This is a guide to horseback riding to Song Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan. It explains in detail how to organize a horse trek to Lake Song Kul in summer and winter with practical information on what to bring, which companies to contact and where to stay at Song Kul. It also gives you an itinerary and explains what to expect on a horseback trip to the lake.
Song Kul Lake, located at an altitude of 3,000 meters, is one of the highlights of Kyrgyzstan. Surrounded by rolling summer pastures, where semi-nomadic herders graze their livestock, the lake offers a glimpse into traditional Kyrgyz life.
The journey to Song Kul Lake is an adventure in itself, and there is no better way to experience it than on horseback—just as the Kyrgyz nomads have done for centuries. Riding through mountain passes, lush valleys, and vast summer pastures offers a unique perspective on the untamed beauty of Kyrgyzstan’s wilderness.
A horse riding trip to Song Kul offers an insight into the rich nomadic culture of the region. Starting from the village of Kyzart, the route takes riders through the rolling green hills of Kilemche, where herders set up their traditional yurts for the summer months.
Along the way, travelers can experience the warm hospitality of local families, taste traditional Kyrgyz dishes, and even try kumis, a fermented mare’s milk that has been a staple of nomadic life for generations. Spending the night in a yurt under a sky full of stars makes it a special experience!
Whether you are an experienced rider or a beginner, horseback riding to Song Kul offers a perfect blend of nature, adventure, and cultural immersion. In this guide, I’ll tell you how to organize a horse riding trip to Song Kul Lake.
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1. Why should you go on a horse trek to Song Kul Lake?
Riding to Song Kul Lake on horseback was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my travels in Kyrgyzstan. There’s something magical about exploring the wild landscapes the way the Kyrgyz nomads have done for centuries.
The feeling of freedom as my horse carried me across valleys and mountain passes, with nothing but mountains and endless sky in every direction, was unlike anything I had ever experienced.
It’s not just about reaching the lake. Every turn in the trail reveals new breathtaking scenery, from lush valleys to dramatic mountain ridges, making the ride as rewarding as the destination.
You’ll get to experience the life of the nomads and their culture by sleeping in yurts along the way. If you’re there at the right time of the year you might even be able to taste Kymyz, a Kyrgyz traditional drink made of fermented horse milk.
Reaching Song Kul on horseback makes the moment even more special. As you crest the final mountain pass, the lake suddenly appears, a vast, shimmering blue gem in the middle of an endless green expanse. The sense of accomplishment, the crisp mountain air, and the sheer beauty of the scene leaves you speechless.
Spending the night by the lake, watching the sunset paint the sky in shades of pink and orange, and waking up to the sound of horses grazing nearby is an experience you won’t quickly forget. If you want to truly connect with nature, challenge yourself, and experience Kyrgyzstan in the most authentic way possible, there’s no better adventure than horse riding to Song Kul.
2. When is the best time to go on a horse trek to Song Kol
The best time to go horse riding to Song Kul Lake is from mid-June to mid-September when the weather is at its most favorable. During this period, the mountain passes leading to the lake are free of snow, making the journey safer and more accessible.
The summer months bring mild temperatures, with daytime highs ranging from 15 to 25°C (59 to 77°F), perfect for long hours of riding. The nights, however, can still be quite cold, sometimes dropping close to freezing, so packing warm clothing is essential. This is also the time when the nomadic herders set up their yurts in the high pastures.
June and early July are particularly beautiful as the valleys and meadows are lush and covered in colorful wildflowers. This is when the landscapes feel the most alive, and the lake is at its clearest, reflecting the surrounding mountains like a mirror.
August is the warmest month, ideal for those who prefer more stable weather conditions, though it can also be a bit busier with tourists. By September, the air becomes crisper, and the colors start to change, giving the area a golden autumn glow. This is a great time for those who prefer fewer crowds and enjoy cooler, more refreshing riding conditions.
Outside of this window, traveling to Song Kul on horseback becomes much more challenging.
From October to May, snow blankets the region, and the yurts are taken down as herders move to lower altitudes. The lake freezes over, and temperatures can plummet well below freezing, making horse riding very challenging. Even in late spring, some mountain passes may still be blocked by snow.
