How to get from Almaty to Bishkek by public transport, crossing the Kazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan border at Korday, including tips, prices, and places to stay in Bishkek.
It’s very easy and straightforward to get from Almaty to Bishkek by bus. The ride takes about 4 to 6 hours, depending on traffic, weather conditions and the number of people when you arrive at the border.
Tip: See my Kazakhstan Travel Page and my Kyrgyzstan Travel Page for a complete overview of all my travel guides and blog posts about both countries!
Disclaimer: This posts might contain affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase through these links, I may earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for helping to support this website!

Plan your trip to Bishkek
Where to stay
- Best budget pick: Koisha
- Best mid-range choice: Navat Hotel
- Top high-end hotel: Orion Hotel Bishkek
Top experiences in and near Bishkek
- Highlights of Bishkek City Tour
- Bishkek Food Tasting Tour
- Day trip to Ala Archa National Park
- Top hikes and day trips from Bishkek
Plan your trip to Kyrgyzstan
How to get from Almaty to Bishkek
1. How to get from Almaty (Kazakhstan) to the Kyrgyzstan border
To take the bus from Almaty to Bishkek, you’ll have to go to the Sayran Bus Station in Almaty. This bus station is located 7km west of the city center so you’ll first have to take a city bus or a taxi to get there.
There are daily 5 buses from Almaty to Bishkek, at 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, and 18:00. One ticket costs 3300 KZT. You can nowadays buy your ticket online here.
You can also get to the Kyrgyz border by (shared) taxi for 5000 KZT per person (around $12) and they will only take you to the border, not to Bishkek. The shared taxis also leave at Sayran bus station. If you want to take a Yandex taxi (private taxi), it will cost around 23,000 KZT (more or less $50).
A budget-friendly and cozy hostel I’d recommend is ART hostel. You can reach Sayran bus station by hopping on bus #19 at Abai Ave near the hostel or by using Yandex Go to order a taxi.
Depending on the traffic, the bus ride to the station takes about 40 minutes and costs 150 KZT if you pay cash, or 80KZT if you have a bus card (ask for it in your hostel). Ask the bus driver to stop at Sayran bus station.
You can also take a taxi to the bus station. If you use the Yandex taxi app, you’ll pay a fixed price (between 600 and 1000 KZT, depending on where you’re leaving from).

Once you arrive at the bus station, go inside the building and ask for the bus to Bishkek. People will show you the little office where you can purchase your ticket.
Once you’ve got your ticket, go through the first door near the office and turn right. The bus to Bishkek is on platform 1, the very last one on your right-hand side.
The ride to the border takes about 4 hours. The driver always takes a 10-minute break halfway through the journey at “Cafe Eurasia” where you can go to the toilet (50KZT or 5 KGS) and buy some snacks.
- Tip 1: Avoid traveling from Almaty to Bishkek on snowy days. The road conditions are pretty bad (and dangerous) when it snows. I did it once and the driver lost control of his vehicle on the slippery road. Nobody got hurt but it was a scary moment!
- Tip 2: The best time to cross the border is early in the morning or late in the evening. During these times there shouldn’t be many people crossing the border and you’ll avoid being pushed and shoved around by the crowd. The best time would be to leave Almaty at 4 pm, so you’ll arrive at the border around 8 pm. This is a good and rather quiet time to cross the border.

2. Crossing the Kazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan border at Korday
There are several borders between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. When you take the bus from Almaty to Bishkek, you’ll cross at the Korday border, which is located about 21 km from the city center of Bishkek.
Once you arrive at the border, you’ll have to get off the bus and take all your luggage with you. Take note of the license plate number so you can easily find your bus back on the Kyrgyz side of the border.
The time it will take you to go through the border depends on how many people there are. If there are a lot of people, you’ll see long and disorganized queues and you might experience a lot of pushing and shoving.
Many people will try to cut in front of you so don’t be afraid to stick out those elbows and stand your ground!
