Kochkor is a small village about 3hrs away from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. This is the base for Community Based Tourism’s (CBT) trips into the surrounding mountains. CBTis an outfit which organizes homestays, horse rides and yurt stays with local communities. Much of the proceeds from these trips go straight to the locals.
Our first trip was a 3D2N horse riding trip to Song Kol lake, about 3100m up in the mountains. This was my first long trip on a horse and it was a terrific experience. Horse riding tip of the day: Its easier on the butt when the horse is galloping than when its doing a fast trot. 
I had always wanted to gallop through open fields on a horse, and that wish got fulfilled on this trip.
We rode past herds of cattle and sheep grazing on golden pastures and passed many nomadic settlements, all set in a backdrop of amazing mountain scenery.
At nights, we stayed in yurts set up by individual nomadic families and ate excellent home cooked meals. Nights were cold, but it added to the whole nomadic mountain experience.
Riding through stunning mountain scenery
A yurt camp we stayed at
Riding along Song Kol lake
A panaroma I took at Song Kol can be found here.
