 GETTING
THERE & AWAY |
Kyrgyzstan is not yet well connected by air. Kyrgyzstan
Airlines connects Bishkek with Istanbul, Moscow,
St Petersburg via Omsk, and Novosibirsk. Transaero
connects Bishkek with Moscow and Kie·. It's probably
easier to get to Bishkek by flying into Almaty in
Kazakstan and catching a bus for the three hour
ride to Bishkek (a Kazakstan transit visa is not
required if you make this trip straightaway). Lufthansa
even runs its own Almaty-Bishkek ground shuttle.
Trains run from Bishkek a few times a week to Tashkent
(Uzbekistan), Almaty and Krasnoyarsk (Siberia),
and daily to Moscow. There are frequent buses between
Bishkek and Tashkent and Almaty; a seasonal Chinese-run
bus service links Bishkek and Kashgar via the Torugart
Pass.
| GETTING
AROUND |
Flying is the least edifying and arguably the most
dangerous mode of transport in Kyrgyzstan, but in
winter it can be the only way to beat the snow.
Bishkek-to-Osh is a popular flight. Buses are the
most frequent and convenient way to get between
towns cheaply, and the best way to see what remains
of the land of the nomads, though long trips can
be tedious and cramped, and vehicles are prone to
breakdowns. Kyrgyzstan's trains are slow, crowded,
grotty and increasingly crime-ridden. Taxis or private
drivers are often willing to take travellers between
cities. Most towns have public buses and marshrutnoe
minibuses operating on fixed routes.
AIRPORTS: Manas, 20 kms from Bishkek city, Almaty,
250 kms from Bishkek, Osh Airport in Osh city, Jalal-Abad
airport in Jalal-Abad town.
| DIRECT
FLIGHTS TO KYRGYZSTAN |
· Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul
to Bishkek on Tuesdays and Fridays, six hours
flight time.
· British Mediterranean Airways, British
Airways franchise, offers flights from London,
three flights a week via Baku, nine hour flights.
· Aeroflot offers three flights a week
to and from Bishkek, flies between Moscow and
its former satellite cities.
· Siberian Airways offer a weekly link
with Novosibirsk.
· Chelyabinsk Airlines offer a weekly link
with Chelyabinsk.
· ITEK Air fly between Moscow, Istanbul
and Bishkek.
· Good onwards connections to Bejing, Moscow,
Frankfurt and London are available with Uzbekistan
Airways, who operate four weekly flights between
Bishkek and Tashkent.
· KLM fly four times a week between Amsterdam
and Almaty in Kazakhstan - just four hours drive
from Bishkek.
· Xinjiang Airlines fly once a week between
Bishkek and Urumqi and Asseman Airlines once a
week to Mashhad in Iran.
· Air Kyrgyzstan (Ak Zhol) currently offers
flights from Bishkek to Tashkent, Sharjah (UAE),
Frankfurt, Istanbul, Beijing, Dushanbe (Tajikistan),
Novosibisk, Moscow, Karachi and Delhi.
| TRAIN AND
BUS CONNECTIONS |
Train connections from Tashkent (Uzbekistan) via
Chimkent (Kazakhstan) to Bishkek; from Urumchi (China)
to Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Bishkek; from Irkutsk
(Russia) to Bishkek; from Moscow to Bishkek (72
hours); once a week train from Bishkek to Novokuznetsovsk
in Siberia and Ekaterinburg in the Urals.
Bus connections with Tashkent, Almaty, Kashgar (in
theory).
| HOW TO
GET A VISA |
Visas may be obtained - without official invitation
- from a consulate or an embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic
abroad or on arrival at Manas Airport in Bishkek.
The visa fee varies according to the consulate or
embassy.
The official registration (OVIR) may be also done
after arrival at Manas airport. Travellers who choose
to get to Kyrgyzstan via Almaty (Kazakhstan) or
Tashkent (Uzbekistan) should make sure to report
to OVIR within three days after arrival. Usually
the hotel takes care, but it is always wise to check.
Furthermore, travellers who arrive via Almaty or
Tashkent should have a transit visa for the respective
country. Transit visas may be obtained either at
an embassy/consulate of Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan
abroad or upon arrival at the airport in Almaty
or Tashkent. They should make sure to have their
return transit visa arranged in due time at the
embassies of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in Bishkek.
There are a few nationalities that do not require
visas - some dating from Soviet times and, since
2001, the Japanese.
Since September 2001, Kyrgyzstan like its neighbours
no longer operates the "72 hour rule"
whereby travellers could transit through Kyrgyzstan
on the basis of visas for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan
etc.
