Kyrgyzstan

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Flag of Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan
Information
Language: Kyrgyz, Russian
Capital: Bishkek
Population: 5,482,000
Currency: Som (KGS)
Hitchability: Verygood.png (very good)
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<map lat='41.07935114946899' lng='75.12451171875' zoom='5' view='0' float='right' />

Kyrgyzstan (also Kirgizia or Kirghizia) is a country in Central Asia.

This is an excellent guide for all CIS countries in general, but unfortunately in Russian. http://ve.free-travels.ru/articles/?region=CIS

It's not unusual to hitch rides with horses.

Note that all of the Daewoo Tico cars are shared taxis.

Border Crossing

To China

You'll need a valid visa to cross.

To Kazakhstan

  • Korday is the best place to cross border cause crowds of people crossing border, so customs pay less attention to your person.

Number Plate

Kyrgyz cars have Rooms with a red stripe on the left, which depicts Kirghiz emblem. The first number indicates the letters Region - see table below

Letter Province
A Batken
B, E Bishkek (City Bishkek)
C, S Chyi region (around Bishkek)
D Jalal-abad
I Issyk-kul
N Naryn
O, Z Osh
T Talas

MDV - Ministry of Internal Affairs, yellow numberplate KGS (and letter of region) - cars of forein companies. Sometimes others are old Soviet numbers.

Danger

Some parts of the borders to Tajikistan and to Uzbekistan have landmines.

In order to avoid problems with drivers, be very clear before entering the car that you will not be able to pay. The Russian phrase Bez deneg firmly and loudly stated will generally suffice. Some parts of Kyrgyzstan frequented by trekkers have seen incidents of robbery, and contact with police should be avoided because they have a reputation of extorting money from tourists -- look to general travel forums for non-hitchhiking advice. However, hitchhiking on the main roads is generally safe and the Russian hitchhiking community passes through the area very frequently without experiencing any danger.

Credit cards

After 2nd revolution Kyrgyzstan experiencing anarchy and luck of trust from banking system (2010). Many banks and cashpoints were closed. There is just one(!) definite cashpoint for MasterCard for all country located in Central Supermarket of Bishkek in Kazkommersbank. VISA cashpoints are more common. Cashpoints mostly located inside banks and works with bank schedule.

Cities