Tailor Made: Kyrgyzstan Mountain Biking Tour

Where will we be staying?

We’ll be staying in a mix of places – from four star hotels in Bishkek, to wonderful, family-run yurt camps in the wilds of Kyrgyzstan. You won’t always have access to hot showers, but the wilderness and views will more than make up for it.

What size of group will it be?

Our group sizes are always small, allowing for an intimate experience of the cultures we meet along our path. On this trip we won’t have more than nine guests, plus our UK guide and the local guide, plus our drivers. We usually find groups are made of like-minded people, both male and female, from a wide age range.

Who is Dave Cowell?

Dave has had a lifelong passion for adventure in the mountains and started rock-climbing as a teenager in the 1980s. The obsession grew unchecked into all branches of climbing and mountaineering. After attempting to make the first high-level crossing of the island of Spitsbergen with a friend, sponsored by Newcastle Brown Ale, he set about exploring other far-flung places – including Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Turkey, Albania, Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain and many more traditional destinations. He has devised, organised and led a huge number of trips and expeditions.

In his spare time he has had careers as an environmental scientist and software engineer, and in 2012 he founded FATMAP, the world’s first dedicated global outdoor map platform. He enjoys mountain-biking, bouldering, rock-climbing and skiiing. He lives with his wife Ros and their two children in Bristol, UK.

How is this different to other MTB expeditions I’ve seen?

We have been living, breathing, reading, researching and travelling the Silk Road for the past five years. We have researched the route in detail – climbs, descents, gradients etc. You’ll be able to sit back and relax  (well, not exactly relax on the ascents…) in the full knowledge that we’ve got the logistics covered. You’ll also be led by an extremely experienced local or UK guide, in either case it will be a man who knows these mountains well.

What will the weather be like?

It’s mid-summer, when Central Asia can be very hot in places, but we are spending much of our time up in the mountains. Expect up to 30 degrees in Bishkek but around the 20’s in the hills and by lake Issyk Kul. It could get down to around ten degrees at night in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. But have no fear, we will supply you with a detailed packing list after you’ve signed up.

I’m a solo traveller – is this for me?

Yes. More than 85% of our expedition clients travel alone as part of our group. We don’t charge single supplements to solo travellers – see below.

Do you charge single supplements – I can’t see them in your information?

Very rarely, and not on this trip. We don’t believe that solo travellers should be penalised with extra charges.  It goes against our ethos, so unless totally unavoidable or astronomically expensive,  all costs are included in the expedition price. Please note that in most of the yurt camps we are staying in, single rooms are simply not available.

What kit do I need to bring?

We will provide you with an information pack after signing up to this trip, and this will detail any particular equipment we think either necessary or useful.

Is there a back-up vehicle?

Yes. We will travel with enough space in the cars for people and bikes, for any transfers we need to do. We will mostly be supported by the bike car at all times (for emergencies and any mechanical issues with your bike) but there will be some times when it can’t follow us, so will meet us again at the next suitable point. The back-up vehicle will also carry filtered water top-ups.

How much are flights?

This is a moving feast! It depends on where you are travelling from and how you want to get there. From London, it’s around £350-400 return to Bishkek. We can offer flight inclusive packages also though, so just let us know if you’d like us to handle your booking. Again, we’ll send you an information pack containing all the information you need when you book your place.

What will the food be like?

Varied – the ‘stans are a region known for meaty delicacies so you can expect tasty shashlik almost anywhere if this is your thing. But it’s not all bad news for veggies as the salads in Central Asia are fantastic. Bread, plov, tomatoes, cucumbers, dill and vodka all feature heavily!

Will I have to share a room?

Yes, at times. There will be hotels and guest houses where we will have separate rooms and wherever possible we will arrange this, but there will also be times where we are staying in yurts when there is scant option but to share rooms. This is all part of the adventure, and a reason we love to travel here. It makes sense for light sleepers to bring earplugs, in case of snorers.

How fit do I need to be?

Quite fit. This is a cycling holiday in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. That will tell you much of what you need to know.

Will I be affected by altitude?

Altitude can affect different people in different ways. It can also affect the same person in different ways from trip to trip. We will be spending a bit of time above 3000 metres in Kyrgyzstan, with a maximum altitude of 3900 metres. If you feel that you might suffer from altitude sickness, or have history of it, you should consider discussing this with your doctor prior to booking and travel. Diamox and other similar prescription drugs are available to ease symptoms, but the key way to address any onset of altitude sickness is to descend. Luckily, from anywhere particularly high, descent is possible rapidly thanks to our vehicles. Simple precautions and awareness go a long way.Our route is designed with safe altitude gain in mind.

Do you perform proper risk management on your expeditions?

Yes. We are members of TRIP – the Travel Risk and Incident Prevention Group – and perform detailed country risk assessments prior to departure, in line with the ISO 31000 international standard for risk assessment. We also maintain close contact with the relevant Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice for countries we plan to visit, in addition to making use of the Australian Smart Traveller assessment tool, and the US State Department’s OSAC service. Beyond this, we have a full set of risk management and disaster contingency plans for each expedition and are expedition first aid trained by Crux Medical. For final back up we also use the services of Remote Medical Support that allows us to have a UK expedition doctor on the end of a telephone line wherever we may be. And we always carry a satellite phone. We really don’t mess around when it comes to safety.

Is this really for me?

If you love adventure, new places, friendly people, wild landscapes, history and culture then yes! However, if you’re the sort of person who is going to be worried about the lack of flush loos in a mountain yurt camp, might complain that the road to Bokonbaev is too bumpy or frets about Wi-Fi availability, then this probably isn’t your bag.