If it looks like you are going to overstay your
visa then it is sometimes possible to extend it
at the Central OVIR, (near the main post office).
|
| MONEY |
Kyrgyzstan is a country that operates only with
cash currency. Credit cards, travel checks, etc.
are accepted in banks and in some hotels. US dollars
are very common in Kyrgyzstan. You can exchange
foreign currency in banks or in numerous exchange
offices. Hotels, great amount of restaurants and
shops also can exchange money but at less advantageous
rate. Exchange rate in November, 2002 is about 46,5
soms =$1. Currency rate is growing, especially in
autumn and drops a little in spring. Exchange offices
are in all cities. Some of the exchange offices
are opened 24 hours a day. We recommend you only
$US 100 and 50 denominations issued not later than
1996; otherwise they are exchanged at the lower
rate. It's also necessary to have USD note that
$ 1, 5, 10, 20 are exchanged at the lower rate.
Payment should be done in local currency, though
in practice US$ are used and sometimes even necessary
for some transactions.
No functioning ATM machines are to be found in Kyrgyzstan,
yet.
| HEALTH |
Raw water in Bishkek is rather safe, though it
is recommended to drink bottled water and it's
very easy to buy cheap mineral water. Almost every
traveller everywhere in the world suffers from
diarrhoea, for this case bring medicine with you
or buy it here; wash fruits thoroughly and eat
well-cooked food. But in general, Kyrgyzstan takes
more care of health then other Asian destinations.
There can be exceptions when you eat in the roadside
cafe, where the standards are not very high in
comparison to city.
However, consult your doctor over this or other
accidents. Remember that in Kyrgyzstan you can
travel at the altitude more than 10,000 feet (3000
meters). That's why we recommend you to consult
your doctor and ask him about mountain sickness,
especially if you have heart troubles, asthma
or mountain sickness, but if you health risk:
Hepatitis A & E, diphtheria, fever, altitude
sickness and tuberculosis. Be careful and try
not to drink raw water.
Vaccinations are not required unless you travel
from infected regions.
Kyrgyzstan is a clean and safe country. But nevertheless,
we recommend you to take some precautions. You
are recommended not to buy meat dishes in the
bazaar and eat them in summer. All dairy products
in Kyrgyzstan are pasteurised and safe.
Medical service is well developed.
Tourists are recommended to have medical and accidents
insurance.
| TAXI SERVICES |
Taxis are available from Manas International Airport
to take you to Bishkek. The trip takes around
30 minutes and costs you around 15 USD.
Private taxis are a fast and inexpensive way of
getting around: you can get anywhere in Bishkek
for under 1 (one) USD. They are found in abundance
in most areas, and you will never have to wait to
get one.
| TIPPING
|
The majority of good hotels and restaurants add
tips about 10 - 15 % to your bill. The establishments
of smaller size usually expect you to leave tips
over their service. It's not necessary to pay tips
to taxi drivers. The prices for taxies around Bishkek
are rather cheap, approximately 1 dollar for 10
km.
| DRIVING
AND CAR RENTAL |
Driving in Kyrgyzstan presents few problems. Generally,
a national driving license is sufficient as long
as it has a photograph of the holder. Car rental
is almost nonexistent in Kyrgyzstan. It is more
practical to hire a driver with his own car. It
will be inexpensive and save you the hassle of dealing
with local militia.
| SECURITY |
We consider Bishkek to be the safest city among
the majority of Western ones, though there are some
problems. At night there is little light and we
don't recommend you to walk alone.
SHOP OPENING TIMES: shops are opened from Monday
till Sunday from 9.00 to 18.00.
| EVENTS |
Kyrgyzstan isn't exactly full of festivals.
| USEFUL
TELEPHONE NUMBERS |
Fire 101
Police 102
Ambulance 103
Emergency 261-727, 228-992
Gas lines 104
Information 109
Info on new area codes 160
CIS call orders 0
Direct-dial prefix 00
International calls 162
Hand phone info: 291-212
| OFFICIAL
HOLIDAYS |
·January 1 - New Year holiday
·January 7 - Russian Orthodox Christmas holiday
·March 8 - International women's holiday
·March 21 - The spring festival of Nooruz ('New
Days') is an Islamic adaptation of pre-Islamic
vernal equinox or renewal celebrations. It can
include traditional games, music and drama festivals,
street art and colourful fairs.
·May 1 - International Day of Solidarity among
the Workers
·May 5 - Constitution Day
·May 9 - A commemoration of the end of WWII on
Victory Day
·28 May - Armed Forces Day
·August 31 - Kyrgyzstan Independence Day
·November 7 - Day of October Revolution
·Important Muslim holidays, scheduled according
to the lunar calendar, include Ramadan, the month
of sunrise to sunset fasting;
·Eid-ul-Fitr (or Orozo Ait), the celebrations
marking the end of Ramadan; and
·Eid-ul-Azha, the feast of sacrifice, when
those who can afford to, slaughter an animal and
share it with relatives and the poor.
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