Tiny houses in Kyrgyzstan

Issyk-Kul is the second-largest alpine lake in the world and one of the few large lakes that never freezes despite the altitude and the snow peaks around it. The south shore, quieter and less developed than the resort towns on the north side, runs past the villages of Bokonbayevo, Kaji-Say and Tong, with the sandstone spires of Skazka — Fairytale — Canyon a short drive inland.

The nine yurt camps we've verified here are small family operations rather than tour-company setups — traditional felt yurts for two to five guests, some with a private bathroom and shower, others sharing a camp bathhouse, spread across the shoreline villages and up into the Kek-Sai valley.

At the lake's east end, Karakol is the region's trekking base, gateway to the Terskey Ala-Too range and the turquoise Ala-Kul lake at 3,500 metres. The eight yurts we've verified here sit in and around town, below the red rock spires of Jeti-Ögüz — the Seven Bulls — and up in the Altyn-Arashan valley, where hikers off the Ala-Kul trail soak in open-air hot springs. Camps here range from a single family yurt for two to a whole yurt sleeping up to five, some with their own bathroom, others sharing a camp one.

June to September is the season across both shores — mountain passes and the Ala-Kul trail are open, the lake is warm enough to swim, and most camps close outside these months. Bokonbayevo is also the base for the region's Kyrgyz eagle hunters, who still hunt with golden eagles on the steppe above the lake and demonstrate the tradition for visitors passing through. Our verified selection now covers the lake's south shore and its eastern trekking base around Karakol — two footholds in a country with a great deal more still to check.