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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures
Central Asia 2026
Day 13 : Jeti-Oguz To Karakol
Central Asia 2026 Day 13: 27th May (Wednesday)
Medium-size Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan & Kazakhstan):
< D12: Jety-Oguz | Go to Other Days | D14: Saty >
1. Traffic Directions!
Central Asian countries are left-hand drive, and vehicles drive on the right side of the road. So do bear this in mind when crossing the road OR when sitting at the front passenger seat. I made this mistake several times and boarded the car at the driver's side, with the driver giving me a surprised look 😂.
2. Getting to and from Central Asia.
Several airlines fly direct to Central Asia from their originating country. We were fortunate that AirAsia X flew direct from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
We flew return via AirAsia X, starting from KLIA Terminal 2 to Tashkent International Airport, and returning from Almaty International Airport to KLIA Terminal 2, buying tickets earlier to get cheaper fares. We also packed light (20kg checked-in luggage for two people plus an additional 7kg of cabin luggage), totaling 41kg of luggage.
We flew return via AirAsia X, starting from KLIA Terminal 2 to Tashkent International Airport, and returning from Almaty International Airport to KLIA Terminal 2, buying tickets earlier to get cheaper fares. We also packed light (20kg checked-in luggage for two people plus an additional 7kg of cabin luggage), totaling 41kg of luggage.
3. Getting around Central Asia.
We were on a private guided tour and had a 15-seater black Weichai Eurise van (Chinese version of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter), with local guides taking us between the cities/towns.
In Kyrgyzstan, we took a short Tez Jet flight from Osh to Bishkek to avoid the testing mountainous roads; flight tickets were bought by our guides earlier.
Note: Traders in bazaars, markets, and small local shops only accept cash. The "sum" (ISO code: UZS) is the official currency of Uzbekistan. The "som" (ISO code: KGS) is the currency of Kyrgyzstan. The tenge (ten-gay, code: KZT) is the currency of Kazakhstan. It is divided into 100 tiyn.
Touch 'n Go e-Wallet can be used in Kazakhstan, just make sure the e-wallet is set to Kazakhstan.
4. Immigration & Customs Requirements
Malaysian passport holders do not need a visa to enter most Central Asian countries for short-term stays and can visit Uzbekistan visa-free for up to 30 days. There is no need to fill in immigration forms.
Note: Malaysian passport holders can install the MyBorderPass app for fast immigration clearance to get in and out of Malaysia; use the app to generate a QR code just before passing through the 40 dedicated MyBorderPass gates (only at KLIA & KLIA2, 20 gates each), and getting through will be a breeze!
5. Places & Things of Interests
There were many scenic and interesting places along the route, but one should not miss the following places (Note: click on the GPS coordinates below for a directional map to the respective places):
- Karakol Holy Trinity Cathedral (Каракол Свято-Троицкая церковь) (GPS: 42.48908, 78.39468).
- Dungan Mosque (Дунганская мечеть) (GPS: 42.49737, 78.39068) in Karakol.
- Altyn Arashan Valley (Алтын Арашан) (GPS: 42.38157, 78.60666) near Karakol.
- Karakol Holy Trinity Cathedral (Каракол Свято-Троицкая церковь) (GPS: 42.48908, 78.39468).
- Dungan Mosque (Дунганская мечеть) (GPS: 42.49737, 78.39068) in Karakol.
- Altyn Arashan Valley (Алтын Арашан) (GPS: 42.38157, 78.60666) near Karakol.
- the Russian Military Truck on a rough free-masage ride from Karakol up to the Altyn-Arashan Valley (GPS: 42.38157, 78.60666). The ride (2-hours 15-18 km each way) goes along the Arasan River, passing by beautiful pine forests. Trucks are usually 4x4 GAZ-66. (more truck details).
- Single Day Horse-riding tour from Karakol to Altyn-Arashan, by Silkway Tours. Starting at 9:00am and lasting 7-9 hours, and costs USD80 per pax.
- The rare Kyrgyz White Honey from a road-side stall (GPS: 42.33183, 78.23930) at Jeti-Ögüz.
- The rare Kyrgyz White Honey from a road-side stall (GPS: 42.33183, 78.23930) at Jeti-Ögüz.