Especially be aware of elderly women! They might look like sweet grandmothers but don’t underestimate them. They are the worst! On two occasions I lost my patience with some women as they kept pushing me while trying to get in front of me. They didn’t expect that I would push them back…Don’t worry, nobody got hurt…
If there aren’t many people, you should be on the other side of the border within 20 minutes.
Kyrgyzstan visa Requirements
Most nationalities can enter Kyrgyzstan on a free tourist visa and remain there for 30 days within a time frame of 60 days. Here’s the list of nationalities that can enter Kyrgyzstan visa-free. All other nationalities have to apply for an e-Visa.
First, you’ll have to show your passport at the migration booth on the Kazakh side.
The Kazakh official might ask some questions like where you’ve been in Kazakhstan and what you’re planning to do in Kyrgyzstan. Once the official stamps your passport, you move on to the Kyrgyz migration booths.
Sometimes you’ll have to queue there as well, other times the officials will notice that you’re a foreigner and will take you to a separate office or ask you to hand over your passport.
Don’t worry about this, they’ll just take your passport to stamp it inside another office and will give it back to you.
Sometimes they’ll ask for your visa and if you’re one of the many citizens who can travel visa-free to Kyrgyzstan, just tell them that you don’t need one. I sometimes had the impression that some migration officials aren’t really up-to-date with the different visa regulations…
Welcome to Kyrgyzstan!

3. How to get from the border to Bishkek
Once you’ve crossed the border, you’ll have two options (see map below).
You can wait and/or search for your bus (that’s why you should take note of the license plate number) which will take you to the New Bus Station of Bishkek.
Sometimes the bus will already be there, other times it’s still on its way to crossing the border. Know that this bus doesn’t go to the city center of Bishkek!
If you don’t have to be near the New Bus Station, I’d suggest you take a taxi or another mashrutka to go to the city center. A taxi will cost you around 300 som, a mashrutka 30 som. Look for mashrutka #333 and #285. Both go to the center of Bishkek, with the last stop being the Tsum Shopping Center.
Tip: To find your way around Bishkek, use the following apps:
- Yandex Go: This is a taxi service that is similar to Uber and is very straightforward.
- Bus.kg: A great app to figure out the different mashrutka routes. Enter your starting point and destination and the app will tell you which mashrutka you need to take. Taking a marshrutka within the city costs 10 som.
- Maps.me or 2GIS: Both apps function like Google Maps but are more accurate in this part of the world. They also tell you which bus or mashrutka you have to take to get to your destination.
Changing money at the border
There’s a small money exchange booth on both sides of the border with a decent conversion rate. However, exchange just enough tenge/euros/dollars to som to get you to the center of Bishkek. There you’ll find many exchange offices and ATMs with a much better conversion rate!
Where to stay in Bishkek
If you’re planning on staying a few days in Bishkek to explore the city, then I’d suggest you stay at a hostel or guesthouse that is located near the city center. I’d recommend Koisha Hostel and Bugu Hotel.

I hope this post was very useful to you and I wish you a great and safe journey to Bishkek! Let me know in the comments if you have any more questions and/or how your journey went!
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- A comprehensive guide to skiing in Kyrgyzstan
- 6 reasons why you should visit Kyrgyzstan in winter
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- Here are the 7 best hikes in the Alay Mountains near Osh
- Use this day-by-day itinerary to hike independently to Ala Kul lake
- Hike independently to Son Kul lake by using these 2 itineraries
- 8 great day trips and hikes near Bishkek
- Ready steady goat! An insight into Kok Boru, Kyrgyzstan’s unusual national sport
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Hey Cynthia,
Sadly no 4pm bus from Almaty, have to wait for the 6pm 🙁 I guess the border will be even emptier by then 🙂
Hi Caitlin, thanks for the update! So there are no more buses going to Bishkek at 4pm in general?
Thank you so much for these detailed explanations:)
I’m sure it will serve me a lot, I’m going there in a month.
I have a couple of questions:
1- Is it possible to buy a bus ticket (Almaty- Bishkek) online or if not, is there a risk that the bus will be fool, so it’s better to come earlier?
