Emergency numbers and help in Kyrgyzstan

The numbers

• 112 is the unified rescue and emergency line, but the direct numbers are what people actually use - save all of them.
• Operators speak Russian and Kyrgyz. English is unlikely.
• Write the mountain rescue number on paper and put it in your pack. You will not have signal to look it up, and a phone with a dead battery is the usual reason people cannot call.

In the mountains

• Rescue has limited equipment and there is no fast helicopter service. Response is measured in many hours or a day.
• Leave your route and return time with your guesthouse or agency, every single time. This is what turns a rescue from a search into a collection.
• Do not trek alone.
• Carry a first aid kit and a means of keeping warm overnight. Weather turns fast at 3,000 m.

Medical

• Contact your insurer immediately if you are referred for treatment, and expect evacuation rather than local surgery for anything serious.
• Sterilisation cannot be guaranteed in rural hospitals - if you have a choice, get to Bishkek.

If communication matters

• Tell people at home you will be out of contact for stretches. Silence in the mountains here is normal and not a signal.
• Most embassies are in Bishkek, and several countries cover Kyrgyzstan from Almaty in Kazakhstan - check yours before you go.