Who does what
The people behind this trip
On one side, two French travellers who prepare and translate from France. On the other, a family of Kyrgyz shepherds who host you and guide you. Two distinct roles, and it is worth knowing which one does what.
Who we are
Two travellers who fell in love with Kyrgyzstan
We are the team behind Steppesbystop. After crossing Kyrgyzstan on horseback we fell in love with the country and built strong ties with immensely generous people there, Azamat above all. That is how we met him: on our own travels, as travellers, not as tourism professionals.
Because the language barrier makes it hard to arrange an adventure in the steppe from a distance, we act as the relay for the trek he offers: preparation, practical advice, translation and introduction.
We are not a travel agency and we sell no trips. Our service, billed separately, covers only that preparation and support in English, carried out from France.
The organisation, the prices, the horses, the accommodation and the guiding are 100% Azamat's and his family's. Your agreement is made directly with him, in Kyrgyzstan.
Azamat's family, three generations of it.
Azamat and his family
Kyrgyz shepherds on the shores of Son Kul
Azamat is an independent shepherd and local guide from the village of Kyzart. He and his family live by the seasons, moving between their house in Kyzart and their high-altitude yurt camp above 3,000 metres, on the shores of Lake Son Kul.
This is where they raise their horses, cows and sheep while keeping nomadic traditions alive. Azamat and his relatives open their everyday life to you, so you can discover the Kyrgyz mountains in the most authentic and human way there is.
Azamat rides and leads every trek himself, from the welcome in Kyzart to the return: his horses, his route, his yurts, his terms. He works on his own account and remains your only point of contact on the ground.
“You will live at our pace — the nomad's pace.”