2- Is it easy to find Marshrutkas #333 and #285 at the boarder and are the tickets priced fixed?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Ivana, it’s best to buy your ticket in advance. You can buy it online here. The mashrutkas are at a small walking distance from the border, their prices are fixed. Hope this helps.
We are planning to visit Kyrgyzstan. This post is extremely helpful. Is there anyway to contact you Cynthia (mail would suffice)?
Hi Paul, yes, you can contact me via mail: hello(at)journalofnomads.com
Fantastic article. I found everything I wated to know here. Thank you very much!
Very happy to hear Lucas! Enjoy your trip!
Hi. I read the following comment on ‘the happy irish wanderers website’ that says that the western bus station in Bishkek is closed and that the bus to Almaty now leaves from 1, 1 Alma-Atinskaya St, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan !
comment as follows:
Sarah
November 21, 2024 / 17:17
Reply
Hello! Thank you for all the tips. We did this journey yesterday, so I wanted to add a few notes for other travellers 🙂
1. IMPORTANT! The western bus station is now closed and it has been replaced by the NEW bus station (1, 1 Alma-Atinskaya St, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) which is further away from the centre. We went there by Yandex.
2. Price and timings were the same, 600 som, departures at 8, 10, 12, 14 and 18
3. No cards are accepted for the bus tickets and there is no ATM, but there is a small exchange desk with fair rates.
4. Noone seemed to care about the seat numbers on either buses.
5. After the Korday border, the barriers actually force you to go right (not left) for 30m. Follow the path, cross the road, then turn left and the parking lot is on the right before the massive arch.
Otherwise our experience was very similar to what’s described above – a smooth journey!
Hi David, yes, the bus station changed location. I’m in the process of updating all my posts… Thanks so much for these updates!
Hi Cynthia, thank you for this article! Would you have a sense for whether there are buses and/or marutschkas from Shu (or is it Chu?) to Korday and Bishkek? On a Sunday, even? Thank you
Hi Uwe, I’m not sure what you mean with Shu/Chu?
Shu (ШУ, in some maps spelled Chu) is a town between Sary-Shagan und Almaty in Kazakhstan. I wonder how to get from ШУ to the border and then on to Bishkek, once I arrive in ШУ by train. Would you know how I could find respective info, especially about mini vans and such?
I would assume that, in case there are no mini vans, you could take a taxi from Shu to the border…
Шу (written Shu in some maps and Chu in others) is a town in Kazakhstan, south of Sary-Shagan and west of Almaty. About 35 miles northwest of Korday. I am trying to find out whether there are minivans from Шу to the border/Korday and/or to Bishkek?
Hi Uwe, sorry, can’t help you with this one as I haven’t been in Shu before…
Cynthia – thanks for the info. Have you used public transit to get from Almaty to Karakol? If so, would you be able to share any details on that? I was hoping to bypass going through Bishkek and go to Karakol directly but not sure if that’s feasible with public transit.
Hi Amy, I’m afraid that the only way to travel from Almaty to Karakol by public transport is via Bishkek.
Hi there Cynthia! Thank you for the detailed write-up. Is there a way for us to make an online reservation on the bus tickets from Almaty to Bishkek?
Hi Eugene, that’s currently not possible yet.
Question
1. Are the mashrutkas to Karakol from Western bus station or to the center?
2. Is the bus to Tashkent from Western bus station or to the center?
3. Do the mashrutkas from Kochkor drop at the center or the Western bus station?
Hi Kunal, the mashrutkas from Karakol and Kochkor go to the Western bus station, same fro the bus from Tashkent. You can take a (shared) taxi from the Western bus station to the city center (or walk, it’s about 30 minutes of walking).
i forgot to mention: you can ask the mashrutka driver to drop you off along the way. So when passing the city center, you can ask to get off (not possible with the Tashkent bus tho)
Very Helpful and detailed blog. THANKY YOU!
My pleasure 🙂
Hey there,
I am traveling Almaty to bushkek to Tashkent in 2nd week of March 2024.
Can someone help me if there will be any weather problem during this period.
Is it safe to travel by road in this route.
Thank you in anticipation.
