable people, we’ll capture photographs and memories to last a lifetime!”
Only a 10% deposit is required to secure your spot.
Remainder balance is due 8 weeks prior to start date.
Use the Book Now button above to email me to reserve your place.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Peak Yeltsin and Karakol Peak with panoramic views
Visit remote area of Sary-Jaz (on border with China)
Hike to the jaw dropping Ala-Kul lake, the jewel of Kyrgyzstan
Visiting incredible canyons (Mars Canyon, Canyon of Forgotten Rivers)
Drive through Chon-Ashuu pass 3822m (highest point)
Soak up the culture at Karakol animal market
Stay in yurt camp
TOUR ITINERARY
DAY 1: Meeting in Bishkek
Arrival in the capital city of Bishkek and transportation to the hotel. You’ll have the opportunity to relax upon arrival or explore the city. Bishkek is a modern, bustling city with lots of parks, green spaces and Soviet era architecture. We’ll have a group welcome dinner in the evening, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet fellow guests & our tour team and discuss the upcoming schedule. Myself and Visit Karakol will run through the tour itinerary with you and answer any questions you may have before the real adventure begins!
Accommodation: Hotel
DAY 2: Bishkek – Canyon of Forgotten Rivers
After breakfast we’ll hit the road. Today will start our exploration of some of Kyrgyzstan’s incredible canyons. On the way we will visit Kok-Moinok Canyon. On arrival at our final camp we will hike 20 minutes on foot for sunset overlooking the Canyon of Forgotten Rivers. This location from a drone is just mind blowing but there are also fantastic compositions from ground level in all directions!
Accommodation: Yurt Camp
DAY 3: Canyon of Forgotten Rivers – Peak Yeltsin
This day will be packed with epic mountains and canyons. Guests can either take sunrise shots by drone from camp, take shots of the yurt camp in front of the canyon or head back to the main vantage point. After breakfast in our yurts we will drive to Jety-Oguz valley. On the way we will visit Mars Canyon where we can shoot a traditional Kyrgyz eagle hunter against this incredible backdrop. We will also visit Skazka Canyon (Fairytale Canyon) which is also an amazing landscape to explore and photograph. Finally we will switch to our Soviet military truck and make the bumpy journey (our first real taste of Kyrgyz roads) to our overnight camp with amazing views to Peak Yeltsin which towers at an altitude of 5128 meters.
Accommodation: Tent
(Our tent nights are based on 2 sharing a tent and come complete with porters, chefs, kitchen tent and toilet tent – it really is a fantastic set-up)
Our amazing Soviet military style truck!
Perfect for taking on those bumpy Kyrgyz roads…
DAY 4: Peak Yeltsin – Karakol
Sunrise shot of Peak Yeltsin. We’ll have the opportunity to meet local shepherds and photograph them on their horses with the mountains as a backdrop, before heading back to the valley and driving to Karakol city. Today you will stay in a nice hotel and prepare your gear for the next days adventure. We can drive back to Jety-Oguz gorge for sunset above Seven Bulls or another location at the mouth of the Tyup River.
Accommodation: Hotel
DAY 5: Karakol – Karakol Peak
Now things begin to get really interesting. Our military truck will transport us through the stunning Karakol Valley to Alp Camp, which is located at an altitude of 2500 meters. Here we will complete a simple 2 hour hike and set up camp in front of the beautiful Karakol Peak. This huge mountain with glacier sits at over 5200 meters and is a towering sight. We will spend the night in tents in front of the glacier and watch out for starry skies.
(Optional - Horse riding if you would prefer not to hike. We can discuss this option before you arrive in Kyrgyzstan)
Accommodation: Tent
DAY 6: Peak Karakol – Ala-Kul
After a good nights sleep (and hopefully shooting) under the stars, we will pack up and make our way to the spectacular Ala-Kul lake. This will be the most challenging day of the trip but also the most rewarding - it will be no problem for someone with an OK level of fitness. We will make it up to this beautiful lake for sunset and camp overnight. This turquoise lake is one of the most beautiful in the world, situated at 3560 meters. It’s very possible that temperatures drop to freezing point this night but when the sun rises it will soon start to warm up.
Accommodation: Tent
DAY 7: Ala-Kul – Karakol
You’ll be awake early ready for an amazing sunrise. We can then hike to Ala-Kul pass where the views are stunning - perfect for those epic drone shots. After this we will hike down to Alp Camp and our military truck will return us to our hotel in Karakol. We can then refresh for the evening as we recover from our couple of days in the mountains, have a great meal and discuss our adventures. This will be a great opportunity to back up images and have a look together at what you’ve already captured.
Accommodation: Hotel
DAY 8: Karakol - Sary-Jaz
We’ll begin the day with an early morning visit to Karakol animal market which is a photographers dream – full of hustle & bustle and perfect for street photography and soaking up the local culture. Next we’ll hit the bumpy road to Sary-Jaz valley in our comfortable 4x4’s. We’ll be surrounded with views of mountains at over 7000 meters which are snow capped all year round. We will shoot these epic peaks at sunset before setting up camp for the night. We’ll be looking out for local shepherds and horses for photography opportunities.
(For this area you will require a special permit which we will obtain before the trip for you, this is due to the location being on the border of China)
Accommodation: Tents
KARAKOL ANIMAL MARKET
DAY 9: Sary-Jaz – Karakol
Driving back to Karakol through Karkara valley on the border with Kazakhstan. We’ll rise from our tents to shoot sunrise and see the first light hit the mountain peaks. You can even shoot from your tent if you prefer! We’ll take a different route back to Karakol so we can explore some different valleys.
