Kochkor District

The Bishkek–Naryn–Torugart international highway runs through the district. Lake Song-Kul lies in its southwest. Kochkor is a centre for community-based tourism: independent travellers can organise jeeps, horses and overnight stays in yurts there for Song-Kul. The district’s offerings range from these tours to museums, archaeological sites and felt art.

There are various CBT programmes for Song-Kul. One programme goes via Jalgyz-Karagai Pass and includes an overnight stay with a Kyrgyz herding family in a yurt in Batai-Aral. A horseback-riding programme goes from Kochkor to Kyzart Pass, where the tour begins. These descriptions show different types of trips: one includes an overnight stay in Batai-Aral, while the other names the pass as the tour’s starting point.

Another CBT programme focuses on Lake Kol-Ukok. It goes by car from Kochkor to Isakeev, then on foot to Ters-Tor-Jailoo and onward to the lake. If you are planning accommodation in Kochkor, you can use these specific programme descriptions as a guide when deciding which tour you would like to organise. Conditions are different at Jyluu-Suu: the place is about 20 kilometres east of Kara-Suu village and is accessible only on horseback.

The village of Kochkor is home to a local history museum. Felt-making is also a local experience: women’s cooperatives make shyrdaks and Ala-Kiiz felt carpets. Travellers can watch them being made and buy carpets. The workshops show how wool is dyed with natural pigments and how patterns are transferred from memory onto large pieces of felt. This makes it possible to combine your visit with an insight into the materials and the production process.

Kum-Döbö is home to the archaeological site of Tört-Kül, the location of the ancient city of Kochkor-Bashy. Archaeological work on the Kum-Döbö settlement mound also uncovered the remains of a Muslim bathhouse, a hammam. Together with the museum in Kochkor, this offers a different way to explore the district from the tours into the mountains: you can include culture and history in your travel plans without tying them to a particular excursion.

Homestays, yurt camps and village tours in Kochkor are best arranged through regional official CBT offices or local destination management organisations. This is particularly relevant if you are looking for a homestay or a yurt option for your Song-Kul plans. Kochkor is a centre for community-based tourism, where independent travellers can organise jeeps, horses and overnight stays in yurts for Song-Kul.

Homestays typically include dinner with beshbarmak or lagman. If regional cuisine is important to you, you can take this meal option into account when choosing your accommodation. A livestock market takes place on the outskirts of Kochkor on Sundays, where horses and sheep, among other animals, are traded. This is a specific weekly market visit you can plan for if you are in the village on a Sunday.

What Song-Kul options can be organised in Kochkor?

Independent travellers can organise jeeps, horses and overnight stays in yurts there for Song-Kul. One CBT programme goes via Jalgyz-Karagai Pass and includes an overnight stay in a herder’s yurt in Batai-Aral.

How can you reach Jyluu-Suu?

Jyluu-Suu is about 20 kilometres east of Kara-Suu village and is accessible only on horseback.

When is the livestock market in Kochkor?

The livestock market takes place on Sundays on the outskirts of Kochkor. Horses and sheep, among other animals, are traded there.

What dishes are typically served at homestays?

Dinner at homestays in Kochkor typically includes beshbarmak or lagman.

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