Beaches, hotels, "all inclusive", amenities - this is what we expect from vacation from year to year. And what if you leave the "comfort zone" and try something new, unknown. Jailoo tourism is like nothing else.
Jailoo tourism is a relatively new area of tourist recreation. In the 90s of the last century, a local Kyrgyz travel agency invited guests from Europe to climb mountain pastures, live for some time in yurts and "immerse themselves" in the life of shepherds. The previously unknown tourist product fell in love with the daredevils, and over time it gained extraordinary popularity.
Jailoo tourism - an escape from modernity
The word is Turkic in origin and has a very important meaning. For nomadic peoples, animal husbandry is the main occupation of life and the main source of prosperity. In Russian, the word "jailoo" means,.
Jailoo tours are trips to hard-to-reach places inhabited by indigenous people, where the benefits of modern civilization (electricity, Internet, mobile communications) are practically absent. Travelers who are fed up with traditional "civilized" beach or sightseeing vacations are invited to "try on" the life of a mountain shepherd in a partly primitive environment. Of course, the life of the local population in the mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan or Kazakhstan is not so primitive, but, in general, the traditional way of life has been preserved.
A tourist discovery made in Kyrgyzstan and called "jailoo tourism" became popular in different parts of the world, where it acquired a local identity: in some regions of Africa, in the Amazon forests, in the steppe and mountainous areas of Asia, in the Siberian and North American tundra.
The concept of jailoo tourism is often associated with the activities of researchers studying the sites of prehistoric people and living with local tribes in the outback of Polynesia, Australia, South America, and Africa.
Jailoo travel: extreme and seasonality
How extreme the jailoo journey will be depends on.
Endurance is required on long hikes. Wildlife can pose a threat in the form of beasts of prey, poisonous snakes, insects and even plants. In the absence of special vaccinations, the risk of serious illness increases. And a not very prepared tourist can easily fall off a horse.
Jailoo tour organizers usually do not seek to make the route too extreme. In the first week, the tour participants are offered to live like ordinary shepherds: spend the night in yurts on a cotton blanket laid right on the ground, graze sheep and horses in alpine meadows, look after livestock, eat fried lamb, flat cakes, drink kumis.
… But they are more than compensated for by the impressions of the uniqueness of the surrounding landscapes, the icy water of mountain springs, steppes without end and edge, the fragrance of flowers and herbs, from the low night sky with billions of stars.
Walking or horseback riding in the surrounding area is available.
The most favorable time for jailoo tours is from early May to late September.
Jailoo routes in Central Asia are considered the safest. If travelers do not have enough extreme, it is necessary to select other directions: deserted Siberian taiga, African savannahs or the tropics of South America, where nature is in its original form.
You need to understand:
Kyrgyzstan jailoo directions
The Kyrgyz Republic is a state in the central and western part of the Tien Shan mountain system. On the mountain valleys with dense and lush grass, local shepherds have been grazing livestock since ancient times.
Jailoo for the Kyrgyz is not just a place for grazing sheep and horses. This is a very old and revered folk tradition. She personifies the image of the grandparents and strengthens family ties. Guests will be gladly met and accommodated in the Semenovsky gorge and the Besh-Tash gorge. The high-mountainous Son-Kul Lake is also popular with jailoo tourists.
Kyrgyzstan attracts more and more jailoo travelers from different countries.
Jailoo-travel in Kazakhstan
Jailoo tours are very popular in Kazakhstan, the homeland of the most ancient nomads. The nature of Kazakhstan is rich and pristine. It attracts tourists with its diversity: steppes and mountains, rivers and lakes.
("Green Pasture") is one of the most popular jailoo centers in Kazakhstan. It is located just 10 kilometers from Almaty in the Ile-Alatau State National Natural Park. Jailoo tours are also held in Burabai, a national natural park in the Akmola region.
Jailoo to Africa
There are many areas with nature untouched by civilization. Tribes with prehistoric life and traditions live on the continent. African aborigines make guests feel welcome.
Tourists will be told what fruits and herbs can be eaten and how to collect them. They will show you how to make fire without using matches or lighters. Guests can sing and dance to the rhythms of shamanic tambourines or take part in ritual ceremonies. Travelers wishing to join local traditions should be ready to collect cow dung cakes for kindling the hearth, sleep in a stuffy hut on a solid clay bench, constantly drive away clouds of flies …
Jailoo tourism in South America
South America is also replete with places that are almost never reached by modern man, and where the locals live in primitive conditions.
Jailoo tours are also organized by local travel agencies. White-skinned travelers, under the supervision of the aborigines, more and more often grind sweet corn between stones … The difficulty of survival in primitive conditions is becoming more and more understandable to modern man.
Extreme South American travel is made by high air humidity, tropical showers, incinerating heat and possible encounters with wild animals or poisonous insects.
Jailoo tourism in Russian
Russian jailoo tourism still needs regulation at the legislative level. Therefore, jailoo tours are still developing as a direction of ecological tourism and ethno-tourism.
Russian jailoo routes run through the Far East, some regions of Siberia, the Arctic Circle, the Taimyr Peninsula, Yakutia and Altai. Travelers learn to ride on sleds, sleep in yurts, learn to sew national clothes from reindeer skins.
Russian jailoo tours are exciting both in summer and winter. Urbanized tourists happily plant potatoes, water a vegetable garden, steam in a Russian bath and dive into an ice bath, and after that they crush cabbage soup, potatoes with pickled cucumbers and pancakes with and without filling by both cheeks. Jailoo routes in the Russian Far East are very popular among tourists from Japan. They watch with interest how they take care of poultry and piglets. The Japanese pay well for living in the village life of "real" Russia.
Jailoo tourism is developing rapidly and steadily
It is very important not to forget that wildlife encounters can be risky for travelers. Therefore, it is not recommended to take children with you on the jailoo tour. Travelers need to think over everything to the smallest detail, evaluate their strengths and capabilities, so as not to take risks in vain and enjoy the trip.
To go on a jailoo tour you need:
Jailoo tourism - for those who are experienced in traditional routes, comfort and service of hotels, services of erudite and ready to answer all questions of guides. For those who are attracted by extreme and unknown. But … For thoughtful, prudent and self-reliant daredevils … Forward, and with a song!
