Stay in the hidden valleys of Central Asia
Stay in the hidden valleys of Central Asia
Visit the hidden valleys of Central Asia and know more about the nomadic culture
Alakol Guesthouse was one of the first guesthouses to be built in the Jyrgalan Valley to kickstart the community tourism project in the valley. A mining town during the Soviet era, the beautiful town of Jyrgalan was on the verge of collapse due to no economic opportunities. Emil and Gulmira decided to move to Jyrgalan as part of their retirement home and start community-based tourism reviving the communities and extending Kyrgyz traditions to many travelers visiting the town.
Guests like to eat our Ladakhi food. They say it is delicious, even when it is prepared by an elderly ama (mother) like me. I always make sure I serve them the cleanest and healthiest food. My husband is a copper artist. When guests leave us, they say ‘Julley’, and hug us. It makes us feel happy.
I became a Mountain Homestay Host in 2018, and I have hosted many travellers since then. Running a homestay has helped me and my family a lot. Not only is the solar set up in our house useful for us, but even travellers prefer to stay in our homestay because of it.
The training we got in astronomy turned out to be a life-changing experience for our village. I felt happy and proud while mapping the position of the planets and sharing the secrets of the universe with the tourists. Tourists told me that even they didn’t know so much about the dark skies!
