When you visit depends on what is on your itinerary and which parts of the country you will be visiting. It is difficult to generalize about the weather in this region. The best time to visit northern Kyrgyzstan is from June to September; March to October is ideal for southern Kyrgyzstan. For hiking in the low mountain areas, summer is good – the mountain slopes are flushed with blooming flowers between April and June. Temperatures in mid summer are very high in the foothill cities like Bishkek, where the daytime averages are between 30° C and 35° C.

Winter is tough time to be travelling anywhere in Kyrgyzstan, especially so in the mountains: through November it either rains or snows, and the mountain passes get blocked until April or May. Winters are bitterly cold in the desert as well and food is a problem with most eateries closing down for the season. Many domestic flights are also grounded in winter. If you are planning to plonk out in a ski resort either in the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range near Bishkek or in the Tian Shan, near Issyk Kul, winter is when you’ll be going. The skiing season begins in November and lasts till April.