Season by season: the best time for trekking, yurt stays and road trips in the mountains of Central Asia.
The Tian Shan — the ‘Celestial Mountains’ — stretch across Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The main travel season runs from June to September, when the high passes are open and the herders are on the summer pastures.
July and August are the warmest months and the best for yurt stays at lakes like Song-Kul. June brings wildflowers, while September offers golden colours and fewer travellers.
In winter, the mountains turn into ski resorts — Shymbulak near Almaty and Amirsoy near Tashkent are both easy to reach.
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