2 weeks of Global Convoy-style, overlanding adventure through the stunning mountains of Kyrgyzstan in a fleet of Soviet-style UAZ Buhankas!
24th May - 8th June 2025
The (Rough) Route*
An unforgettable 2-week journey through Kyrgyzstan, exploring its rugged landscapes and rich culture in classic Soviet UAZ Buhankas.
Start in the vibrant capital of Bishkek, then venturing into the stunning Ala-Archa National Park before winding through picturesque mountain passes to the turquoise shores of Issyk-Kul Lake. Camping under starry skies, sleeping in yurts and meeting nomadic herders to truly experience traditional Kyrgyz hospitality.
We’ll be adventuring to the remote Tash-Rabat caravanserai and marvel at the untouched beauty of Sary-Chelek and Jeti-Oguz. Each day brings a mix of exhilarating drives, breathtaking vistas, and cultural encounters, all while cruising in the nostalgic charm of old Soviet engineering.
…a buhan-what?
A Buhanka!!
Meet the UAZ-452 "Buhanka," the Soviet-era loaf of bread on wheels that's as rugged as the mountains you're about to conquer. With its boxy charm and unapologetically utilitarian design, this off-road beast laughs in the face of modern SUVs. Powered by a grumbling engine that feels like it's chewing rocks for breakfast, the Buhanka is built to devour mud, snow, and questionable "roads" without a second thought. Its Spartan interior transforms into a cozy camping haven, perfect for stargazing or recovering from the day’s exploration. Forget creature comforts—this is adventure distilled into pure mechanical grit, where every bump is a story and every mile a triumph!
Highlights
Exploring in a genuine Buhanka!
Group wild camping in nature
Natural wonders like Lake Issyk-Kul
Kyrgyzstan’s breathtaking Ala-Archa
Exploring Kyrgyzstan’s diverse regions
A taste of REAL, hands-on adventure
Authentic Kyrgyz food, drink & markets
A bunch of unforgettable shared experiences
This trip is not about the destination but the epic journey to be had whilst travelling across Kyrgyzstan!
*The route given is VERY subject to change. Luckily the amount of wild-camping strewn across Kyrgyzstan is ridiculous and wherever we go, the route will be gorgeous 😍
Costs
Costs cover from the start line to the finish of the adventure and include all items indicated below.
£1150 - Standard
£1000 - Early Bird
£900 - Previous Convoyers
*See pricing section for more info
Included in price:
A spot in a Buhanka
All vehicle preparation costs
ALL FUEL COSTS!
Guidance and assistance throughout
Logistics and planning
Negotiating/haggling/etc.
Discounts on future GC adventures
Limited edition MH25 T-Shirt
Some special things we’ve lined up ;)
Additional Costs:
Food & drink £10-15/day
Travel insurance ~£40
Optional extras (tourist sites, etc.) £50+
Unforeseen circumstances £100+
Flights/Visas ???
These additional costs are individually dependant so we can only give estimates.
See below for specific details
And flights?
If you’re coming from Europe (as a lot of folks for this trip are) then you’ll likely be heading via Istanbul to get to Bishkek. Here’s some example flights from London for a idea of what to expect. Of course, the more flexible you are the cheaper you can get them.
As of our latest check, flights are looking to be around £400 return, but we found if you don’t mind shuffling your days and hanging about in Istanbul, you might get them as low as £270.
London to Bishkek 24th May to 8th June
More Details
For general Global Convoy questions, check out our FAQ page here
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Two weeks of Global Convoy-style, overlanding adventure through iconic spots in Kyrgystan.
Join us on a once in a lifetime road trip to Central Asia! This trip will be all about the journey and the crazy stories we take away from this two week adventure. The trip will start in Bishkek where we will hop on our very own squad of Soviet Buhankas and from there it will be a wild mystery adventure.
The aim of all our MAYhem trips is to explore something new, with a bunch of enthusiastic travellers. Due to the time of year some mountain passes might be closed. But we will do our best to make this a wild adventure and the road trip of a lifetime.
What is MAYhem?
Each year, in the month of May, Global Convoy runs an adventure with an element of the unknown, in order to keep our adventurous spirit alive! Sometimes it’s new countries or cultures, sometimes it’s a new format of adventure… this time we’re going Soviet! We’ve dubbed these May adventures ‘MAYhem’ and since 2018 they’re usually the highlight of our year!
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From 24th of May 2025 until 8th of June 2025.
The option to arrive late or leave early is possible, but not guaranteed. Contact us for more information.
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Anyone looking to learn and explore without getting caught up in tourist traps.
Whilst anyone is welcome, this is adventure-travel and the pace, comforts and restrictions reflect that.
We get people out of their comfort zones, show them what they’re truly capable of and give them a new perspective on life - all while having a shit ton of fun in unbelievable locations making a ton of new friends for life and creating enough incredible, shared experiences to last a lifetime. Unsurprisingly, this doesn’t occur whilst having breakfast brought to you in bed in a 5 star hotel.
We encourage people from all walks of life to join. We’ve had 18 year olds fresh out of school through to over 50’s. It’s slightly clichéd, but it’s more about the age of your mindset and maturity than the age of your body.
The most important thing is that you are up for a challenge. There will be good times and there will be tough times, but as long as you’re willing to be a team player and help move the group forward, you’re a perfect fit!
