People flock to Arslanbob for the fiery suite of October when it is harvest season and the walnuts are ripe but often miss the sublime prelude of August where the fields are embroidered with flowers.

“Come during late September, or early October!” exclaimed Hayat, the owner of Community Based Tourism (CBT) offices across Arslanbob.

Hayat, the humble and ingenious guy has turned a once popular place among locals into a sustainable source of income for many inhabitants in Arslanbob. He has about 20 home-stays at the moment and wants to ensure that the visits are done in harmony with the environment.

Located in the Babash-ata mountains with a scenic backdrop of Kyrgyzstan’s snow-capped peaks, Arslanbob sits at 1,400m above sea level. With most of their residents, about 16,000 being Uzbek, it is easy to see why this is a conservative town. I visited this town after visiting Osh, and it was a bumpy ride and took about 6 hours to reach Arslanbob.

Next to the village is the world's largest walnut forest which in total spans around 60,000 hectares of up to 1,000 year old trees. During the month of September, the locals will leave their homes and head up into a expanse of the mountains to harvest.

It is interesting how everyone will live in modest tents and return home once every fortnight just like how their ancestors have been doing so for the last 100 years.

The walnut forests of Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan and community based tourism homestays are some of the reasons why people flock to Arslanbob

Getting Acquainted with Hayat’s List of CBTs

Hayat’s list of CBT’s in Arslanbob showcases a network of homestays in this little walnut village.

It was almost like a little menu card for one to pick the choice of their accommodation in Arslanbob, except the choice of your place was not so much of your choice but rather what’s available.

Each family were on rotation to ensure every one of them gets a deserving chance to host visitors. It was Hayat’s idea to ensure these livelihoods are nurtured and their way of life are experienced, protected and celebrated.

I was given Nilufar’s (CBT #19) home to stay for two days. It was the edge of the village and quite a feat to get there if you’re not used to walking. The isolation and disconnection from the main town brought us on a journey past a variety of Kyrgyz homes.

I reached Nilufar’s home perched on top of the hill overlooking the vastness of Arslanbob and the mountains that hung over in these lost landscapes.

Fancy taking a tuk-tuk up to your homestay in Kyrgyzstan?

I was taken in this converted truck turned into a tuk-tuk and given watermelons as a sweet gesture of our arrival.

All over Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, watermelons were regularly transported great distances along various strands of the silk routes that criss-crossed Central Asia. The melons are deeply entrenched in their culture and customs.

The Small Waterfalls of Arslanbob and the Panoramic Viewpoint

There’s the big waterfalls and the small waterfalls of Arslanbob. The trip to the small waterfall is a leisurely 40 minute walk up.

However, as with all waterfalls in Kyrgyzstan or most of it, the journey along these homes and sections of walnut forests were nice, but not the waterfalls. They were nothing to shout about but yet it was popular among local families and visitors.

There were local makeshift restaurants, stalls and bazaar selling local items along the way. I was told the big waterfall was a longer trek, approximately 1.5 hours but enough for you to get a view of the sprawling landscapes that make Arslanbob the place it is.

However, the long journey and afternoon heat were not desirable for me to go wandering in these landscapes. Arslanbob, for me was not so much about hiking especially since it was not harvest season, but more of a time to be among the Uzbek families that call this place their home.

Watermelons in abundance in every family in Kyrgyzstan.

On my Maps.Me map, it showed that the panoramic viewpoint was something worth taking into where you can see the length and breadth of Arslanbob’s forest.

I was determined to reserve this for another day but right now, the panaromic viewpoint in Nilufar’s guesthouse with a cold plate of watermelons was something I was looking forward to bust my dizzyness and the dry spell!

Enjoying the Slow Village Life

Nilufar’s homely abode as part of my community tourism venture in Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan.

My little dining area overlooking the walnut forests in Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan.

If time could run backward, like a film in reverse, I would imagine life to be summed up like this where streams would run back up the hills to the springs and purple and yellow flowers would stay glittering the yards of every home.

With language being a barrier, I relied on Google translate for me to understand their naturalized ways of living and for her to understand my choice of a lone woman venturing their conservative towns.

Funnily though, Nilufar was a Maths teacher and she thought I was Uzbek and single because of my eyebrows.

I remember a crazy story someone told me: Uzbek women shave and pencil draw their eyebrows once they get married to symbolise their unavailability! Full, thick brows or even unibrow is considered a beautiful trait for single women.

I observed their cooking utensils and woodfire as they prepared dinner early, a combination of Ravioli where stuffed potatoes seemed to be the only vegetarian option available.

Their meat-heavy diet didn’t suit my stomach and I chose to be vegetarian stuffing my face away on their apricot jam, lepyoshka (Central Asian bread) and butter.

My lovely host, Nilufar who went above and beyond to make me feel like family!

I could easily be her daughter. I fit right in!

We chose to do a little photo shoot where Nilufar and her shy daughter posed to take a picture and I quickly see them scurrying to tend to their land and chickens.

In the villages, it is hard work and dedication to tend to their land and enjoy what the earth gives them. I wonder in large cities, how societies have allowed ourselves to be cut off from that love of, and from, the land.

