14/03/2018
Kyrgyz-Ata National Park is one of the most beautiful places in southern Kyrgyzstan. Only 40 km from Osh, this small national park is located on the northern slope of the Alay Range. Juniper forests are hallmark of in Kyrgyz-Ata, and are fascinating caves sharing ancestral secrets. In fact, throughout the park are historical and cultural monuments, as well as ancient sites and burial grounds. And that’s just the beginning — it’s also a have for outdoors and ecotourism lovers.
Spending time at Kyrgyz-Ata National Park offers the chance to trek or ride horses through the gorges. To soak in the pristine nature on any number of cultural or educational tours. And not just for a day — live with nomads at a yurt camp located right in the heart of the park. You’ll see firsthand the daily live of Kyrgyz nomads when you book one of the comfortable yurts, which can sleep a number of people in a hostel-style, or can be booked entirely private.
From your yurt camp, you can easily hire a local guide for trekking, book a horse trek, and learn the art of archery. And throughout it all, you’ll enjoy locally prepared traditional dishes. Horse lovers will love the chance for either a horse trek in the mountains, or the chance to simply horseback ride in the pastures and fields nearby. Horse treks are available for all skill levels and we offer one- and multi-day options.
For those truly curious guests, book a showing of remarkable nomadic horse games. Of the four horse games you’ll watch, kok boru is arguably the most famous, but all are entertaining and you’ll also have the rare opportunity to enjoy kiz kuumai, tiyin enmeyi and hey oodarysh. All four of these games are one official games in World Nomad Games, which is often among the only times you can usually witness them in person.
There are countless opportunities to satisfy your curiosity about Kyrgyz traditions, including in Karakoy, a nearby village where you learn the process of making handcrafted, traditional yurts. You can enjoy your evenings to the sound of traditional Kyrgyz folk music, which uses truly Kyrgyz instruments, like the komuz, ooz komuz, chopo-chor, and others. From the beautiful yurt camp in Kyrgyz-Ata