Prominent English and Turkish language bloggers visited Kyrgyz Republic from August 30 – September 9 on a tour organized by the United States through USAID’s Business Growth Initiative in order to promote Kyrgyz tourism. Fourteen bloggers travelled throughout the country to on tours that highlight the country's potential in culture and adventure tourism.

Three-day excursions included cultural tours of Osh, Uzgen and environs; a horseback trek and yurt-stay at Lake Son-Kol; and a hiking tour in the Tien Shan mountains surrounding Jyrgalan village in north-eastern Issyk-Kul.

“I was blown away by the rugged landscapes and high altitude lakes” says Samuel Jeffery from NomadicSamuel.com who visited Kyrgyzstan for the first time. “Locals were friendly and hospitable always welcoming us with cups of hot tea. I'm eager to explore more of the country in the future.”

After the initial tours, the bloggers reunited in Cholpon-Ata to visit Karakol and Jeti-Oguz, take a boat trip on Lake Issyk-Kul and immerse themselves in the celebration of the second World Nomad Games. They witnessed demonstrations of falconry and archery, attended theatrical performances, and met with leading figures in Kyrgyz music, handicrafts, and traditional culture at the ethno-village in Kyrchyn Gorge. They also attended competitions in wrestling, horse games, and traditional nomadic sports.

Popular adventure travel blogger Nellie Huang of WildJunket.com says the World Nomad Games offered a deeper cultural experience because of the close interaction with people. “There’s really no other event in Central Asia that lets travelers experience the nomadic culture on this kind of level and scale" she says.

The bloggers' future posts will be shared using the #DiscoverKyrgyzstan hashtag and on the DiscoverKyrgyzstan social media pages on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/discover.kg/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/discoverKG), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/discoverkyrgyzstan/).

USAID Business Growth Initiative is a four-year project that builds and strengthens the competitiveness of Kyrgyz tourism destinations and attractions, in addition to other economic sectors including apparel manufacturing and construction materials.

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