One Perfect Day in Osh: A Complete Guide On What to Do If You Have Only One Day
Being unfamiliar with any travel destination, its major sights, and proper timing may create uncertainties and limit your exploration. To avoid such a case in Osh, I came up with ‘one perfect day in Osh’. It will cover the main sites, which I consider to be must-see and some descriptive and technical information. This program is dedicated to people who have a very short time in Osh and might seem intense. So, leave your stuff in the hotel (hostel, apartment or whatever) and go out into the sunny and vibrant environment of the city.
Time
Activity
Notes
Sinrise – 09:00
If you don’t climb this mountain while in Osh, consider your visit to be incomplete!
Sulaiman-Too is the heart of Osh both geographically and metaphorically. According to the local beliefs and traditions, the mountain has been a sacred place for thousands of years. This site is the perfect combination of history, culture, religion and astonishing views to all directions from above.
Visit Sulaiman-Too first! Not only because its primary significance, but because it gets too hot during the day-time. Also, the air is freshest in the morning and there is a possibility to gaze to the Pamir Mountains to the South and Tien Shan Mountains to the North.
- Start from the south-western entrance. The ascending will be much easier.
- The entrance ticket to the cave museum is 150 som for tourists. Keep in mind that the cave museum opens after 9 a.m.
- The entrance to the mountain park costs only 20 som.
- If you are into beautiful sunsets, you can also climb to the top in before the evening and witness one of the most charming sunsets
09:10 – 10:00
Have a breakfast at Brio cafe or Boorsok
Located not far from Sulaiman-Too, these cozy cafes offer the best coffee in Osh and good breakfast options for the most reasonable price. If you have already eaten breakfast, then just hit by to have a rest and get refreshed with drinks.
10:20 – 12:00
Visit Osh Bazar
Osh Jayma bazar is the embodiment of the local trading spirit since the Great Silk Road era. Visit it while the activity is booming during the daytime and get to find fresh fruits and vegetables, souvenirs, spices and etc. (Soon I will come up with an article dedicated to the highlights and the suggested route through Osh bazar)
- Start your tour from the entrance that is under the Navoi Street.
12:00 – 13:00
Lunch with maida-manty
It would take me the whole essay to introduce you this culinary masterpiece. Just make sure to taste this delicious, and vegetarian dish that can be found only in Osh.
- Best maida-manty is made in ‘Oybek’, that is located on Kurmanjan-Datka 362
13:00 – 16:00
Escape from the daytime heat
In summer times we experience hot dry weather almost every day. I highly recommend you to take the rest you deserved after wandering and lunching. So go back to your place and relax (whatever it means to you).
- If you are fond of swimming there are several nice swimming pools at the Hotel Classic, Osh Nuru and Sun Rise).
- You will not experience the summer heat if it is not summer (well, that is kind of obvious…). I mean, if you are visiting Osh anytime other than summer, you will not have to hide from the scourging sun and discover a bit more.
16:00 – 19:00
City Walking and Uzbek Neighborhood
While you have already visited two of the most important sights of Osh (Sulaiman-Too and bazar), there are still several fascinating places to see along the Lenin street like the tallest Lenin’s statue in Central Asia, Soviet murals and three-store yurt.
After exploring the urban side of the city, take a walk into one of the classic Uzbek neighborhoods. There several interesting non-urban phenomena that can be encountered only in Uzbek communities of Osh.
- The best option for visiting the Uzbek neighborhood on is the one located along the ‘Craftsmen street’ (it is right next to Sulaiman-Too)
19:00
Dinner with plov
My advice for all tourists visiting Central Asia is to sample every variation of this iconic dish in every city. Each city of each country has its own style of plov and so does Osh (Osh style is slightly better than others)
- Plov is generally pre-ordered and measured by kilograms. The minimum amount you can order varies from 0.5 to 0.7. One full kilogram of plov can feed up to 6 people.
- Many cafes and restaurants serve plov and I recommend asking the reception at the hotel for advice. It is better to go or order the delivery of plov from the closest plov-center.
- Soon I will add my top places to eat (order) plov from
After dinner
Go out for drinks and dances
Osh is not solely Central Asian. Being the second-largest city of Kyrgyzstan it has also global trends. There are good bars and dance clubs, where you can chill by drinking local beer, smoking shisha and burn some calories obtained from plov by dancing.
- From all bars and dance clubs I highly recommend the Sky Bar, Izum and Nirvana.
Have a Good Day!!!