expedition Kyrgyzstan
NEXT AVAILABLE COURSE
BIshkek, kyrgyzstan
June 23rd - july 2nd 2025
£2895
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.
Course Structure & Requirements | CPD | Logistics | Itinerary | Skills and Competencies
COURSE STRUCTURE
5 days - Camping and hiking throughout the Sokuluk Gorge and surrounding 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 Kyrgz range supported by a local trekking guide. You will hike through the Sokuluk Gorge and surrounding mountains while camping.
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 top-rope 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.
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
£2895
10 days (23rd June - 2nd July 2025)
Suggested flights:
Arrive Bishkek on 22nd June: possibility to arrive early am on 23rd if required, contact us to discuss before booking
Depart Bishkek on 3rd July: possibility to depart late pm on 2nd if required, contact us to discuss before booking
Location, TRAVEL & Accommodation:
Throughout the expedition we will staying in a mix of hotels, guesthouses, tent camping and mountain huts. All accommodation is included in the price of the course, including accommodation on the night of the 22nd (pre-course) and July 2nd (post-course).
Suggested flights:
Arrive Bishkek on 22nd June: possibility to arrive early am on 23rd if required, contact us to discuss before booking
Depart Bishkek on 3rd July: possibility to depart late pm on 2nd if required, contact us to discuss before booking
Included:
All in country cost from 23rd-2nd (Food, transport, accommodation and activities) + optional night of accommodation pre and post course (22nd June and 2nd July)
Tent and stove hire for trekking
Not included:
Flights and airport transfers (these can be arranged for a small cost)
Insurance
Drinks and additional snacks (tea and coffee are provided)
Mountaineering equipment (details of hire options will be provided)
COURSE itinerary
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Most participants expected to arrive in Bishkek
Congregate at The Peoples Guest House for our first night of accommodation. There will be an opportunity to meet the faculty and ask any last minute questions before a group dinner.
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Spend the morning completing some final preparations including sorting kit
Lunch at the hostel before travelling to The Sokuluk Gorge (approx 2 hours minibus) to meet our local trekking guide
After a short hike, we will reach our first campsite at approximately 2000m
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Morning Expedition Skills session
Afternoon Circular trek of the Ashu-tur Gorge with an Expedition Skills session
In the evening, return to camp and plan the following days expedition
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Hike up the Sokuluk gorge to the confluence of the Chon-Tor and Eastern Sokuluk streams with concurrent Expedition Skills sessions
Camp at 3200m
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Reach the high point of our trekking section over the Ozernyi Pass at 3917m, moving from the Sokuluk gorge to Ala-Archa
Wild camp at an altitude 2920m
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Briefly return to civilisation today after a trek down the Ala-Archa gorge to Alpager at 2100m to stay in a hotel overnight with a freshly prepared group dinner
Meet with our in-country agent to collect mountaineering holdalls for a kit swap
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Change to the mountaineering phase of the trip, starting with a hike in the Ala-Archa National Park up to the Ratzek Mountaineering Hut at 3400m
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Meet our IFMGA certified guides, who will be working with us for the next three days
We start our mountaineering course with a focus on skills such as crampon use, glacier travel and crevasse rescue.
Freshly prepared hut dinner with an evening talk from Endeavour faculty
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Build on skills from Day One with the option for top rope ice climbing
Again in the evening we will have a hot hut dinner followed by an evening talk
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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
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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, or a banya
In the evening we will have a group meal out in the city
Overnight in Bishkek to prepare for flights home the next day
Expedition Skills and competencies
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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
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Leadership in challenging environments
Decision making under pressure
Communication methods
Building teams
Self care on expedition
Building personal confidence
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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