6. Food
a. Breakfast
Inclusive Western Breakfast at Vell7 Hotel (Vell7 мейманканасы) (GPS: 42.44226, 78.21093) at Jeti-Ögüz:
Local Kyrgyz Floral Tea; Omelet with Toast & Salad. Instant noodles (brought from home).
Local Kyrgyz Floral Tea; Omelet with Toast & Salad. Instant noodles (brought from home).
b. Lunch
Kyrgyz Lunch at Dastorkon Restaurant (Дасторкон) (GPS: 42.49847, 78.38337) in Karakol:
Uzbek Bread (Obi Non), Greek Salad, Chicken Floss Salad, Minestrone Soup, Caramelised Eggplant with Cucumber & Tomato, and Lamb Patties.
c. Dinner
Kyrgyz fare at Hotel Akmaral (Ак-Марал) (GPS: 42.49259, 78.40507) in Karakol:
Bread, Local Kyrgyz Green Tea, Russian Olivier Salad, Shorabet Adas (Lentil soup), Chicken/Beef Stew with Potatoes, Cake, & Fruits.
7. Accommodations and Tour Costs
This was a recce-guided tour that included all ground arrangements, food, entry tickets to parks, and accommodations, but excluded return airfare to and from Central Asia. We booked Air Asia flight tickets online through their website at a return fare of around RM2,000 per pax. Co-travelers who booked later paid more. Our two pax airfare included 20kg of checked-in luggage and an extra 7kg of cabin luggage, giving us a total of 41kg of luggage..
The ground arrangements included 16-seater van transportation between and around cities; Sharq Express Train fare from Tashkent to Bukhara, and from Samarkhand to Tashkent, and domestic Tez Jet airfare from Osh to Bishkek. The 4x4 Russian truck ride to and from Karakol to the Altyn-Arashan Valley was optional and cost USD40 per pax. So was the 4x4 van ride from Saty to Kaindy Lake and Kolsay Lakes National Park, which cost USD20 per pax.
Accommodations were in three-star hotels, homestays, and a yurt camp. For those interested in this tour, contact Eddie at +6012-6122600 for more details and ground arrangement costs.
One night at Hotel Akmaral (Ак-Марал) (GPS: 42.49259, 78.40507) in Karakol.
One night at Hotel Akmaral (Ак-Марал) (GPS: 42.49259, 78.40507) in Karakol.
8. Communicating with Each Other
When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if someone gets separated from the group.
I pre-purchased the Maxis 15-day Multi-Country Roaming Pass at MYR99 and had it activated on the first day of our tour. This pass included complimentary Maxis Travel Care insurance for the pass validity period - i.e. MYR50,000 hospitalisation, and MYR2,000 lost baggage; T&C apply.
Alternatively, an almost similar GOGO physical sim card for 15-day 20gB can be bought from Lazada for MYR120 (excluding delivery).
I pre-purchased the Maxis 15-day Multi-Country Roaming Pass at MYR99 and had it activated on the first day of our tour. This pass included complimentary Maxis Travel Care insurance for the pass validity period - i.e. MYR50,000 hospitalisation, and MYR2,000 lost baggage; T&C apply.
Alternatively, an almost similar GOGO physical sim card for 15-day 20gB can be bought from Lazada for MYR120 (excluding delivery).
9. Communicating with Locals
Our local guides spoke excellent English, and those in the travel industry or bazaar traders spoke passable English. Other locals speak their local language (Uzbek, Kyrgyz, or Kazakh) or Russian (as they were former Soviet republics). Or one can use Google Translate on one's mobile.
10. Weather
June is the beginning of summer, and the weather in Uzbekistan is dry, sunny, and hot across the board. At the Jeti-Ögüz, & Altyn-Arashan Valley, daytime temperatures average 26°C and 18°C respectively. While at Karakol, daytime temperatures average 18°C, and nighttime averaged 8°C.
A useful weather forecast site for Jeti-Ögüz, Karakol & Altyn-Arashan Valley is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.
11. Navigation
Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook, Google Maps or Yandex Maps and Yandex Navigator.
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PRELUDE
?The day before was one of the most exciting days of our Central Asia tour; we left the cool hills of the Chong-Kemin National Park and headed for the lake district. En route, we stopped at Bokonbaevo, to see an exciting Eagle Hunting Show before ending the day with a stay at the Chyrak Yurt Camp, located at the edge of the scenic Issyk-Kul.
