expedition Kyrgyzstan
NEXT AVAILABLE COURSE
BIshkek, kyrgyzstan
8th-18th June 2026
£1995
Join Endeavour Medical on a journey that takes you outside your comfort zone. Trek with our expert guides on a unique mountaineering expedition through the heart of Central Asia.
Over 10 days you will explore team and self development by working together within an expedition environment. Travel over glaciers, trek through remote valleys and high mountain passes while supported by IFMGA guides. You will utilise these challenging and exciting conditions to hone your navigation capabilities, medical decision making and mountaineering skills.
This course is open to anyone who has completed basic first aid training and wishes to enhance their skills. This course is open to medical and non-medical professionals.
Course Structure & Requirements | CPD | Logistics | Itinerary | Skills and Competencies
COURSE STRUCTURE
5 days - Hiking and wild camping through Tian Shan mountains
4 days - Mountaineering expedition led by IFMGA guides
Explore remote valleys and high mountain passes whilst developing key expedition skills, on a four day trek through the incredible Tian Shan mountains, from lake Issy Kul to the Chong Kemin Valley.
Learn mountaineering skills on the Ak-Sai glacier under the expert tuition of local IFMGA guides based at Ratzek hut in Ala-archa National Park. These mountaineering sessions will be run in small groups (1:3 guide to participant ratio) and include glacier crossing, crevasse rescues and ice climbing. The mountaineering course will include a guided summit on the final day, either a trekking route to Peak Uchitel (4540m) or another more technical peak.
Throughout the trip develop your expedition medical skills through practical and scenario based teaching sessions.
This course is based on a peer to peer teaching model, whilst the faculty will deliver some sessions we also strongly encourage participants to get involved in teaching a session; this could be medical, expedition skills, inspirational talks or anything else relevant. Certificates and feedback suitable for your portfolio will be available post course if required.
You will also be given access to our pre-course lectures prior to the expedition, which will give you the necessary background knowledge you need to approach the practical aspects of working in remote environments. The lectures are accessed online and will be available two weeks prior - and throughout - the course.
Interested in joining us? Check out our pre-course requirements below to see if this course is appropriate:
Expedition kyrgyzstan: Checklist
✓ Healthcare professionals or medical students from the UK or the rest of our global community who want to enhance their professional skills in leadership, communication and resilience
OR
✓ Healthcare students, other healthcare professionals and non-medics interested in expeditions, personally and for career development
✓ No specific first-aid qualifications required
✓ No previous mountaineering experience is required however a good level of fitness is needed.
The mountaineering focused sessions will be run in small groups tailored to participants prior experience
✓ An adventurous spirit and an interest in Expedition Medicine and extreme environments
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Endeavour courses deliver high-quality teaching in expedition and remote medicine. Teaching is led by experienced professionals in the field. It is immersive, holistic and flexible to help all attendees meet their personal development goals.
All Endeavour Medical courses are directly aligned to the Professional Capabilities set out by the UK Foundation Training and Postgraduate specialty training curricula. Specifically, all courses cover clinical assessment and prioritisation, communication skills in complex scenarios, holistic planning, fitness for practice (wellbeing), ethical and legal principles, health promotion, and illness prevention and leadership.
Endeavour course trainers are all familiar with principles of good supervision and training and can complete any work-based assessments undertaken during the course (including CEXs and CBDs). Reflective practice is also encouraged.
This course counts towards 50 hours of CPD.
LOGISTICS
COST
£1995
Course fees can be paid in interest-free instalments using Klarna during our checkout process, with the first instalment guaranteeing your place. To discuss alternative course payment options, please drop us an email.
12 days (10 day course, 2 days travel)
Location, TRAVEL & Accommodation:
Throughout the expedition we will staying in a mixture of hotels, guesthouses, tent camping and mountain huts. All accommodation is included in the price of the course, including accommodation in Bishkek on the night of the 18th (post course)
Suggested flights:
Arrive Bishkek on the morning of 8th June: we will then depart from the airport as a group and travel by minibus to Lake Issy Kul, if arriving prior to the 8th contact to discuss central Bishkek accommodation options and pick up point before booking flights
Depart Bishkek on 19th July: possibility to depart late pm on 18th if required, contact us to discuss before booking
Included:
All in country cost from (Food, transport, accommodation and activities) + optional night of accommodation post course.
Tent and stove hire for trekking
Airport transfers
Not included:
Flights
Insurance
Drinks
Mountaineering equipment (hire available at a discounted rate from our recommended provider Expedition Kit Hire)
COURSE itinerary
-
After landing in Bishkek, we’ll take a group transfer by minibus to Lake Issy Kul (approx 4 hours). The afternoon will be free for relaxing, packing and exploring Issy Kul. Before a group dinner.
-
In the morning we will prepare for trekking and meet our IFMGA qualified trekking guide. Departing before lunch for a short minibus ride to the mountains
-
Trekking and wild camp (details tbc)
-
Trekking and wild camp (details tbc)
-
We’ll trek down into the beautiful Chong Kemin Nature Reserve, Kyrgyzstan's longest gorge. After lunch we’ll take a minibus (approx 3 hours) to our hotel in Ala Archa National Park.
-
After a leisurely morning to rest and sort kit before the next phase we’ll take a short bus ride to the start of the trek to Ratsek Hut. We will enjoy lunch by the river in Ala Archa National Park before beginning the hike to Ak Sai glacier (3-4 hours).
-
First day of the mountaineering phase, we’ll meet the rest of our IFMGA guide team, before heading out to the crag to practice rope skills. In the evening we’ll enjoy a freshly prepared hut dinner and enjoy a talk from one of the group.
-
We’ll head to the glacier to focus on skills such as crampon use, glacier travel and crevasse rescue before enjoying another evening with a hut dinner and talk.
-
We’ll head back to the glacier to build on skills from the previous day with the option to try some ice climbing. The evening will follow the same format.
-
On the final day of our mountaineering course there will be the option to finish our time together with a summit, In the evening we will reflect on our course experiences together
-
Journey back to Bishkek with a morning hike down from the hut to meet our lift back to the capital
In the afternoon there will be time for people to explore the capital, for sightseeing, souvenir shopping or a banya
In the evening we will have a traditional Kyrgz celebratory group meal and drinks in the city
Overnight in Bishkek to prepare for flights home the next day or depart on an evening flight
Expedition Skills and competencies
-
Expedition medical planning, with legal, ethical and sustainability considerations
Evacuation planning
Trauma in the wild
Head, neck and spinal injuries
Moving and packaging casualties
Environmental illness: heat, cold, altitude
Water purification
Global health
Mental wellbeing and self care
-
Leadership in challenging environments
Decision making under pressure
Communication methods
Building teams
Self care on expedition
Building personal confidence
-
Leading a team on expedition
Navigation skills
Camp skills and bushcraft
Introduction to OR advancing skills in mountaineering and climbing
Glacial travel with ropes and crampons
If you’d like any further information about this course, do please drop us an email at:
hello@endeavourmedical.co.uk