For the best experience, you should plan your horse riding trip between June and September is highly recommended.
3. Is it safe to go horse riding to Song Kul Lake?
Horse riding to Song Kul Lake is generally safe, even for beginners, as long as you go with an experienced guide.
The horses used for trekking are well-trained and accustomed to the mountainous terrain and the pace is usually steady and manageable.
Local guides know the best routes, weather conditions, and how to handle any challenges that may arise, such as sudden changes in weather or tricky mountain passes.
That said, like any outdoor adventure in remote areas, there are some risks to consider. The high-altitude environment means the weather can change quickly, with sudden rain, strong winds, or even snowfall, even in summer.
It’s important to be physically prepared for the altitude, as some travelers may experience mild symptoms of altitude sickness. Additionally, the trails can be steep and rocky in some sections, so following your guide’s instructions and staying alert while riding is crucial.
As long as you take the necessary precautions and travel with a reputable guide, horse riding to Song Kul Lake is a safe and unforgettable adventure.
It is paramount to have good travel insurance before going on a horse trip to Kyrgyzstan. The insurance I recommend is HeyMondo. It covers almost anything that could virtually happen to you in high mountain altitudes and covers you on treks of up to 5,000 meters.
HeyMondo is also one of the few policies that won’t require you to be in your home country to purchase, renew or extend your insurance. If your trip happens to go on a little longer than planned, you can easily extend your plan online.
Need Travel Insurance for Central Asia? I use and highly recommend HeyMondo Travel Insurance. As a reader of Journal of Nomads, you get a 5% discount off your insurance plan!
4. Is it safe to go on a horse trek to Song Kul Lake in winter?
While it is technically possible to go on a horse riding trip to Song Kul Lake in winter, it is highly challenging and not recommended for most travelers. The lake sits at over 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) above sea level, and during winter, the region experiences extreme cold, heavy snowfall, and strong winds.
The trails leading to the lake become covered in deep snow, making navigation difficult and potentially dangerous. Horses also struggle in such conditions, as icy paths and deep drifts can slow their movement and increase the risk of injury.
I would strongly advise not going there alone as that could be very dangerous. Temperatures during winter can drop to -30° C (-22 F) in the evening in the mountains that surround the lake.
Most guides and nomadic families leave the area for lower altitudes during this time, meaning there are practically no yurts or established camps available for shelter. Even experienced local horsemen rarely attempt this journey in winter, as the deep snow and icy trails make it challenging for horses to move safely.
It’s important to organize such tour with a reputed guide or company that has organized tours like this in the past. It requires expert preparation, including specialized winter gear, extra provisions, and emergency planning. Horses need to be well-trained for winter conditions, and you have to be physically prepared for extreme cold and long, exhausting rides.
5. Where to stay during a horse riding trip to lake Song Kul?
From early/mid-June until mid-September, you’ll find several yurt camps in the valleys surrounding the lake and many on the shores of Song Kol Lake. Most are hosted by local families, the majority of the yurt camps on the lake’s shore are from tourism organizations.
You can arrange your stay in these yurt camps ahead of time with a tour operator or directly with the yurt owners upon arriving there.
While you’ll always find a camp on the shore of Song Kul Lake, the yurt camps in the nearby valleys and jailoos have limited places so keep in mind – although chances are low – you might not always find sleeping place, unless you’ve organized your trip via a tour operator.
Staying at a tourist yurt camp costs around €25, breakfast and dinner included. When staying at the camp of a local family, you might negotiate price.
If you visit the lake during winter, it might be a bit trickier to find yurt camps around the lake. Very few owners of the guesthouses in Kyzart keep some yurts around the lake even during winter but you need to contact them ahead of time just to be sure.
By booking your winter horse trek to the lake with a reputed company, you will be assured of sleeping in one of the few yurts that remain permanently next to the lake.
6. How long does it take to reach lake Song Kul by horse?
Depending on where you start your journey, riding a horse to Song Kul lake can take anywhere between a day and a whole week.
