Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

The closest to a direct flight from London to Bishkek is with BMI, although this does have a short touchdown in Almaty where you will not change planes. Total travel time is around 9:15hrs.

Useful Tips

• Always carry a torch with plenty of spare batteries - you'll use it a lot

• Take plenty of wet wipes!

• Bring waterproofs, in the mountains it can rain (or snow) any time. That said you'll need sun cream as well!

• Have lunch at 12 Chimneys Restaurant in Ala Madine Gorge on the outskirts of Bishkek " it’s great, and you can even stay the night

• Take binoculars - the bird life is surprisingly good

Recommended Reading

If you want to read up on your destination we recommend a variety of guidebooks such as the Bradt Guides, Odyssey Guides, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit.

Good books and maps of Kyrgyzstan are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

Relevant Reading:
The first to mention is the utterly riveting, The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk. Chronicling the extraordinary history of the region, from Genghis Khan through to the Bolsheviks, it is a wonderfully readable book, focusing primarily on the wars, alliances and intrigues caused by the imperial rivalry of Britain and Russia during the 19th Century.

Also by Hopkirk, Setting the East Ablaze, specifically relates to the Bolshevik’s annexation of Central Asia, is a fascinating, enjoyable and arguably even more relevant book on the area. Other good books on the region include The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron; In Xanadu by William Dalrymple; Apples in the Snow by Geoffrey Moorhouse; Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy MacLean; Lost Heart of Asia by Colin Thubron, and most recently: A Carpet Ride to Khiva by Chris Alexander, a fascinating insight into what life is like in modern day Central Asia.

And of course our very own Jonny Bealby’s book; Silk Dreams, Troubled Road.

When To Go

The weather conditions can be extremely varied. In the mountains you will often be travelling at heights in excess of 3000 metres, and even in the middle of summer it can turn bitter with snow falling; at the same time mercury in the thermometers of Bishkek can be nudging 40 degrees. All in all, British summertime is considered the best time to visit in terms of favourable conditions.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Kyrgyzstan. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.

On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with. However, the main thing to bear in mind while packing for a trip to Central Asia is that the weather conditions can be extremely varied. In the mountains, you will often be travelling at heights in access of 3,000 metres, and even in the middle of summer it can turn bitter with snow falling; at the same time mercury in the thermometers of Bishkek can be nudging 40 degrees. You should therefore pack things for cold conditions as well as for warm, similar to a holiday in the highlands of Scotland!

You should also keep in mind that while there is a much more relaxed approach to Islam than in many of the neighbouring countries, in certain areas shoulders and legs would need to be covered.

Therefore as a guide we suggest a packing list like this:
• 4 x Light cotton shirts or T-shirts, short sleeved and long
• 2-3 pairs of cotton trousers. If preferred, women can wear dresses and long skirts
• 2 x lightweight jumpers or sweatshirts
• 2 x good quality fleece or warm jumper
• Warm jacket
• One set of thermal underwear
• Set of good quality waterproofs or poncho
• Warm Hat & Gloves
• Sun hat (stays on while riding)
• Pair of shorts or Zip-off short-cum-trousers
• Swim suit or trunks
• Socks, thick and thin
• Pair of walking shoes/boots
• Pair of trainers or pumps, adventure sandals
• Water bottle
• Travel towel, travel soap and toiletries
• Sleeping bag liner (cotton or silk)
• Good quality 4 season sleeping bag
• Rucksack or duffel bag but no hard suitcases please
• Torch (a head-torch keeps your hands free)
• Plug adapter

The following is useful extra equipment for your trip:
• Ear plugs (if sharing a room / camping)
• Blow-up thermarest roll mat if you have one. But if you don’t have one then we will provide adequate style mattresses
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• A bandanna or large handkerchief is useful for dusty tracks, as are eye patches if light affects your sleep!
• Sewing kit
• Polarised Sunglasses
• Writing materials
• Swiss Army knife
• Trekking poles
• Hot water bottle… it can be very chilly at night.

Personal First Aid Kit:
While we do carry a large medical kit on all our group tours we would advise that you take some of the basics with you. This should include:
• Any prescription medication required (please inform the tour leader at your pre-departure meeting about these)
• Antibacterial dry hand wash
• Painkillers: paracetamol & ibuprofen
• Rehydration salts (Gastrolyte)
• Travel motion-sickness tablets if required (e.g. natural ginger tablets)
• Diarrhoea remedies
• Antihistamines
• Cold/flu decongestants
• Mosquito Repellent
• Insect bite cream
• Laxatives
• Plasters/Bandage/Steri-Strips/Blister pads
• Sunscreen (30+ factor)
• Moisturiser/after sun cream/lip balm
• Contact lenses and solution if required
(A kit with most of this in is available at www.nomadtravel.co.uk

NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are rare. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.

Practical Information

Time:
Kyrgyzstan is 6hrs ahead of GMT.
A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food and Alcohol:
Alcohol is the one thing you will not be short of! However, the choice is limited to vodka, beer or rather filthy local brandy so anyone wanting something different - Scotch or Gin for example - should buy it duty free.

Vegetarians or those with special dietary needs can also be catered for; however in some areas the type of food may be limited.

Electricity:
Those bringing video & digital cameras that require battery chargers should also bring a two-pin, continental style adapter. In most hotels you can charge from the mains using a travel adaptor plug.

Money:
In Kyrgyzstan the official unit of currency is the Som.

To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com

A few points to help you plan:
• It is strongly recommended you travel with US dollars in cash. Sterling or travellers cheques are very difficult to change.
• Credit cards and Travellers Cheques are basically useless.
• Payments are mainly made in cash.
• Try not to withdraw more than you think you will need as currency can be hard to change back.
• It is useful to bring lots of small denomination notes.

Language & Religion:
Kyrgyzstan is one of the two former Soviet Republics in Central Asia to retain Russian as an official language. In the early 90’s Kyrgyzstan became an official bilingual country adding Kyrgyz as another official language. 80% of the population are Islamic with just over 15% following Russian Orthodoxy.

Cultural Sensitivity:
On our tours we frequently interact with local people, each with their own distinct customs and traditions. We therefore ask you to be considerate and to treat them with respect. Your tour leader will be able to advise you accordingly.

At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'.

However, we also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.

Photography:
Please remember, we are guests in the countries through which we travel and we may sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without first asking permission.

Also many countries have very strict rules about taking photos of army, police or any official personnel; restrictions apply at borders, bridges and any government building. Please exercise care in this regard as the penalty may be to have your film and/or camera confiscated.