Hi Safal, the main roads should be clear so it should be safe to travel this route. Have a good journey!
Hi Cynthia and everyone!
Writing this comment while on the bus on my way from Almaty to Bishkek (9 January 2024). The bus fare to Bishkek is now 3000 KZT. 🙂
Thank you for the update!
Hi Cynthia thanks for this article. How long does the bus journey take from Almaty to Bishkek? Does the bus leave on time or do they wait till it’s full? Is there much space for luggage? Thanks for your help
Hi Dom, the bus takes around 5 hours. If you’re taking a coach, it leaves on time, a marshrutka (minibus) leaves when full. There’s more space on the bus than on the marshrutka for luggage. Have a great trip!
I’m planning to take the bus from Almaty to Bishkek in March as it looks like an affordable/short trip. How do I then get from Bishkek to Shymkent?
Thanks.
You should travel from Almaty to Shymkent (by bus or train), not from Bishkek to Shymkent 🙂
Ciao Cynthia! A BIG Спасибо for this thorough information and handy tips which really helped me prepare (and reassured me) prior to travelling from Almaty to Bishkek by bus. As I did this journey on August 7th 2023, just wanted to share some extra information in case it can help fellow travellers.
𝗕𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗻- has wifi, which works really well actually, impressed!
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – the kiosk is right by the little cafeteria and conveniently by Platform 2 which is currently the one for Bishkek
𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 – in our case we paid 2500 tenge each, for the 8am bus. Tickets are numbered/seated
𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 – now it’s platform 2 and there is a sign that says Бишкек (Bishkek) and Токмак (Tokmok, the nearest village to Burana tower). Our bus was 701 (make a note of this and the licence plate like you said)
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 – we did NOT leave on time, as waiting for one passenger. We stopped for the rest break a bit earlier at Avrasya on the A2, less than 2 hours after setting off.
Note that the instructions upon reaching the crossing are not given in English, only in Kazakh.
𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 – reached border after around 4 hours in our case there was a queue but moved along quickly. About 20 mins, pretty smooth
𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 – Useful to exchange money and get some water etc. The bus didn’t cross before us, we ended up waiting for it and got back on, until the Western Bus Station. Unfortunately pretty chaotic that end – taxi/van drivers literally hounded us and we had to politely “shoo” them off. In the end flagged a normal taxi off the street and still got slightly ripped off heading to the centre. So I really would just recommend getting a marshrutka from the crossing to the centre, would be far more reasonable as you very well said!
Enjoy Kyrgyzstan everyone!
Hi Betsy,
Thanks so much for this updated and valuable information!!
Hello Cynthia,
Thank you very much for the very useful information. Just to update you, I bought my bus ticket yesterday Almaty – Bishkek and the official fare was 2700 teneg. I told them the ticket is 1800 but they wouldn’t accept it. It’s an official office inside the bus station building and they provide you with printed ticket/bill with this amount. Seems that prices has increased abit.
Thanks for the update Burair!
Hi There,
Just wanted to add that buses run daily at 8am/10am/12pm/2pm/6pm.
Price are 2,500kzt on weekdays and 2,700kzt on weekends.
I crossed the border last 12-Aug-2023.
Thanks Cynthia for your very helpful blog!!
Thanks do much for the update Idrisse!
Hi. Great post. Thank you for sharing your experience.
We’re thinking about doing this trip in September (2023)
Do you know if the buses run on a Saturday/Sunday or just through the week?
Thank you! 😃
Hi Brian; these buses run daily 🙂 Have a fantastic trip!
Thank you! 😃
Hi! Writing this in September 2022. Instead of short buses I think there are now only big buses that go Almaty to Bishkek. There are four a day, and they leave at 8:00, 12:00, 16:00, and 18:00. They leave more or less on time, regardless of how full or empty the bus is (at least on the noon bus).
Hi Rachel, that is interesting! Can you confirm this information?