Starting directly from Kilemche valley, for example, takes only a day. If you start from the small village of Kyzart, reaching the lake takes about 2 days. It’s also possible to do a round trip from Kyzart and back in 3 to 4 days of riding.
Some people also start the horseback trek in Kochkor and ride all the way to the lake and back as part of a six days adventure.
On the Song Kul Horse Riding Tour that I organize, you’ll take two days to ride from Kyzart to Song Kul.
7. How to organize a horse riding trip to Song Kul Lake
Join a tour or go with a local agency
Joining a tour or using the services of a local agency is the safest and least stressful way to do it. Everything is taken care of including accommodation. Prices vary depending on the company and your requirements (do you want an English-speaking guide, a private yurt, extra transportation,…).
Contact me as I can help connect you with the best local tour guides and companies. I also offer small 3-day horse riding tours to Song Kul Lake, to help lower the costs:
Ride across the high alpine pastures of Kyrgyzstan and experience the magic of Song Kul Lake on horseback, together with local guides and fellow adventurers.
Directly with local providers at guesthouses or yurt camps
Organizing an independent horse riding trip to Song Kul Lake requires careful planning, as you’ll be navigating remote and unknown terrain without the support of a tour company.
You can rent a horse for the day from a local provider at one of the yurt camps at the lake or at some guesthouse in Kyzart and Kochkor. Remember that prices will vary depending on the type of services. Bear in mind, there might also be a language barrier when you talk to local providers, unless you speak good Russian.
It’s important to be able to communicate clearly so you can understand the guide’s safety advice, flag up any problems and talk through requests/concerns etc. There’s a disadvantage of that you never know if/when a horse will be available.
8. How much does a horse trek to Song Kol lake cost?
Costs of an organized horse trek to song kul lake
There are a lot of companies in Kyrgyzstan offering horseback treks to Song Kol lake and they all offer very different packages.
What can be an average price to expect for a trip to the lake? It really depends on the duration of the journey, if you travel with an English speaking guide and if you’ll sleep in yurts and eat there.
The average price for a private 2-day horse riding tour for two people, including the rental costs of the horses and the services of a guide, accommodation in yurt camps, all meals and transport to and from the lake is around 550 USD per person.
Dreaming of hiking through wild mountain landscapes, horseback riding across alpine pastures, sleeping in yurts, and exploring remote valleys by 4×4 with a small group of adventurous travelers?
Costs of organizing your own horseback trip to Song Kul
On average, renting a horse starts at $30 per horse per day. You also need to pay for the services of an experienced horseman as they won’t let you take the horse by yourself Renting the services of an experienced horseman costs around $30 per day. If you’re planning a multi-day horse trek, you also need to pay for his food and lodging.
Staying at a tourist yurt camp costs around €25, breakfast and dinner included. When staying at the camp of a local family, you might negotiate price. If you have your own tent, you could camp anywhere you want on the way to Song Kol.
The average price for a yurt stay if you arrange directly with the families starts at $25 per person, which includes dinner and breakfast the next day.
Estimation of the minimum total cost for a solo traveler organizing his/her own 3-day, 2-night horse riding trip:
- Horse rental: 3 days x $30 = $90
- Horseman fees: 3 days x $30 = $90
- Yurt stays: 2 nights x $25 =$50
Total: approximately $230 USD
Please note that these costs are approximate and can vary based on the specific provider, time of year, and your negotiation skills. It’s advisable to contact local CBT (Community-Based Tourism) offices or yurt camps in advance to get current rates and make necessary arrangements.
9. What should you bring on a horse trek to Song Kol?
For a horse riding trek to Song Kul Lake, it’s important to pack light but be prepared for changing weather, high altitudes (over 3,000m), and remote conditions. Pack versatile, think in layers, and aim for functional, comfortable, and fast-drying clothing, suitable for horse riding.
- High hiking boots: to protect your ankles in the stirrups
- Long pants
- Small backpack (30L-40L): to keep everything you need for the day in. A small bag won’t weigh you down on the horse and won’t interfere with your balance.
- Cycling pants: really recommend these to add comfort to your bum
- Helmet: this is optional if you choose to bring one, people in Kyrgyzstan don’t use them.
