Tuura-Suu: nomads of Central Asia

TUURA-SUU: ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFO

Tura-Suu is a remote village nestled among the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, which you will find very rarely in tourist brochures. It can be reached in about 4 hours by car from the capital Bishkek: taxis are very cheap, however, since booking an overnight stay with a local Kyrgyz family is not simple, it is better to contact an operator who offers the complete travel package, such as Eco Tour.

In Tuura-Suu you can get in touch with the daily life of Kyrgyz nomads or you can take wonderful treks or horseback rides, among spectacular and unspoiled landscapes. In Tuura-Suu it's possible to experience the yurt, a traditional tent used by many nomadic peoples of Central Asia, and you can also try traditional dishes of Kyrgyz cuisine.

To have enough time to explore the surroundings, hiking or riding an horse, we recommend staying for at least a couple of days, considering that even in summer (probably the only possible season to visit Tuura-Suu) some rain is not a rare event.

Although the altitude of Tuura-Suu is around 7,200 feet, in summer with the sun shining, the daytime temperature may exceed 85°F, while at night or in case of cloudy weather, it is not uncommon to go down below 50°F.

But now let's see some photos of Tuura-Suu taken during our trip...

Tuura-Suu is located on a plateau at 7,200 feet, among majestic mountains without trees and with the ground almost completely covered by a grass. It is a very beautiful and relaxing landscape.

Visitors in Tuura-Suu can experience how the life is in a yurt, a traditional tent used by the nomads of Central Asia. The skin and the waterproof cover that makes the roof and the circular wall of the house, is supported by around seventy wooden poles arranged radially around the base, while a window on the top (closable if necessary) allows the passage of air and light.

The mattresses are placed directly on the floor and heavy blankets are provided to guarantee full comfort from the cold air at night (the climate at this altitude is very continental, with great excursions between day and night: even if summer daytime temperature may exceed 80°F, at night on the same day, it can be colder than 50°F).

There is no electricity in these yurts, so for the night a headlamp will be very useful.

We decide to move around with a short horseback ride, which can be done even without having any previous experience, thanks to the careful supervision the herd's owner.

The horses are the ideal way to explore Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia in general, enjoying the beautiful landscapes in silence and in close contact with unspoiled nature. We limit our horseback ride to an excursion of about an hour, but for enthusiasts of this way of moving around, there are tours lasting several days and going throughout the country.

Horses owned by the Kyrgyz family who hosted us.

A walk on the top of a nearby hill is an excellent opportunity to admire the beautiful landscapes of this region in Kyrgyzstan, with mountains and gentle hills without any tree but just grass and flowers.

The beautiful flowers around Tuura-Suu.

Meals in Kyrgyzstan. Meals are served on a table and eaten sitting on a carpet. Vegetables, some meat, fruit, bread, yogurt and jams are the main foods and, being all locally produced, they are much more tasteful compared to western countries. The meat is usually beef or lamb, there is no pork, since Kyrgyzstan has a Muslim majority.

During our visit, the local family has organized a show for us, singing traditional musical instruments and showing Kyrgyz traditional clothes.

This yurt camp in Tuura-Suu has only few tents, as it's far from the circuits normally beaten by tourists. A picturesque blue caravan is used as additional lodging for the local family.

The camp has a common bathroom, with running water supplied by a couple of tanks installed uphill. On sunny days, the tanks heat up, supplying some hot water as well.