Solo travel to Kyrgyzstan as a woman

Solo female travelers, we understand each other.

It is best to take precautions before going in search of new adventures.

As far as Kyrgyzstan is concerned, I will answer you right away: no, it is no more dangerous than anywhere else to travel as a single woman to Kyrgyzstan.

Like everywhere, you have to be careful. But Kyrgyzstan did not seem to me to be a country where women should feel particularly unsafe (no more than elsewhere).

I share my subjective feelings with you in a short travel story, before giving you, at the end of this article, some tips for traveling alone in Kyrgyzstan.

Travelling to Kyrgyzstan as a single woman: should you fear for your safety? Personally, as a solo traveller, I felt safe in Kyrgyzstan. Of course, a few precautions are always welcome, but in general, the dangers are limited.

Story of a woman who went to travel alone in Kyrgyzstan

Taped to the window of the shared taxi that took me from Bishkek to Arslanbob, an 8-10 hour trip (direction Osh) that can only be done by car, given the typical spirals of mountain roads, I amused the driver with my almost childlike excitement.

“What could the hundreds of videos she shot since the start of the trip be used for?” Surely he had to ask himself. To nothing — the clumsy videos of the landscapes changing at high speed (on the one hand, due to the diversity of the Kyrgyz mountains, on the other hand, because of the extreme driving of the nice gentleman in his fifties) of course never served me.

Above all, I did not want to forget this road. Clamped into a minivan, mostly surrounded by men, I was amazed at the wild beauty of the Kyrgyz land.

But even the young solitary traveller who was thirsty for new experiences that I am ended up succumbing to the length of the trip, and with the arrival of dusk, my eyes began to close, my head looking for the support in the window.

“Wake her up, she's missing the best part of the way!” exclaimed the taxi driver suddenly, and I jumped up.

Our silent minivan (the passengers spoke little to each other) was just beginning a descent, and from the heights, the waters of the Toktogul reservoir opened up to us, which was particularly mysterious under the lights of the full Moon, already high in the sky.

I felt grateful for this man who at first did not inspire much confidence in me this morning when I was looking for a driver near the Osh bazaar in Bishkek.

We didn't know each other, we didn't really talk to each other, but he understood me. He knew I wouldn't want to miss this sight.

I suddenly felt comfortable in this minivan. The natural threat experienced by a woman surrounded by unknown men has been replaced by a sense of protection.

In Sovetskoye, I had to change car to take the turn to Arslanbob, my destination. This unique interaction with the driver made our goodbyes warm.

He explains to me how to catch a car to the village, and goes so far as to find a passer-by, whom he entrusts with the task of ensuring an honest driver.

The fortuitous passer-by, a young man, acts carefully, refusing two or three drivers whom he considers “too expensive”, until he finds me an ideal shuttle.

Surprised at the time he devotes to me, I ask him a question that I now consider, in retrospect, a bit offensive: “Are you helping me just like that, for free?”

— “Yes”

— “What is your name?”

— “Misha.” He gives me a Russian name, probably to make it easier for me to pronounce.

— “Misha? Don't you have a Kyrgyz name?”

— “Meimanbek,” he replies with a smile. I smile back at him.

— “Thanks, Meimanbek.”

Almost at my destination after a long day on the road, I am thinking about being a woman traveling alone. Sharing a car with all these men was probably risky — it was the presence of an old lady in the back of the vehicle that convinced me to board the shuttle.

As a woman traveling alone, I was probably right to keep myself discreet, not to engage in conversations, not to tell where I come from, what I do. However, I came away from this experience with the memory that, far from home, in an unknown land, someone's father kindly took care of me.

Travelling alone in Kyrgyzstan: advice and precautions

As promised, after a short trip excerpt, I am sharing with you my practical tips to make sure that your trip to Kyrgyzstan as a woman goes as well as possible.

How to dress for a woman in Kyrgyzstan?

Kyrgyzstan is primarily a Muslim country, so women dress fairly humbly in general.

That doesn't mean you have to wear veils or ankle-length dresses like most local girls. You are completely free to dress as you like (we understand each other) in Kyrgyzstan, especially with your status as a Western woman.

You will notice a difference in clothing between, for example, Bishkek and Osh. The capital, more modern, implies a greater openness to more revealing outfits. Osh, and the other smaller cities in the south, is more conservative. Some women even wear burqas there.

But once again, no one will pay much attention to how tourists dress.

Is there street harassment in Kyrgyzstan?

Kyrgyzstan is clearly not a country where catcalls or street harassment are common. You will certainly feel at home in Kyrgyz cities, especially in Bishkek.

However, it is entirely possible that someone will try to flirt with you, more or less aggressively. Never get in a car you don't trust, never follow a man calling you somewhere. These are basic safety rules.

Remember: if something makes you feel uncomfortable, there must be a reason. Trust your instincts.

Never be afraid to shout, to ask for help from passers-by.

Personally, I have already faced situations where men were much too pushy and went beyond the limits of the relationship we were in (taxist-customer, seller-buyer, etc.). I just had to put them back in their place so that they understood that it was not possible and lost interest.

General precautions to take when traveling alone in Kyrgyzstan

Of course, like everywhere else, it's better to take too many precautions than not to take enough.

Here are some safety tips to keep in mind, especially if it's your first solo adventure:

• Opt for taxi services like Yandex Taxi or InDrive, which operate similarly to Uber and locate you via GPS.
• Avoid following a man alone, especially if you don't understand where he wants to take you.
• Listen to your instincts. If a situation seems odd to you, or if you're just having a bad feeling, there's probably a reason.
• Plan where you intend to sleep in advance. Don't take the risk of being alone at night.
• Avoid dark alleys.
• Make sure you stay healthy on a daily basis. Eat properly, get enough sleep, and rest. You will need all your energy because you can only rely on yourself when traveling alone.
• Remember the emergency number for Kyrgyzstan: 112.
• Do not hesitate to mention that you are married. Sometimes it can get you out of trouble.
• Get the right amount of information before embarking on a trip. With reliable information in mind, you will not be disturbed by a malicious person trying to convince you that you are lost and that you should trust them to “save” you.