Top Highlights of Kyrgyzstan

Having spent 24 nights in total in Bishkek sorting out visa bureaucracy I was happy to finally get out and get a glimpse of what Kyrgyzstan had to offer beyond the city. My 3 highlights below:

1. Kyzyl-Oi

A small village/town located about 200km south of Bishkek, I was first attracted to here due to a national horse game event organised by the CBT giving me an opportunity to see the Ulak Tartysh games. A polo game where they gallop around on horseback with a headless goat.

Having met the previous night 2 fellow Australian Sam and Zach who had ended up in Bishkek after escaping visa trouble in Uzbekistan whilst on the Mongol Rally, Icak from Indonesia and Jessica from the US, we left for Kyzyl Oi the next day.

After some hiccups with a scrumbag taxi driver, we're finally glad to be in Kyzyl Oi and finding a cosy little homestay ran by a lovely family and getting a homemade Kyrgyz dinner. From Left to Right: Zach, Jess, Sam, Icak.

Tajikistan Part 1: Entering through the Norhwest (Batken-Isfara-Khojand)

Whilst most people coming from Kyrgyzstan into Tajikistan choose to go via Sary Tash-Murgab using the eastern border, I decided to come from the western side via Batken-Isfara and cover Tajikistan in an anti-clockwise direction. I was not disappointed, and past some amazing places and mid some amazing people. Tajikistan was full of hospitality and friendly people.

My journey began from Osh, Kyrgyzstan travelling like a local on a marshrutkas to a little town Batken where I technically got my first taste of Uzbekistan as the road crossed over the border, then crossing over to Isfara, Tajikistan and changing buses before heading to Khojand.

Osh-Batken-Isfara

Whilst nothing interesting, I was forced to stay in Batken for a night as the local buses for Isfara only leave in the morning. Batken was a small town with the lack of any fellow travellers in sight and locals a fairly friendly bunch although quite camera shy.

Inside the local bus to Batken