Getting Around Kyrgyzstan: Transport Guide

Flying, though not the safest mode of transport in Kyrgyzstan, is the only sensible alternative to some destinations as trains are crowded and crime ridden. Buses are the most convenient way to travel cheaply between towns but they do tend to break down on long trips. You can hire a car or taxi, and employ a driver willing to take you to another town. 

I n winter, it’s safest and fastest to travel by air. Domestic and inter republic services do not conform to international standards. Flight schedules change frequently and there are inexplicable delays and cancellations. Confirm your booking 24 hours in advance. There are scheduled flights from Bishkek to Osh, Cholpan Ata, Naryn and Karakol. Helicopter flights are common in Kyrgyzstan area but fly only in summer and only if the weather is clear.

Buses are the most reliable way to get around Kyrgyzstan. The inter-city coaches run on fixed routes and schedules but the regional buses are less comfortable and more crowded, and often breakdown. Private buses, which solicit passengers in front of the bus stations, are more expensive and the drive can be hair-raising fast. They have fixed fares and routes but no fixed timetables, and will stop anywhere along the route. The route Almaty – Bishkek – Tashkent – Samarkand – Bukhara is well covered by coaches. Regional buses leave early in the morning for their trips, between 5 am to 7 am.

Intercity travel by car is quick and the most convenient mode of transportation to reach places that are out of the way, but because of the short supply of fuel it is an expensive option. Taxis and private drivers who take on passengers on frequently used long distance routes e.g. Almaty-Bishkek or Shymkent-Tashkent often wait at train or bus stations. Some wait for the vehicle to fill with passengers. Rates can be five times as much as the bus fare if you engage the vehicle singly. It is not possible to rent a car in Kyrgyzstan yet.

Main highways are fast and well maintained. Mountain roads can be blocked with snow in winter and landslides in spring. Driving your own vehicle is full of dangers; rental services give a car as well as a driver. Hitching-hiking is not recommended especially for single travellers. Most sizeable towns have public buses and sometimes trolleybuses. Bigger cities have trams. Transport is very cheap by western standards though buses being the only mode of cheap transport are packed. The supply of taxis is inadequate except around tourist hotels, but people will give you lifts. Public transport in smaller towns ceases after dark.  Usually buses, trolleys and trams are plentiful around the city centre and by contrast far fewer in the suburbs. The common method is to pay the driver cash on exit.

Marshrutnoe taxis are minibuses that run on fixed routes. Taxis are of two kinds, officially licensed ones and private cars. Official ones are more reliable and cheaper. Avoid taxis lurking outside tourist hotels because drivers often overcharge. Single travellers should avoid taxis after dark. 

The major railway line in Kyrgyzstan is between Bishkek and Balikchi near Lake Issyk Kul. There is also a connection between Tashkent and Osh. Train travel is inexpensive, and lower class train travel, the cheapest. However train travel is decidedly uncomfortable, trains being crowded, dirty and unsafe. There are sleeper berths for long haul journeys.

The compartments are mixed sex, and foreigners are viewed with much curiosity and interest. Railway food is awful; bring your own and be prepared to share it with your compartment mates. Trains are unsafe not because they are prone to accidents or derailment or such mishaps but high rate of crime. Do not expose your valuables and cash, never leave your luggage unattended, and sleep with one eye open!