Today, we leave the lake district to head for a quiet, smaller town. Along the way, we will hike in a canyon..... and also see some bulls with a broken heart!
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DAY 13: JETI-OGUZ TO KARAKOL TO ALTYN-ARASHAN
Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first.)
Good morning from Jeti-Ögüz!
This is a quiet, rural town; not far away, a horse can be seen grazing in the front yard of a neighbouring house.
Western Breakfast at Vell7 Hotel:
Local Kyrgyz Floral Tea; Omelet with Toast & Salad. Instant noodles (brought from home).
In one of the dining rooms were posters showing traditional costumes of the different regions of Kyrgyzstan.
10:00am - Goodbye Vell7 Hotel & Jeti-Ögüz, we had a fine time here. We will be heading to Karakoll, just 20km and less than half an hour away, where we will make a short tour of the city.
First, the Karakol Holy Trinity Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church that’s made of wood!
Reminds me of wooden architecture we saw at the Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life in Suzdal, during a 2019 Tour of Russia.
Next, the Dungan Mosque. It's in the Chinese Islamic architectural style similar to the Great Mosque of Xi'an in Xi'an, China.
Islam has existed in Central Asia since the beginning of Islamic history. It came to Central Asia in the early part of the 8th century as part of the Muslim conquest of the region. Many well-known Islamic scientists and philosophers came from Central Asia, and several major Muslim empires, including the Timurid Empire and the Mughal Empire, originated here.
Kyrgyz Lunch at Dastorkon Restaurant (Дасторкон) (GPS: 42.49847, 78.38337) in Karakol: Uzbek Bread (Obi Non), Greek Salad, Chicken Floss Salad, Minestrone Soup, Caramelised Eggplant with Cucumber & Tomato, and Lamb Patties.
We thought that with lunch over, this was the end of our day tour in Karakol and we would be checking into our hotel early. But a surprise was in store for us!
Instead, we will be going on a ride in a former 4x4 Russian Army Truck, which will take us on an interesting ride up to the scenic Altyn-Arashan Valley.
Good morning from Jeti-Ögüz!
This is a quiet, rural town; not far away, a horse can be seen grazing in the front yard of a neighbouring house.
Western Breakfast at Vell7 Hotel:
Local Kyrgyz Floral Tea; Omelet with Toast & Salad. Instant noodles (brought from home).
In one of the dining rooms were posters showing traditional costumes of the different regions of Kyrgyzstan.
10:00am - Goodbye Vell7 Hotel & Jeti-Ögüz, we had a fine time here. We will be heading to Karakoll, just 20km and less than half an hour away, where we will make a short tour of the city.
First, the Karakol Holy Trinity Cathedral, a Russian Orthodox Church that’s made of wood!
Reminds me of wooden architecture we saw at the Museum of Wooden Architecture and Peasant Life in Suzdal, during a 2019 Tour of Russia.
Next, the Dungan Mosque. It's in the Chinese Islamic architectural style similar to the Great Mosque of Xi'an in Xi'an, China.
Islam has existed in Central Asia since the beginning of Islamic history. It came to Central Asia in the early part of the 8th century as part of the Muslim conquest of the region. Many well-known Islamic scientists and philosophers came from Central Asia, and several major Muslim empires, including the Timurid Empire and the Mughal Empire, originated here.
Kyrgyz Lunch at Dastorkon Restaurant (Дасторкон) (GPS: 42.49847, 78.38337) in Karakol: Uzbek Bread (Obi Non), Greek Salad, Chicken Floss Salad, Minestrone Soup, Caramelised Eggplant with Cucumber & Tomato, and Lamb Patties.
We thought that with lunch over, this was the end of our day tour in Karakol and we would be checking into our hotel early. But a surprise was in store for us!
Instead, we will be going on a ride in a former 4x4 Russian Army Truck, which will take us on an interesting ride up to the scenic Altyn-Arashan Valley.
A few of our co-travellers had heard about how beautiful the valley is and how interesting the truck ride up there will be. Iman enquired around and found a truck that charges at USD 40 per pax with a minimum of ten pax. All of us wanted to go, so we had enough quota!
LET'S GO!!
