11/04/2026
How It All Began. A Ten-Year Journey đ„łđ
Ten years ago, on 11 April 2016, I conducted my first group tour after a year of research, study, and preparation.
It was incredibly exciting to step out and do independent exploration, to interview people, dig deeper, and uncover their stories. Slowly, layers of history began to reveal themselves, like a mosaic made up of countless small, personal stories, not only the official state version of history taught in schools. I wanted to share this with those who came to visit our country, to offer something more meaningful and creative.
Guests who joined these tours often said they had walked these places a tens or hundred times before, yet had never noticed the small details or imagined that important events had taken place there. They discovered the stories of local people, stories that make a country feel alive, complex, deep, and interesting. After the tours, you could see a change in their eyes, you could feel a deeper connection to the land and to its people through these explorations, experiences, and conversations.
This is not an easy job. With every tour, you give away a piece of yourself. Sometimes you feel empty, exhausted, and ready to quit. Over these ten years, Iâve wanted to quit a million times.
And yet, when guests share what the experience meant to them - how the land began to feel special, how it made them pause, reflect, and rethink their perspectives - it keeps you going. There is often a gentle transformation: people find meaningful connections, they find new friends, sometimes even meet their life partners, or discover entirely new ways of seeing the world.
Over time, you meet like-minded people - partners, friends, and incredible team members whose eyes shine with passion for what you create together. A whole community begins to form around shared values.
Thank you all for being with us, whether just for a short walk, being online or taking a long ten year journey with us.
With love đż
Rahat Yusubalieva
Founder of Bishkek Walks and Deep Roots