- Rain gear: bring a waterproof jacket and trousers. Do not bring a rain poncho as it scares the horses!
- Warm pyjamas and warm sweater for the evening
- Sunscreen: super important as the altitude makes those sun rays veeerrrrry strong.
- Snacks – obviously.
- Water bottle: keep topping up with bottled water or I highly recommend bringing a reusable bottle with a microfiltration device. It allows you to safely drink tap water and fresh mountain water from rivers and streams without becoming sick. When you drink water using a bottle like this, any dirt, bacteria or parasites will be trapped in the fibers of the filter, while the clean water passes through. I use and highly recommend the Lifestraw Water Filter Bottle. Another way to filter water is by using a steripen.
Are you looking for a customized guided tour in Kyrgyzstan or elsewhere in Central Asia? Or would you like help with planning your itinerary and organizing your trip with confidence?
👉 Explore my Central Asia tours and itinerary planning services!
10. Where can you start a horse trek to Song Kol?
Most horse riding tours start from the village of Kyzart. However, depending on the itinerary, you might meet your guide or tour provider in the town of Kochkor.
How to get from Bishkek to Kochkor by public transport
You can travel from Bishkek to Kochkor by marshrutka (minibus) or (shared) taxi. Marshrutkas and (shared) taxis leave from the Bishkek New Bus Station and drop you off at the Kochkor bus station.
The journey to Kochkor takes around 4 hours and costs 400 som per person (marshrutka) to 650 som per person (shared taxi). They usually leave in the morning and depart when full.
Where to stay in Kochkor before your horse trek to Song Kol?
Kochkor has a good selection of guesthouses and homestays where you could stay a few days before your horse trek.
Here are the guesthouses I recommend in Kochkor:
How to get from Bishkek to Kyzart by public transport
Kyzart is a popular destination for horseback treks to Song Kul. As this small village is closer to the lake than Kochkor, it also serves as a starting point for hiking to Song Kul Lake.
First, you have to follow the instructions above to get from Bishkek to Kochkor. Next, you can get to Kyzart by private or shared taxi from Kochkor bus station. A private taxi will easily cost between 2000 to 3000 KGS for the whole car, the price for a shared taxi is around 500 KGS per person.
Where to stay in Kyzart before your trek to Song Kul
Kyzart is much smaller than Kochkor and also has a lot fewer guesthouses. However, it still remains my favorite place to start a horseback trek to Song Kol from.
It feels much more untouched and idyllic and I would strongly advise you try to organize a horse trek to Song Kul that starts from this village.
Here are the ones I recommend:
I hope this guide will help you have an unforgettable horse riding adventure to Lake Song Kul! If you have additional questions, do not hesitate to leave a comment below or contact me. Wishing you a fantastic adventure!
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Hi Cynthia,
We’re thinking about the possibility of going to Song Kul in early March. Is this possible?
If not, do you know if it’s possible to do any hiking / trekking overnight in yurt experiences in Kyrg around this time, perhaps in Karakol or nearby.
Any help hugely appreciated,
Thanks!
Bruno
Hi Bruno, early March is too early for Song Kul still and there won’t be any yurt camps yet. You’ll find tourist yurt camps on the southern shore of Issyk Kul lake. The shepherd yurts are only set up between end of May and end of September. For places to go and hikes in spring, I’m happy to refer you to this post: Places to visit, including hikes, in spring in Kyrgyzstan. Hope this helps!
hi! thank you so much for the informative article 🙂 i’m planning to do a 2 day horse trek to song kul with my partner, but the weather forecast shows that there’s going to be thunderstorms on the days when we plan to do it. is it better to look for other days or this rain will just be sporadic and won’t influence the journey much? also, i would appreciate it if you could recommend some travel agencies that offer this horse trekking service! thank you in advance! 🙂
Hi Maula, thunderstorms can be quite heavy in the area so I would postpone as you won’t be able to enjoy it as much. If you want me to bring you in touch with a local guide, contact me!
