A horse ride to Son-kul Lake

The Setup: Expectations vs. Reality

It was May 2026. I packed my bag in Kazakhstan and headed to the bus station with zero expectations. I hadn’t meticulously planned every shot or storyboarded the trip; I just wanted to point my camera at the unknown and see what happened.

"Never go to Kyrgyzstan." That’s what the viral reels warned me a month before I arrived. And honestly, when you first touch down in the capital, it feels utterly underwhelming. But just a one-hour bus ride into Ala Archa National Park forces your eyes wide open. The landscape starts showing off—yet, it still felt a little too safe. I wasn't satisfied.

The 3,000-Meter Ascent

A week later, I made a reckless, last-minute call to take a five-hour bus to a tiny village called Kyzart.

Saddling up alongside Daniel—a fellow traveler I’d crossed paths with on an earlier horseback trail in Gulcha—we spent an entire day riding along the edges of sheer cliffs. Our target? Son Kul, a stunning alpine lake sitting at a breathless 3,016 meters above sea level. When we finally arrived, it looked like a perfectly framed cinematic shot. I literally whispered to myself that it was the most beautiful lake I had ever seen.

Ice, Adrenaline, and a Blizzard

But this country doesn't let you leave in peace. I stepped out onto the frozen surface to get a better look, and suddenly: Crack.

• The Plunge: In a fraction of a second, the ice gave way. I was entirely submerged in unforgiving, freezing water, scrambling between life and death to pull myself out.
• The Night: Soaked and freezing, I had to survive the night in a minimalist tent wearing nothing but a single thin shirt, having packed only one jacket and a single spare tee.
• The Morning: I woke up thinking the worst was over, only to unzip the tent and find a massive snowstorm raging outside. I still had a grueling five-hour horseback ride just to reach the nearest village.

I was freezing, exhausted, and pushed to my absolute physical limits. Yet, at 27 years old, it was undeniably the coolest thing I had ever experienced. Kyrgyzstan is so mesmerizingly beautiful that a part of you never wants to leave.

The only problem? I had no idea if I was actually going to make it out alive, or if hypothermia was going to claim me on the ride back.

To be continued in Part 2.