Karakol City and Food Tours

The best way to explore Karakol.

From the moment you arrive in Karakol, you'll find a range of sights, activities, and culinary experiences at your fingertips. Start your day visiting a local bakery on our Bread Making Tour, discover the city's secrets with our Free Karakol Walking Tour or uncover its fascinating multicultural culinary history on the Karakol Food Crawl, visit a nearby village to taste traditional Dungan cuisine or enjoy making your own HoGo during a cultural dinner, spend an evening to share a meal as a friend during Kyrgyz or Uyghur Dinner Experiences or end your evening with a relaxing sunset cruise on Lake Issyk-Kul.

Our friendly, knowledgeable guides will connect you to the local pace of life while enthusiastically sharing with you the best parts of their city. With their expertise, you will leave Karakol with a deeper appreciation for the city's mosques and museums, markets and bazaars, and unique multicultural heritage and cuisines. No matter why you're visiting Karakol, you won't want to leave without seeing why travelers and locals alike now name Karakol as Kyrgyzstan's best tourist destination.

Note: By choosing us you help to develop tourism in Karakol and the region in general. A significant part earned on these tours goes to supporting Destination Karakol and its work as a social enterprise that engages in community activities and in supporting tourism development in the city. Thank you!

Copyright Stephen Lioy - Photography and Travel Media

Karakol Walking Tour

Our free walking tour should be first on your list for a perfect introduction to Karakol. Get your bearings with a comprehensive overview of the city.

Duration: 2.5 hours | Location: Karakol

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Russian Dinner With a Cossack Family

Experience the lively traditions, diverse cuisine, and vibrant drinks of the Cossack people in Karakol through a local family's captivating showcase.

Duration: 2 hours | Location: Karakol

Bread making course | Tours in Karakol

Uigur Bread-Baking Class

Learn how to make a special type of bread called "nan". This is a total immersion in the culture and the treasure of its food.

Duration: 1.5 hours | Location: Karakol

Dungan Family Dinner near Karakol, Kyrgyzstan

Dungan Family Dinner

Expect vibrant greens, succulent meat and fish, and hand-folded dumplings flavored with vinegar, soy, and chili. (Can be offered entirely vegetarian, upon request and booking)

Duration: 3 hours | Location: Yrdyk village

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Uygur Home-style Dinner

Delight in Uygur Home-Style Dinner: Authentic flavors, warm hospitality, and rich cultural heritage in every bite.

Duration: 2.5 hours | Location: Karakol

Ethnic Kyrgyz Dinner in a Yurt

Kyrgyz Family Dinner

Experience Kyrgyz's culinary traditions and family life during this foodie tour and meal at a local family home in Karakol. 

Duration: 2.5 hours | Location: Karakol

Dungan Cultural Dinner "Hogo"

Traditional Dungan Dinner “Hogo”

You will have the opportunity to prepare the dish "HoGo" (hot pot) by adding your favorite ingredients to cook in a broth of flavorful sauce and spices.

Duration: 2.5 hours | Location: Karakol

Cook & Eat with Locals

Dungan Lagman Cooking Class

Learn how to make Dungan lagman, a traditional Central Asian dish made of hand-pulled noodles and a savory meat and vegetable sauce.

Duration: 3 hours | Location: Karakol

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Honey Tasting

Issyk-Kul honey is an environmentally friendly product that is produced at an altitude of up to 2,000 meters above sea level, which is a natural environment of honey-bearing herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees.

Duration: 1 hour | Location: Karakol