I went to Kyrgyzstan with two friends.
One of the highlights was visiting Song-Kul Lake. The ride to this place is long. Hours of winding roads, unpaved sections, mountain passes, landscapes that keep changing outside the window.
The lake is massive. We were in the middle of a landlocked country, surrounded by steppe and mountains, and there was this enormous body of water just sitting there, completely still, completely clear. It felt endless.
We stayed in a yurt. I didn’t know much about yurts before this but I always wanted to stay in it. Turns out they’re built from a wooden frame covered in felt, compressed wool, and it works. Outside was cold. Genuinely cold. But inside was warm. There’s a man who came to the yurt to put coal in the stove for heat during the evening. Simple life.
The night sky was pretty. It was so dark and so clear that you could photograph the Milky Way. I stood outside in the cold for as long as I could take it, then went back in to the warmth.
The next morning we went horse riding. Five hours. Through the steppe, in Song Kuo, no particular destination. Just moving through it. My horse name is Kara.
One thing I have to mention is the toilet. I was fully prepared for the worst. A hole in the ground, a questionable smell, the full experience. At my campsite? A seated toilet bowl. I was genuinely surprised.
There is also wasn’t any electricity. There was a generator but it stopped working after a while. We had to make a makeshift lamp with our torchlight and water bottle for some light. It was pretty decent.
Practical stuff — Halal Travel to Song-Kul, Kyrgyzstan
Is Kyrgyzstan halal-friendly?
Yes, almost entirely. Kyrgyzstan is a majority Muslim country. Most meat is halal by default. Alcohol exists but you won’t be pressured. Eating here as a Muslim traveller is genuinely easy.
How to get to Song-Kul
Fly into Bishkek (OSS or FRU). From there, hire a driver or join a shared tour or rent a ride, the roads to Song-Kul are unpaved in parts and a 4WD helps. It’s roughly 6–8 hours depending on your route and stops. This is usually part of an itinerary for most. Or do like what I did, I went through Kazakstan, cross the border and came here.
Where to stay
Yurt camps run by local families. Book through a local tour agency in Bishkek — most camps don’t have websites. Expect basic but clean. Bring layers — it gets cold at night even in summer.
What to eat
Anything that the host gives. Remember to try horse milk if you get the chance. Lagman (noodle soup), beshbarmak (meat and flat noodles), samsa (baked pastry), kurt (dried yogurt — try it, it’s an acquired taste). All halal. All good.
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Best time to go
June to September. Song-Kul is snowbound the rest of the year.
Would I go back?
Already thinking about it.