Hi! I am strongly considering a horse trek from Kyzart. Most companies I look up seem to end their tour at Lake Song-Kul. But how do you get back to Kyzart? Are there taxis possible? Do you have to take a horse back to Kyzart? How does it work? Thank you so much!
Hey Antoine, you can ask for a tour beginning and ending at Kyzart, the tour will then be one day longer.
Hi, is it possible to do a two-day horse riding tour with a night in a yurt? If so, do you have a tour to recommend. I am looking to do this at the end of March. Thanks!
Hi Adam, there are several tour companies I work with. Send me an email (hello (at)journalofnomads (dot)com and I’ll refer you to someone, depending on your wishes and needs 🙂
Hello Cynthia,
great journal, I love it! …for doing only 1-day of horse riding do you think it is possible to hike from Kyzart or Kockor to Kilemche Valley, sleep there in a yurt and the next day horse ride to the lake?
then the 3rd day go back to Kyzart/kockor by taxi or hiking?
Hi Sebastiano, this is possible on the second day if the yurt camp has horses and a horse guide available (which might not always be the case). To return by taxi on the 3rd day, you’ll need to arrange one beforehand.
Hello, thank you for telling us about your experience. I wonder if there are marshutkas or shared taxis that travel between Karakol and Kochkor or Kyzart Village? And if not, is it possible to take a private taxi on this route and travel late in the evening/at night?
Hi Ola, there should be marshutkas traveling between Karakol and Kochkor. To reach Kyzart, you can try to find a share taxi in Kochkor or take a private taxi if you want to travel in the late evening. Have a great trip and feel free to send me and the readers here an update of your journey!
Hello, is there also public transport from Son Kul (Kochkor or Kyzart) to Issyk Kul? It looks much closer than Bishkek so I would suppose there would be more options? Trying to map out a route as we want to do some horse riding + spend time around Issyk Kul and Karakol, so would be great if we don’t have to back track to Bishkek. Thanks!
Or do you have other recommendations for horse riding around Karakol area?
Hi Dianshan, you can take a mashrutka (mini van) or shared taxi from Kochkor or Kyzart Village to Issyk Kul, but not from Son Kul lake itself.
Best wishes,
Cynthia
Thank you so much for this inspiring article. I have frequently been to Kyrgyzstan and did a one-day horse riding. Now I want to organize a several-day horse riding tour with 8 friends in summer 2022. Do you have a recommendation of an agent in Biskhek who will organize such an individual tour, for similar rates that you mentioned in the article? As I will be there in a week I could directly approach them in Bishkek.
Best wishes from Germany,
Heiko
Hi Heiko, I always work with Aleksei from Kyrgyz Nomad. I organize tours with him so he’s a good person to talk to. You can find him on Facebook or on Instagram @kyrgyz.nomad. Please mention that you got his contact through me. Best wishes!
Thank you so much, Cynthia. I will contact him.
Wow looks Amazing. Thanks for shring with your experience. This year we went for 6 days horse riding with Kyzart Travel local company, I think its more cheaper compare others. Our guide was English speaking. We loved this Horsew riding trip. Im planning againg in winter time. Is there possible for freeride skiing?
Hi Melanie, I’m very happy to hear you had such great experience! There are many possibilities for freeride skiing in Kyrgyzstan in winter but mainly in the Karakol region and near Chunkurchak. I don’t think people go skiing near Song Kul as it’s firstly hard to get there in winter and also not an ideal area for skiing… I have an article on the blog that covers everything you need to know about skiing in Kyrgyzstan 🙂
Hey, we went through your blogs on Kyrgyztan and we are planning to visit there in May 2020. Would like to know if it is possible to reach Song-Kol lake by vehicles as we are planning to rent a car there for the entire trip.
Hi Nupur, it really depends on the weather whether or not Son Kul is accessible. By the end of May is definitely shouldn’t be a problem though to get to Son Kul lake by car.
Hi! What month did you do this trek in? My boyfriend and I are currently in Kyrgyzstan and want to do a horse trek to Song Kul but one tour company we talked to said you cannot do this trek in winter because the snow closes the pass? Just looking for more information! Thanks! Julia
Hi Julia, contact Kyrgyz Nomad. He does this trek in winter