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So this is the bit we love…
Vehicles 🚗
Our trusty Buhankas will follow in the grand tradition of all previous Global Convoy vehicles: Bad enough to create an adventure but good enough to (most likely) make it!Equipment ⛺️
We will be providing communal cooking equipment for the group: cooking, tools, etc.Tents are provided but sleeping bags aren’t. We can arrange these for rental in Bishkek on request.
If you would like to bring your own equipment or need help or advice in sourcing these items, just let us know in the pre-adventure call and we’ll be happy to help. 😊
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Discounts
The standard entry fee for this adventure is £1150.
Signing up before 14th January brings the price down to £1000.
If you’ve been on a previous convoy an sign up before 14th of January the price is £900.
Our first round of ESTIMATES.Here at the Convoy we want you to know exactly what you’re getting into ahead of time. Our goal is not to rip you off or trick you in with fantastically low costs. So to help your planning and budgeting, here’s a whole section dedicated to all the foreseeable costs for the trip. We plan for the worst when estimating for trips, so ideally you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how little you spend.
With that in mind, we’ve drawn up a very rough overview of how much the trip will cost you.
If you decide to go and get smashed every night, only eat at restaurants and don’t budget properly, you WILL spend much more.
These are ESTIMATED costs. You can spend more or you can spend less.
Entry Fee: £900 - £1150
Food & drink £10-15/day
Travel insurance £40
Accommodation £10-20
First and final nights are included in the cost but if unexpected accommodation is required, this is a good estimate, though it will likely be cheaper.Optional extras (tourist sites, etc.) £50+
Unforeseen circumstances £50+
This is our first round of estimated costs - we’re still in talks with sponsors/accommodation/tourist boards to get the absolute maximum experience possible for these costs.
Things are subject to change but this is a good indicator of roughly what the trip will cost.
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Group discounts, local knowledge and turning up in places that tourists don’t usually get to.
We’ve crammed the most adventure that we possibly could into 2 weeks AND found a bunch of awesome locations to check out and explore throughout each of them! We’ve driven most of these areas before and done the research on the others to keep costs down without actually sacrificing the experience of being there.
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Better than usual groups, stranger than usual routes and once-in-a-lifetime experiences… People seem to like them.
We start with outlandish, exciting adventure concepts and then craft them into realistically achievable plans. We then figure a minimum amount of people required to run the adventure affordably for everyone, then start taking deposits.
If we reach the minimum required participants for a given adventure, the deposits are locked in and the trip is confirmed!
If there aren’t enough confirmed team members by the cut-off date, all deposits are returned immediately.
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Of course! That’s how we’ve made it this far! 😅
As of writing, Kyrgyzstan is allowing tourists to travel through it and apart from a few exceptions allows visa free access.
Even still, we’ve also set aside a lot of room to adjust our timings and plans as unforeseen events or problems pop up and we always have the option to alter the route as circumstances dictate.
Whilst this uncertainty might sound like a bad thing, it’s kind of the bread and butter of Convoy trips! All we can recommend for you is to ‘hope for the best but prepare for the worst’ and we’ll do everything within our power to get you safely from A to B with a metric fuck-ton of awesome stories by the end!
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So you may have noticed the convoy runs a bit differently to your typical tour company 😂
We want the best adventure for everyone, that’s why we personally take part in every adventure ourselves and take the time to confirm each member of the team is joining the right trip for them.
When you’ve decided this is the right adventure for you, fill out the sign up form at the bottom of the page.
We’ll then arrange a casual chat with with you to a) get to know you a little better, b) confirm that this is the right adventure for you and that you’ll gain something from it!
You’ll then be able to reserve your spot with a £100 non-refundable deposit.
If for any reason the trip is cancelled, you will be refunded your deposit (minus any processing fees incurred).
If for any reason you are unable or choose not take part in the trip and the trip goes ahead, you will not be refunded. -
If anything isn’t 100% clear then please get in contact with us and we’ll be happy to clear things up.
You can send us a message here or reach out to us on social media further down this page. 😊
What makes the Global Convoy Different?
So you can read our story or learn more about us, but in a nutshell the Global Convoy’s goals is:
To help people to see the world in such a way that helps and grows them as an individual, benefits the people and places they travel to, makes the world more accessible to everyone and helps the Earth at the same time.
This is how the Global Convoy has become what it is today - a community that spans the globe, connects people who are searching for something with those who can help them, and does it’s best every step of the way to make the world a better place for all.
Sign Up
Read this.
How it works: Once you have decided that this once-in-a-lifetime adventure is the right choice for you, fill in the sign-up form below with your details and you will be then be able to pay your deposit, securing your spot on the adventure.
Once your deposit is in we’ll review your information and arrange a call with you to go over the details and ensure this is definitely the right adventure for you. If we feel that this isn’t the right experience for you then we will refund your deposit, minus any processing fees
If you have any questions or concerns, please get in contact with us BEFORE putting down your deposit. This is a truly fantastic experience but it is not for everyone and we’re happy to have a chat with anyone that has any questions first.
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This adventure is currently full!
We’ll make a public announcement on our social media if any new spaces become available!
What do people think?
Testimonial Entries
WARNING:
This is a real adventure. Things can go wrong, times can be tough and as with any overlanding journey there is the possibility of being injured or worse.
These risks and the rewards that come with them are what make such unorthodox adventures so fantastic, but do not mistake it for an all-inclusive package holiday.