How to get from Bishkek to Karakol in 2024

Bishkek is where most visitors end up when they arrive in Kyrgyzstan. On the other hand, Karakol is the most popular resort and a gateway for hiking and winter sports in the mountainous country.

Between the two is therefore a popular route.

The most convenient way to travel from Bishkek to Karakol is by marshrutka – a small minibus typically found in former USSR countries. It takes 6 hours and costs 500 KGS / 5.7$.

More details and other options to travel between the two cities in this short guide!

Bishkek to Karakol transport options

There are 4 ways to travel between Bishkek and Karakol: by marshrutka, local taxi, bus, or train + one of the others.

Marshurtka

Taking a marshrutka is the most convenient option to get from Bishkek to Karakol.

Marshrutkas leave from Western Bus Station in Bishkek (don’t make the mistake I made and think that since it’s going east, it departs from the East Bus Station).

There is no set timetable. They leave when they are full.

Chances are when you arrive at the station someone will ask you where you’re going and then lead you to the marshrutka going your way. Pay the driver before the journey, but after the marshrutka is full.

The marshrutkas between Bishkek and Karakol cost 500 KZS / 5.7$. There’s on average 1 marshrutka per hour. It takes 6-7 hours to reach Karakol.

Most marshrutkas take the northern route through Cholpon Ata (if you get off there, the price drops to 400 KGS / 4.6$). You can choose to split the journey and spend a day there to visit the Petroglyphs and relax at the lakeside resort.

Make sure to sit on the right side of the minibus to enjoy the spectacular scenery of Lake Issyk Kul.

Few marshrutkas take the southern route through Bokonbaevo. It’s longer and more expensive. I don’t recommend it.

Shared taxi

This option is very similar to a marshurtka but shared taxis are:

• smaller (fewer people, easier to fill up)
• a bit more comfortable to travel
• a tad more expensive at 700 KGS / 8$ per seat.

They also depart from Bishkek’s Western Bus Station.

Bus

In late 2022, a new way to travel between Bishkek and Karakol appeared – by the comfortable, air-conditioned buses of the company GoBus. Buy tickets from the GOBUS mobile application.

There is 1 day bus at 10:00 which costs 450 KGS / 5.2$.

Overnight buses depart Bishkek at 21:00, 22:00, and 23:00, but I recommend the daylight bus for views, convenience, and a good sleep in Karakol afterwards.

Train

Do you love trains? I love trains too. Unfortunately, Kyrgyzstan’s railway network is severely underdeveloped. Can you blame them? The country is 97% mountains!

Karakol doesn’t have a train station, so traveling from Bishkek to Karakol by train directly is not possible.

However, from Bishkek, you can get a train to Balykchy on the west coast of Issyk-Kul Lake. From there you have to take a marshurtka to Karakol.

The train takes a whopping 4:30 hours for 180 km making it feasible only for the biggest train fans out there.

The train from Bishkek to Balykchy runs only in the summer.

From 16 June to 30 July, it runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

For the high season between 31 July and 31 August, the train runs daily.

• Train No. 608 “Bishkek I – Balykchy” departs from “Bishkek I” at 06:25 a.m. and arrives at Balykchy at 11:20 a.m.
• Train No. 609 “Balykchy – Bishkek I” departs from Rybachye station at 05:08 p.m. and arrives at “Bishkek I” at 21:58.

The train costs only 69 KGS / 0.8$! The marshrutka from Balykchy to Karakol costs 400 KGS though, so you’ll end up paying almost the same at the end.

Karakol to Bishkek

Doing the reverse journey is more or less the same. There are regular marshrutkas, shared taxis, one daytime bus and a few overnight buses all departing from Karakol Avtovogzal.

Prices are the same as the reverse journey.

What to do in Karakol

Karakol is Kyrgyzstan’s most popular tourist destination famous for its winter sports, hiking opportunities, food, and hot springs.

Check out my guide to the top things to do in Karakol, including ideas for day trips and short treks.

Some of the popular places to visit in Karakol include:

• Karakol Museum
• Ala-Kul Lake
• Ak Suu Arboretum
• Jyrgalan
• Seven Bulls Rock and Jeti Ogyz Canyon
• Issyk-Kul Lake
• Hot Springs at Ak Suu Kench

Where to go after Karakol?

If you’re in Kyrgyzstan during the summer months, then the best place to go after Karakol is Kochkor to organize a hike to the amazing Song Kul Lake.

This stops being a possibility sometime in October when guesthouses on the trails close and it becomes almost impossible to find a horse guide.

Another option is to go back to the capital and then travel from Bishkek to Osh.

Osh is one of the oldest cities in Central Asia and is where Kyrgyzstan’s only UNESCO heritage site is located – Sulaiman Too.

From Osh, it is easy to travel over the Dostuk border into Uzbekistan. This is a popular route in Central Asia.