Kyrgyz Republic
Area: 199,900 sq km
Population: 5,356,869
Population density: 26 per sq km
Capital: Bishkek
Area: 199,900 sq km
Population: 5,356,869
Population density: 26 per sq km
Capital: Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan country information
Passport & visa | Getting there | Cycling & maps | Cost of living | Accommodation | Food | Bike shops | Climate | Distances
Passport & Visa
| Passport Required? | |
|---|---|
| British | Yes |
| Australian | Yes |
| Canadian | Yes |
| USA | Yes |
| Other EU | Yes |
| Visa Required? | |
| British | Yes |
| Australian | Yes |
| Canadian | Yes |
| USA | Yes |
| Other EU | Yes/1 |
Passports
Passport for three months
from date of entry required by all nationals
referred to in the chart above.
Visas
Required by all nationals
referred to in the chart above except the following:
(a) 1. nationals of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia travelling as tourists (provided they are permanent residents of their country);
(b) transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft within 48 hours, provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport.
Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
(a) 1. nationals of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic and Slovenia travelling as tourists (provided they are permanent residents of their country);
(b) transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft within 48 hours, provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport.
Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
Visa Note
(a) Nationals
of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal,
Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA can now obtain
a tourist visa on arrival at Manas International
Airport. (b) Nationals of the countries referred
to in the chart above may apply for a visa valid
for one month or less without providing a letter
of support from Kyrgyzstan (except countries who
do not require a visa, as listed above, and nationals
of Estonia, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania, who
do need to provide an invitation letter).
(c) All nationals (except nationals of the UK)
are required to register with the department for
visas and registration within three days of arrivals,
hotels will normally carry out this service for
their guests.
Types of Visa and Cost
All visas
are now multiple-entry: £50 (one month);
£100 (six months); £140 (one year). Transit:
£20 (120 hours); £35 (double-entry). Express:
double the price.
Validity
Up to three months from date
of issue.
Applications to:
Consulate (or consular section
at embassy).
Working Days Required
Three; one for Express visa
applications.
Getting there
Getting There by Air
The national airline is Kyrgyzstan
Airlines (R8).
Approximate Flight Times
From London
to Bishkek is 9 hours.
Main Airports
Bishkek Manas Airport
(FRU) is 30km (18 miles) north of Bishkek.
To/from the airport: There
is a minibus shuttle service to the city centre
when the airport is open (journey time - 30
minutes). Taxis are available 24 hours. There
is also a bus service (journey time - 45 minutes).
Facilities: Left luggage, crèche,
bars, restaurant, chemist, bank and bureau de
change.
Note: All but essential travel to the south and west of Osh and to the Ferghana Valley region is advised against, due to the history of terrorist activity and armed violence, and to the threat of landmines in the Batken region and along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border that Kyrgyzstan shares with other countries in Central Asia. However, this should not deter travel since most visits to Kyrgyzstan are trouble-free.
Note: All but essential travel to the south and west of Osh and to the Ferghana Valley region is advised against, due to the history of terrorist activity and armed violence, and to the threat of landmines in the Batken region and along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border that Kyrgyzstan shares with other countries in Central Asia. However, this should not deter travel since most visits to Kyrgyzstan are trouble-free.
Departure Tax
US$10. Infants
and transit passengers are exempt.
Getting There by Rail
There are
rail connections with the Russian Federation (journey
time to Moscow - 3 days) and with other Central
Asian Republics. Tourists are advised that robberies
on trains have been reported.
Getting There by Road
The main
international road links are with Kazakhstan and
there are presently two crossing points into China
(PR); visitors should note that the Chinese authorities
normally require proof of an invitation by a Chinese
tour operator as a condition of entry.
There are regular bus links from Bishkek to Tashkent (Uzbekistan) (journey time - 10 to 12 hours) and Almaty (Kazakhstan) (journey time - 6 hours); services leave the long-distance (zapadni) bus station in Bishkek. There is also a direct service to Osh from Tashkent (Uzbekistan) via the Fergana Valley, but road conditions are very poor on this route (see also Uzbekistan section).
Generally, roads can be affected by landslides (especially during spring in the mountain areas), while winter may cause hazardous conditions on a number of roads (especially on mountain passes, some of which may be closed during certain periods); visitors should also note that garage services are very limited.
Note tour.tk: cyclists don't need an invitation to enter China when entering via the Irkeshtam pass.
