Practical information Kyrgyzstan

77182  sq.mi

Bichkek airport is often closed for technical and provisioning problems, so travellers will need to go via Almaty in Kazakhstan to get to the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Take a flight from London, Istanbul or Frankfurt (Germany). Whatever your journey, it will more often than not include a connection in Moscow. From London to Almaty (excluding the connection in Moscow): 8 hr flight. On arrival at Almaty you will have another 4-hour bus journey to reach Bichkek. Time difference: + 4 hrs in the winter, + 5 hrs in the spring and the summer (from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of September).

5284149 hab.

The Mana airport in Bishkek is 22 miles from town. It takes an hour by bus to get to the capital (it will cost you less than 20 soms). It costs roughly 3 USD by taxi, mostly on weekends.

To limit insecurity problems, avoid travelling to very remote areas, especially at the borders of Tajikistan and Usbekistan; stroll during the day and avoid night jaunts (the crime rate in the cities is still quite high). It is not recommended to travel to many regions of the country:
Osh and the Batken province. You are advised not to travel to the south of Osh and the Batken province. Armed incursions by Islamist militants from Tajikistan were made in this province, and led to violent confrontations with forces of law and order. Foreigners (Japanese, Americans) were held hostage and later freed.
Moreover: you should always carry along your passport with a valid visa, for militia agents sometimes attempt extorting money under the cover of identity controls.

The official language is Kyrgyz. It is of Turkish origin. Russian is also widely spoken (mainly in big cities) and Usbek. Several other languages are spoken by minority groups, and many dialects are spoken in high mountain regions.

A visa is mandatory. A single entry is valid for 1 month. A double entry is valid for 60 days. Your passport has to be valid for six months after the visa's date of expiration.

Most Kyrgyz are Sunnite Muslims (75%). You also have 20% Orthodox Russians.

The currency is the Som (KGS). £1 Sterling = 68 Soms. This conversion rate is given by way of indication only as this currency is constantly devaluating. Visitors are advised to carry cash in different currencies with them, primarily Dollars and (Russian) Rubles which can be exchanged locally for Soms. You will find bureaux de change almost everywhere in the cities, and money can also be exchanged in hotels, post offices, airports, some shops and even at railway stations. Most importantly, though, avoid exchanging all your currency and always keep some US Dollars and Rubles with you. Also, remember that even though there are just a few places where you can use credit cards and travellers cheques (larger hotels, restaurants and airports), they can come in very handy should you come unstuck. Bank opening hours: from 9:30am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Taxis:there are several taxis in the cities. Journeys in the city are quite cheap (25 soms at most). Make sure you bargain the journey well before taking off. For longer journeys, it is better and cheaper to take a taxi than to rent a chauffeur-driven car.
By coach: it is the best means of transport. Coaches travel round the country and connect most cities. There are two train stations in Bishkek; one in the west (zapadnyi) for long distances and the one in the east (vostotchnyi) to get to the closest cities (Kant, Tokmak). From the west station, you can get to Kara-kol, a town in the east of lake Issyk-Koul in 9 hours. The journey to Toktogoul is equally 9 hours. Further in the south, notably toward Djalalabad and Osh, you must change at Toktogoul. Lastly, the journey to Talas from the capital is 8 hours. You also have a network of private coaches. They are faster and have less stopovers than public coaches. Private coach companies are parked opposite zapadnyi station.
By train: few people use the unique train line found at the north of the country (going to Tashkent or Almaty). Generally, it is used when travelling to Moscow (a train per day, a 72-hour journey). You are advised not to take trains going to Baliktchi; their hours are often unreliable.
By car: 60% of the road network is in ruins. Most cars are rented with a chauffeur. Taxis are comparatively better. Prior to any journey, find out about the state of the roads from the Department in charge of travel arteries at the Ministry of Transport and Communication, telephone: 66.21.51.
By plane:ony one air carrier, Kyrgyzstan Airlines, flies every day to Osh from Bishkek airport. You are avdvised to buy tickets several days in advance (around 80 dollars for a single trip). Two flights per week for Almaty and Kazakhstan.

No particular vaccineis required. However, be sure to be up to date with your vaccinations: hepatitis B and diphteria. Before departure, inform yourself about vaccines because a vaccination certificate could be requested once in the country. A prevention vaccine against rabies is also recommended.

Do not drinktap waterbut only sterilised or bottled water. A vaccination certificate against yellow fever is required for travellers coming from countries affected by the disease: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan.

Useful numbers:
Public ambulance services (to be avoided preferably): 103.
Private ambulance "Medical Service" (24/7). Tel: 151 / 25 17 52.
Private clinical centre. Tel: 26.35.23. or 22.89.60 or 21.69.37 or 22.86.63.
Doctor from Kumtor company (english speaker). Tel: 22 26 79 or 77 09 11.
Doctor from the UN: Tchinara Sadykova (also speaks English). Tel: 26 43 07.
Directory services: Tel: 109.

Electrical power: 220 V.

unknown.

unknown.

To call Kyrgyzstan from the UK, dial 00 + 996 (country code) + local code + the number you are calling. The different local codes are: Bishkek (312), Osh (3222), Toktogoul (3747), Kara-Kol (31922).
From Kyrgyzstan to the UK, most often you have to dial 105 to reach a switchboard operator or dial 00 + 44 + the number you are calling.
To call within the country: dial 0 + the local code + the number you are calling.