Elimtour is a small tour operator from Kyrgyzstan, founded by Beka, who lived in Czechia for several years. We travel in groups of three or more, guided in Czech, at our own pace.
Family, friends, a photo club or a company trip. Tell us how many of you there are, when you want to go and what you enjoy – we'll build the route, the stays and the pace around you.
Which tour is right for you?
Three journeys, the same core. They differ in length, comfort and how much time you spend in the saddle.
All three tours start and end in Bishkek. The blue is Issyk-Kul; the numbered points are the stops in route order.
Shared loop (Classic · 9 days)
Added on Ala-Kul · 11 days
Added on Kel-Suu · 13 days
A word from the founder
I was born in Kyrgyzstan, lived in Czechia for several years, and have been bringing Czech travellers home to my mountains ever since. I founded Elimtour to show you my country the way we know it – from the fire outside the yurt, from the back of a horse and from ridges where you can see half the Tian Shan.
We travel in small groups, eat with local families, and the money from the trips stays with the people in the valleys we pass through. Message me on WhatsApp and together we'll pick the tour and dates that suit you.
Group in colourful rain ponchos climbing the path to a waterfallHorse and foal on a sandy beach of Lake Issyk-KulEagle hunter with a golden eagle wearing a traditional kalpakA lone rider on horseback in a green valley with a braided riverSmall boat beneath the giant rock walls of Kel-Suu lakeThe glacial Ala-Kul lake seen from the pass below the glacier and snowy peaksCampfire in front of a yurt camp at duskA row of white yurts on the Son-Kul plain below snow-capped peaksA line of trekkers climbing scree and snowfields towards the Ala-Kul passRain curtains over the eroded golden badlands on the south shore of Issyk-Kul
Common questions
Visa and passport
EU citizens (including Czech and most EU passports) can visit Kyrgyzstan visa-free for up to 60 days. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after your return.
Rules can change – check your own country's current requirements before flying. For Lake Kel-Suu we arrange the border-zone permit; we will need a scan of your passport.
Flights
Flights are not included. From Prague or Vienna, the usual route to Bishkek is via Istanbul (Turkish Airlines, Pegasus), 8–10 hours in total including the connection. Kyrgyzstan is 4 hours ahead of Central European Summer Time.
Confirm your dates with us before you buy flights – the programme starts on arrival and ends on departure, so the two need to line up.
Insurance
Travel insurance with medical cover is compulsory and not included. For the Ala-Kul and Kel-Suu tours, choose a policy that covers trekking up to 4,000 m above sea level and horse riding.
Elimtour is a Kyrgyz tour operator, not a Czech travel agency under Czech Act No. 159/1999 Coll., so it carries no Czech insolvency insurance. What that means for your payments is spelled out on the Terms page.
Money
The currency is the Kyrgyz som. ATMs and card payments work in Bishkek and around Issyk-Kul; in the countryside it is cash only. We recommend bringing euros or dollars in cash and changing some in Bishkek.
You pay for the tour in euros (a deposit once the dates are confirmed, the balance before departure). Budget your own spending money for souvenirs, drinks, tips and lunches where they aren't included.
