Ata Beyit History and Horseback Riding in Chunkurchak

This day trip from Bishkek combines a visit to the Ata-Beyit Memorial Complex with a horseback ride through Chunkurchak Gorge, pairing a look at Kyrgyzstan's Soviet-era history with an afternoon in the mountains.

A roundtrip transfer collects you from your Bishkek hotel from 10:00 am, with a guide accompanying you through both parts of the day, covering the drive south of the city and back again as part of the same trip.

At Ata-Beyit, around 25 kilometers south of Bishkek near the village of Chong-Tash, you visit two small on-site museums and watch a short documentary covering the Stalin-era repressions of 1937 to 1940, when Kyrgyz Soviet officials, including Torokul Aitmatov, father of the writer Chingiz Aitmatov, were among more than 130 people buried at the site. The memorial complex, established in 2000, sits at the foot of the Kyrgyz Ridge, and walking through its grounds gives a quiet, direct look at a chapter of the country's Soviet-era history that is less widely known outside Central Asia.

The day continues into Chunkurchak Gorge, a short drive from Ata-Beyit, where alpine meadows and pine forest rise toward the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range. Here you take a horseback ride through the gorge, passing grazing livestock and open pasture along the valley floor, with the ridgeline of the mountains visible for much of the ride. Afterward, you join local shepherds for a traditional Kyrgyz meal, hearing about their day-to-day life herding animals in the mountains through the summer months and the seasonal move between high and low pastures.

The mix of history in the morning and mountain scenery in the afternoon makes for a varied day away from the city, covering two very different sides of Kyrgyzstan in a single trip. Rayna's local team arranges the transfer and guide for this trip and stays available for support throughout.

• Explore the Ata-Beyit Memorial Complex and learn about Kyrgyzstan's Soviet-era history.
• Visit two on-site museums and watch a short documentary on the era of political repression.
• Take a horseback ride through the Chunkurchak Gorge in the Kyrgyz Ala-Too mountains.
• Share a traditional Kyrgyz meal with local shepherds and learn about their nomadic life.
• Travel with a local guide for the full day, from the memorial to the gorge.

1. Download your voucher and carry a soft copy on your phone.
2. Carry a valid passport or ID card.
3. The driver verifies your voucher and ID at pickup.

• Carry a valid ID or passport with you during the transfer for identification purposes.
• Bring comfortable, closed-toe shoes suited to walking and horseback riding.
• Be ready in the hotel lobby 15 minutes before the pickup time to avoid delays.
• Provide accurate details, including your hotel address, during booking to help arrange pickup smoothly.
• If you fail to report at the designated time, it will be treated as a no-show, with no rescheduling or refund.
• Timings may vary depending on traffic and other factors.