That’s correct, just returned from Bishkek and both ways the big buses leave at the exact time indicated in the ticket
Same! Ticket was 2200 Tenge and the bus continues to Bishkek after the border crossing, you just have to find it again at the other side 🙂
Or 2500 Tenge, not entirely sure anymore haha. When I travelled we stopped after an hour driving at some local garage-like-place, with a very basic outside squatting toilet for 50 Tenge (bring toiletpaper). No snacks or drinks for sale as far as I saw. The total trip took 5 hours and I would agree the 16h bus is a good option; not too hot in summer, although still a bit sticky (no AC, just ventilation). I took the bus on a Friday evening, the border crossing was not too crowded and went smoothly. Arrived around 21h at the Western bus station in Bishkek.
hi there
I was wondering If the passport requirements for entering Kyrgyzstan are strict as on the British government website it says my passport must have 6 months validity before expiring but ill only have 3 by the time I get to Kyrgyzstan will the check or will it be alright.
Hi Khat, your passport needs to have 6 months of validity, they might refuse you entry if not.
Hey Cynthia, I’m right now standing at Almaty bus station. At the moment there are no marshrutkas going from here to the Kyrgyzstan boarder. Nobody can say, when it will start again.
A taxi driver offered me a ride for 30000!?! Maybe with a little waiting, you can get the taxi shared, but there are not so many other passenger here heading to Bishkek. A Yandex is about 23000 right now.
Tomorrow I can tell, how it works, I’m planning to take the ride tomorrow…
Hi Henri, thanks so much for this update! I’ll adjust the guide right away. Definitely let me know how your journey went and how much you paid and I’ll adjust the guide accordingly 🙂
Hi Cynthia, thank you very much for the useful information! I crossed the land border yesterday from Almaty to Bishkek. A local friend brought me to this Royal Petro gas station (https://2gis.kz/almaty/geo/9429940000825070), a shared taxi costs 5,000 tenge per person. There were already a couple waited inside the taxi. I paid for 2 people so we could leave immediately or we will wait one more hour for the last spot to be filled in.
The journey was smooth, it took about 3 hours to reach the border.
Hi Connie, thanks so much for sharing this useful update with us! Have a great time in Kyrgyzstan 🙂
So how did it go??
Also curious to hear about his experience! 🙂
Thank you very much for all the information! So clear, inspiring and useful! 🙂 I am working remote and I need to have a decent access to the internet (sometimes to have face to face calls via Teams). I can imagine that in Almaty or Bishkek I should not have issue with internet quality and connection, what about other places, smaller towns? Will I be able to work remote or only I can count on a weekend trips from bigger cities to be able to combine discoveries with remote work? Thank you very much <3
Hi Anna, thanks so much!
As for internet quality and connection, the best places are the big cities (Almaty, Shymkent, Nur Sultan… in Kazakhstan and Bishkek, Osh, Jalal-Abad, Karakol in Kyrgyzstan). The internet speed in smaller towns isn’t always the best and very little to no connection in the villages. I think that the best will be to combine day and weekend trips from bigger cities to ensure you always have a good connection. I hope this helps!
I’m at Almaty airport to fly to Bishkek while typing this comment. I tried to get in to Kyrgyzstan( Korday border) yesterday early morning but they will not let me in despite having visa and vaccination certificate as per the border control officer my passport only allows me to get in through airport. An order from their government since March 2020 because my country have high covid cases and that order was not changed or amended even after two years. They showed me the said government order as well as the list of countries not allowed to cross land border. So, not everyone is allowed to cross the land border till now. I suggest to double check. Thanks for the information in your blog and updates from the readers as it has been very helpful to me.
Hi Willa, what’s your country of citizenship?
I’m so sorry to hear this! It just doesn’t make any sense that they allow all people in the country via flying but not via land border… Hope they’ll drop these silly regulations soon!!
Really informative and helpful article, thank you. I am travelling there in a few days and excited.
Hi Helen, thank you! I just received an update that you currently only can travel from Almaty to Bishkek by taxi. Have a great trip!!
Hi everyone!
I’m now in Almaty. Today, April 28th, 2022, I went to the Sayran bus station asking about the Marshutka or buses to Bishkek. They said there’s none. I believe that since the lockdowns and the closing borders, the trips from there to Bishkek were cancelled and never restarted. The one and only way to get to Bishkek is by taking a taxi and the ride costs 5,000 Tenge.