The truck is spartan but robust, and we sit on two rows of long benches on each side of the interior. The ride started off going on rural roads, passing by quiet villages like Teploklyuchenka.
Is this it? Seems rather lame and tame!
But once it turned off the rural roads onto sloping roads, our adventure began! These roads were often steep, winding, and full of large potholes. Fortunately, Chekov, our driver, was very skilful and managed to get us to our destination safely. Often we could hear the strain of the engines as he negotiated over large stones!
It's a tough and rough 2-hour ride each way, but it was a beautiful 15-18 km route. The ride goes along the Arasan River, passing by beautiful pine forests.
LET'S GO!!
The truck is spartan but robust, and we sit on two rows of long benches on each side of the interior. The ride started off going on rural roads, passing by quiet villages like Teploklyuchenka.
Is this it? Seems rather lame and tame!
But once it turned off the rural roads onto sloping roads, our adventure began! These roads were often steep, winding, and full of large potholes. Fortunately, Chekov, our driver, was very skilful and managed to get us to our destination safely. Often we could hear the strain of the engines as he negotiated over large stones!
It's a tough and rough 2-hour ride each way, but it was a beautiful 15-18 km route. The ride goes along the Arasan River, passing by beautiful pine forests.
Nice reflections on the truck's windscreen, showing the beauty of the road up to Altyn-Arashan.
Taking a mid-way break... the rest is more for the driver, I guess 😊.
We just walked around to admire the scenery. Met some tourists on horseback taking a break too. Yes, there are single day-trip horse-riding tour from Karakol to Altyn-Arashan. It costs USD80 per pax, starting from 9:00am and lasting 7-9 hours.
Continuing our ride up on beautiful but rough roads - sitting next to the window, I couldn't stop snapping away with my phone. Fortunately, my phone casing has a secure ring into which I could slip my middle finger, and I was able to put my hand outside without fear of dropping my phone while snapping away.!
Along the way, we saw several hikers hiking all the way up; I must take my hat off to them! Our ride takes two hours; their hike must be much longer. Probably they may stay overnight OR take a truck ride down!
View of the Altyn Arashan Valley. The truck stopped us, just at the downhill stretch, for us to trek the rest of the way down to the village below (about 1/2 hour).
The valley sits at a general elevation of 2,350 to 3,000 meters above sea level, with surrounding peaks rising much higher.
Back on safe ground at Karakol, with Chekov, the Russian driver who took us on a bone-rattling ride up to and down from Altyn-Arashan Valley. Photo of his striking reddish-orange 4x4 Russian Army Truck with large, rough-treaded tires! He drove with a lady (perhaps his wife) in the passenger seat; probably to talk to him and also look out for rough roads on her side.
The truck is a Russian 4x4 GAZ-66. (more truck details). The no-nonsense military design of the GAZ-66 made it both distinctively looking and one of the most off-road capable 4×4 vehicles ever made. It features a very short wheelbase, low weight, high clearance, and incredible approach/departure angles. It goes places where larger trucks simply sink or get stuck, making it arguably the world’s toughest truck.
Like Chekov, many Ethnic Russians still remain in Central Asia due to deep historical roots from the Soviet era, having established economic ties, and personal or family stability. There are 37million Russians in Central Asia.
6:30on - Checked into Hotel Akmaral, our stay in Karakol. It turns out that Karakol is the coldest place of our trip, with temperatures going as low as zero degrees at night!
After freshening up, we had a Kyrgyz dinner at our hotel, Hotel Akmaral: Bread, Local Kyrgyz Green Tea, Russian Olivier Salad, Shorabet Adas (Lentil soup), Chicken/Beef Stew with Potatoes, Cake, & Fruits.
With Iman, our cheerful Kyrgyz guide, who took good care of us during our tour of Kyrgyzstan, since we crossed over from Uzbekistan a week ago. We will be saying goodbye to him when we cross over to Kazakhstan tomorrow.
Thank you very much, Iman!
Кандай гана укмуштуу күн!
(That's "Kanday gana ukmuştuu kün!" meaning "What an adventurous day!" in Kyrgyz)
(For more photos of Day 13, Click Here)
(On mobile, for more photos of the day: Go to AhPek Biker Page>Photos and click on the respective album)
< D12: Jety-Oguz | Go to Other Days | D14: Saty >
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