It is also possible to enter Kyrgyzstan from Tajikistan, for more info see the 'getting there' section of
Tajikistan
There are regular bus links from Bishkek to Tashkent (Uzbekistan) (journey time - 10 to 12 hours) and Almaty (Kazakhstan) (journey time - 6 hours); services leave the long-distance (zapadni) bus station in Bishkek. There is also a direct service to Osh from Tashkent (Uzbekistan) via the Fergana Valley, but road conditions are very poor on this route (see also Uzbekistan section).
Generally, roads can be affected by landslides (especially during spring in the mountain areas), while winter may cause hazardous conditions on a number of roads (especially on mountain passes, some of which may be closed during certain periods); visitors should also note that garage services are very limited.
Note tour.tk: cyclists don't need an invitation to enter China when entering via the Irkeshtam pass.
It is also possible to enter Kyrgyzstan from Tajikistan, for more info see the 'getting there' section of
Tajikistan Cycling & Maps
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rip & waterproof |
Central AsiaCost of living
Kyrgyzstan:
all prices in Kyrgyzstan Soms (KGS)
| drinks and snacks | food: local markets; restaurants; and stores |
||||
| water (mineral) |
1.5 litre 1 litre 300ml 1 litre |
20-25 25-30 tba |
round white loaf - 30cm |
800g+ |
8-10 |
| local market food pizza- vegetarian |
one serving one serving one serving med |
tba tba tba 150-240 |
|||
| beer-local wine |
330ml 750ml |
||||
| tea coffee (cafe / bar) Nescafe instant coffee-ground |
25 bags per cup 125g 500g |
35 |
rice (white) pasta eggs tinned tomatoes |
kg |
|
| milk yoghurt / curd cheese Magnum icecream |
1 litre 500g kg each |
|
potatoes onions tomatoes cucumbers |
kg kg kg kg |
25 45 25 |
| chips salted peanuts dried apricots |
200g pack kg kg |
tba tba tba |
apples oranges bananas |
kg kg kg |
|
| cornflakes chocolate biscuits-plain biscuits-chocolate |
375g pack 100g block 200g pack 200g pack |
tba |
pineapple (can) oil (corn) |
500g can 500ml |
|
| peanut paste jam |
500g jar 400g jar |
tba |
|||
| accommodation | personal | ||||
| budget city hostel budget city hotel |
100+ per dorm bed 200-400 double with ensuite |
deodorant - roll-on |
50ml 150g bar 200ml each 100ml 5 pack each |
tba tba |
|
| stay in yurt home-stay-organised wild camping |
150+ |
||||
| internet | 30-40 per hour | ||||
| *
tba = price to be announced * January 2009: at time of writing 1.00 USD = 40.93 KGS all prices have been taken from internet resources such as wikitravel, hostel world, leading supermarket chains, travel blogs, forums and of course our own travel experiences and purchases of everyday products in food markets, bazaars and local shopping facilities. They are only an indication and designed to give you a general impression of the cost of living in Kyrgyzstan. Items are geared towards the budget conscious traveller with an occasional craving for a bit of luxury. |
Source:www.exchange-rates.org |
Bike shops
Gergert SportGorkogo Str., 119
Bishkek City
Tel: +996 312 54 16 11
To find it: look for Vefa Center. It is a big famous supermarket.
The bike shop is on the same street.
Road distances
| Detailed distance chart from our trip through Kyrgyzstan 2007 (km/alti) | |||
| altitude (in metres) in brackets | km |
total km |
|
| Osh | turn-off to Ozgun | 5 |
5 |
| t.o. Ozgun | Chychyk Pass (2406 m.) | 60 |
65 |
| Chychyk Pass | Gülchö | 19 |
84 |
| Gülchö | Köldük | 44 |
128 |
| Köldük | Ak Bosogo (2830 m.) | 34 |
162 |
| Ak Bosogo | Taldyk Pass (3615 m.) | 10 |
172 |
| Taldyk Pass | Sary Tash | 14 |
186 |
| Sary Tash | check-point & paved road | 58 |
58 |
| check-point | Irkeshtam | 16 |
74 |
| Irkeshtam | Chinese border (Simhana) | 8 |
82 |
| Road distances from other sources: | |||
| Bishkek | Almaty | 236 |
|
| Tashkent | 572 |
||
| Karakol | Bishkek | 390 |
|
| Balykchy | 217 |
||
| Kachkor | Bishkek | 185 |
|
| Naryn | 123 |
||
| Song-Köl | 50 |
||
| Naryn | Bishkek | 310 |
|
| At Bashy | 45 |
||
| Torugart | 200 |
||
| Osh | Özgön | 54 |
|