Thank you so much for this update Aleah!
Hi Cynthia! Great article!
I appreciate your update – so as of April 17, 2022, the border is open to get from Almaty to Bishkek for foreigners? Finding out this information is incredibly hard. You are the only source! The US embassy website says it’s closed, the Australian Smartraveller site says “check local sources”, the Kyrgyz embassy says check with their embassy in Almaty, and the Almaty embassy doesn’t respond to emails! Ahhhgghh!
Cheers, Andrew
Hi Andrew, thanks! And haha, I know that there’s a lot of conflicting info out there or that the embassy websites just don’t have a clue 😀
I can confirm that Kazakhstan has reopened its land borders to foreign travelers. Happy travels!
Hello if I’m a visa on arrival in Kyrgyzstan they will give me the visa at the border or I have to fly to Bishkek to get the visa in arrival ?
Hi Mayela, you’ll get the visa on arrival in Kyrgyzstan both at the airport or at one of the border crossings if you’re coming from a neighboring country.
Happy travels!
Hi Cynthia, great article and very helpful. I’m a regular visitor to Almaty and I’m going there in August. I plan a 3 day trip to Uzbekistan while I’m there and was wondering if it is possible/practical to visit Bishkek from Almaty and return in one day?
Thanks in advance,
Ross
Hi Ross, a one-way journey from Almaty to Bishkek takes around 6 hours so it’s not very practical to make the return journey in one day. I’d recommend – if you have time – to go to Bishkek in the morning, spend the night there and return to Almaty to the morning after. Have a great trip!
This is a very good guide and it helped me today when I went from Almaty to Bishkek. It was quite straight forward and the border crossing was fast for us but it took an extra 40 minutes for the bus to come through. About half the people gave up, and used some of the taxis at the Kyrgyz side of the border.
Hey Felix, great that this guide helped you to travel from Almaty to Bishkek! Yes, it sometimes happens that you have to wait for the minibus to cross the border. It depends on how many cars there are. Some people opt to take a taxi to Bishkek or another minibus. Enjoy your travels in Kyrgyzstan!
Thanks for all the helpful information, especially regarding where to stay in Bishkek near the station! I was just wondering how much it costs for the reverse journey in Kyrgyz som (Bishkek -> Almaty), and if the bus arrives at Sayran bus station in Almaty?
Hi, I’m happy to hear this post was so helpful! Here’s a similar post I wrote for the journey from Bishkek to Almaty: https://www.journalofnomads.com/how-to-get-from-bishkek-to-almaty/ .
It costs 400 Kyrgyz som and the bus arrives indeed at Sayran bus station. From there you can take bus #45 to the city center for 150 tenge or take a shared taxi for about 1000 tenge. Happy travels!
Hello,
next month we will be in the Tien Shan mountains near Almaty. We will go to the Big Almaty Lake and then higher into the mountains to the so called Cosmo Station (a guide will be with us).
The road to Cosmo station continues into Kyrgystan. Do you think that we will be able to cross the border there while hiking in the mountains?
Kind regards,
Lieven
Hi Lieven,
I don’t think you’ll be able to cross the border there.Last year people were not allowed to cross the border into Kyrgyzstan from the Big Almaty Lake. That border post is closed. I don’t know if the situation has changed. You’ll definitely come across guards who are there to prevent people from crossing. Maybe your local guide will know more? Have fun as this will be a fantastic hike!!
Est-il facile d’échanger des tenges pour des soms ou vice-versa? Mettons que je préfèrerais ne pas me ramasser avec trop de devises « secondaires » en revenant au Québec. :-X Merci!
Salut Vincent
Tu peux facilement échanger des tenges pour des soms (ou vice versa) aux bureaux de change à la frontière, à Almaty ou à Bishkek.
Great article! Exactly what I was looking for as I’m planning a last minute trip in the area 🙂
Great to hear Samy! Enjoy your trip to Kyrgyzstan!