What Kyrgyzstan lacks in gracious buildings and fancy cakes it makes up for with nomadic traditions such as laid-back hospitality, a healthy distrust of authority and a fondness for drinking fermented mare's milk. It is perhaps the most accessible and welcoming of the... Read the overview

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Getting there and away

British Mediterranean has three flights a week from London to Bishkek. Bishkek is connected with Istanbul, Moscow, Kiev and Novosibirsk. It's also a possibility to fly into Almaty in Kazakstan and catch a bus for the three hour ride to Bishkek (a Kazakstan transit visa is required). Trains run from Bishkek a few times a week to Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Almaty and Krasnoyarsk (Siberia), and daily to Moscow. There are frequent buses between Bishkek and Tashkent and Almaty, though you often have to change buses at the border; a seasonal bus service links Osh and Kashgar via the Irkeshtam Pass and special jeep tours cross from Bishkek to Kashgar via the Torugart Pass.

Getting around

Flying is the least edifying and arguably the most dangerous mode of transport in Kyrgyzstan, but in winter it can be the only way to beat the snow. Bishkek-to-Osh is a popular flight. Shared taxis are the most frequent and convenient way to get between towns cheaply, and the best way to see what remains of the land of the nomads. There are also buses and minibuses, but journeys are slow and vehicles are prone to breakdowns. Shared taxis shuttle travellers between most towns. Larger towns have public buses and marshrutnoe minibuses buzzing around on fixed routes.