SIM Cards and Internet in Kyrgyzstan

Mobile data in Kyrgyzstan is cheap and fast, genuinely among the better-value networks you'll encounter anywhere. The catch is coverage: excellent in cities and towns, patchy in valleys and nonexistent in exactly the high mountain places you'll most want to share photos from.

Getting a SIM card

Buy one at the airport on arrival or at any operator shop in Bishkek. You'll need your passport to register it. The whole process takes a few minutes and costs very little. A tourist data package is usually just a few dollars for enough data to comfortably cover a couple of weeks.

Which network

The main operators are Beeline, O! and MegaCom. All three are fine in cities. Coverage differences show up in rural areas and locals will often have an opinion about which is better in a specific region. If you're heading somewhere particular, it's worth asking.

Where you'll have signal

• Good: Bishkek, Karakol, Cholpon-Ata, Naryn and most towns along main roads

• Patchy: Valley roads, smaller villages, Chon-Kemin

• Essentially none: Son-Kul, Kel-Suu, Altyn-Arashan, most high passes and trekking routes

At Son-Kul you may occasionally catch a bar of signal on a ridge if you go looking for it. Plan on being offline.

Wi-Fi

Hotels, cafes and guesthouses in towns generally have Wi-Fi and it's usually decent. Mountain guesthouses and yurt camps do not.

Practical advice

Download offline maps before you leave Bishkek. Maps.me and Google Maps offline both work well. Tell people at home you'll be out of contact for stretches; it's normal here and not a cause for concern.

And genuinely, the disconnection is part of it. A couple of days without signal at a yurt camp tends to be something travelers end up describing as a highlight rather than an inconvenience.