Featured
Bishkek · Trekking Tours
Slow journeys at the
nomad’s pace — through Tien Shan.
Small-group horseback, ski, and nomadic tours, made with the families and craftsmen who actually live the route.
A small company, with deep local roots in the Tien Shan.
EcoNomad is a Kyrgyz travel agency founded in 2006 by Nuraly Turganbaev — a French-language professor who has guided travellers across the Tien Shan since 1994. We craft responsible, small-group journeys built around ecotourism and nomadic culture: nights in family yurts, horseback crossings of high pastures, and real encounters with herders and craftspeople.
We run two guesthouses in At-Bashy and a yurt camp at the Kamandy summer pasture, and reinvest part of every trip into the families who host you. EcoNomad is Travelife-certified for sustainable tourism — keeping the Tien Shan pristine for the people who live there.
Six routes, hand-built with the people who live them.
Destinations
Find your trip by what you came for.
Cultural Tours
Horseback Riding Tours
Trekking Tours
Multi-Activity Tours
Ski Touring Tours
Nomadic Tours
Four principles we won't bend on.
Small groups, max 8
Every tour is intentionally limited so the experience never feels like a coach trip. Often it's a private family.
Local hands, fair pay
Yurt owners, horsemen and artisans are paid the same agreed rates whether the group is 2 or 8 people.
Slow, on purpose
We build trips with extra days for weather, longer tea stops, and time to actually meet people — not race past them.
Made by guides
EcoNomad is run by working mountain guides who lead trips themselves. No outsourced operators.
Master artisans across the Tien Shan.
Felt, pottery, jewelry, wood, leather, music — visit them on tour or contact directly. Click any pin to see details.
Artisans Map
Featured artisans
Words from people who came back changed.
Together with friends I had an unbelievably striking trip to Kyrgyzstan. Ulan proved himself a very safe, easy-going and worldly ski-touring guide. I gladly recommend Ulan. Beyond the ski-touring, Ulan also gave us deep insight into the country, its people, traditions and culture. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
We had the best possible ski-touring holiday with Ulan from EcoNomad. Great tours, careful guidance with great know-how and elite skills. The trip was very well planned and organised, which allowed us joyful moments on skis and rich cultural experiences. Kyrgyzstan is a beautiful country, the people are very friendly and the food is delicious. Thank you for the wonderful memories.
A Kyrgyz proverb says: 'Mountains do not meet, but people do.' Throughout this unforgettable journey we met mountains, each one different — sometimes welcoming, sometimes hard to conquer. We met men and women, all different but all welcoming. So many discoveries: a livestock market, transhumance and dust-covered herds, nomads with hard lives, fermented mare's milk, a proud country grappling with a Soviet past and a giant Chinese neighbour, an Islam that draws the young, the warmth of the capital and snow at 3,500 m, yak and horse soups… And nothing would have been the same without our guide Nuraly — a cultured, kind, professional and excellent walker. Thanks too to Djappar, our driver who doubled as a history teacher. Don't hesitate!
A great week organised by Eco-Nomad and led by Aruuke. A lovely 5-day trek with our hiking guide Jamil. Thanks to him we left the beaten path while always feeling safe — and always in good humour. Maybe see you again!
Two weeks across Kyrgyzstan in August 2025 let us appreciate its mountains, people and traditions. Aruuke from Economad led us through a wonderful trip — proud of her country, fluent in French, she revealed a still little-known land. Maxsat the driver handled the often chaotic roadworks smoothly. We particularly enjoyed the two days with the nomadic herders at Kol-Ukok and the 3-day trek over Ala-Köl Pass with the attentive guide Djamil. We also had the privilege of meeting Nuraly, the agency's founder — cultured and very kind, he spoke about his country with passion. We recommend Economad!
This trip to Kyrgyzstan leaves me with very fond memories: breathtaking landscapes and lovely encounters. Far from mass tourism. Every step, every glance, every meeting reminded me how adventure can transform and open up to what is essential. I recommend Economad and Nuraly, its guide and head of the agency, for his competence and kindness. He shared his love of the country with us. Thanks also to his wife, their son Arno, and the driver Alym. The travel companions were lovely too. Everything was right for making this 18-day trip a moment a little outside time. — Bernard
Field notes, recipes, craft stories.
Talk to a guide. Build your own route.
Tell us when you're free, what you want to see, and how you like to travel. We'll come back within two business days with a draft itinerary — no commitment, no fee.