Also Read: Lenin Peak Base Camp Trek: With Yurts, Mountains and Marmots

The Walnut Oil Factory and The Life Of a Harvester

Kids are often hired during the harvest season to pick up as many walnuts as possible.

The walnut oil factory is one of the ways where CBT is able to support themselves. It includes a small tour of the walnut oil factory where walnuts are processed and sifted through via new and old ways.

The nuts are dried and cleaned in Arslanbob and packed for shipment to bazaars in Kyrgyzstan and further afield. Over time, Arslanbob has had issues of overgrazing where it has become noticeably unsustainable in the long run.

The animals like cows are often seen grazing around the trees and weakening the root systems thus resulting in landslides and due to climate change, it is almost impossible for them to rely on a single crop.

But with tourism and the cultural growth in Arslanbob, Hayat is hopeful that the network of homestays will continue to supplement the incomes of the locals.

He is often brimming with ideas from trekking to skiing to horse-riding; he is hopeful that a town with a name like Arslanbob is bound to be memorable and have staying power with adventurous souls who are keen to spend time with ethnically Uzbek people.

According to some locals, the story of walnuts in Arslanbob goes back to the Prophet Muhammad, who gave walnut seeds to a modest gardener and entrusted him to find a suitable place to plant a forest. After travelling far and wide, he reached Arslanbob.

He found the location was blessed with excellent weather, clear-flowing streams and fertile soil. Convinced that this was the ideal place, he planted the seeds, and over the centuries, the village’s vast walnut grove flourished.

Also Read: Trekking in Kyrgyzstan: 10 Surreal Hikes In The Tien Shan Mountains

A Starting Point to Arslanbob’s Holy Lake Treks (4 Days)

One of the best treks in Arslanbob, the Holy Lake Treks.

I did not get to do trek the Holy Lake Treks but I was told by Hayat and his people that this was one of the best ways to get acquainted with Arslanbob’s natural terrain.

If you love rolling pastures, enormous towering jagged peaks and trails that involve some clambering, then the trek to Holy Lake Treks would be worthwhile.

It is off-the-beaten path, almost unheard of compared to the famous trails in other parts of Kyrgyzstan.

The beauty of Yak villages, gorgeous lakes, flowers and snow-capped peaks just about summarises the wonders of Kyrgyzstan and it is boundless beauty. Word has it that 20,000 pilgrims visit the lakes annually and villagers head up to the high pastures to graze their livestock throughout the summer. It may be remote but not so remote for the local villagers.

It is a moderate to challenging hike where loose scree and high altitudes may be hard to deal with.

The best way is to arrange for a guide with CBT and rent a tent with them. Caravanistan journalled about their experiences while trekking Arslanbob’s Holy Lake Treks and the pictures will give you a glimpse of the stunning landscapes.

How To Get To Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan

Teenage boys who were super excited to get their picture taken in this moving bus on our way to Arslanbob.

Assuming you’re leaving from Osh, take a shared taxi or marshrutka from the new bus station to Bazar Korgon. It costs approximately 120 som, and it’ll take you 3 hours. From Bazar Korgon to Arslanbob, it costs 70 som and it’ll take your 2 hours.

If you don’t want to take the marshutka, you can wait for the bus at 2pm at New Central Bus Station at Osh but because we didn’t want to arrive late in the evening, we decided to take a shared taxi instead.

If you are travelling from Bishkek, it’ll be an 8 hour long journey and a really tiring one, but some people do break their trips and head to Arslanbob first before heading to Osh.

Where To Stay In Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan

From CBTs to homestays, there are plenty of options to spend time with a local family in Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan.

Most of the homestays and accommodation options in CBT are organised by Hayat and he helps to keep it going at all times. I stayed at CBT no.19 at Nilufar’s house and it costs me 10 dollars a night including breakfast and dinner.

However, if you want to control your stay options especially during busy periods and if you’re coming in a larger group, there are some options that are worth a stay and are known to be visited by a lot of travelers. But if that’s not enough, I would recommend calling Hayat from the CBT website. Don’t e-mail as he doesn’t always answer his e-mails - internet is wonky or non-existent over here.

Friendship Guest House (Highly recommended)
Halal Muslim Guest House
Arslanbob Homestay

When Is The Best To Visit Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan

Took a dramatic shot of the skies at my homestay in Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan. Zero light pollution and the beautiful walnut forests made it a sight to behold.

The best time to visit Arslanbob is probably in late September and early October when it is harvest season and when locals will load up with their walnuts and it is a ripe time for picking and allow time for more participation.

While walnuts are the main reason people migrate to the forest, most families also harvest potatoes, pick apples and let their cattle feed on fresh grass before the winter sets in and this is a great time to live with a family up in the forest!

For hiking, the best time is between April and October and if skiing is more your thing, then December and January is ideal. I visited in August when it was not as busy but enough time to go trekking in the mountains and to stay with an Uzbek family.

Also Read: Trekking in Kyrgyzstan: 10 Surreal Hikes In The Tien Shan Mountains

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