A jailoo is a summer pasture. When the snow melts, families load their yurts onto trucks — once onto camels and horses — and move their animals up to the high grass. They stay until the first frosts in September.
Life there is simple: milking at dawn, moving the flocks during the day, tea and bread by the stove in the evening. Mare’s milk is fermented into kymyz, the drink of the season.
Visiting a jailoo is the best way to understand Kyrgyz culture. Be ready for cold nights, outdoor toilets and very generous hosts.