Accommodation: Hotel
DAY 10: Karakol — Bishkek
Driving to Bishkek by the north shore of lake Issyk-Kul - the second largest alpine lake on the planet. In the evening we can enjoy a city tour in Bishkek and have a well deserved meal at our hotel. A welcome taste of luxury!
Accommodation: Hotel
DAY 11: Transfer to airport
After a farewell breakfast at the hotel you will be provided transport for your journey to the airport. Final goodbyes, lots of hugs and leaving with memories to last a lifetime.
INCLUDED
Airport Transfers from Bishkek airport (FRU)
All transport throughout tour
Accommodation each night in yurts/tents/hotels
All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
Photographic guidance from Richard
Local Guides & Porters
Permits needed to access remote areas
Entrance Fees
NOT INCLUDED
Potential visa fee (most countries don’t need visa for Kyrgyzstan)
Flights to and from Kyrgyzstan
Travel & equipment Insurance
Alcoholic drinks
“We can’t forget the amazing Kyrgyz people and dwellings you’ll pass along the way. Whether it be kids on donkeys, faces that tell a thousand stories or just the traditional Kyrgyz welcome into a yurt to break bread and give us Kymys (fermented horse milk!).
This incredible land is full of the most welcoming people, Kyrgyzstan is notorious for it’s hospitality, and I have been photographing it’s people since 2018 - I even have a Kyrgyz girlfriend ; )
Here’s a sample of the feast of colour and faces we’ll meet along the way, and the incredible photo opportunities, on this incredible voyage of discovery!”
Only a 10% deposit is required to secure your spot.
Remainder balance is due 8 weeks prior to start date.
Use the Book Now button above to email me to reserve your place.
REVIEWS (DON’T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT)
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"Life-Altering Experience"
If I had to sum up my recent journey to Kyrgyzstan in a few words, I'd go with "life-altering." Before this trip, Kyrgyzstan was just a name I'd never heard before, let alone locate on a map. Yet, I can't express how thrilled I am that I embarked on this adventure with Richard. Planning a trip to a place halfway around the world can be incredibly nerve-wracking, but Richard made it a breeze. All I had to do was get there.
Right from day one, Richard's deep knowledge of the country became evident, and it stayed with us throughout the entire ten-day journey. He had a knack for taking us to the most remote and breathtaking corners of Kyrgyzstan, something that would have been quite challenging to pull off on our own. No need to fret about travel logistics, finding camp spots, or even worrying about our next meal; Richard and the expert guides he had picked had it all covered.
As a professional photographer who usually shies away from photo tours, I can confidently say that I'd jump at the chance to book this tour again without a second thought. It truly was an unforgettable experience that left an indelible mark on my photography journey.
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Kyrgyzstan – and Richard Watson’s Kyrgyzstan in particular – is a sight, an experience and an opportunity unlike any this avid traveller and hobbyist photographer has had the pleasure of before.
The country – one only recently opened up with any kind of convenience or real access – still has the remoteness and unfamiliarity that travellers and photographers both crave. “There must be reasons why tourists generally, and particularly those from the West, don’t travel to central Asia, this vast area of the globe”, I remember thinking – in fact it was a main driver of why I wanted to visit. But believe me, I found none. Quite the opposite.
In one day, you can see arid, desert-like canyons and rippled, rocky waves of untouched, folded geometric rock formations that would go on forever were it not for the vast snow-capped mountains that rise to meet the horizon. In the same day, you can be up among those same mountains, with the mood and feeling of the place changing minute by minute as the sun plays with unpredictable beauty on the saw-like edges of the surrounding mountains.
In such a small country and in such a relatively short space of time, experiencing desert, arid rock, alpine, temperate, high mountain and lake-side yurt camps which feel like a brief beach holiday sojourn, is simply remarkable. Some of it is hard work, some of it feels a million miles away from home, and all of it is remarkable.Were it not for Richard’s experience – both as a photographer, his familial connections via his long-term Kyrgyz partner to the country and his many trip there – doing all this in 10 days would be impossible.
Personally, I am not a tour-group kind of traveller. I either go on holidays with friends, with family or ‘travel’ on my own. This has changed my mind. With a group of seven – from six different countries – you expect people pulling in different directions and each with different ideas of what they want. While this inevitably happens, none of it is negative. Each has their own vision, experience and ideas of what they want to see and capture, and Richard was always there – how, I’m still not quite sure – to lend advice and to suggest his idea of the best way of doing things.
The country, tour and set-up is incredible. If you want to see somewhere different, fit in all of the above within 10 days and have the time of your life, I wouldn’t look past this tour. It will change the way you look at photography, central Asia and – quite possibly – the world, and leave you with an insatiable hunger for more. Do it.
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I’d highly recommend Richard’s Kyrgyzstan tour. The country itself is epic. White peaks glitter off in the distance as soon as you arrive off the plane. Just emerging onto the Western radar there isn’t really the infrastructure here to facilitate independent travel to remote and spectacular areas. With his knowledge of Kyrgyzstan Richard’s put together a tour that visits some exceptional locations. The organisation of the tour, facilities and food provided when in civilisation and when camping was fantastic. Richard is also great at offering his experience and skills to help participants with composure, conditions, settings etc. I’ll treasure my memory of the sun rising over the mighty peak of Mount Karakol forever.